Great sound = happiness....

Yep, I think there is alot to be said for that. If the cymbal is what you want it to sound like, does it really matter who's name is pressed into it?

If I found a cymbal I thought sounded phenomenal, I wouldn't care if it said "Acme Cymbal Co. - Made in Trenton, New Jersey".

Sound is king.

Yeah. that "D" does look flaky.

It definitely looks more like an o than a d.

When I get a chance to record these cymbals sometime I'll post the track so you guys can check em out.

Thanks for the help. Top draw as usual.

Blonks.

Yes, I'm sorry to say that you are right. These are not genuine. Here's some examples of what the trademark should look like:

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/cymbalexamples/large/20%20TM%201976.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/cymbalexamples/websize/PICT1603.JPG[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/cymbalexamples/websize/76_12.jpg[/img]

Everybody's right about the "D" in your case. Also if you compare the "K Zildjian & Co." and the Istanbul on yours you'll see that they are angled differently, which shows that they were struck with separate dies. I included the 3rd example because the "K Zildjian & Co." and the "Istanbul" on the trademark here are angled as compared to the script and the crescent moon, but they are both at the same angle. This is because on the genuine trademark both of these components were on the same die.

The hammering doesn't check out as being genuine K either. I say this because there are rows near the edge that look too regular to be K - like, although the rest looks pretty close to right. It also appears that a fake patina was applied and then buffed off slightly to give the cymbal an old look, but it's not a natural looking patina. And finally there's no signature as is always is the case with these fakes.

The moral of this story is:

"Beware of Turks bearing old K's."

I went there in 2001 – found 2 shops selling old cymbals and brass/bronze objects. One guys had a lot of 13 and 14" single cymbals, he wanted about $70 a piece. Other guy had a couple of sets of 12" hats – I brought a pre-split 18" istanbul crash off him for too much... doh!

The give away for me is the bell holes, and the bells themselves are not hammered... if they sound good that's all that matters.

If they're fakes but they still sound really nice, you have to wonder who actually made them.If they are Istanbuls or Bosphorus or other good quality cymbals, they have a significant value in their own right, and obliterating an existing stamp would leave an obvious mark. So...where do they come from? (This is a rhetorical questions!)

Thanks for taking the time to post those pics Drumaholic.

Some of the clearest examples I've seen. I shall be referencing these in the future.

Blonks.

Oh dear,

Just got this message from someone at Zildjian.

Hi There,

This looks real to us. It is normal for certain parts of the trademark to be impressed deeper in the metal than other parts, due to the stamping machine.

The trademark is a genuine “3 piece” Zildjian mark created after 1926 and used until some point in the early 40’s. (when 2 and single die marks started to be used). Hope this helps.

Regards,

-Dave @ Z Care U.S.A.