This is not a joke.
A cat or dog walking across a bridge can get the bridge to resonating.
I have a pre-1958 20" UFIP ride cymbal. When I do a ride beat, even a medium tempo, the cymbal starts shaking and reverberating or resonating making some kind of strange sound you would not want a cymbal to make. The cymbal has been this way since I purchased the set in the middle '60's.
What is the issue?
Is there anything that can be done to the cymbal, like a re-cut or re-groove to correct this issue?
Quick and short answer - yes. You can always hammer or cut into a cymbal. The more important question is - should you. That's the deeper one. You have a unique instrument that has a monetary value (which I would prefer not to discuss) and an aesthetic value due to the craftsmanship that went into creating it. Granted, the (aesthetic) beauty comes from the sound and that appears to be the chief complaint. A cymbal is for coloring music and that is why I chose that word (aesthetic). If you muck about with that, you devalue what the artisan put into it. So, that is the choice you must make. Do you 'correct' the colors in a painting or do you buy a new one that fits your taste.
That's one take on it. My take is that it wasn't a high quality cymbal to begin with and this is why it has the sound issue. If you say it makes a sound that it shouldn't and always has, why keep it? I say sell it and get something that you like much better, don't bother with trying to "fix" it as there really is no fix for it other than replacement.
Amen! That's why I said, "Do you 'correct' the colors in a painting or do you buy a new one that fits your taste." I agree with you LD - buy a different one that suits you. I'm just a bit more wordy in the response.
Ya I guess I'm more direct and to the point. If it sounds like crap, dump it and get one that doesn't. How one could live with it since the 60's though and wait until now to complain about it is beyond me.....:confused:
Thank you for the responses.
If I have the cymbal re-ground or whatever, so the cymbal sounds better or normal, how does re-grounding devalue the cymbal?
I have some ethical issues in selling a piece to someone else when I know the person is not getting what one would expect. I see some 20" UFIP's going for about $250 in ebay.
Does anyone have any specific idea why the cymbal is resonating like this?
What specific things would have to be done to the cymbal to get the cymbal to a place where the cymbal sounds reasonable?
Who would do this kind of modification work?
It originates from the original metal casting....probably a flaw in it......no matter what you try to do to it, it will not change the sound radically. Sometimes junk is just that. Junk.
This is not a joke.A cat or dog walking across a bridge can get the bridge to resonating.I have a pre-1958 20" UFIP ride cymbal. When I do a ride beat, even a medium tempo, the cymbal starts shaking and reverberating or resonating making some kind of strange sound you would not want a cymbal to make. The cymbal has been this way since I purchased the set in the middle '60's.What is the issue?Is there anything that can be done to the cymbal, like a re-cut or re-groove to correct this issue?
"making some kind of strange sound you would not want a cymbal to make".
A sound file would be helpful and perhaps a better description of the effect you're hearing.
Perhaps what your hearing is a wash under the sticking that jazz drummers might love. If you don't like it. Sell it. Don't modify it. First it would cost you money to do so, second its more than likely it would not sound better to your ears, and finally if this is really a good cymbal you will have destoyed any value it had.
The shaking you talk about sounds like a wobble, which usually occurs with thinner cymbals and is often prized by many jazz players.
I don't know what UFIP made in the 50's. Whether this was a good cymbal to start with, whether it used cast bronze, whether it was hand hammered. Others here I suspect can tell you more about vintage UFIPs
There was a thread started a while back, and added to today,that, after a few posts, addressed a similar topic.... in post #8 it read:
Drumaholic:
Cymbals can be thinned slightly and more hammering added for a richer sound.But the best thing to do is just buy another cymbal with a sound that you like better. Because with re-working, you never really know what you're going to get.
"making some kind of strange sound you would not want a cymbal to make". A sound file would be helpful and perhaps a better description of the effect you're hearing. Perhaps what your hearing is a wash under the sticking that jazz drummers might love. If you don't like it. Sell it. Don't modify it. First it would cost you money to do so, second its more than likely it would not sound better to your ears, and finally if this is really a good cymbal you will have destoyed any value it had. The shaking you talk about sounds like a wobble, which usually occurs with thinner cymbals and is often prized by many jazz players. I don't know what UFIP made in the 50's. Whether this was a good cymbal to start with, whether it used cast bronze, whether it was hand hammered. Others here I suspect can tell you more about vintage UFIPs
Thank all of you again for the responses. I love this forum.
OK, yes, I would describe the sound I am getting as a wobble. However, in this case, the wobble is so bad the cymbal "flaps around" so much the stand begins to shake and the cymbal noticeably seems to want to fly off the stand.
Thank you again for the responses.
