The Canadian K’s were more similar in manufacturing and design to the early Sabian HH series, which were made by the same cymbal smiths when the Azco factory in Meductic became the Sabian factory . Unlike the Turkish K’s, they were bumped into a preliminary shape with a Quincy drop hammer to cut down on hammering time.
The Canadian K’s were made in limited models and sizes due to the legal issues at the time. When A. Zildjian acquired the K trademarks, they agreed to extend the distribution agreement with Gretsch an additional 10 years. When they had issues with the Turkish government, Zildjian made the Canadian K’s to supply Gretsch and satisfy the agreement. In addition, production of Canadian K’s also coincided with the split between Armand and Robert Zildjian after Avedis Zildjian’s death in 1979 resulting in Robert eventually forming Sabian. There wasn’t much new coming out from Zildjian in the 1980-1981 timeframe.
The USA K line was launched in 1982 and you can see heavy advertising in early 1983, when Zildjian was free and clear of the Gretsch agreement. The EAK’s were made differently than the Canadian K’s or Sabian HH. A Zildjian employee would run a cymbal blank under a mechanical hammer. Then the cymbal was pressed into shape. The cymbal was then hand hammered. The hand hammering was more extensive in the EAK’s than the late 80’s K’s.
