NOTE: Review edited to add more details after more time with the cymbal. Since this is a ride cymbal, I feel it's important to mention that I play with nylon tipped sticks the overwhelming majority of the time.
I was happy when I unboxed it due to its look alone but I was even more happy when I played it! I find this pool to be quite unique in sound because of the large unlathed areas and what I feel is quite a strange bell.
The body is quite differentiated, the lathed portion produces a deep, clear ting with plenty of wash and some brighter shimmer, but not a large amount. The unlathed rim has a less clear ting and a darker, mellower and slightly earthier wash to it which I think is useful sometimes for quieter passages of music. It is quite loud when crashed on, but it's also quite deep and somewhat dry, and I have found that, at rehearsal, a wall of guitar noise can overpower it somewhat.
The bell is unlathed too, also large and hard to miss, but looks oddly flat to my eye. But it does sound nice! A relatively soft "ping" when hit with the stick tip, and a deep, dark, more powerful "dunnng" when hit with the shoulder.
I've found this dish particularly useful in my 1st band for soft & hard rock, psych, funk and even some more poppy contexts. Playing to myself, it also takes jazz and swing patterns
quite nicely. After some recording with my 2nd band (hardcore/thrash metal), I think it's less suitable for more heavy genres, where it was a little too dark and dry to cut into the guitars nicely.
All in all, a great looking cymbal with a somewhat complex and interesting sound spectrum. Brilliant price/performance ratio as usual with Zultan so definitely worth the money and worth a try for anything from soft to loudish music. Might not be the best option for heavier styles though.
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