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MusicRadar

Entertainment

Tom Bradley

“A versatile set with dry and dark tonal qualities”: Zultan 25 Series Cymbals review

Lucy Robinson Future China

What is it?

The release of the brand new 25 Series from Zultan commemorates the company's 25-year anniversary of cymbal production. Forged using traditional Turkish methods, the German cymbal-smith offers a wide array of styles across 15 distinct families. As one of Thomann’s in-house brands, Zultan is exclusive to the well-known retail giant and offers relatively affordable prices when compared to your longer serving brands such as Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste and Meinl.

A full price list of the 25 Series can be found at the bottom of this review but to give you a rough guide, prices start at £68 for the smallest of the set – the 10” splash – and work their way up to £239 for the largest in the range, the 22” ride (accurate at time of writing). This is close to half the cost of professional-level equivalents from any of the ‘big four’ brands.

The lineup we’ve been sent for review includes the aforementioned splash and ride cymbals, plus 15” hi-hats, 18” & 19” crashes and a 19” china. Also available in the range are 16” and 20” crashes, 16” and 18” chinas, 14” hats, 12” splash and 16”, 18”, 19” FX type ‘Holey Crashes’.

There are two pre-configured sets available, which represent a slight saving over buying each individually. Set one consists of 14" hi-hats, 16" & 18" crashes and 20" ride cymbal (£675), while set two is made up of 15" hi-hats, 18" crash and 22" ride cymbal (£599).

The 25 Series is hand-casted using B20 bronze (20% tin and 80% copper) which is a trait shared with the vast majority of high-end cymbals. Each cymbal features a traditional finish with defined lathing lines, except for the bells, which have been left unlathed on top and bottom. This hybrid lathing approach not only gives the 25 Series a striking appearance and textured finish but also serves in drying their overall sonic characteristics. Up close inspection reveals extensive hand-hammering with shallow indentations covering the surface of each cymbal.

Generally, the quality of the finish is high, although there are some slight imperfections here and there. Taking the hi-hats for example, at certain angles it becomes apparent that there are some shallow scratches scored into the surface, potentially due to some haphazard lathing. There is also a small chip on the playing surface where a piece of metal has flaked off, again likely during the lathing process. The look of the 25 Series is relatively minimalist with only a printed Zultan logo and small “25” badge on top, and each cymbal’s model/size is printed on the underside.

Performance

Over the last few weeks, we’ve used Zultan’s new 25 Series exclusively for numerous gigs, ranging in style from heavy rock to funk, and have been suitably impressed by their versatility. They’ve also been used on our teaching kit, which has seen them put to the test at various playing volumes and in numerous musical contexts – both stylistically and in terms of acoustic surroundings.

Overal,l the cymbals are extremely dark and fairly low-pitched, particularly when played at lower volumes. Their relatively thin and flexible nature affords them a shimmer which allows a fairly long resonance, wonderfully balanced by the semi-lathed finish. This approach contributes not only to the earthy tone but also dries the overall sound. This is noticeable in the clear stick articulation, particularly when playing the bow of the ride, for instance. The result is a marriage of bold strikes supported by an underlying wash of complex tones created by the hand-hammered B20.

When played heavily, the tonal characteristics are altered, with much higher-end frequencies being released. This is a particularly welcome attribute in the crash cymbals, which explode with a myriad of high and low frequencies upon each strike. Still overall dark and moody, but now with a newfound ability to cut through the mix of a track or live band.

The 18” and 19” crashes are well balanced in terms of pitch, but there is a disparity in overall tone between the two. The 19” is slightly drier than its smaller sibling, which is noticeable mostly when riding it in a heavy groove or playing swells. The nature of handmade cymbals is that no two will ever be quite the same, which can be both a blessing and a curse. In this case, although only a subtle difference between the two is apparent, the preference would naturally be to have a perfect balance between them.

The 15” hi-hats are once again dry and extremely articulate. Their flexibility provides a satisfying feeling of ‘give’ under stick, which is also helped by their size (fairly typical of 15” hats). The bottom hi-hat is roughly twice the weight of the top which helps make the closed sound cutting and the open sound bold and low-pitched. All in, a fantastic pair of hi-hats that feel as at home in pop and rock as they do jazz and funk.

The china cymbal is also a triumph and ticks all the boxes in terms of volume and sheer attitude as it bursts into life on impact. Despite its large size at 19 inches, it is remarkably focused and works perfectly for those accented strikes that only a china can provide. Rock and metal fans, this is one to check out.

When we reviewed Zultan’s Z Series, the only cymbal we didn’t get on with was the splash cymbal, which unfortunately is the case again here. The 10” model doesn’t stand up to the tonal qualities of the rest of the set and sounds weak by comparison.

Verdict

Despite some minor cosmetic issues, the 25 Series looks as good as it sounds. A versatile set with dry and dark tonal qualities, it represents great value for money.