A Custom 20" Ride

Group: Rides
Type: Ride
Size: 20 Inch
Series: A Custom
Weight: 2058g, 2130g, 2180g, 2214g, 2313g, 2345g, 2404g
Years of production: 1991 - Present
Sound File: A Custom 20" Ride
A Custom 20" Ride
A Custom 20" Ride
A Custom 20" Ride
A Custom 20" Ride
A Custom 20" Ride
Zildjian's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "The fundamental pitch of the 20" A Custom was noticeably higher than a 20" A medium ride I compared it to, and yet the overtones on the A Custom did not have as wide a spread. It sounded thinner—which, literally, it is.
But I don't mean that in a negative sense. The sound was not unlike certain high-quality non-cast cymbals, if you catch my drift. On a high-volume gig where I wasn't going to be miked, this might not be my first choice for a ride cymbal. But in a moderate-volume setting, or with miking, or in a recording studio, these cymbals would sound fine.
Because of the lack of ultra-high overtones, one could certainly classify them as darker than regular A's. But they have absolutely no trace of the "trashy" sound associated with some K's, and they do sound brighter than those cymbals.
The main area in which they resemble K's is that their bells produce a good number of overtones. You can still get a reasonably good clang from the bell, but these might not be the optimum cymbals for a Latin gig where you play on the bell a lot. Overall, I preferred the 20" A Custom over the 22" version, as the pitch of the larger cymbal was quite low and it produced a somewhat gong-y undertone when laid into."
Review written by Rick Mattingly ("Product Close-Up - Zildjian A Custom Cymbals", Modern Drummer, March 1992, p.42)
Artist/song where it can be heard: