The Zildjian company is probably the most well-known cymbal company on mother earth. They are endorsed and used by a bunch of well-known drummers. So what's their story?

Background

The company name and legend comes from Avedis I, who in 1623 living in Constantinople, Turkey discovers the a process for treating alloys for the art of making cymbals. His powerful, cutting cymbals gained him popularity and the Zildjian name, which means "Cymbalsmith".

His cymbals were made through the years and expressly required by famous composers. Then in 1929, his grandson, Avedis Zildjian III sets up the first Zildjian Cymbal foundry in the United States in Quincy, Massachusetts. From this facility Zildjian sets out to create new and innovative cymbals lines to be used on all genre of music.

The company continues to be run by the Zildjian family members in a facility now located in Nowell, Massachusetts. They even introduced a line of drumsticks in 1989 with a factory located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The following section presents the cymbal classes (cast/stamped) and the models found in each. For pictures of each model and current pricing- just click on the blue colored names!

Cymbal Models

Cast Bronze

The Zildjian cymbal company continues to make cast bronze cymbals using formulas discovered by Avedis I. Their cast cymbals include the following:

• A Series- the original style that takes a middle road with weight, tone, and volume.
• A Custom Series- developed with Vinni Colaiuta's help, they are a bit lighter than the A series with advanced hammering for use across a wide range of modern music.
• K Series & K Custom Series- made with traditional hammering techniques to create warm sounds. The K Custom blend machine hammering for more volume, quicker attack, & quicker decay than the K series.
• Z Custom Series- designed especially for the rockers and live performances where volume is needed.
• Sound Effects Series- step outside the box to add creative designs and great color to any song. Check out their Earthen Plates, Azuka Latin, Azuka Timbale, FX Remix Crash, Remix EFX, Zil-Bel FX, and Gong!
  

Sheet Bronze

In order to meet the demand of drummers on a budget, Zildjian developed two series of cast bronze cymbals. These include: