70s AVEDIS ZILDJIANS
1. Avedis Zildjian Crash/Ride 20" (new acquired 1975 for PhP550.00) 2020 gms - This was the first quality cymbal I bought. I went in assuming I had one chance at a quality cymbal, so this would be it. It had the nicest swell I ever heard, and I still think it does. Everything else about it was neither here nor there. It was not a particularly good ride nor crash. I’ve considered selling it a number of times, but each time I discover something cool about it. Its taken a long time to appreciate everything it can do, and I’m still learning.
2. Avedis Zildjian New Beat Hihats 14" (new acquired 1976 for PhP650.00)1220 gms / 780 gms - I lusted for a good high hat after watching a US Navy jazz band perform at Abelardo hall. The “chif” of his hats was the antithesis of my beat up, bent brass hats. So on one monthly visit to Salonga’s Cubao, I came upon these. It was so different from the other New Beats in the store, and others I have played since. Light and airy with a total absence of “clanginess.” I found out only recently when I weighed it that the top was indeed a rather light one. I’ve always held that every Zildjian cymbal is unique. My New Beats are as unique as you can get.
3. Avedis Zildjian Medium Ride 22" (new acquired 1976 for PhP780.00) 3300 gms - After I got my New Beats, I was back in Salongas looking for a ride. But for a long time all of had were 20” mediums, and I didn’t want another 20” cymbal. Late in the year, a shipment of three large 22” mediums arrived. Unlike the other two which were shiny and immaculate, this had ugly patina and stains. But the sound was special, so special that one friend later dubbed it “the infinite ride”. I once tried putting tape on the underside when I wanted less wash. When I took the tape off after realizing the wash was what made it special, it left adhesive marks which made it even more ugly. I’ve played a few other really nice ride cymbals, but I will never replace my 22”.
4. Avedis Zildjian Thin Crash 16" (new acquired 1978 for PhP650.00) 800 gms - I had just joined the UP Jazz Lab band in 1978 and felt a need for a high, quick crash for trumpet accents. In one of my regular visits to Salonga’s Cubao, they pulled out three of these models for me. The price was right (about PhP 600.00) and I still had some money left over. I chose the one which appealed to me the most, which I think was the lightest. Many say that late 70s A ZIldjians started betting heavy in response to the increasing loudness of rock music. But by today’s standards, this is practically “paper thin” in weight. When I played it at band practice, the two other drummers drooled over it. They eventually rushed over to Salonga’s and got the other two. Unfortnately at the final concert of the semester, the cymbal stand fell off the riser when one of the trumpet players nudged it. The cymbal turned inside out, and it suffered from a tiny nick at the edge. A knock on the bottom righted it, but the relative pitch got slightly lower and had less sustain. I had Steve Gadd sign it when he visited the country in 1980, so all my friends have since called it “Steve god.” The nick never got any bigger, but it developed a keyhole, became warped, and I think the sustain has decreased even more since then. I’m surpised it’s still in one piece, considering it was my main crash while I played in a power rock band for many years. It’s still a main part of my kit, and is my go-to crash for quick accents.
CHINAS
In 2008, Johnny Alegre invitied me to play a few gigs. At the time, my drum kit were disassembled in a bodega, and my cymbals had spent most of their time in their bag. After the last gig just after Christmas, I decided to take them out and rehabilitate them. I thought about adding to my cymbal set, but felt my Turkish collection was complete. So began my quest for China cymbals.
Stagg DH Mini China 8" (new acquired 2009 for PhP890.00) 130 gms - A new music store opened close to my house, so I stopped by one day just to window shop. The store carried Stagg cymbals, a European company which importated cheap cymbals from China. Nothing really grabbed me until I came upon this mini-China. It as the cutest thing I had ever hit, and babies in the family love it. It was not until I saw Omar Hakim use a splash next to his snare that I figured out where and how to use it.
Stagg SH China 16" (used, acquired 2009 for PhP2000.00) 900 gms - My next target was a crashable China. I saw this in a sulit.com ad, and figured I couldn’t go wrong for the price. I met up with the young man who was seliing it one late night along Congressional Avenue. He needed the money for tuition, so I didn’t bargain with him anymore. Although it was quite thin, the stiffness prevents it from opening up. I have thought of selling it, but have kept it for gigs that demand abuse, or for a stack.
