Z Custom 19" Thrash Ride

Group: Ride
Type: Thrash Ride
Size: 19 Inch
Series: Z Custom
Weight: 2003g (2008 serial number)
Years of production: 2005 - 2009 (Became part of the Z3 series after Z Custom was discontinued.)
Sound file: Z Custom 19" Thrash Ride
Z Custom 19" Thrash Ride
Zildjian's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "The 19" Thrash Ride, quite frankly, performed beyond its intended purposes. With hammer marks coming out from the bell like spokes on a wheel, thin, fine lathing, and a lighter weight, this ride had more give than I expected from a Z Custom model. And while it was high, bright, and cutting (which I expected), riding on it produced a dirtier harmonic spread than that produced by the other Z Customs (which I had not expected.)

The cymbal's stick response was explosive, leading to a powerful cushion with plenty of volume. Yet it was controllable too. And as with the Projection crash, the Thrash Ride is playable in other ways. It made a great crash sound, but I especially liked hitting it as an accent, where it produced a splashy, aggressive sound.

With a name like Thrash Ride, the first thing that came to my mind was double bass riffs and blast beats. And while this model is certainly suitable for such playing, I found it to have potential beyond that. It could be a primary ride in certain rock applications, and a killer auxiliary ride for almost any."

Review written by Martin Patmos ("Product Close-Up - Zildjian ZBT Rock And New Z Custom Models - For Those About To Rock"), Modern Drummer, October 2005, p. 35)

Review: "The 19" Z Custom Thrash ride is another unusual addition. Described as a thrash ride it has a touch of the dustbin lid sound about it, but not so much as to make it too nasty. Played with the tip of the stick it actually has clear definition, but since it's designated thrash, we guess you're invited to give it some.

Lay in with the shoulder of your stick and it produces a bright and fairly corrosive wash, but every stroke is still heard. It soaks up the onslaught without washing out. It's similar to when you ride a china, but the sound is less abrasive. We would nevertheless suggest you get your ear plugs in if that's the way you intend to play it.

At 19" instead of the usual 20" it is relatively high-pitched for a ride and thus even brighter. It's a contemporary sound and a sure-fire way of stirring up excitement without resorting to the full-on racket of riding your china. The look is distinctive with lines of circular hammerings radiating out from the bell like a fairground wheel.

This, Zildjian tells us, is a hybrid of both A Custom-style and Z Custom-style hammerings. The hammer blows have evidently been made from beneath the cymbal as they stick up on the playing surface, the opposite way around to the hammerings on the Projection crash."

Review written by Music Radar Team ("Zildjian Z Custom Series Splash 14" review", MusicRadar.com, December 11, 2007)

Artist/song where it can be heard: Tommy Lee