i personally have to say bravo, we are dealing with brass here not a old guitar played by a star, brass should be polished to get the best sound if your going to play them, especially on stage, i hardly ever see dirty cymbals in hi profile acts ,,.......
First of all, it"s bronze, usually made from a B20 mix, not brass. Only crappy amateur cymbals are made of brass. Second, you seem to understand little of cymbals, especially vintage ones, based on your guitar comparison. They are not just anonymous pieces of metal. They are musical instruments and the better ones, like many old Istanbul K's, have a unique character and complex tonal qualities. Why do you assume they sound better if they are shiny? I know lots if drummers that would strongly disagree. You're also suggesting that cymbals are more about looks than sounds. A poor assumption. I appreciate a good looking cymbal as much as anyone, but for you it appears to be a preference for form over function. When I or my son gig or record, the sound, not the look, is paramount. For us it's function over form. This is, after all, music we're talking about, isn't it?. I don't care how shiny a cymbal is if it sounds like crap.