Hey, Guys:
Today I found what I think to be a very old pair of marching cymbals at an antiques store. They have no handles. The owner thinks they may be from the forties. There is no lathing. The cymbals are brass and in excellent shape. No stamp whatsoever. They are each inscribed with "F C C L" in easily readable cursive script. Fifteen inchers. I may try them out as hats tomorrow. I experimented using one as a crash and actually, it sounds pretty good. Just wanted to share.
Brian
Neat! I found a pair of old, thin Zildjian hats across the street at an antique lighting fixture store. This was after having dreamed of them for about a month lol. I'm sure the dreams didn't cause the cymbals to materialize but it's fun to pretend...anyway they were $30, and though they are relatively quiet, I bin using them ever since, sometimes with a thicker cymbal on the bottom, which frees up a thin 14" crash.
They also had a nice thick 20" Zildjian ride sans rivets, and a 14" Wuhan type trasher, very nice. Made a deal for $30 for both, but when I got back with the money the store owner had shown up and wanted $30 each. Still a great deal but for some reason I balked. Regretting that decision...
Mitch
Hey, Mitch!
Thanks for replying! I've been experimenting a bit with a cheap HH here at home and these cymbals sound pretty good! I think that I may have stumbled onto something. The owner of the store initially wanted $90.00 for the pair but, when he found out how much I baby my drum stuff, he told me I could have them for $65.00 since they were going to a good home. I want to clean them up a bit but, not polish them much. There is very little patina actually and I don't want to spoil the looks. I'll let you know how they sound on a good HH. Thanks again for responding, Mitch.
Brian
P.S. You're right. Sometimes the god of drums favours us believers!
Brian - If you want to clean the cymbals without altering the basic patina, try cutting a lemon in half! Rub the lemon onto the cymbals going in circles around the entire cymbal. Rinse and wipe dry. I think you'll like the results. Cleans them, but doesn't alter the basic tone/look of the brass.
Take a magnifying glass and look carefully for a worn stamp. There 'may be' some kind of makers mark on them somewhere. Photos would be helpful, tops and bottoms.
John
I want to clean them up a bit but, not polish them much. There is very little patina actually and I don't want to spoil the looks.
I'm not partial to shiny new looking stuff myself, so I'd call that call good. :)
Even better - post a youtube clip!
Mitch
Thanks, John and Mitch!
I have used a paste of lemon juice, white vinegar and flour in the past but, I think I'll try your solution, John. It seems much less trouble! I'll look for a stamp but, I'm relatively sure there is none. I wish I could send pictures but, I don't even own a digital camera. What puzzles me is the fact that someone would have these cymbals personally engraved in such elaborate script. If they were just high school marching cymbals, I wouldn't think the school board would be so "fancy" in the identification. Hmmm...
Thanks again, guys.
Brian
If you don't own a digital camera, I'm betting there won't be no youtube clip neither! :) :)
Mitch
I had a A Zildjian 16" I used as a crash that was one of a pair of marching crash cymbals. It sounded great. Was thick but was fine. I used it most of the early 70's into the 80's. Marching Zildjian cymbals have a ring inside the keyhole that protected it from key holing with those leather straps.
Neat! I found a pair of old, thin Zildjian hats across the street at an antique lighting fixture store. This was after having dreamed of them for about a month lol. I'm sure the dreams didn't cause the cymbals to materialize but it's fun to pretend...anyway they were $30, and though they are relatively quiet, I bin using them ever since, sometimes with a thicker cymbal on the bottom, which frees up a thin 14" crash.
Oh man, you scored my dream hi hats. I love thin hats to the point where my current set is an older Zildjian top with a (slightly heavier) newer Sabian AA top as the bottom cymbal.
Anything heavier than that and I can't get the psssshhhhht I like. I also do a lot of hi hat pedal clashes and they are great for that.
I played a pair of Dream Contact hats at NAMM and they had the sound I like, so if I ever need to buy a new pair of hats, I know where to look.
Do you have a scale to weigh them with? I am very curious about the evolution of Zildjian hi hat weights and would very much appreciate the data.
-Erik
______
Early '70's Slingerland New Rock #50 in blue agate (20-16-13-12)
Late '50's WFL Swingster/Barrett Deems in black/gold Duco
'70's Slingerland Gene Krupa Sound King COB
early '70's Ludwig Acrolite
'80's Ludwig Rocker II 6 1/2" snare
Rogers Supreme Big "R" hi hat
Oh man, you scored my dream hi hats. [...] Do you have a scale to weigh them with? I am very curious about the evolution of Zildjian hi hat weights and would very much appreciate the data.
I do not sir. However, I will take a picture of the edge of one of the cymbals beside the edge of a credit card, as soon as the battery charges for my....digital camera! [salty!] :) Unless that won't really help you at all...
I love the sound of these thin hats but in a louder rock setting they do tend to get lost a bit. Thus the heavier bottom hat sometimes.
On a totally unrelated [to anything] tangent, I enjoyed and used the phrase "very much" until I saw Nick Kroll do "Bobby Bottleservice", and now I very much cannot use it or see it without hearing him say it in my head.
[warning it's a bit racy]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnzUVCDTfmM[/ame]
