Koide Cymbals

Doraemon

Doraemon

Well-known Member
I haven't seen much talk about these. Anyone here has or tried one, or heard about them? It's the only cymbal manufacturer in Japan, they hand hammer them in Osaka. The old guy's family had a metal workshop making some auto parts I think, but it seems he liked drumming more and decided to start making cymbals (Japanese name: 小出シンバル). Most are B20 or more (except the cheapest 503 series B8), and they are really nice. There is a US distributor (Bronze Pie) and DCP also sells them. It seems the more expensive 703 and 10J series are sold here and the Absolute and Brilliant. Modern Drummer had an article about them in their 2020 August issue. They also make orchestral cymbals and some you hit with hands.




I came across the name while comparing hi-hats and finding a video "18 Hi Hat Cymbals Compared - From $50 to $900" where it was the $900 one (703series). :) Being a fan of Japanese things, I immediately went down the rabbit hole trying to find the perfect pair that doesn't cost that much (could import them under $400), but in the end just bought a splash to scratch the itch. The kind at 00:10 below. I almost decided I want the Fezr hats (they're called Absolute in the US, Fe, Zr stands for Iron, Zirconium), but got cold feet after I couldn't decide that special short decay they feature is a great thing or something that would one day annoy me. I'll wait until I can hear them person. What do you think?

 
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Hadn't heard of them, but they sound really nice!
 
Bozozoid said:
The last video with the hammered hats..can I get those?...to go please 😃.
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That's probably the one I was debating..the middle one (to go). I think they're all hammered, but no. 3 and 4 look the most bumpy.

The 5 sets in the video:

808 series "By using the same B20 alloy as the 609 together with newly developed hammering and raising techniques, the 808 cymbals comprise of composed and supple sounds, with rich harmonic overtones and character."
609 series By using the Turkish B20 alloy together with newly elaborate hammering, the 609 series was born to be the new sound and standard in cast cymbal production. Recommended for all styles of music.
Fezr/Absolute Fast Decay, Focused Sound The Absolute Family uses Koide's patented B21ZFe alloy. It enhances the decay of the sustain, without the need for coatings, tape or any external muting. The focused tone is direct and full, deliver a more mellow vibe that doesn't mask other instruments in the upper frequency range. The slight dryness aids in articulation.
Cadence The Cadence series uses the same B20 bronze as the popular series "808", but was developed to create a completely different sound with just a hammering style. It pursues delicate, cohesive and rich overtones, more bright.
503 These cymbals have been designed to fulfill a cleaner and more delicate rainbow of sound. B8, cheapest.

The other two videos:
703: The 703 is the closest Koide comes to a traditional Turkish cymbal: these are shaped and tuned entirely through hammering! The bells are lower in profile and slightly smaller in diameter. Profiles vary, making each cymbal different from the next. Most expensive.
10J: Produced to allow for more overall consistency in each cymbal when compared to the 703 family, but still keeping the vintage vibe and warmth. A bit cleaner tone than the 703 cymbals, with more versatile sound characteristics that work well in diverse musical genres.
not shown: Brilliant: made with a unique B23ZT alloy and an over-hammering process. Enhanced upper frequencies that produce a very bright and shimmery sound. Sweetness and presence.

(A few random ones are also sold on Amazon. I got my splash from Japan.)
 
Wow!
The 609 series sounds amazing! What happens when you mix a classic 602 and an "A" Zildjian?
You get that super clean sharp high end of a 602 but also the mid range body of an "A", I especially like the hi hats.
Also, That snare sounds KILLER!

The 503's are also very good sounding B8 cymbals, the 16" is a little "wimpy" for me, but the larger cymbals have a decent body and nice complexity, this ONLY happens when you machine hammer (or hand hammer) the cymbal a great deal and more importantly, to shape it, this is why Zil, Sabian and Meinl will never make great (not just good) sounding B8 cymbals, it all has to do with the amount of labor and hammering to increase complexity.
 
They sound nice. I listened to some samples, and they seem to be very suitable for jazz, but nothing I heard impressed me as right for a rock gig. Maybe they have rock cymbals, but I didn't hear them.

It seems there are so many companies making smokey sounding jazz cymbals today, trying to emulate old K. Zildjians. The problem is, there probably aren't enough true jazz drummers out there to buy all the dark cymbals being made. It's not easy to make a decent living playing jazz anymore. That's why Dream Bliss cymbals were so popular with jazz drummers when they were first unleashed. They were cheap; perfect for jazz drummers with no bread.
 
They are nice!
Speaking of Japanese cymbals, you got to check out ARTCYMBAL M Yamamoto. IDK, but maybe even more expensive. He has quite the collection of old cymbals and has video demos posted up too. When I hit the lotto, he’s my guy
 
I found a few cymbal brands I hadn't heard when visiting Japan. Koide was one of them and they were very nice. Couldn't really smash them as the demo rooms were occupied and you don't go all gorilla all over the equipment like you would here at GC. First time I heard Amedia too. They had an amazing lineup of cymbals in the stores I hit.
 
I got to play some of these Koide pies at DrumStation in Shibuya, after having heard about them for years. I can't remember which series the employee put up on the demo kit for me, but I especially loved the two crashes. I was reminded of some really fantastic Sabian Artisans I tested out once.

