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How to Tell the Age of Zildjian Vintage Cymbals

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spanky

spanky

I want to get rid of my 22" Zildjan ride, so I am thinking about selling it on e-bay or craigslist or trading it, for another Sabian ride. I have a Sabian ride on my left already because I lead with my left too, so I kept the Zildjan on my right, but for some reason I am tired of that cymbal. It is in great condition, the painted logo is even still on the top and the bottom. And from what I have learned from those 2 articles below, it is a 1980's 22" Zildjan ride cymbal. It is in great condition so now I am going to find out what they go for. It has a painted logo on it, so that means 1980 and up.
How to Tell the Age of Zildjian Vintage Cymbals   140

How to Tell the Age of Zildjian Vintage Cymbals

1

Measure the height of the logo stamped on the cymbal. Using a measuring tape in inches, carefully measure the distance from the top of the logo to the bottom. As a general rule, a logo with a height of 1 1/8 inches indicates the cymbal was made in the 1930s or the late 1940s to early 1950s. If the logo is 1 1/4 inches tall, the cymbal was likely made in the 1970s, late 1950s or early 1940s. A 1 1/2-inch logo was common on Zildjian cymbals made during the 1960s.
2

Assess the depth of the logo engraving on the cymbal. In general, the more deeply engraved the text, the older your cymbal is likely to be. Zildjian did deep and even engraving of text on cymbals. During the 1940s and 1950s, the depth of engraving was variable -- deeper near the center but more shallow around the edges. By the 1960s and 1970s, the Zildjian logo was engraved in a shallow fashion. Bear in mind that abrasive cymbal cleaning may make an engraving more shallow than it was originally.
3

Look at the dots and dashes under the Arabic text in the cymbal logo. Under some letters of this text, you will see dots and dashes, which can be used to estimate the cymbal's age. If there are three dashes beneath the text, this indicates a 1930s cymbal. Three dots were typically used on cymbals made in the 1940s, early 1950s and throughout the 1960s. In the late 1950s and during the 1970s, there were no dots or dashes present beneath the text.

Tips & Warnings

The Zildjian Azco factory in New Brunswick, Canada, made Zilco brand cymbals between 1968 and 1970. These vintage cymbals can be identified by the Zilco logo in place of the Zildjian logo.

Cymbals deteriorate with improper storage. A cymbal may look older than it actually is, if it has been heavily used or stored inappropriately

1

Check the stamp. All Zildjian cymbals have a trademark stamp that identifies them as such. This stamp makes it easy to quickly tell if a cymbal was manufactured by the Zildjian company and usually provides a little info about the origin of the cymbal (such as A Zildjian, K Zildjian, made in USA, made in Turkey). There are many different stamps and some can be used to date the cymbals, but this method alone is not completely reliable.
2

Check for a painted logo. Some cymbals have the Zildjian logo painted directly on the cymbal. Often the paint may have worn away but traces of it can still be seen with a close examination. If a Zildjian cymbal has a painted logo on its surface, it was almost certainly manufactured after 1980 and is not a vintage cymbal.
3

Check the weight and density of the cymbal. During the 1960s, the company experienced a boom due in part to Ringo Starr's use of the Zildjian brand and amateur rockers around the world began playing with these cymbals. Louder music and electric amplifiers meant that cymbals needed to be thicker and heavier to withstand harder playing. Vintage Zildjian cymbals will generally be much lighter and thinner than modern counterparts.
4

Inspect the tonal grooves. When the company began to use more mass production techniques to meet higher demands, the cymbals became much more consistent in weight and size. The lathing techniques used to make the tonal grooves of modern cymbals also created more consistent patterns on the cymbals. On vintage cymbals, look for small inconsistencies that occurred due to a more hands-on manufacturing process. It is essentially these inconsistencies that give the vintage cymbals their individual character and make them prized by collectors.
5

Consider all the instrument's features together to really get an idea of the age of a cymbal. By comparing the weight, stamp, condition, general shape and bell style to known examples of vintage Zildjian cymbals, an approximate age can usually be determined. Dating these instruments is not always precise, rather, it is an art that takes some experience.


Read more: How to Identify Vintage Zildjian Cymbals | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5022288_identify-vintage-zildjian-cymbals.html#ixzz1PVMq5154



Read more: How to Tell the Age of Zildjian Vintage Cymbals | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7712019_tell-age-zildjian-vintage-cymbals.html#ixzz1PVMZkdW1

Racman

Racman

It looks like a cymbal I once had some time ago. Is it a Constanople? Pardon if I've spelled it wrong.

rac

http://www.glennracoma.com

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