This is a cymbal that has been used in the studio that I work at very much. It's a great ride cymbal, 20" and its a part of the K Custom series which means that you know it is a good cymbal. It has a very unique quality. It's pretty dark but it still has a lot character and zest. I would certainly say that this is a better sounding cymbal for mellower rock bands, but I think it would be acceptable for jazz and blues, funk and similar genres as well. Basically anything that requires a ton of groove out of the ride, this just sounds better than a Dry Ride. It doesn't shimmer as loudly as the other dry rides, and it has more personality as a subtler cymbal. I feel its a more appropriate cymbal for different genres. As a multi-instrumentalist and aspiring engineer, I feel as though it competes less viciously with the frequencies of a distorted guitar, which gives it a great contrast while recording. The cymbal is pretty expensive, as the K Custom series is one of the better cymbal series out there. But trust me, you will possibly tire of a lesser cymbal much earlier than this one. I think that the Dark Ride will totally be worth any realistic price you pay for it, especially if you can get a used one in half-decent shape. The sound quality is unmatchable, I think that it is one of my favorite sounding rides right now. My boss and head engineer would probably agree. I have tried some of the other K Custom series in order to compare them to each other. I haven't really found a better cymbal series in general, but I truly prefer some to the others, and this one is one of those that I really dig. I would highly recommend this to anyone with the patience to save up for it.