If you’re looking for a new set of cymbals, Zildjian is one of the best brands to explore. They’ve always produced the best cymbals on the market, ranging from entry-level to top-tier professional options.
In this review, we’re specifically going to look at the Zildjian S Series Performer Cymbal Set. It’s a full set of cymbals to add to your kit.
We’ll break down the performance quality, playability, and overall musicality of the pack.
This pack includes a set of 14” Mastersound hi-hats, a 16” Medium Thin crash, an 18” Medium thin crash, and a 20” Medium ride.
Each cymbal in the set is made from Zildjian’s B12 bronze alloy, which is their intermediate concoction for lower-priced cymbals.
The cymbals are designed for intermediate players, but the sound quality of each one is perfectly suited for live gigging scenarios.
Each cymbal in this pack has strong sounds that are bright and vibrant. The 14” Mastersound hi-hats are quite thick, providing full and forceful tones when you strike them.
We love how articulate they are when you play them closed, but they get quite aggressive as you open them up.
The 16” and 18” crash cymbals are quick to speak, giving explosive sounds as soon as you strike them. They’re not incredibly musical, though. By that, we meant that they don’t produce nuanced sounds if you strike them in different ways. However, that’s to be expected from cymbals in this price range.
The 20” ride cymbal is big and loud. It offers exactly what you want from a big rock ride cymbal. It sounds best when you play the bow, while the crashing sound isn’t the best.
Overall, the sound quality is great for the price range. These aren’t cymbals that professional drummers will like, but they’re excellent for hobbyists and beginners.
As mentioned earlier, these cymbals are all made with Zildjian’s B12 alloy. This means that they’re comprised of 88% copper and 12% tin.
Typically, when a cymbal has more tin, it becomes more musical and responsive to different types of touch. So, these B12 cymbals don’t sound as good as B20 cymbals.
However, they still sound great! They sing when you strike them hard, and they’re incredibly loud due to their thickness.
The brilliant finish is another construction aspect that helps them project. All of these construction features are what make them great cymbals for heavier drummers who play rock, pop, or punk styles.
These cymbals perform very well when you hit them hard. You get great fullness of tone as you strike them.
However, they don’t sound too musical when hitting them softly. That’s to be expected, though, and many drummers don’t even want that from their cymbals.
It just means that they’re not an ideal studio option. But if you only want them for live gigs, they’re a fantastic choice.
Bright and powerful cymbals always feel fun to play, and the S Series cymbals are no different.
This cymbal pack costs just over $600. That’s a really decent price when considering that you get a full set of cymbals to play.
Some of the best cymbals on the market cost $600 for just a single option. So, the price-to-value ratio is really good for this cymbal pack.
If you’re a beginner or intermediate drummer, you can’t go wrong here. However, you’d need to spend more as a pro drummer. Pro drummers are usually comfortable with spending more anyway.
Overall, we think the Zildjian S Series Performer cymbals are a great option. While they’re not cymbals you should take to a recording studio, they’re bright and loud cymbals that sound great on stage.
They’re mostly for beginners and intermediate players, but we’ve seen pros like Josh Dun use them on stage before.
We highly recommend checking these out to see if they could be your next addition to your drum set.
Founder of TheDrumNinja
I’m crazy about drums, it’s been my passion since I was 12 years old. I played in numerous bands going through different styles like Rock, Progressive, Pop & Jazz-Rock. After being featured in major music publications (Drumeo, Guitar Guitar, AudioIssues, MusicThinkTank) I started this website to share my knowledge and create a resource for drummers of all levels.
We specialize in helping drummers of all levels become rhythmic assassins and develop ninja-like skills, quickly. Our mission is to create the best resources for all musicians and build a community where you can learn and share everything related to your musical journey.
Our team is committed to exceeding our clients’ expectations with uncompromising honesty and integrity. We focus all of our energy on helping musicians of all levels achieve their goals and build a foundation of skills that will last a lifetime.
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“9 Powerful Tips To Get Faster On The Drums (And The Mistakes To Avoid!)”
