With their well established Avedis and 'K' ranges of cymbals, Zildjian have a large niche for themselves in the professional quality cymbal market. In fact they hardly need introduction for anyone who has been interested in percussion for more than a week! In order to offer a pressed cymbal resulting in lower prices than their normal ranges, Zildjian have now launched the "Amir" range. The range is quite small, comprising 14" hi-hats (RRP £99 pair inc. VAT), 16" crash (£65), 18" crash (£79) and 20" ride (£95). As can be seen by the prices, this is not exactly a budget range, and Zildjian are quite adamant that it is a professional quality range which offers different tonal qualities by virtue of a changed metal composition (higher in copper than A and K types) and pressing type manufacture as opposed to the normal spinning process. This happily results in a cheaper selling price (for once!).

The external appearance of the cymbals certainly indicates a good quality of finishing, and the cymbals are quickly recognisable by virtue of a largish "Amir, by Zildjian" logo in black on the top of each cymbal. With a visual check giving an OK to the range we move on to the all-important aspect of sound:—

14" hi-hats. This pair of cymbals was in keeping with the now standard format, having a heavier weight lower cymbal. The sound I'm afraid I found rather thin and brittle for my taste, but at the same time it was quite crisp and well defined. If you're looking for a very bright sound these hats would be worth a try, but don't expect anything too solid from them.

The 16" crash was my favourite from the range. It's very bright and exciting with a fairly rapid decay and nice overtones. It's also pitched quite high and would be well worth looking at if you're after a high-ish pitched crash.

"...A HIGH-PITCHED OVERTONE WHICH WAS ALMOST A WHISTLE..."

The 18" crash exhibited fairly similar characteristics to the 16", but had a little more body and was lower pitched. One aspect that I didn't like, though, was a very high-pitched overtone which was almost a whistle. I managed to get rid of this by experimenting for about five minutes with bits of gaffa tape on the underside of the-cymbal. This did choke the sound a little, but certainly not too much. In talking to Zildjian I learned that this "whistle" also manifests itself quite frequently on the 16" cymbals and in fact it is a common characteristic for cymbals of this metal composition and manufacture. It may not bother you, but if it does it's worth noting that you can get rid of it quite easily without detriment to the overall sound of the cymbal. (Dog's ears again, Rick? Ed.)

The 20" ride was of medium weight and had a fairly small cup. It gave a reasonably well defined sound with quite clear definition, but like the hi-hats the overall effect was a little lightweight for my liking.

In summary, then, Zildjian have presented a smallish range of pressed cymbals which offer a clear, bright sound, but I feel that the lack of body may not be to everyone's tastes. The crashes, though are definitely worth a listen.

Further information from Avedis Zildjian International, (Contact Details).