It’s possible I have too many 20” K Zildjian ride cymbals. I’ve been looking for the perfect ride lately (decent stick definition but also very crashable), and I haven’t quite found it yet. But here are the ones I’ve accumulated as I continue my search.

K Ride (older) 0:04
K Ride (newer) 0:39
K Heavy Ride 1:12
K PreAged Light Dry Ride 1:45
K Custom Dark Ride 2:20
K Constantinople Medium Thin Low Ride 2:54

K Ride (older)
I bought this one used at some point in the late 1990s or early 2000s. It’s a great allaround cymbal, which I use for rock/funk and could also use for jazz. Very nice stick definition, even when playing hard. Somewhat crashable. Lowish, nottoopingy tone.

K Ride (newer)
This one is a recent acquisition. Definitely sounds different than my earlier K Ride—a little more highend sweetness. It’s probably not different enough to warrant having both, but for now, I do.

K Heavy Ride
I bought this in the late 1990s to replace a Sabian 21" Dry Ride. This cuts through loud music very well—in fact, sometimes the bell is downright piercing. Very pingy. Not particularly crashable. And true to its name, it’s definitely heavy (the heaviest I own). I really haven’t used it much in the last 15–20 years, just because I don’t play a kind of music that demands it.

K PreAged Light Dry Ride
This one is my longtime favorite. I bought it in mid 1990s, when my only other ride was the Sabian Dry Ride. This provided a lighter, more washy cymbal for jazz, acoustic music, and other lowvolume settings. There is some amount of stick definition, but it’s definitely washy, especially when playing with larger sticks than I’m using in this video. I love the clangy bell and definitely love the crash. It could just be used as a crash alone or a “lefthandedside” ride that you crash and ride.

K Custom Dark Ride
This is a new acquisition. I like it a lot. It’s a little darker and lower than the PreAged Light Dry Ride. It has decent stick definition, though I wish it had just a little more. Nice bell, not too obnoxious. Nice crash. I’ll probably use this one when I need something a little in between the PreAged Light Dry and a K Ride.

K Constantinople Medium Thin Low Ride
Definitely unique. A very lightweight cymbal, with a low tone. I’m surprised that there is some stick definition at all, but there is a little. It feels soft to play—the complete opposite of the Heavy Ride. The bell sound is indistinguishable from the shoulder, and the crash is low and slightly trashy. The one real issue is that it’s a lowervolume cymbal than all my other cymbals. So it doesn’t blend in quite as well as my other rides. (Maybe I need a K Constantinople crash?) I would use this for lowvolume gigs and certain kinds of jazz. I used to have coffeehouse gigs where I’d bring just one cymbal with a snare and kick. And this would be great for that kind of gig. I’ll likely keep it just because it sounds different than anything else I have. …And I also love the way it looks.

Equipment:
—K Zildjian ride cymbals (obviously)
—DW maple drums, nickle over brass snare
—Blue Hummingbird overhead mics and snare mic
—Shure SM57 mics
—AKG D112 kick mic
—Apogee Element 88 A/D interface
—Logic Pro
—Fujifilm X100T camera
—Final Cut Pro