Cymbal manufacturers

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Cymbal manufacturers are involved in Cymbal making.

Contents

[edit] Major cymbal manufacturers

[edit] Lessor cymbal manufacturers

[edit] AJAHA Cymbals

AJAHA Cymbalswas a cymbal company, or cymbalmaker, which produced cymbals perhaps as early as the 1910s through the 1970s. Telltale identifying mark is the signature "X.E. Ajaha" on the underside of the cymbal bell. It has been observed by some that these characters X and E actually bear a strong resemblance to the Greek characters "hee" and "ksi". The last produced vintage of Ajaha cymbals was done by Tosco-Italy, in the 1970s as a stencil brand supplied to Gretsch drums. However, Ajahas were distributed by Gretsch as early as 1941. In that '41 catalog, it is written: "For almost thirty years American drummers have ranked Ajaha second only to K Zildjian". This suggests that Ajahas were in production quite a bit earlier, then.

Very early Ajahas (date based upon visual stylistic/craftsmanship grounds) tend to be small, 11-14", and either very heavy, or paper thin. The UFIP produced Ajahas of the 70's run the gamut of sizes 12"-22" and weights. Also of note is that these UFIP versions bear an ink-stamped reproduction of the Ajaha signature.

As to whether Ajaha was initially a Turkish maker, or a European (possibly Italian) maker who had apprenticed in a Turkish workshop (perhaps even the K Zildjian workshop in Istanbul) is open to debate. Its difficulty is compounded by the relative rarity of such cymbals still in existence.

The lack of concrete information on these cymbals may also be the result of the fact that, as the only identifying mark was an ink signature or stamp (as opposed to an embossed stamp) many Ajahas likely still exist as "no-names," where the ink was long ago polished or worn away. Also, the varied quality of those which are definitely identifiable does not particularly add much impetus for many to investigate further. Lastly, in keeping with the very unfortunate tradition of not discussing the past artisans with whom they have done business, or employed (if there is no direct marketable gain to be had from it), Sabian (Tosco), UFIP (Italy), and Gretsch all likely have more information on Ajaha than they are willing to disclose.

Too obscure for almost any musicians (and most collectors) to even care about, these cymbals today seem to have very little market value. Ajaha the company, and the cymbalsmith, remains an enigma.

[edit] Harpy cymbals

Harpy cymbals originated in Brazil. The cymbals were made out of B8 Bronze. The company was popular for the way they coloured their cymbals, adding visual excitement to professional cymbals. As of 2006 the company renamed itself KREST.

[edit] Artists

Artists who play with Harpy/Krest cymbals are more numerous in Brazil. Some popular artists are soloist Gledson Meira, and Jamil Pilli of Chipset Zero. Harpy cymbals are used in America by Andrew O'Donnell, of Attila and the Huns.

[edit] Bellotti Cymbals

Bellotti cymbal with typical hammered pattern
Bellotti cymbal with typical hammered pattern

Bellotti was a small Italian cymbal workshop which produced cymbals from roughly the 1950s until the 1970s.[1]

Because so few of these vintage cymbals exist on the market today (they are much less prevalent that some other vintage Italian contemporaries, such as Zanchi) Bellotti remains one of the more obscure names in cymbal manufacturers. Most Bellottis are relatively small 12"-15", and quite heavy. Their craftsmanship displays a fine lathing on top and bottom and very broad, circular-peen hand-hammering. The cast bronze cymbals are of a B20 alloy. The bellholes of most Bellottis are of small aperture, which suggests a fabrication date prior to the 1960s or earlier.[2]. Very finely crafted, most existing examples are likely to have been hand or field cymbals, due both to their weight and diameters.

The tell-tale insignia is an embossed stamp on the underside of the cymbal. There are two versions of this stamp. The first simply reads "Bellotti" on capital block letters. The second version which appears also reads "Bellotti", but incorporates the logo of a bell as well. Often, Bellottis also have an embossment which reads "Italy" or "Made in Italy" in a semicircular pattern as well, an embossment which also appears on other Italian cymbals of the 1940s-1960s.

[edit] Koide Cymbals

Koide Cymbals is a Japanese manufacturer of cymbals. They are not normally available outside Japan.

[edit] Pasha cymbals

PASHA cymbals were Italian-made cymbals from the early 60's thru early '70's. A stencil brand produced in the UFIP factory, Pashas were the stock cymbal for Rogers Drums and appear in Rogers catalogues of this era.[3]

The telltale insignia is a crescent moon with the word PASHA adjacent to it...the font of the lettering being all capitals, the characters with rounded edges. The stamp was either embossed, or simply an ink stamp. Very often, Pashas also exhibit the square ink stamp 'Made in Italy" as well.

Most examples are thin to medium-thin in weight. Pashas were composed of B20 alloy, cast bronze, and machine and hand hammered. They tend to produce a warm tone with nice, wide but controlled wash ( as opposed to a very prominent stick/ping sound) which make them appropriate jazz cymbals.

They are sometimes mistaken for the more contemporary Istanbul cymbals "Pasha" line of cymbals...although they bear no resemblance to the latter.

Due to their relative obscurity, their market value is not high.

[edit] Roberto Spizzichino

Roberto Spizzichino is an Italian Jazz drummer and master craftsman of Spizz brand cymbals. He creates his cymbals by hand, one by one in his workshop in San Quirico, Tuscany in the tradition of the K Zildjian Istanbul cymbals from B20 bronze formerly imported from China and now from Turkey.

