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Looking for a 20" or 22" Zildjian K Istanbul ride


Johnny E

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Didn't know what one was. . . all but one of my Zildjans are ancient and not marked with a series . . . . Anyway, I don't know of any for sale.

Is this one? This is on ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=41446

No, that cymbal is made by a company named "Istanbul". What I'm looking for is an older Zildjian K made in Istanbul. It's kind of complicated, but to make a long story short...

Zildjian got split into two different companies back in the early 20th century. When Avedis Zildjian started making zildjian cymbals in the USA back in the 30's, there was still a Zildjian making cymbals in Turkey. The Turkish company had a contract with Gretsch (so gretsch kits came with Zildjian made in Turkey or 'Zildjian K Istanbul'), but all others came with Zildjian USA or 'Zildjian Avedis'.

Avedis didn't like someone else having use of the Zildjian name so through the courts he eventually won back exclusive rights to the name and shut down the Turkish plant. That was in the late 60's.

In the opinion of a lot of jazz players, the Zildjian K Istanbul’s have the perfect sound for jazz. You can crash them and ride them at the same time (which as you know is essential for jazz drumming). And now that I have a few extra bucks....I WANT ONE!

Anyway, you can identify your cymbals by looking at the etched "stamp" on your cymbals. If it says 'Avedis', then it was made in the US. If it says 'K Istanbul'...well you get the picture.

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I'm pretty sure mine are Ks; got them with high hats of the same nature with a beat old set of Ludwigs that came from the sixties, my firs set. The drums were not worth keeping; I replaced them at first with a Simmons kit because I was playing in blues-rock bands at the time and they were JUST the ticket, then a Sonor Performer set which I still have. I kept the cymbals though; I have them in storage and can't look at them at the moment. I've got two 22" rides, one drilled for rivets, one not. They sound like Tony Williams' cymbals did in 1964. I also have a modern flat top ride bought in about 1988, a 20". That would be an "A" then.

Yeah, those would be hard to find these days I guess. Thanks for the explanation. Good luck!

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