As all Polish drum maniacs know (and the rest of the world is going to find out now), Radek Owczarz is one of the best studio and touring drummers in Poland. He has collaborated with some of the platitum-selling acts on the Polish scene, such as Kasia Kowalska, Pilichowski Band, Edyta Bartosiewicz, Patrycja Markowska or Jan Borysewicz.
Very recently, apart from testing some heads from Aquarian, he has also checked out quite a number of Zildjian cymbals from the K Custom Special Dry family. The first to go was a set comprised of the following: a 15″ hi hat, 20″ and 22″ crashes and a 23″ ride (see HERE). We will now take a closer look at another set made up of a 13″ hi hat, an 18″ crash, a 19″ crash and a 21″ ride. Let us put the 13″ hats under our microscope first, shall we?
13″ Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Hi Hat
1. The test
The test was carried out in professional studio conditions, at the CLC recording facility in Piaseczno, Poland. We useda Ludwig kit (Radek himself does not remember what model it is, maybe you could help?) and a Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 snare. The cymbal tested by us is a pair of 13″ Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Hats.
2. Basic specification of the cymbal tested here:
- Company: Zildjian
- Series: K Custom Special Dry
- Cymbal type: Hi hat (pair)
- Cymbal size: 13″
- Finish: Natural
- Character: medium dark, sandy, dirty, dry, short decay
- Weight: Thin (top), heavy (bottom).
3. The product and the sound
The K Custom Special Dry family is Zildjian‘s answer to the current craze for dry and dirty-sounding cymbals. Obviously, that is exactly what these hats offer. High frequency band harmonics have practically been eliminated and the hats are characterized by a higher pitch than that of the 15-inch brothers, however, not brighter. The sound is crunchy, the “chick” is very soft. When open, the hats do not make one’s ear drums explode and the decay is short (an effect enhanced by a smaller diameter). We should also mention that the bottom cymbal is heavier that its 15-inch counterpart, which makes it bark in a dirtier way when opened briefly, however, the bark is still nice-sounding. It is a beautiful-looking, wonderfully crafted pair of cymbals with noninvasive sonic characteristics which do not just copy competitors’ products.
4. Summary
We think we should Radek Owczarz himself sum up the whole experience:
“The 13″ Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Hats is a wonderful pair of cymbals. It has undoubtedly passed the studio test. It causes no problems as far as EQ goes, which compliments my drum kit because it doesn’t overwhelm with high frequencies. It is more explosive than the 15-inch, which is perfectly natural. Fit for any style of music, really“.
Producer: https://zildjian.com/
Distributor in Poland: http://www.adamusic.pl/
OUR VERDICT: 5/5 TOP
Advantages:
- Very well crafted
- Fashionable, dry, earthy sound
- Stylistic versatility
- Magnificent look
Disadvantages:
- None
Drummers and Drummerettes! It’s time to put the 13″ Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Hats (still relatively unknown to drummers in Poland) to the most important test of all, i. e. the en.beatit.tv viewers’ test! Exclusively for you, we give you Radek Owczarz!
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