Thats all well and good, but we're not talking about $300-$500 cymbals. The cymbals I'm refering to are usually between $1200 and $2500. If I don't care for the sound of a $2000 cymbal, I'm going to sell it, not clean it. If I hate the sound with a patina, cleaning it will not magically make it better. But cleaning it could rediuce the resale value of the cymbal by hundreds of dollars.

That's cool. I'm not making any distinctions on price of instruments. That's my point. Value is not a price where instruments are concerned. Value is the sound...otherwise, it's useless. Again, that's me. I've paid little to nothing for a great sounding cymbals and I've paid used car levels for cymbals. They sound great so I get 'em. Music is music to me. That's why these discussions are so hard to have. I don't walk your roads and my path is my own. Money doesn't mean much to me. It's a tool to get things done. I'm not rich. I'm just wise where that is concerned. I'm a good steward of what I have and have never really cut corners of my art. Again, that's me. You have your own road and your own values. There is no middle ground on this one. I respect your call and would never tell you that you were wrong. Fact is, you're right. That's your call and they are inline with your values and your life-history. That makes you right. My life is a bit different. So, my answer is a bit different. Both right and yet both diverse. Interesting.

Agree on all points. My take was really that if I don't like a cymbal, I don't try to change it, I'll just sell it. When you're talking about rare and special vintage cymbals, others may like them as is, and if I clean it up and still don't like it than I've prevented others from experiencing the unmodified cymbal that could have been their "Holy Grail". I would no sooner clean an old cymbal then I would revarnish a 300 year old Stradivarius to make it look prettier.