Stagg Traditional China 18" (new acquired 2011 for PhP 3400.00) 1360 gms - I knew of Wuhan Lion cymbals reputation as super cheap and super trashy. But they are the real deal because they were in fact made in the city of Wuhan China, the capital of cymbal and gong making in PRC. I also knew that Stagg had relabeled them as their “Traditional” Chinas. So when I saw a music store ad offering them at 40% off, I just had to check them out. The store had three of them, and as usual, I chose the thinnest of the lot. My wife paid for them as a birthday gift.
Stagg Lion China 16" (new acquired 2012 for PhP 2800.00) 1060 gms - A year after I got my 18”, the same store went on sale again. I had fallen so in love with my 18 that I decided to get a 16”. As usual, I got the thinnest of three in the store, and my wife again paid for it as a birthday present.
Paiste 2002 China 22" (pre-owned, made 1982, acquired 31 July 2013 for PhP8,500.00) 2420 gms. SN: 22 1602 - The first China I ever played was a Black Label Paiste 2002 China 20” at a reherasal studio. It was simply awesome, bright but with a hugh bottom. But Paistes cost an arm and a two legs, so I never thought of buying one. After I acquired my Staggs, I got a crazy idea of getting a bigger one to function as a ride in an all China setup. I saw an ad in the philmusic.com classifieds for this 22” monster. The seller said he was the second owner, and the hole had been enlarged due to a crack. I had to put together a system with a steel sleeve and rubber grommet to mount it in a standard cymbal stand. I also mount it bell up because I don't want to risk cracking the hole again. Aside from that it was in good condition. The sound strangely lacks shimmer, has a gongy bottom, and has clangy ping. But the mid-frequencies roar like the wind of a category 5 typhoon, and crash-riding it too long will make you deaf. I got it anyway because I have a penchant for unusual sounds. It sits next to my 70s A Zildjian medium ride 22 as an alternate ride. I think of it as the scariest cymbal I own.
21st CENTURY AVEDIS ZILDJIANS
At the end of assembling my China collection, and over thirty years after my last A Zildjian acquisition, I began adding to my Turkish cymbals again.
A. Zildjian A Custom Projection Crash 18" (pre-owned, made 2009, acquired 10 July 2013 for PhP6,500.00) 1520 gms. SN: ji 37042 073 - I’d always been intrigued by the legendary 18" medium-thin A Zildjians because I was looking from more power than my 16” thin. But I never got down to getting one for reasons that escaped me. I had also been quite impressed with the A Custom Projection series, having recorded them before. So when I saw this used one on sulit.com, I asked both Raimund Marasigan and Mike Dizon if this was worth it. They both advised me to jump on it, saying the price was nice. Raimund in particular gushed about it, reminding me that he had used one in the later Eraserheads albums, and still had it in his regular setup. I also then remembered that Kaka Quisumbing had a 16” Projection that sounded great on “Talaarawan.” So I negotiated the narrow backstreets of Vasra QC to a run down house, with a legion of small children watching my every move. It was my first non-A series Zildjian and at first I was afraid it was fake. But I knew it was the real deal when I played it at home the first time. It was an early birthday present to myself.
A. Zildjian Thin Crash 18” (made 2013, acquired new 26 December 2013 for PhP7,800.00) 1330 gms. SN: ac 57441 023 - The buzz over the 2013 revamped A Zildjian line was in full swing at drummerworld and cymbalholics forums since early that year. The word was that Zildjian R&D director Paul Francis finally heeded purists demands and decided to drop the weights of A’s to 1970s levels. That Christmas, I wasn’t really looking for a new cymbal though since I had just gotten my Projection crash a few months back. But my suki in JB Trinoma took me aside and showed a newly arrived A thin crash 18”, saying an accounting error had it at 50% off. It was love at first hit. It reminded me of my 16” thin before it got hurt. I came back the next day and chose what I suspect is the lighter (again) of two in stock. It has a lower pitch and a wider timbral range than my 18” Projection, so they are different enough to set up simultaneously.
A. Zildjian Armand Splash 10” (pre-owned, made 2007, acquired 3 March 2015 for PhP2700.00) 280 gms. SN: jg 01671 139 - I couple of months before my regular Science, Technology and Society lecture on cymbals, I chose a piece to play in which the original drummer used some nice glassy sounding splashes. So I went looking for a nice cheap one on the internet. This one popped up in philmusic.com a week before the lecture. The owner was a hobbyist whose medical career had overtaken his drumming.The price was a third less than the going rate (which I think is too high) so I snapped it up immediately. It sounds kind of stiff in the driver’s seat, but it gets glassy at a distance. It goes great with my 8” Stagg. Suffice to say, it was a hit at my lecture.
