Breaking in Cymbals

[d.c.drummer]

All my searches for "breaking in cymbals" and such came back as "i broke my cymbal. did i hit it wrong?" type post so sorry if this has been up already...

Anyway, is there any way of accelerating the break in period for cymbals? (not that it really ever stops) I've heard rolling on it with mallets and some other sometimes crazy stuff but does any of it really work?. I'm usually skeptical and anti-quick fixes but I'm trying to jump the line today.

And as clarification, I'm not talking about patina or anything....

[The Ploughman]

Ive always followed the "Dont let anyone else touch it for months," routine.

[iamtak]

woah! ive never heard this breaking in stuff. Is this something to soften the metal? i dont really understand, what are you trying to do to the cymbal?

[d.c.drummer]

Originally Posted by iamtak

woah! ive never heard this breaking in stuff. Is this something to soften the metal? i dont really understand, what are you trying to do to the cymbal?

Over time the cymbal's molecules settle in and get comfy, it purifies and yet complexes the sound. It finds its "sweet spot"

[radiofriendlyunitshifter]

i've read in numerous posts over at cymbalholic that the mallet rolls do in fact speed up the breaking in process of cymbals.

so go for it, roll away!

[d.c.drummer]

Originally Posted by radiofriendlyunitshifter

i've read in numerous posts over at cymbalholic that the mallet rolls do in fact speed up the breaking in process of cymbals.

so go for it, roll away!

thanks rfus!............

[Leadfoot]

The very first thing I do is put a bunch of sweaty fingerprints all over a new cymbal. This ends the tension of getting it messed up and speeds up the process of it fitting in.

[funk49]

I use a mixture of beer, sweat, and nicotene on mine.

[d.c.drummer]

Originally Posted by Leadfoot

The very first thing I do is put a bunch of sweaty fingerprints all over a new cymbal. This ends the tension of getting it messed up and speeds up the process of it fitting in.

Haha. I was wondering whether or not I was going to baby my K Custom Ride because it came very very shiny. Then i was like, "What the heck? Im a musicians not a beautician. "

[Cymbalrider]

The cymbals will change as they get older. Dirty cymbals also sound different. I prefer to keep mine clean and polished though as I've been around many dirty cymbals before and it just bugs me. I can tell you that I guess the cymbals I have that are 2 years old sound different than the new ones even though I've cleaned and polished them regularly every month or so. I think if you want that aged sound then you should take care of them until they get old enough to make a difference. Plus I've noticed audiences like shiny objects ;)