You either play a clean cymbal with a sweet patina or play a sparkly one sans the patina. You select the best heads for the kit and tension them up to where the drum sings. If you play a filthy cymbal and a filthy drum ... you lack respect for the instrument and the art.Some greats fell into that category, so you would have some interesting company. Just cutting to the chase and stepping on the toes along the way. Bottom line, you justify what you play for just one person ... you. If you like it, play it. But don't get ruffled when someone frowns at your filth ... or your shine. It's just a contrary and incorrect opinion(!). Ha!
Well said RogerSling! In the movie "Bull Durham", veteran baseball catcher Catcher Crash Davis is pressed with grooming an up and coming hot shot minor league pitcher. This quote is what he says to the pitcher...seems appropriate:
"Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You'll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob."
Take some pride in your craft. If you bought patina'd cymbals, leave them that way. If you bought new cymbals, then keep them clean. And what exactly is the allure of a filthy drum kit? I thought we were all here because we liked drums. What is the point in restoration if we are just going to let them get dirty again which leads to pitting, rust, scratches and all those things we were trying to restore in the first place.
Just helping you step on some additional toes RogerSling.