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Zildjian Cymbals

Steve has been a Zildjian endorser for many years. Here is what he has to say about his cymbal setup:

"My main ride cymbal is the K Zildjian Renaissance, a 22” model designed by Zildjian’s Paul Francis and veteran jazz drummer Adam Nussbaum. The cymbal is thin with a nice “give,” plus clear stick definition with little build-up of overtones. My secondary ride, positioned to my left, is the 19” Armand Zildjian “Beautiful Baby” ride that comes with three sizzles. A third ride that I place to the right of the main ride is a 22” K Zildjian Complex II. My other favorite ride that I occasionally use is a 22” Hi Bell Dry, which Zildjian no longer makes.

When I need more of a rock sound I use a 20” A Platinum Ping ride and for some music I use a 20” K Flat Top as an additional ride.

For both jazz and rock I prefer very thin 18” crash cymbals. I usually combines two of the following: the A Armand Zildjian thin crash, A Custom Medium Thin Rezo crash and the K Custom Hybrid crash. For rock recording I use thin A Zildjian crashes.

I have two different Hi Hat setups. One is the 14” A Armand Zildjian Hi Hats, which are reminiscent of the Zildjian Hi Hats from the '60s. The other setup is a hybrid that I came up: a 14” A Mastersound bottom and a 14” K Custom Dark top.

Depending on the music, I have some other favorite cymbals that I may put up, a 22” A Swish Knocker or a 22” K Bounce ride."


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