The company was founded in Constantinople present-day Istanbul, Turkey by Avedis Zildjian in , and is now based in Norwell, Massachusetts. Zildjian is one of the oldest manufacturers of musical instruments in the world. Zildjian sells cymbals, drumsticks, percussion mallets and other drum accessories under the Zildjian, Vic Firth and Balter Mallet brands. The first Zildjian cymbals were created in by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian metalsmith and alchemist.

Zildjian’s shop manufactured cymbals for the mehter , Ottoman military bands consisting of wind and percussion instruments, which belonged to the Janissaries.

Zildjian cymbal dating guide. Old stamp at this was still known as though it this era another shot of your era more clearly displays almost identical to compile a.

A Vintage Zildjian Cymbal is for sale but all you have to go on is an ebay ad or maybe you want to auction one of your own cymbals and you have a bunch of questions. These are the kinds of sensible questions that you need to ask to enable you make a reasonably informed decision despite not being able to handle the cymbal. You need facts of course, but in the world of old zildjians, ballparks are the name of the game and exact facts can be hard to come by.

The stamps were each used for a period of years and each one is slightly different. To date your cymbal using the stamp go to in the article on Zildjian Stamps. A further complication is that there seem to be transition periods between stamps when both seem to have been used. It all seems to add up to a whole lot of dunno! Be aware that sizes may or may nor conform to an exact measurement. Most Vintage cymbals are thinner and therefore lighter than their modern equivalent.

If you have existing cymbals, knowing the weight of the cymbal that you are considering purchasing will allow you to have an comparison tool. These relationships are discussed at length and with heat on drum and cymbal forums around the web. Yeah, where do you start.