Author Topic: Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!  (Read 1921 times)

Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!
« on: January 05, 2017, 04:57:01 PM »
So a couple week ago I saw a set of Buffed Bronze Zildjian Gen16s with the 13" HiHat, 16" crash, 18" crash/ride, module and etc. that streets for between $800 and $900, advertised for $475+ $25 shipping ... or offer.
It was listed as new, open box.
I asked the usual set of "anything functionally or cosmetically wrong" questions to both get answers and to be on record as having asked (because of the suspiciously low price) ... and after a few back and forth messages through Reverb, I offered $425 and it was accepted.  :)

I'll be using these with a double kick set of Tamas sporting Remo Silent Strokes and Roland triggers running through a DDrum DDTi 10 channel I/O expansion to my DM10X controller to make a married set of what will be an almost full circle of electronic and hybrid acoustic jumbo quad bass rig, sort-of like Neil Peart's "time machine" ... or that's the plan anyway.
I might even get one of those Billy Gibbons lookin' pimp-ass hats that Neil wears.  ;)

As you may know .. the Gen16 is a stand-alone system that goes directly to your amplification/PA, so I won't need any e-drum channels for them, just the Rolands on Tamas themselves.

Anyway ...the Gen16 set got here yesterday, and I have to admit I was expecting 'something' with it to be less than perfect ... but it's just as advertised, a new open box set that's perfect!
I set them up on a spare Pearl hihat and some boom stands (my DM10X set is play ready, but my Tamas are packed up until I get my studio finished).
They feel freakin great! And although not an exact sonic match for acoustic cymbals, they are a 'huge' step up from anything else I've played in the eCymbal arena, and IMHO actually good enough to gig with.

The controller allows for a number of "shaping" options and so you can do things that for example make a set of 13" HiHats sound like they are much bigger, add some built-in reverb, and because it is a real electronic cymbal in the same sense as a electronic guitar with it's own pickup/sensor (not triggers) you can run the output through FX, like a phaser, echo, and etc.

So, for the second time in just a short period (I also recently bought a Fender '63 Vibroverb RI in perfect condition for $500 locally!) I actually got a killer deal!
Me ... the guys that never gets a "braggin' rights" deal on anything, and only reads about you other guys getting them!

So yeah .. I got a really good vibe about 2017.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2017, 05:03:04 PM by Flyer91 »

Offline Dobly

Re: Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2017, 07:05:24 PM »
Nice one Flyer91.. I had the first round of Gen16 cymbals for time but hated them. Only the hi hat had some promise.

I thought the Buffed Bronze looked like an improvement. Did yours come with the Direct Source Pickups? They turn the mic on an off to help with feed back. The ones I had where horrendous to put in fold back. There was no volume above OFF where they could be in the mix. 

Re: Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2017, 10:30:08 PM »
Thanks Dolby!

Yeah, it has the DSPs and the DCP (Digital Cymbal Processor) total volume and drum blend control, as well as other features.
And yup ... I had read that about the hat in the Nickle version too.

At some time it appears that they started using the same DSPs and DCP in the Nickle kits too, and they can also use the Access Tool to customize, download, and share profiles.

Based on YouTube viddys I 'think' it made the processed sounds a lot closer, and I was ready to buy this Nickle set off Reverb for $550 (even though the description text is for the Bronze set ;) )because it has the larger hat and crash/ride cymbals https://reverb.com/item/3518881-zildjian-gen16-cymbal-pack-set-14-18-20-nickel but the seller wouldn't take an offer, saying it was consigned and that price was fixed ... even though the ad says "Make an Offer". (???)

I saw this YouTube viddy with the guy from Zildjian comparing the old Nickle and newer Buffed Bronze, and there is certainly a distinguishable difference.
But  'in the viddy' I actually sorta like the sound of the bell better on the Nickle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ghl3Lw79M

There is also a L80 series and although I'm not sure trey aren't just the Bronze without any DSP/DCP, that may be adding to some confusion in different writings that are on the net. (???)

But irrespective, after yesterday I'm Happy with the way these Bronze sound 'all over the cymbals' in both acoustic and amp'd modes, and am overjoyed to have an e-cymbal that feels like regular cymbals.
Yeah ... I can definitely hang with these. :)
« Last Edit: January 05, 2017, 10:41:28 PM by Flyer91 »

Re: Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2017, 04:19:24 PM »
Here's a better YouTube viddy of a side by side comparison between the Nickle and Buffed Bronze 16's through the DSPs and DCP ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQPFGSn4-8E

And a viddy on how the Buffed Bronze work in acoustic mode.
With a before then totally silenced acoustic set ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3f0M-ccFPA

I'm looking forward to replacing my Alesis plastic cymbals with them, and opening up more channels in the DM10 along with the DDrum DDTi I/O for my triggered and silenced Tamas and Alesis DM10X hybrid rig.

But I'd really like to see how the Access tool and the DCP can modify the Nickle set, because if it can now be done well, I'd probably get the Nickle set I posted about above to add to the mix.
But it's difficult to get some hands-on to play with them, and so far I don't read anything that says the DCP and Access Tool have cured the Nickle's shortcomings.
And the viddys of the Nickles on YouTube are not sounding too bad to me, but then that's just YouTube and who knows how the end results were post processed. (???)

Offline Dobly

Re: Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2017, 06:24:34 PM »
Maybe there were different batches of the Nickle Gen16s.. My hats were ok. But the crash was unplayable it sounded so bad (like a garbage tin lid almost) and not amount of 'processing' in the Gen16 module would fix it. The ride was not much better.  You cannot polish the proverbial .




Re: Scored on a Zildjian Gen16 buy!
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2017, 03:02:24 PM »
Yeah Dolby, that's the exact same thing that I'm reading in any on-line reports about the Nickles.
And it's hard to trust the YouTube viddys when you don't know how they've post processed the sound ... and even then the compression used on YouTube makes only side by side comps of any value, albeit even 'that's' it's a bit of a crap shoot!  :o

Too bad, because the Nickle set on Reverb is very inciting, and would be a bit less than it's gonna cost me to get just the the Bronze 20", the 16" China, and the DSPs for them.
But no sense in trying to pick up that "proverbial" by the clean end.  ;)