Zildjian K Custom Hybrid Ride 20"

Out of all the Zildjian K Fusion cymbals, the ride is the one that utilizes this fusion the best.  Because I frequently ride on the shoulder or bell of the ride, I made a lot more contact with the coated surface.  This was cool, and it was nice to experiment.  That being said, I wasn't crazy about the overall sound and it was a little strange to have such a sharp change of texture.  Often times, I like to slowly work up the ride edge, producing a slow and constant gradient change.  With this cymbal, more diverse sounds are available, but they are more black and white.  Also, unlike the other cymbals in this line, I feel like this would be confined to some kind of fusion or lighter rock/pop because of the coating on the interior paired with the delicate edges.

Without moving to far in from the edge, this has characteristics comparable that of a normal K.  It is fairly dark, producing slowly decaying strokes with a degree of wash with every hit.  On the interior/shoulder, the sound is much more pingy, but still pretty dark as there is less diameter.  The decay is much faster and the coating is audible.  I have never heard this live in context, but have heard recordings.  It really sounded great, cutting through the music and retaining a very clean, but not anemic, sound. 

At the prototype sale I saw these at a while back, I saw a lot of people fall in love with this model.  It is a great cymbal, but I prefer the hi hats or china.  I enjoy moving in and out of the shoulder area too much to sacrifice the gradual changes for a greater dynamic range.  Because of its complex engineering, this is also a very expensive cymbal.  Compared to other K customs, or any other line at this price level, I would suggest searching around a bit before any purchase is made.