Zildjian Kerope Series Rides

93
WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM NOVEMBER 2016 |
D
e spite modern music getting ever
brasher and louder, a welcome
balance is maintained in the way
each cymbal company has sought
to develop vintage, darker, softer and lighter
series. This is right up Zildjian’s street as the
original purveyors of highly collectable ‘Ks’
and ‘As’. The K Kerope line was fi rst seen in
the UK in April 2014 and has been a runaway
success. Now Zildjian is offering two medium
weight rides to the previous light ones.
Build
The 20" and 22" Kerope rides are a
distinctively special burnished orange-gold.
Zildjian closely examined vintage cymbals in
its own vault to plunder the best aspects of
those prized 1950/’60s archetypes. Although
spanking new, the Keropes look ‘lived-in’,
with a specially applied ageing patina.
Individually hand-crafted, a 14-step
process results in each cymbal being
oh-so-slightly different. The exact gram
From £429 Zildjian adds a pair of medium weight rides to its
acclaimed and hugely successful Kerope series
ZILDJIAN KEROPE
SERIES RIDES
WORDS: GEOFF NICHOLLS
weight is inked on the underside of each
bell, inviting the individual drummer to
search out his/her ideal instrument.
Hands On
Going on my recollection of the standard
weight rides (which I reviewed for
Rhythm
228), these 20" and 22" Medium rides have
even more body and wash. Actually, rather a
lot, although they’re never in danger of
drowning, such is the controlled manner of
Zildjian’s sound design. Although heavier
than the earlier, lighter Keropes, these are
still lush cymbals with the vibrant stick sound
melting effortlessly into the overall body.
The 22" in particular has a massive presence
and its large fl attened bell gives a clanky yet
darkly musical chime.
In fact, it seems both cymbals have more of
everything, as the stick clarity is fractionally
sharpened by the extra weight, while the
overall volume of each cymbal is slightly
increased. Crash riding has an extra power, the
PRICE S
2 0 " Kerope Medium
ride, £429; 22" Kerope
Medium ride, £479
CAST OR
PRESSED
Individually cast
ALLOY USED
Zildjian B20 bronze
WEIGHT RANGE
20" range: Standard,
1,871-2,126 grams;
Medium, 2,126-2,381
grams; 22" range:
Standard, 2,182-2,523
grams; Medium,
2,523-2,721 grams
FINISH
Old gold, antiqued
vintage appearance
with ‘lived-in’ patina
COUNTRY OF
MANUFACTURE
USA
DIAMETERS
AVAILABLE
20", 22"
SUITABLE FOR
Soul, gospel, r’n’b, jazz,
acoustic, pop, rock, etc.
CONTACT
Headstock Distribution
0121 508 6666
www.zildjian.com
Essential spec
MEDIUM WEIGHT
The slightly increased medium
weight gives the cymbals increased
volume and stick defi nition
VINTAGE AURA
Kerope rides have a special
patina applied to the surface
giving them a classic aged
and played-in appearance
crash sound having a short, bright whoosh
balancing a deeper, longer undertow.
I fell in love with the fi rst Keropes and it’s
hard to imagine how any drummer would not
warm to these. Tonally rich and complex, they
still sit sweetly in just about any musical
situation – jazz, r’n’b, gospel, pop and rock too.
If not intending to play too loud I should still
investigate the lighter weight pair, but for so
many modern situations where you fi nd
yourself applying some extra force, these new
medium additions will fi t the bill perfectly.
VERDICT: Zildjian’s Kerope series is
already a critical success, and these
two medium rides add some meat to
the complex and beguiling sound of a
legendary era of cymbal making.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
RHY261.gear_zildjian.indd 93 28/09/2016 18:31