"Saving" a cymbal

wraub

wraub

Gold Member
I have a Zildjian & Cie 20" ride cymbal that has a cutout and some obviously added-later drill holes. It doesn't sound terrible, but it doesn't sound especially good, imo. I would imagine it doesn't have much resale value, but I could be wrong...

Contemplating adding more holes, having it cut down, or...?

Ever tried to "save" a cymbal through mods? What did you do? what was the result?
 
Is this the cymbal that you liked a few weeks ago? What irks you now? I wouldn't cut it down or add holes unless you have a pretty good idea what that accomplishes. Our tastes can change from day to day. I'd try different sticks and hitting it differently first.
Since you already have holes in it: How about adding rivets? You can try a metal chain first to see if you like that sound. Rivets can mask some weird tones of broken cymbals.
 
No, totally different cymbal. My older Zs are keepers as is, imo. :)

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Swissward Flamtacles said:
Is this the cymbal that you liked a few weeks ago? What irks you now? I wouldn't cut it down or add holes unless you have a pretty good idea what that accomplishes. Our tastes can change from day to day. I'd try different sticks and hitting it differently first.
Since you already have holes in it: How about adding rivets? You can try a metal chain first to see if you like that sound. Rivets can mask some weird tones of broken cymbals.
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Ahh, now that's quite the flea bite you got there. :D
What I would worry about when reducing the diameter to 14" (or whatever you could get out of this thing) is loosing responsiveness. Cymbals are normally thinner towards the edge than in the middle of the bow. Unless it's really heavy, I'd try rivets first - they are cheap and might even add to the resale value if you find no use for it.
 
I hadn't considered actually using a rivet or two, I think I'll start there.
The cymbal cost me almost nothing, I figure I can play with it a bit.




Swissward Flamtacles said:
Ahh, now that's quite the flea bite you got there. :D
What I would worry about when reducing the diameter to 14" (or whatever you could get out of this thing) is loosing responsiveness. Cymbals are normally thinner towards the edge than in the middle of the bow. Unless it's really heavy, I'd try rivets first - they are cheap and might even add to the resale value if you find no use for it.
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C.M. Jones said:
You could turn it into a clock, albeit a battered one with holes, perhaps representing the ravages of time.
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You just gave me a great idea! ? ?

I like to experiment with broken cymbals or B8's. The light made by Al Strange above is one I've done. Now I want to do the clock.

Lennytoons said:
Contact Saluda cymbals. They can do wonders with damaged cymbals. I sent them a cracked 16" crash and they cut it down to 14" and it sounds fantastic.
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I cut an 18" crash into a 16" Rocktagon and I've never been happier.
 
This is a 20" cymbal, and after working around the cutout and holes, there'd be a little more than 14" left.
It would probably need lathing and thinning to be useful, I think it could maybe make for an interesting splash or crash in a 12-14" size.
Maybe I'll have it cut up and make a clap stack. :D

I have contacted Saluda- we'll see what they say.
 
If you cut it to 13", you can pair it with those hats you just bought for some more options.
 
This idea appeals, actually... make it the "bottom" of the hat set, and pick the best match from the ones I just got... Interesting.


MrInsanePolack said:
If you cut it to 13", you can pair it with those hats you just bought for some more options.
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wraub said:
No, totally different cymbal. My older Zs are keepers as is, imo. :)

20210301-075633.jpg
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Oh, that's not that bad. I mean, yea... It's got a big ass cut out but I'd hit it. Put a rivet in each hole and if that doesn't do it for you, use it for a loose stack.
 
In a recent trend of trying the cymbals I have for sonic options (inspired by a wonderful gesture from @Al Strange ) I have gone back to this cymbal for a minute. It's good to have options. :)

It's a 20" Zildjian & Cie with a faded brilliant finish, likely from the 70s. At some point, somebody liked it enough to engrave personal identification info on the underside of the bell, and imo it does have a good combination of stick and wash with a really good bell sound. However, the sound is different from my older A 20", probably because of the cutout. The & Cie cymbal has a good sound with quick decay, but the sound is almost "inorganic" in comparison the the relatively "organic" sound of my other cymbals. You can hear the difference as the resonance moves around/across the cymbal.

The cymbal vibrates differently and the sound is something else, definitely sounds similar to my other Z cymbals but not the same at all. It's difficult to explain, but it's like meeting a cousin that looks of the same family but has a different accent, it's very familiar but not what you might expect. I think I like it, but time will tell. Either way, it was super inexpensive so it's good cheap fun.
 
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