Brilliant Or Traditional Finish?

S

sonorguy1

Junior Member
Hey guys im going to purchase new cymbals and i was wondering which way is the best to go?

Traditional or brilliant finish?

ive heard that brilliant finish needs frequent polishing but im not sure if it is true.
 
Obviously its a matter of taste, and they will show fingerprints much easier, so if thats important then traditional.
 
Brilliant finish cymbals seem to make the high end frequencies clearer. They are a little more glassy sounding than traditional finish cymbals.

Yes, the brilliant finish cymbals do show more dirt and fingerprints and they do get a brighter again when they are cleaned.
 
There is virtually no sound difference, but brilliant cymbals will dull down over time, making them slightly higher maintenance.
 
sonorguy1 said:
thanks guys. Im really keen on the zildjian k custom. any of you have much experience with those?
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The K custom hybrid rides and hi-hats sound frickin amazing. I'm not to fond of anything else in the K custom line though.
 
sonorguy1 said:
thanks guys. Im really keen on the zildjian k custom. any of you have much experience with those?
Click to expand...

I have 14" K Custom Dark hats, 16" and 18" K Custom Dark crashes, a 20" K Custom Dark ride and a 22" K Custom Dry Light ride. I have no bad words to say about them; they're versatile, sensitive and just beautiful.
 
I agree with guidrummer. I play all Zildjian A custom's, and they do show fingerprints very easily! It might bother some people, depending on the look you want, or style. However, it does't seem to bother me that much. I clean then about once a month, depending on just how dirty they are. I wouldnt suggest using any specific company of cymbal cleaner to get the fingerprints off however. Those are all known for taking the logo off. (I use lemons, they seem to keep the fingerprints off the longest.) A Custom's are great sounding cymbals for all types of rock music.
 
sonorguy1 said:
thanks guys. Im really keen on the zildjian k custom. any of you have much experience with those?
Click to expand...

I have:
18" K Dark Crash thin,
17" K Dark Crash thin,
14" K Dark Crash thin.

And I absolutely LOVE them! Especially the 14" it's definately my fav.

the guys above might not like them but A LOT of people ask me about them and say they really like em. I know you were asking about K Customs but K Dark Crashes are my favorites.

I got them in traditional finish because the excessive fingerprints and stick marks of the brilliant finish would get to me, heh even the little amount that shows up on my Trad finish bothers me. I usually clean them after each gig, which is on average once every week or once every two weeks. And yes I may look like a dumbass but when they are clean in the cymbal bag and I'm setting up for a gig, I use cotton gloves to put them on the boom stands. Make fun all you want but I like my stuff to look and sound as nice as I can. I paid a hell of a lot of money for my cymbal purchase (for me anyway) so yea you better believe I take very good care of them.
 
Brilliant finish. That way you can see how good looking you are when you gaze into 'em. Seriuosly, it is a matter of personal preference. I have both but like the brilliants better. They look way cool under the lights :)

Peace
 
Fett2oo5 said:
I got them in traditional finish because the excessive fingerprints and stick marks of the brilliant finish would get to me, heh even the little amount that shows up on my Trad finish bothers me. I usually clean them after each gig, which is on average once every week or once every two weeks. And yes I may look like a dumbass but when they are clean in the cymbal bag and I'm setting up for a gig, I use cotton gloves to put them on the boom stands. Make fun all you want but I like my stuff to look and sound as nice as I can. I paid a hell of a lot of money for my cymbal purchase (for me anyway) so yea you better believe I take very good care of them.
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I won't poke fun! I was the same way!

I had a full set of Zildjians, all brilliant once. Probably about 10 cymbals, and the only way to touch them was with soft towels. I kept them looking like I was getting ready to play Madison Square garden. Nothing wrong with that!

I just don't get it when people buy Brills, and then don't keep the prints off of them. It's a shiny cymbal, keep it that way! To my ears there is so little sound difference between a trad and brilliant finish anyway. So, I don't buy it when people say they like the patina on a brilliant to get the sound they want.

The drum guy at my nearest shop is a jazz player, and he would always get a kick out of me coming to the store to buy my cymbal polish, when he hadn't ever cleaned his. (I'm not saying that's a bad thing, mind you, he had traditional finish stuff)

I now play Paistes,and aside from about 2 cymbals that are what they Reflectors (their "Brilliant"), all are traditional. They are less work to maintain, as someone said, but honestly, Paiste puts an extra coat on that Zildjian does not, so they seem a little shinier to me anyway.
 
I prefer the glassier, more shimmery sound of brilliants. If you choke them by touching the edges they stay clean longer. When cleaning is needed, it only takes a few minutes (Wright's Copper Cream & hot water) & then they look & sound new again.
 
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guidrummer said:
Brilliant finish cymbals seem to make the high end frequencies clearer. They are a little more glassy sounding than traditional finish cymbals.
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This is backwards. When you put a finish on a cymbal, you're putting a coating on it. Essentially, you're filling in the lathe marks (to an extent) and inhibiting the natural vibration of the cymbal. It "softens" the sound, whereas a cymbal without the brilliant finish will sound "brighter", due to the freeness it has to vibrate. Sometimes our perceptions deceive us, like when we "hear with our eyes", so to speak.

Some brilliant finishes are done by a buffing process. Once again, it flattens out the ridges in the lathing, making the sound "stand out" less and takes a little off of the high end.

The difference is so minimal though, it doesn't really matter. Go for what you like the look of, and how much effort to want to exert towards keeping them clean.
 
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sonorguy1 said:
Hey guys im going to purchase new cymbals and i was wondering which way is the best to go?

Traditional or brilliant finish?

ive heard that brilliant finish needs frequent polishing but im not sure if it is true.
Click to expand...

I have never cleaned my brilliant finish cymbals, nor do they really need to be cleaned and i have had mine over a year.
 
Brilliants are not coated. They're polished until shiny, smoothing the finish in the process. The smooth finish results in a glassier tone, that apparently only some people can hear. <--- I suppose that's a good argument for hearing protection. Then again, the difference probably can't be heard with plugs in. Ah hell - nevermind..
 
Brilliant vs. Traditional....hmmmm

Get whatever SOUNDS better to you. That's what's most important with cymbals, drums, music, etc.

If you can't hear much of a sound difference between the two finishes, then go brilliant for the looks.
 
I find that traditional shows way more stick marks than when I had brilliant finish. Brilliant shows more fingerprints though.
 
I always thought the brilliants were more shimmery sounding. This would counter what Caddy says, and I am really confused because I usually agree with most everything that man says.
Does anyone know Caddys first name?
 
caddywumpus said:
This is backwards. When you put a finish on a cymbal, you're putting a coating on it. Essentially, you're filling in the lathe marks (to an extent) and inhibiting the natural vibration of the cymbal. It "softens" the sound, whereas a cymbal without the brilliant finish will sound "brighter", due to the freeness it has to vibrate. Sometimes our perceptions deceive us, like when we "hear with our eyes", so to speak.

Some brilliant finishes are done by a buffing process. Once again, it flattens out the ridges in the lathing, making the sound "stand out" less and takes a little off of the high end.

The difference is so minimal though, it doesn't really matter. Go for what you like the look of, and how much effort to want to exert towards keeping them clean.
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I agree. Good explanation...traditional finish have a more agressive bite...but finally its a matter of taste..
 
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