K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat

Group: Hi-Hats
Type: K/Z Hi-Hat
Size: 13 Inch
Series: K Zildjian & Z Zildjian
Weight: Top is a K Zildjian 13" Hi-Hat Top; Bottom is a Z Zildjian 13" Dyno Beat Hi Hat
Years of production: 1987 - Present
Sound File: K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
K Zildjian 13" K/Z Hi-Hat
Zildjian's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "Essentially, the K/Z combination takes the idea of the New Beat hi-hats— matching a thinner top with a heavier bottom— one step further. In this case, the Z bottom is very heavy, and that helps give these hats a very strong "chick" sound when played with the pedal. The heavier bottom cymbal also gives the hi-hats a higher pitch, which helps them to cut through at loud volumes. (The 13" size also plays a part in this.)
The advantage of having a K top is that the K has a lot of dark overtones that help compensate for the extreme brightness of the Z bottom. If the top cymbal were brighter and/or heavier, the "chick" sound would still be good but the hi-hats would tend to sound brittle when played with a stick. But with that K on top, you have plenty of overtones to give a good stick sound, and you still have plenty of "chick." Again, the 13" size is probably a factor here, as a 14" K top might be a little too dark sounding for general purposes.
Out of curiosity, we compared the K/Z combination with a set of 13" A New Beats. When played with a stick, they were very similar in character, but the "chick" sound was much stronger on the K/Z pair. We then tried the A New Beat top with the Z bottom, and while the "chick" sound remained strong, the hi-hats sounded a little thin when played with a stick. Basically, all of the overtones were coming from the A New Beat top, and it just didn't have as many of them as the K. (The New Beat bottom, of course, had more overtones than the Z, and that's why the two A's worked together.)
If there has been any hi-hat combination over the past few years that can be said to have been the "standard," it was probably 14" A Zildjian New Beats. But I was so impressed with the K/Z combination that I'll go so far as to predict that they might become the new standard."
Review written by Rick Mattingly ("Product Closeup", Modern Drummer, July 1988, p.109)
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