We just cracked open our July issue of DRUM! and got to wondering about what some folks at Pearl’s drummer forum have already been asking for days now: what the hell is up with Zildjian’s ad on the back cover? It’s solid black with the phrase “pitch black” in a very dark gray. Clearly, the big money is on Zildjian unveiling a series of black-coated cymbals, but the mystery is whether it will be a professional or budget line. Travis Barker recently appeared in Rhythm magazine with a set of black Zildjians…but that doesn’t necessarily mean the cymbals are designed for discriminating ears. Got any spy pics that will clear this up? Send ‘em posthaste.
Below is one purportedly legit shot.
[Updates: Zildjian Pitch Black Cymbals (Part 2), Travis Barker Playing Zildjian Pitch Black Cymbals?, Zildjian Pitch Black Cymbals in France]
I HAVE SEEN THEM ! The Pitch Black cymbals
I’m a sabian player and I want to go Zildjian , so I went to Guitar Center to buy sticks and this guy next to me pointed at awesome Cymbals by Zildjian Called Pitch Black they tested them out on a dw set and I tried them and they sounded like a heavy A custom
Browsville ,TX Guitar Center
I seen them at Guitar Center today. I played the crash, I did not like it. The 18″ China sounded as good as an Oriental China, is only $140.00. I played the 20″ Crash Ride, that too, sounded awesome, I did not get the price on it, but I may go to the Pitch Black series though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APvV1GyNmCA
they sound great
theres a charity auction for the sticks
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160261688250
i recently bought the 16″ crash, 22″ ride, and 18″ china.
they sound great, but my friend said they’re literally
just black painted ZBT’S. No idea if this is true, though
I’ve been a true Sabian player as well, but also have played everything from ZBT’s to A Customs and B8 Pro’s to AAX’s.
I’ll have to say I’m extremely impressed with the Pitch Black series,
I played on a DW set at Guitar Center recently that sported the cymbals and was immediately surprised on how loud and clear they were.
Now many people are bashing these cymbals saying they’re just coated Planet Z’s or ZBT’s, etc.
This is entirely untrue. If you’re so tired of hearing the same sound every time you hit your cymbals, these are for you. I purchased immediately the 15” Mastersound Hats, 16” Crash, 13” Splash, and 22” Ride.
I made some demo videos on my digital camera, not even a video cam or expensive tripod & such. These cymbals sounded perfectly crisp and loud on and off camera!
Now to the cymbals I bought:
The mastersound hats are easily comparable to the Zildjian A’s and Sabian AA Metal X’s, in my opinion. They have this crisp definition to them, open or closed. It’s not the boring ‘Chick” that most hats produce. The 16” Crash is extremely loud and is incredible each time you hit it. It’s not one of those crashes that sounds exactly the same, and is disgusting to listen to. The 13” Splash is like a mini version of the Oriental China, and it goes PERFECT when playing metal. And last the 22” Ride is massive, and has a huge range of definition. Basically each area on the big 22” cymbal you hit has a different loud, and definitive sound.
Now my opinion is, if you play loud, and/or are tired of hearing the same crap each time you play. Get these now, they’re priced a little high, but compared to high end A Customs or AAX’s, etc., it’s definitely worth it. Basically you’re getting an exceptional, unique sound, for an intermediate price, and an amazing look to add to your set.
I’m definitely considering buying even more models from this series, including the 18” China and Crashes, to add to the amazing sound. The china I have yet to demo but from what I’ve heard it’s comparable to the oriental china with an even louder, cutting sound.
Overall I think these are highly bashed cymbals, but if people really sat down and considered playing these and really noticing the difference and the uniqueness that they really have, many would actually like them.
Thanks for the review, Tommy. Have you posted the videos you made? We’d love to see them.
Now the Pitch Black Cymbols sound really good!!!! But in all aspects it really sounds like some one got the idea of purchasing Gloss Black spray paint and went to town……wait a minute, that sound like an idea….
I played on these cymbals and i wouldn’t really compare them to anything else…these cymbals in my opinion have a very distinct unique sound the the pitch black series is a very unique form of cymbal…they contain multiple sounds and have much playability in them…pricey but i highly recommend these cymbals to anyone trying to get a gorgeous sound while haha looking cool at the same time….i personally think they go great with my Ddrum diablo
well i am poor, infact i dont have a drumset, i dont even know what a drumset looks like. but i think that i could make some money by spray painting some trash-can lids black, and maybe charge 140$ for each of them. sounds like an idea to me. i seen them at the guitar center today
these suck. im a meinl guy, so i dislike zildjian to begin with, but i looked at one at my local GC, and it was a china and there was a tiny bronze spot, and i was able to chip some more off with my bare finger!! its a cheap cymbal with paint! i hate paiste, but at least when they have colored cymbals they add the color in the dye, not paint it on
I own a set, 22 ride, 20 crash/ride, and 18 crash and 15 master sound HH’s. I have played them in both a closed space my 10 ft x10 ft storage unit to a nice 75ft x 75ft studio. They require some energy to get some sound out of the crashes 20/18. The ride is simply wonderful. I change sticks accordingly to get a different ping out of the ride or just use a different area of the body. The hh’s are very bright and can be a little loud but are very responsive. I recently removed the black coating off of the 2 crashes and now they dont require as much muscle to get a nice crash out of them. I used a gel type paint and varnish remover and it came off with out any effort. The coating was very thin. It brightened the 2 crashes up a great deal and made them more versatile. I play jazz to hard rock and they come across quite nicely. The markings stamped into the edge is Avedis. Very brassy color after the paint was removed.
Yeh i got some, pretty awesome
18″ crash
20″ crash/ride
14″ hi-hats
had to buy them separately though, none came in the package