Johan VDS
R.I.P.
Hi !
I'm Johan from Bruges, Belgium. I'm a drummer and a sound-freak.
About 20 years ago I started getting a bit frustrated about the kind of cymbals that were available. I had been looking for really complex and dark sounding cymbals but I just couldn't find them in the shops. The modern K's sounded too one-directional and sterile to me. I liked the Turkish Istanbul cymbals better but still they weren't quite what I wanted.
So I started rehammering factory cymbals from Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, etc. to get the sound I wanted. After a while I learned how to change the sound a certain way through strategical hand-hammering and lathing. I've been doing it ever since.
I also found out that many types of student cymbals can be hammered into professional cymbals, providing the alloy is good.
The cymbals I hammered can be seen AND heard on this webindex page.
Some "before and after modification" files can be heard in THIS section.
Also check out some of the amateur cymbals I converted into professional cymbals HERE.
This was once a Paiste 3000 22" ride, now a very dark heavy ride:
This was a 20" Avedis Zildjian crash, now a light complex jazzride:
This was a Ufip Ritmo 16" crash, now a light trashy crash:
This was a Zildjian ZBT 20" ride, now a light (professional !) very complex jazzride:
A 16" Avedis Zildjian crash, now a china:
Finally a "before and after" pic of a cheap 16" Headliner crash cymbal, now a professional dark thin crash:
I'm Johan from Bruges, Belgium. I'm a drummer and a sound-freak.
About 20 years ago I started getting a bit frustrated about the kind of cymbals that were available. I had been looking for really complex and dark sounding cymbals but I just couldn't find them in the shops. The modern K's sounded too one-directional and sterile to me. I liked the Turkish Istanbul cymbals better but still they weren't quite what I wanted.
So I started rehammering factory cymbals from Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, etc. to get the sound I wanted. After a while I learned how to change the sound a certain way through strategical hand-hammering and lathing. I've been doing it ever since.
I also found out that many types of student cymbals can be hammered into professional cymbals, providing the alloy is good.
The cymbals I hammered can be seen AND heard on this webindex page.
Some "before and after modification" files can be heard in THIS section.
Also check out some of the amateur cymbals I converted into professional cymbals HERE.
This was once a Paiste 3000 22" ride, now a very dark heavy ride:
This was a 20" Avedis Zildjian crash, now a light complex jazzride:
This was a Ufip Ritmo 16" crash, now a light trashy crash:
This was a Zildjian ZBT 20" ride, now a light (professional !) very complex jazzride:
A 16" Avedis Zildjian crash, now a china:
Finally a "before and after" pic of a cheap 16" Headliner crash cymbal, now a professional dark thin crash:
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