"Cymbal Craftsman" Paul Francis

I have the utmost respect for Mr. Francis. Throughout his time with Zildjian, I very much enjoyed hearing him expound on the intricacies of cymbal-making, as well as on Zildjian's illustrious heritage. Moreover, he was instrumental in the development of the A Avedis line, which I now play with great satisfaction. I wish him the very best in all his endeavors.
 
I'm kinda surprised Paul went with (mostly) jazz-sounding cymbals here. I wish I could hear these in person.
 
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yea he wasn't known for those previously
 
Some of them sounded a bit clangy to me, but I tend to favor lush sounding rides and crash/rides. If I need a trashier sound I'll go to the 18" HHX Ozone.
 
zenstat said:
Do you have a reference to where you saw it? Year of publication? I'm just interested as part of my historical research
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I remember a video on YouTube, not so long ago, where Francis explained the cymbal making process and really stated that the most important thing in cymbal making is the lathing and not hammering, that hand hammering is completely overrated. A video that irritated me a lot, because... According to that logic, any non lathed cymbal must be crap. Ummmm... Not true .

Francis always gave me the impression that he is more concerned with marketing mediocre and crap cymbals than making and promoting really good cymbals. Not someone whose words I ever trusted.

1.100 for a ride ... From Francis. Best joke of the year. Really.
 
 
brushes said:
1.100 for a ride ... From Francis. Best joke of the year. Really.
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11 's for the 26 man..

All hand hammered: 14" high hats, 4 pairs $618/pr, 15" hi hats, 4 pairs $651/pr; 18" crash/rides, 6 at $423 ea; 19" crash/rides, 5 at $518 ea; 20" rides, 17 at $559 ea; 21" rides, 5 at $621 ea; 22" rides 20 at $621 ea; 26" ride, 1 at $1100.​

 
My booth is right around the corner from Steve Maxwell at this year's Chicago Drum Show. I'm hoping I can check these out in person if Steve brings some. Not necessarily looking to drop $ on one, but would be interesting to hear.
 
jda said:
11 's for the 26 man..

All hand hammered: 14" high hats, 4 pairs $618/pr, 15" hi hats, 4 pairs $651/pr; 18" crash/rides, 6 at $423 ea; 19" crash/rides, 5 at $518 ea; 20" rides, 17 at $559 ea; 21" rides, 5 at $621 ea; 22" rides 20 at $621 ea; 26" ride, 1 at $1100.​

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It's still a lot of money for a ride. The other cymbals are also VERY expensive.
 
jda said:
11 's for the 26 man..

All hand hammered: 14" high hats, 4 pairs $618/pr, 15" hi hats, 4 pairs $651/pr; 18" crash/rides, 6 at $423 ea; 19" crash/rides, 5 at $518 ea; 20" rides, 17 at $559 ea; 21" rides, 5 at $621 ea; 22" rides 20 at $621 ea; 26" ride, 1 at $1100.​

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Not too different than the prices of Zidjian Sound Lab prototypes.

And every new line starts at a higher prices, and comes down after some time.

It looks like Steve is using a bigger stick (I would go for a thinner model with these cymbals to hear their full power) but they remind me of the K Istanbul inspired run he did.
 
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Well, looking at the replies the camps are divided. Although i loved Paul's work with Zildjian, i must confess that i really like these (hehe got you didn't i?)
Pretty expensive stuff, but i figure that's only logical since (i assume) he's just one man; he can't by stuff in bulk like big(ger) companies. And if he has to do everything himself, well that translates into the price.

Really impressed with the sounds! Almost makes me want to get a bop kit and go all jazz :D
 
Once again pointing out that these prices are right in line with current new K Con and high end Paiste prices.
 
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