The one thing I remember is that they were absurdly expensive. As in, so much that if I just bought one, my wife and I wouldn't have had money to eat the remainder of our Japan vacation!
 
Yoshinya said:
The one thing I remember is that they were absurdly expensive. As in, so much that if I just bought one, my wife and I wouldn't have had money to eat the remainder of our Japan vacation!
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Most of their crashes cost between 24000-44000 JPY ($160-300). It could have been that 703 Series (or worse exchange rates)..
 
They must’ve been the 703 Series, because they had that Turkish-like quality to them for sure. I intend to be a bit more intentional and try specific series instead of whatever the staff thinks a gaijin drummer will like (to his credit though, he was correct)!
I’m still regretting not coming home with the Tama Yoshiki signature snare I found at a HardOff in Hachioji as well. The next time I’m in Japan, I will definitely be less conservative with my purchases, because most airlines will put instruments with cases in a coat closet in the main cabin. Also, yes, the exchange rates are MUCH better right now and predicted to stay that way for a couple years.
 
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Yoshinya said:
I’m still regretting not coming home with the Tama Yoshiki signature snare I found at a HardOff in Hachioji as well.
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Forgot to ask, how did that happen? Do all their stores come with drums? I wonder if that snare's worth a bit more now, since he got his palm print on Hollywood Boulevard (next to his drumsticks and shoe prints). I would love to find heavily discounted Koide cymbals. :)
 
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Doraemon said:
Forgot to ask, how did that happen? Do all their stores come with drums? I wonder if that snare's worth a bit more now, since he got his palm print on Hollywood Boulevard (next to his drumsticks and shoe prints). I would love to find heavily discounted Koide cymbals. :)
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Every HardOff location will carry different stuff, but you can search on https://www.hardoff.co.jp/shop/ for locations in whichever area(s) you may be in Japan. When you check each store, it'll list what categories they carry. Not exactly the easiest way to find which ones carry musical instruments, but for Tokyo, I can definitely suggest these two:

HardOff Musical Instruments STUDIO Kichijoji Store
www.hardoff.co.jp

ハードオフ楽器STUDIO吉祥寺店(東京都)ページ | 中古品の買取・販売ならハードオフ(楽器・家電・家具など取扱商品多数のリサイクルショップ)

身の回りのモノの中古品を扱うハードオフ楽器STUDIO吉祥寺店の紹介ページです。住所・営業時間などの基本情報や、取扱商品・内観写真・店長コメントなどを掲載しております。ぜひ個性豊かな店舗の魅力をご覧ください。
www.hardoff.co.jp www.hardoff.co.jp

Hard Off Hachioji Owada Store (Which is a HardOff EcoTown, usually has several off the different brand "Off" stores in the same complex)
www.hardoff.co.jp

ハードオフ八王子大和田店(東京都)ページ | 中古品の買取・販売ならハードオフ(楽器・家電・家具など取扱商品多数のリサイクルショップ)

身の回りのモノの中古品を扱うハードオフ八王子大和田店の紹介ページです。住所・営業時間などの基本情報や、取扱商品・内観写真・店長コメントなどを掲載しております。ぜひ個性豊かな店舗の魅力をご覧ください。
www.hardoff.co.jp www.hardoff.co.jp

A HardOff Super Bazaar (usually they carry secondhand high-end fashion label clothes) in Namba, Osaka had a small section of musical instruments, but nothing to write home about. I think they had one snare drum, a really beat-up old Pearl pedal and a packaged set of Zildjian ZBTs? I went to that location for Japanese CDs and video games, so I didn't walk away too disappointed!

Oddly, the HardOff in Akihabara had a whole floor of high-end audio components and musical instruments. The drum portion was mostly trash, but the guitars and basses were really impressive, at really reasonable prices.

I didn't see any Koide cymbals anywhere but the places where they sell primarily new items, but I'll bet they come up every once in a while at HardOffs that sell musical instruments. Also, worth checking the HardOff NetMall section on the website. Some items at the stores will also be listed there, but it's generally about 1/10 of what each location might actually have.
 
Yoshinya said:
I didn't see any Koide cymbals anywhere but the places where they sell primarily new items, but I'll bet they come up every once in a while at HardOffs that sell musical instruments. Also, worth checking the HardOff NetMall section on the website. Some items at the stores will also be listed there, but it's generally about 1/10 of what each location might actually have.
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Thanks for all the great info! I've seen one listed at a countryside location.. There are Ebay sellers who re-list these for twice the price, lol. I usually do a reverse image search...
 
Rock Salad said:
They are nice!
Speaking of Japanese cymbals, you got to check out ARTCYMBAL M Yamamoto. IDK, but maybe even more expensive. He has quite the collection of old cymbals and has video demos posted up too. When I hit the lotto, he’s my guy
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Manabu also joined the Zildjian R&D team in May of this year, he's still working independently but some VERY interesting things happening on the Z side of things...
 
In case you haven't come across it.... Process X YouTube channel focuses on Japanese manufacturing. They ran Koide Cymbals manufacturing process several days ago that I thought others here might like.

 
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