Here's a faster loading version of that same soundfile. That last one was hosted on an inferior site. You could grow old waiting for that other one to download.

22-1/4" K Zildjian old stamp

A lot of hissy undertone on that one. Nice stick definition!

Years and years ago, I went into a drum shop and the owner had just acquired an old K. I have no idea what stamp or age or anything -just an old K. It was a 20" and was in very nice shape. No keyhole. No cracks. I always tap on every cymbal when I go into the shop. When I got to this old K, I was really blown away. It just HAD it, man! It was gorgeous. Just enough wash. Great definition. Great mallet sound. It could be crashed. Just a wonderful cymbal. I didn't even know a cymbal could sound that good. I asked him how much he wanted and he said he wanted a thousand dollars. I just about fell over. I thought that was one of the most outrageous things I had ever heard. A thousand dollars for one cymbal? And, while I still wouldn't pay that much for any cymbal -no matter what, I think it would have been a "good deal" by today's standards. I just don't have that kind of money to throw out on a cymbal! I wish I did. Maybe I'll win the lottery one day.

And I have played other old K's since then, that have sounded nothing like the other one. That's the beauty and the curse of a hand made cymbal, I guess.

A friend of mine has a beautiful old K and he played it forever! Out of nowhere, it developed a crack about in the middle of the cymbal running circular -not radially. Bummer. He didn't play it too hard or anything. It just cracked.

Thanks for sharing the files!

That hissy undertone you heard might be the rivet that's in this one. I forgot to mention that its there but you can see it in the photo.

The comment you made about that K in the music store reminded me of something that a younger guy once told me at the drum show. I was playing on a 20" old stamp that I had just bought and I could see this guy staring at me playing it seemingly transfixed. Then he made a similar comment about the cymbal I was playing. "I never knew a cymbal could sound like that".

The only other cymbals he'd probably heard up to that point were the ones he played at Guitar Center or Sam Ash. He looked like a rock drummer. His comment left me with the feeling that there's still hope for the younger generation.

The awakening of the ear is a magical and defining moment in ones life.

Regards

DonS

I listened again. No, it's not the rivet I'm referring to. It's the "aaaahhhh" sound. I like it. I'll bet it would sound killing against an acoustic walking bass line! The rivet sounds good, too.

Yeah, I still have dreams/nightmares about that old K cymbal. I remember him selling an old Rogers kit that was in almost brand-new condition a black one with hardware including the throne, for $700. And then there was the cymbal for $1000. I just assumed he really didn't want to sell it. It was one of those cymbals that also looked really good. The hammering was really pretty. It was light, too.

damn it.;)

Yes I can certainly sympathize with how you feel about that. Many cymbalholic types, including me (and not necessarily affiliated with the site of that same name), have those bitter pangs associated with "the ONE that got away".

These are almost as common as the famous cymbalholic's anthem: "I never should have let go of that ONE", which also continuously haunts many.

Don't fret...your grail will come.

Well you know how I feel about this cymbal since we've spoken at length about it. One of the true holy grails.

I remember my drum teacher at North Texas, Ed Soph, said that if you find a truly great cymbal, BUY IT, no matter what it costs...max out a credit card if you have to.

It seems there are three types in the drum world - drum nuts, cymbal nuts, and drum AND cymbal nuts.

Drum nuts go crazy for drums...snares, sets, etc, and they spend an absolute fortune on them. They usually have way more drumsets than they need, and at least 10 snare drums. But only one set of cymbals. They don't really understand spending more than $50 on a cymbal, since it's just what they are playing to accompany their awesome DRUMS!!!

Then there's the cymbal nuts, that feel the exact same way in reverse. They have TONS of cymbals, way more than any one person could ever need. And they are usually never completely satisfied, always looking for the holy grail, even though their cymbals are better than 99.9% of other drummers' cymbals. And they have one set of drums (often cheap or comprised of orphans), and one snare...just enough to set up around their awesome CYMBALS!!!

And of course the drum AND cymbal nuts, who are just all around gear fanatics. These people will sell off their first born to get the best drums, snares, and cymbals, and they have massive collections of all three. Unfortunately for my wallet, I fall into this third category.

The way I see it, playing jazz anyway, you are hitting a cymbal 6 times per measure in a standard 4/4 ride pattern, and that's not counting the hi hats being playing with your feet. In a 32 bar form tune, that's 192 cymbal strikes. Multiply that by 10-12 choruses, and you are hitting a ride cymbal 2000 or more times, PER TUNE! That's a lot of cymbal sound to be sitting right next to in one night, so it better be good! I find it comparable to spending good money on a bed...you spend a third of your life there, so it's worth every penny to get a good night's rest with a high quality mattress.

I was very lucky early on to find an incredible 22" Trans stamp, which remains one of the best ride cymbals I've ever heard. I bought it for $75. But I always wanted old K's, and have spent many thousands of dollars on them over the years. I've had at least 100 at this point. I've let go of 4 old K's that I really wish I could get back, but that's part of running a business and trying to offer desirable items.

Just yesterday, I spent $6K on a set of old stamp K's that I found out about and played a couple of years ago for the first time. I've been trying to buy them ever since...they just sound that magical...and when the owner finally offered them for sale, I drove to his place with the cash as soon as I could. I didn't hesitate, because the truly great ones are so incredibly hard to find. I am NOT a wealthy person, but I know they will only go up in value, so they will be a good investment. I know many drum folks would find that impossible to understand, but these particular cymbals will bring me far more musical happiness than any set of drums.

True.

Few days ago, I was given Istanbul Mehmet Sultan 17" crash for birthday (I know it's not vintage cymbal, but anyway-it's handmade and turkish). I liked the sound at the shop. After I brought it home, I put on my stand and played it with floppy-sticks (or whatever they're called in english, czech word for them in fact means "skewers") and timpani mallets. OH MAN! I finally realized what the difference between sheet and cast bronze is! The subtle hiss, the growing roar when played by mallets, that undescribable "brwuuaah" sound-it seemed to me that the cymbal almost plays itself.

This was my moment of awakening...