Stuff That Works - a review of the Zildjian Zil-Bel. I have both sizes.


This was exactly what I wanted as an addition to my kit. I bought it without actually hearing one, but I was not disappointed. Zildjian said this about the Zil-Bel, which they have as part of their EFX Sound Effects line: "Bright, singing musical tone ideal for special accents and effects."
It sure is bright and the clear tone lingers for a long time after you strike it. I mounted it on top of my 16" ZBT Splash using a Gibraltar SC-MCSA6 - which is a 6 inch extender that screws right into the top of the Splash. (BTW - Gibraltar makes a dozen different ways to attach something like the Zil-Bel to your existing cymbals. Really - they sent me a little brochure with my extender.)
6" ZIL-Bel atop my 16 inch Splash.

Anyway, the Zil-Bel performs as promised. I like mine mounted upside down because it seems to me that the tone is louder and has a longer sustain by having the bell curve up to the ceiling. The folks at Zildjian put the decals on both top and bottom of the Zil-Bel so it looks good either way. The sound cuts through (uhm, like a bell??) the rest of my kit and makes for some cool accents. I found a way to get a Leslie speaker effect by striking it and then moving a cupped hand up and down above the bell - try it, you might like it.
I bought the small version, 6 inches in diameter, and I plan on adding the larger one soon - looking forward to hearing the two of them in combination because it is my understanding that Zildjian makes them to be struck simultaneously - the sounds weave together.
You can listen to sample of it here: ZIL-BEL-Small

1/7/12 Update - I just added the bigger Zil-Bel to my kit this week. The two of them sound great - as advertised Zildjian has tuned them to harmonize very well. I cannot believe how long the decay is on this big bell. Great clean sound that lingers. I mounted it on top of my splash on the right side of my kit:

One note of caution - the bigger bell is HEAVY. You cannot see from this picture, but I ended up using some weights strapped to the bottom of my cymbal stand to counterbalance the bigger one.
I am very happy with these two bells - either of them sound great on their own and they compliment one another when struck together. Enjoy.

Comments

Paul said…
Thanks for the review and mounting tips. I'm going to buy both these now. Thanks again!
June 29, 2012 at 5:35 AM
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