ZILDJIAN K CONSTANTINOPLE CYMBALS

ManualsBrandsZildjian Manuals20" Ride CymbalsRide

| JUNE 2012 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK

120

GEAR REVIEW

he K Zildjian Constantinople series

was introduced in 1998 by Armand

Zildjian (president of the Avedis

Zildjian Company at the time),

who wanted to recreate the look, feel and

ultimately the sound of the original

Turkish-made Kerope Zildjian Ks. After the

death of Armand in 2002, the baton was

handed over to Director of R&D Paul Francis

and his team, who continue to develop the

range, creating new models and series

enhancements.

Build

The series’ apparent suitability for jazz is

echoed by the collaborative design input

from several top jazz drummers including

Adam Nussbaum with the 22" Renaissance

ride, Kenny Washington 20" Bounce (and its

larger 22" Bounce) and Elvin Jones with the

14" hi-hat. Until recently the choice of

Constantinople crashes was somewhat

limited – in fact, there were only two – a 16"

and 18". Zildjian has now added three new

models to partner the existing models – a 15"

and 17" crash and a 19" crash/ride.

With the exception of the Renaissance

ride (which features intense 1mm grooves

cascading over its entire surface), each of the

other models is lathed in a similar way to the

Turkish-made Ks of the 1940s/’50s. Across

the upper and lower cymbal surfaces there

are tiny pin-prick grooves starting a path

from the centre and spiralling their way to

the outer edge. The second is a much deeper

and wider groove, measuring nearly a

centimetre which follows a similar path.

On the hi-hat especially, this lathing pattern

represents a considerable change to the

design, which once featured ‘cast’ rings over

its surface. The bell cups on 15", 16", 17" and

18" crashes are now similarly shaped with a

slightly smaller ‘vintage’ style. The bell of the

19" crash/ride however, features a fairly large

domed-shape bell (similar to the bells on the

Renaissance and Bounce rides), which is said

to offer increased projection – an essential

element for such a large crash.

The complex hammering process literally

stamps each of these models with its unique

sonic identity and dark tone. New for this year

is additional hammering of the hi-hat and the

16" and 18" crashes, compressing the bronze

alloy signiﬁ cantly and creating a darker tone.

The hammering on the both of the rides is so

intense they almost appear to have been

vandalised with a succession of large hammer

blow clumps joining together to form

incredibly deep indentations.

Hands On

Softly ‘tickling’ around each cymbal

demonstrates a dark and surprisingly trashy

tone which is far removed from anything crisp

or clean. When struck with something a little

more forceful, the crashes suddenly explode,

discharging a huge whooshing effect, like an

unnerving gust of wind that appears from

nowhere. Once these are played in a band

situation it becomes difﬁ cult to detect the

trashy side, instead they seem to have

undergone a slight change of character,

cutting through where necessary while

perfectly blending in smoothly and bringing

GEAR REVIEW

From £299 Zildjian has expanded and enhanced its

stunning K Zildjian Constantinople series

WORDS: DAVE HOLMES

THE HAMMERING ON BOTH

OF THE RIDES IS SO INTENSE,

THE CYMBALS ALMOST APPEAR

TO HAVE BEEN VANDALISED

MEINL

BYZANCE

We say: “Any of them

will add exotic shades

to your set-up.”

ISTANBUL

AGOP 30TH

ANNIVERSARY

CYMBALS

We say: “Anyone

remotely jazz-inclined

would be forgiven for

thinking that it’s

their

birthday.”

Also try…

a smile to my face. With felt mallets in hand,

this demonstrates another more tender side

to the crashes which, with increased velocity,

gently rises to form a highly musical binding,

ﬁ lling in the gaps and enriching any soft and

tasteful musical piece.

Striking any of the other models shows a

surprisingly uneven wobble which, due to their

size, is more noticeable around the edges on

the larger models. This is, at times quite

animated, even severe, on the Bounce which

creates a frenzied wobble around the outer

edge like some shiny giant jellyﬁ sh. This cymbal

takes a great deal of skill to learn how to

control it – I can see exactly why this is called

the Bounce! The sound produced is suitably

immense, sending corkscrew waves spiraling

through the air and leaving you to bathe in

its wake.”

The 22" ride feels simply amazing below the

sticks – responding accurately and dynamically

to each of the varying stick strikes and building

a lush wash which just sits there comfortably in

the background. However, the hi-hat is

incredibly articulate, ably demonstrated by the

stick tips which dance their way across the

surface where it is easy to detect each tip-hit

with clarity. Striking the edge with the shoulder

moves the music up a notch or two and then

opening them up a little has a similar hi-hat

sound to the drum intro on Coldplay’s ‘In My

Place’ – fabulous.

VERDICT: Clearly these cymbals are

outstanding, while being far more

versatile than you might think – they

are not so easily musically pigeon-

holed. There is no denying they are

really expensive but they are well worth

the investment.

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

RATING

ZILDJIAN

K CONSTANTINOPLE