Top 7 Best Ride Cymbals For Jazz (2020 Review)

The K Custom line aims to expand that classic K (Kerope) sound, offering more sonic options and textures. 

The K Custom Dark ride is just a beautiful cymbal. It has a very satisfying articulate yet warm stick sound, perfect for driving jazz-based patterns, and underpinning the whole sound is a lush wash that never seems to get out of hand.

Crash the edge and you’re rewarded with a rich yet slightly trashy crash sound that is incredibly pleasing and fantastic for hitting those big accents, or dropping bombs in your uptempo jazz tunes!

With Zildjian you know you’re getting quality and this K Custom ride is no exception. 

It gets its name for its ability to ‘transition’ between a typical ride sound to a crash sound seamlessly, making it an incredibly versatile and expressive cymbal.

The way it manages this duality of sound is by having a heavily lathed, brilliant underside accompanied by a dark, earthy unlathed top side.

The bright underside gives the cymbal it’s crashy ‘shimmer’, whilst the unfinished top dries up the overall sound, controlling the wash and allowing for more precise stick definition.

This cymbal is a dark, slightly trashy, crashable beauty and is perfect for pretty much any jazz situation.

Whether you’re driving a huge big band or playing with a trio in a small club, it will deliver.  

However, the HCS ride manages pretty well to be a versatile and usable cymbal in the Jazz realm.

It’s brighter than other ‘jazz-oriented’ cymbals, however, it’s on the thinner side, which means it opens up a little quicker than other cymbals in the same price bracket.

If you’re a jazz drummer (or any drummer for that matter!) and looking for your first ride or an upgrade from your kits stock cymbals, then the Meinl HCS ride is an excellent choice.

This vintage crash/ride has a very broad and slightly less defined stick definition than similar cymbals, accompanied by a very dark and rich sounding wash.

It’s larger 22” size, gives it a lovely forgiving buttery feel, and is at home as a crash or ride, making it very versatile.

Not everyone will be a fan of the trashier elements of its sound, but you’re getting a lot of cymbal for your money and overall it’s a beautifully expressive cymbal. 

These design features create a cymbal that has a pretty short sustain with lovely pronounced stick definition. It has a lower pitch than most other rides and coupled with the rivets it has a very satisfyingly warm sizzle and wash that underpins jazz ride patterns beautifully. 

It may not be the most versatile ride cymbal but would be fantastic as a second ‘left-side’ ride to give you more sonic options when it comes to comping and moving through different sections of a tune. 

As you’d expect with all Meinl Byzance cymbals, it is incredibly well made as well as feeling and sounding great to play. Meinl really does make some of the best jazz cymbals around. 

As an entry into cymbals, it really does what it says on the tin, it has good stick definition and like most entry-level cymbals, has a brighter, less complex tone compared to more expensive B20 bronze alternatives. 

As budget cymbals go it’s definitely up there with the best, the only downside is some harsh ‘zingy’ undertones...but it’s to be expected at this price point. Another great option for the drummer on a budget. 

Zildjian have come up with the L80 low volume cymbals to help drummers with noise restrictions still get responsive and realistic feeling cymbals to practice on.

The L80 ride is an excellent tool to shed those crazy uptempo jazz ride patterns without becoming the enemy of the neighborhood.

The cymbal itself has hundreds of tiny holes drilled into it which significantly reduces volume without sacrificing its structural integrity. So you probably wouldn’t use this ride for a gig, but for quiet rehearsals in your bedroom or solo practice its fantastic.