Spizzichino is rumored to have worked for other Italian cymbal companies, such as UFIP.

Spizzichino's cymbals are branded Spizzichino and have included lines ranging from beginner to top quality professional over the years. In his early years of manufacture, he sometimes used the cheapest available heavy bell bronze cymbals, then from China, as blanks. By reheating, rehammering and relathing them to reduce their weight, Spizzichino completely replaced their tone.

Nowadays, he is creating mainly jazz cymbals.

[edit] Saluda cymbals

Saluda cymbals are a relatively new manufacturer of high-quality percussion instruments, particularly drum sets and hand crafted cymbals.

Their operations are run at 2651 Shop Road, Columbia, South Carolina. All drum works are held in this facility but only about 50% of the cymbal works is at this facility. This facility is where the cymbal is finished. Headquarters for Saluda and the primary cymbal plant still remain a mystery but rumors have that it is held in a small, nearby town of North, South Carolina. This is the facility that supposedly only made the drums.

The company was formed in May, 1999. They had a vision to begin their cymbal company in 1997 to recreate the sounds of handmade cymbals of 45 years previously, and to exploit what was seen as an available market niche for new and unique sounds. There are also accounts that the owner made the first custom cymbals for personal use all the way back to the mid-1980s, but the first prototype cymbal was not released until last November 1999. Their first cymbals were offered for sale the following following month, in December.

Saluda is quickly becoming a highly rated cymbal company. Having started by experimenting with new alloys, their current cymbal product lineup is entirely made of the traditional bell bronze of 20% tin. Saluda also is one of the few cymbal companies to offer to customized cymbals to the customer's requirements. Saluda could be the most underrated cymbal company but rumors have it they will be releasing some attention getters very soon, although they already have plenty of attention getters in their current line up. Saluda may already offer more selections than any other cymbal company, since they can customize their cymbals for anyone.

Saluda currently has 11 cymbal series, as of 2007:

  • Glory, Saluda's newest series combines the Black Mist and Mist X models to create a semi dry tone. The underside has the Diamond finish.
  • Black Mist, formerly the Emperor's Edition model, this series is Saluda's driest and one of their heaviest. These are raw on top and the underside features a Diamond or black diamond finish.
  • Diamond, Saluda's darkest and most complex series. However this is very versatile series as they offer weights from very thin to very heavy in all sorts of sizes and styles.
  • Mist X, Saluda's clearest and most focus series. Most Popular because of its versatility.
  • Earthworks, the most visual inspiring cymbal from Saluda. The Earthworks series has special "Earth toned" colors in its lathing. The complexity of the lathing leads to a bright focused tone.
  • Hybrid X, the thinnest and trashiest Saluda. The Hybrid X series was one of the first Saluda series to offer custom venting and rivets. It also is one of two series to have a traditional finish.
  • Mist Brilliant, theoretically Saluda's first series. Same as the original Mist series. Mist Brilliant are very similar to a traditional Zildjian A series.
  • Expressions, the bell and accent division of Saluda. This series is available in a brilliant or traditional finish.
  • Voodoo, the traditional china series of Saluda. This series offer china type cymbals with the original "square" bell designs of china cymbals. However the Diamond, Mist X, Earthworks, Hybrid X, and Mist Brilliant series offer the "European" style round bell chinas.
  • The Voodoo series is available in three finishes: Traditional, Brilliant, and Pre-aged. Each creates a slightly different sound and pitch characteristic.
  • Hybrid Metal, these are the heaviest weighted Saluda's with larger sizes, bigger(more dynamic)profiles, and of course heavier weight. This series is rumoured to envelope into the Diamond series label as metal or heavy weighted.
  • Saluda has been sending out prototypes in 2 specific styles, although they won't mention a name for them. They have only said these are working prototypes that will become regular cymbal series sometime in 2007.
  • There is also a secret series that is supposed to be a very unique custom feature but they say they had some setbacks with the finish that makes this unavailable. They also say that no prototypes will be released until the series is ready for an official release.

[edit] UFIP

UFIP is an Italian cymbal manufacturer, producing mainly high-quality bell bronze cymbals using rotocasting. They are the only major cymbal manufacturer to use rotocasting.

The most known handmade and "earcreated" Ufip cymbals are the Class Series, followed by the Bravo series, Rough series, Bionic Series, Brilliant series, and Natural. Ufip also made cymbals which were sold under the Atlas and CB-700 labels.

They are known for being normally high pitched and for their great adaptability to all musical genres and styles.

[edit] Wuhan cymbals

Wuhan is a brand of cymbal, specialising in mid-range B20 cymbals and china type cymbals of all alloys and types.

Their headquarters and manufacturing facilities are in Wuhan, China.

Wuhan B20 cymbals have reportedly been used as blanks for higher-range cymbals produced by some smaller cymbal makers, this being a relatively inexpensive way of obtaining the required metal in small quantities.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Pinksterboer, Hugo: The Cymbal Book. Hal Leonard Publishers. 1992
  2. ^ Salgado, J. "Vintage Cymbals, an Identification Guide", "Not So Modern Drummer", vol. 12, #6
  3. ^ Rogers Drum Co., Catalog 60R, 1960, Cleveland OH

[edit] External links

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