I think the ultimate process to alter the sound of a cymbal would be to mount it to the side of a fire hydrant popular with the neigborhood dogs. A couple of months of being drenched with dog urine should do the trick. Perhaps putting one in a litter box would be even more drastic.

Originally Posted by jccabinets

Ok I'm the weird one here. If my cymbal doesn't sound good IL just buy a new one. No patience to wait two years and take a chance on forgetting I have an expensive cymbal buried in the back yard. But if you guys are having fun doing that then we'll, have fun.

Lol. Just dump some wood stain where you bury em Jeff. Haha. You still doing finish work on drums? Snare you did for me still looks the way you sent it several years later.

Originally Posted by drumhack

Lol. Just dump some wood stain where you bury em Jeff. Haha. You still doing finish work on drums? Snare you did for me still looks the way you sent it several years later.

Was that the drum I failed to do a flame job on? I bought an air brush for that and have never used it.
I refinished a transition badge Ludwig kit a couple years ago, that's about it. Any drums I purchase now are original, I just bought a beautiful Rogers set from oldschool, man those Rogers sing pretty! I wont be burying them either!

Maybe they should dig up a few drummers of the past & see if they have improved their licks as well.

Cheers
John

In early 1966 a neighbour found a Zildjian ride buried in a ditch. He was a municipal worker and was doing work digging and uncovered it. H
Who knows how it got there and how long it was buried. I bought it for $25 and used it for about 7yrs before trading it. I don't remember the size or if it was an A or old K. Back then I didn't care. Years later I heard about buying cymbal ha.

I buried a 22 in ride, went back a year later and it turned into a pair of hats. My neighbor believed me because he buried his hats and they turned into a ride.

I am assuming this is all in good fun…

But for anyone out there thinking about it - don’t !
Too many factors at play to ensure a positive result.

Want your cymbals to “darken”? Play them more! Handle them a bit more! And absolutely try sticks with different beads!
The bead of a stick has the single most influence on the sound of a cymbal. Next to playing style and the angle of the cymbal on its stand.
Cheers.

I tried this once, burying a splash in the backyard for a few months. The result? Nothing but a dirty cymbal.