Dream 24 Inch Bliss Series Small Bell Flat Ride

I love it. This is my 2nd Dream cymbal and they have an amazing sound. I have their 14" bliss hi hats and now the 24" bliss ride.The bell gives a great sound if you don't choke it with the cymbal mount and I find I can get about 5 distinct sounds out of the cymbal depending on how I strike it. I mostly play jazz and the normal ride sounds are what I think of when I think of jazzy ride cymbals. Striking the edge with the neck of the stick results in a warm washy gong type sound full of harmonics and complexity with a low bassy hum behind all the high frequency sound. Striking the bell with the neck of the stick results in a bright ping and secondary harmonics from the rest of the cymbal. Striking the top with the neck of the stick results in a more harmonic laden and less percussive hit which makes for a great accent while playing just by altering your hand position slightly. Lastly if you strike the edge flat on with the side of your stick, it rings like a very small, but very loud bell.The stick rebound is excellent and it plays easy. The edge does move around a bit if you hit it hard as it's a flatter profile but it doesn't interfere with the playing.Like the other bliss series I find light to medium touch the best. They aren't really made for hard hitting rock beats and tend to get washy when struck agressively. That being said, their sound changes a lot depending on how you play them and I find it easy to get rock, jazz, or funk sounds.

We are using it at church and it's SUPER quiet, very low pitched, pleasant sounding. The ping is nice and soft and it crashes like a beauty. You can really whale on this sucker and it doesn't get overly washy or loud. Perfect for church or quiet environments. The bell is small but if you are accurate and dig in, it sounds great too.

This is THE RIDE CYMBAL!!! I plan on buying a second one so I can put rivets in for a sizzle ride...

Great price for a 24" ride first of all, it opens up right away without having to hit it too hard. Highly recommended if you're looking for a warm wash sound.

I purchased mine used from a member of a forum. Although I have been using Dream Bliss cymbals for over eight years (along with a variety of Zildjian K and A series), I was surprised in a good way by this one.It has the drier sound of a flat ride, but since there is a small bell, there are over- and under-tones that add to the complexity. It's a fairly quiet cymbal if you play if the same as you would a 20 or 22, but if you lay into it it can get a little louder. Make no mistake, it is not going to compete with loudly amplified instruments, so if you are playing rock this is probably not the cymbal for you. If you are a jazz or blues (or even roots or country) drummer you may find this to be perfect.Another thing I like is it's not as one-dimensional as a true flat top ride, although you are not going to cut through riding the bell. However, for the music genres I mentioned the bell is probably more than adequate. Still, I would augment this with a regular ride. I paired mine with an obsolete Zildjian 21" Armand ride as a left side ride and they complemented one another.This cymbal sounds totally different under a wood tip stick than a nylon tip. In fact, it's as though it's a different cymbal. With wood it's well defined and a little subdued; with nylon the complexities are drawn out. It's also perfect with mallets and you can build a beautiful crescendo that remains under your control. In fact, with sticks it will not get away from you like many 24s.One final note: mine is in the 2800 gram range, which is still light for a 24. I purchased mine sight unseen, but I trusted the seller who was a fellow jazz drummer. I recommend trying this model in person if possible, and even better trying a few of these since there is a lot of variation among any cymbal model in the Dream Bliss line. Although I've yet to find a dog, I am sure they exist.