agreed. basically 60's and 70's A Zildjians are inexpensive because there are a lot of them out there, and there are a lot of duds.

once rock and roll became popular, zildjian rides turned into manhole covers. IMHO 20" A Zildjians sound best in the 1800-2000 gram range. but once rock became popular, they beefed up to 2400+ grams. i've even seen some that are in the 2800 gram range.

plus, most ebay sellers don't weigh the cymbals or give any description. so i'm not willing to risk $100 on what could be a crap cymbal.

the ones that do have weights and good descriptions will sell for a little more. especially if they are in that prime thin to medium-thin weight range. but even those won't command the same high price of a trans stamp, small stamp or block stamp because there are so many of them out there, and they don't have the same complexity that you find in pre-1960's zildjians.

are they good cymbals? sure (depending on your needs). are they a dime a dozen? yep.

It does indeed depend on your needs. My favorite A Zildjian 20" ride for rock music is 2300g which is the type of music I generally play. IMO if you get too far below 2000g for this genre you end up with a far less useful ride. Too quiet and too complex sounding. If I played jazz I'd be all over old, thin Zildjian A's from the 40's and 50's but I don't so I have zero use for them. It all depends on the music you play and I feel glad knowing there's a lot of affordable 60's Zildjian A's out there.

Steve

Completely agree with thst.

I've bought and sold many A's and never really hit the jackpot. I just can't find any I really like, except for a 60's set of new beats. I play mostly Paiste and the A's are not so completely different to old B20 Paiste, but I never seem to find the great ones. Plus here it's the opposite. "Old cymbal" means $200 plus. Risky business, buying a 60's or 70's Zildjian for that money. If they were $150 I'd be buying one every few months.