I think you hit towards something I was pondering as well. And O-lugs hit on it too, I think, it was him, but, anyway..... Would the average ear even be able to hear the difference after resurrection?

Sure a mic. could pick it up and plot it to an analysis, but just how much difference would it translate to with an average ear. And hey, add in the mix of a few other instruments, and ...........

When viewing, the Sabian site that Buried the cymbals for eight months, I could definitely hear a difference in the sound comparison between the vaulted and buried cymbal when played side by side. As far as cleaning cymbals, I don't and they sound great. To each his own.

Word, brother......

Bird.......'cause ya know....it's the word - Bird.

Bird Bird Bird

Bird is the word

um papa oom mow mow

Anyway, I am truly interested in this experiment. I don't believe a short time will have a drastic impact on the cymbal. It may ever so slightly mellow it, but that's not what I want to hear. I want to know the impact of five to ten years on the alloy. That's seriously cool stuff. If you could do something like that, ... well, dang. That would put a serious PERIOD on the answer that many are seeking.

Wow, a 5-10 year experiment, that would be wonderful. I wish I had a cymbal endorsement, take a free cymbal and go for it. Anyone friends with a big named player with a sense of adventure?

Hey, is it a KCustom? K Zildjian are the exact opposite of harsh.

The K Light ride is about the most mellow cymbal i've even heard in my life,

IMO the only thing the dirt is going to do it mess with it's finish. Just buy a

K light ride, 24" of pure sexy cymbal magic. :)

This is what I've been trying to say as well, but apparently its been falling on deaf ears......

Its your cymbal man, do with it as you like. But if it were my cymbal I wouldn't do it.

Just think of how much 'tension' would be released from the cymbal by playing it for 5 or 10 years.. You get to play it the whole time and you wouldn't have to dig a hole... 'cept for the body....Oops! that slipped..:o

You are a very weird guy...I'm reading every post and no decision has been made. The thread was created to get as much information as possible. I think it's an interesting subject and wanted more information. The cymbal in question is great, I just wondered, out loud, about the story of burying a cymbal to make it warmer. Now..

The subject of playing the cymbal more, to get the desired effect, is interesting. Because, I have just been using this cymbal to play live, so, it does have low miles on it. I have a 4 year old son, who playes my drums, so, I keep my cheap cymbals set up, so, he doesn't do any damage. I just set the K up and we will both bang away at it and see what happens.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I have a 4 year old boy, too, and I know how they play on cymbals. He might actually abuse the cymbal and cause it to crack prematurely.

To me, what I think the most impacting factor in burying a cymbal for any length of time would be the pressure from the dirt around it and the possible shifting of the dirt. The dirt itself, touching the cymbal, isn't going to speed up oxidation, as there isn't much oxygen and probably not too much nitrogen in the soil (unless you use certain soil).

If you want to speed up the mellowing of a cymbal by playing it, position the cymbal on a sturdy stand, put on some gun range earmuffs, get some mallets, tell the family to leave the house for about 15 minutes, and roll loudly on the cymbal. Get the metal really moving! I've heard that doing this for 10 minutes or so can create a HUGE noticeable difference in the sound of a cymbal, usually cutting down on the high frequencies. I haven't tried it myself, because I buy cymbals that I like the sound of now.

If I like a cymbal but think it would sound nicer if it were a bit mellower, I simply won't buy it and I'll wait until I find a similar cymbal that sounds mellower. It's that simple for me.