Pricing broken, damaged, worthless cymbals

johnwesley

Silver Member
For the life of me I don't understand someone asking exorbitant prices for a cymbal that is so badly damaged it useless. I'm talking for example of a Paiste Signature 16" crash with a 6" crack along the lathe lines 2" below the bell.....and asking price is 65 dollars plus shipping. Or A Zildjian K 20" with 3 or 4 cracks running from the edge toward the bell ranging in length from 1 to 3 inches. Or a Sabian HH 18" crash with a crack along the lathe lines circling the entire cymbal leaving making it look like one of those weird Zildjian "accordian" cymbals. I understand trying to recoup some of the money you spent on these cymbals but when they're that badly damaged do you really expect to get more than 5 or 10 bucks? Geez. Price of scrap bronze is only $1.55 a pound. Dream cymbals will give you a dollar an inch trade on cracked cymbals. Reason I'm posting is, I was looking to buy damaged, unplayable cymbals to use as wind chimes, but not at $50 bucks or more each.
 
I think cymbals with small cracks around the edge are still pretty valuable if the crack is correctly resolved. Keyholing is what significantly lowers the value for me cause it greatly affects the performance of the cymbal. Cracks along the lathing? Yeah, that's scrap metal for a fun project but not worth much more than a few bucks in my opinion.
 
I think cymbals with small cracks around the edge are still pretty valuable if the crack is correctly resolved. Keyholing is what significantly lowers the value for me cause it greatly affects the performance of the cymbal. Cracks along the lathing? Yeah, that's scrap metal for a fun project but not worth much more than a few bucks in my opinion.
Not meaning to derail the original post but how does keyholing affect the cymbal?
 
Not meaning to derail the original post but how does keyholing affect the cymbal?
Generally makes it more difficult to play the cymbal consistently for crashes/chinas/splashes. Typically a ride cymbal will start to slip the opposite direction of the keyholing, forcing you to continually play on the same area of the cymbal which can create a flat spot. Not necessarily the end of the world but a more difficult thing to work around than cutting/grinding out a crack from the outer edge.
 
I remember my first kit..i dreamed of one day somehow owning a zildjian cymbal. Well?..one day I bought an 18" cracked zildjian....reeally cracked but it was a zildjian and I owned it. I could barely sleep..it had the avedis zildjian stamped logo and I was the coolest guy after danny seraphine. I'm the guy they look for unfortunately.
 
Generally makes it more difficult to play the cymbal consistently for crashes/chinas/splashes. Typically a ride cymbal will start to slip the opposite direction of the keyholing, forcing you to continually play on the same area of the cymbal which can create a flat spot. Not necessarily the end of the world but a more difficult thing to work around than cutting/grinding out a crack from the outer edge.
I’ve only had one that was keyholed fairly badly and it was a ride. I always wanted it in the same position anyway so it worked out. After thinking about it a little bit you’re right crashes and splashes high hats all those would be affected by keyholes more than a ride. Thanks
 
Over the course of 10+ years I cracked some Paiste cymbals. Mostly Sound Formula models, but a few Meinl too. When the count reached ten, I took ‘em over to a recycling facility that paid cash for metal. I was thinking $40–$50 buck for everything. Nope. They weighed ‘em as “copper alloy” and gave me $12. Barely enough for a 6-pak of Scrimshaw Pilsner.
 
It's just people trying to find that one idiot who pays $70. It's funny to which great lenghts they go to lure you into buying the cymbal: "minor flaw", "great effect for the studio or live", "no impact on the sound at all".
Damaged cymbals I've bought for about $20 each: 20" Diril Ride with a 2" crack at the edge (drilled and fixed, sounds great), 20" Istanbul Traditional with a crack in the middle (drilled and installed a rivet, it's not perfect but usable), really old 14" Constantinople with a few small cracks at the bell. Those were decent deals in my opinion.
By the way: if a medium 20" cymbal weighs 4 pounds that's still more than $6.
 
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It's just people trying to find that one idiot who pays $70. It's funny to which great lenghts they go to lure you into buying the cymbal: "minor flaw", "great effect for the studio or live", "no impact on the sound at all".
Damaged cymbals I've bought for about $20 each: 20" Diril Ride with a 2" crack at the edge (drilled and fixed, sounds great), 20" Istanbul Traditional with a crack in the middle (drilled and installed a rivet, it's not perfect but usable), really old 14" Constantinople with a few small cracks at the bell. Those were decent deals in my opinion.
By the way: if a medium 20" cymbal weighs 4 pounds that's still more than $6.
You're right.....$6.20
 
For the life of me I don't understand someone asking exorbitant prices for a cymbal that is so badly damaged it useless. I'm talking for example of a Paiste Signature 16" crash with a 6" crack along the lathe lines 2" below the bell.....and asking price is 65 dollars plus shipping. Or A Zildjian K 20" with 3 or 4 cracks running from the edge toward the bell ranging in length from 1 to 3 inches. Or a Sabian HH 18" crash with a crack along the lathe lines circling the entire cymbal leaving making it look like one of those weird Zildjian "accordian" cymbals. I understand trying to recoup some of the money you spent on these cymbals but when they're that badly damaged do you really expect to get more than 5 or 10 bucks? Geez. Price of scrap bronze is only $1.55 a pound. Dream cymbals will give you a dollar an inch trade on cracked cymbals. Reason I'm posting is, I was looking to buy damaged, unplayable cymbals to use as wind chimes, but not at $50 bucks or more each.
I think this goes to another thread where I stated that being new to drums, I don't necessarily know what to "look out for"...hairline cracks, etc...which is why for me, I'd rather just go new, warranty and all.
 
If you have good jigsaw/scroll saw and good blades, you could make 'em pretty cheaply out of scrap metal, and I guess, just get a shape...try it, and grind it til it's in tune.
I don't know if you were thinking, cut them up, to a shape or what (?) or just hanging them as is.
 
If you have good jigsaw/scroll saw and good blades, you could make 'em pretty cheaply out of scrap metal, and I guess, just get a shape...try it, and grind it til it's in tune.
I don't know if you were thinking, cut them up, to a shape or what (?) or just hanging them as is.
I do have the tools. Just thought that real cymbals would look cool on the back porch. Then again, what do I know?
 
I do have the tools. Just thought that real cymbals would look cool on the back porch. Then again, what do I know?
Curious if you were thinking hanging vertical or horizontal (like a mobile-type thing with several(?) or just here and there...
 
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