Audiofanzine a 25 ans !
Se connecter
Se connecter
Mot de passe oublié ?
ou
Créer un compte
ou
Se connecter avec Facebook
FR
EN
Notifications
  • Refonte graphique octobre 2025
    Refonte graphique octobre 2025
    Une refonte graphique vient d'être mise en ligne. Nous espérons qu'elle vous plaira. Merci de nous signaler tout bug ou perte de fonctionnalité ici →
  • Un cadeau d'UVI pour les 25 ans d'Audiofanzine
    Un cadeau d'UVI pour les 25 ans d'Audiofanzine
    Pour célébrer notre quart de siècle, UVI se joint à nous et vous offre le Digital Synsations Vol.1. Pour en profiter c'est par ici 👉
  • Nouveauté : Bookmark article, news ou tuto
    Nouveauté : Bookmark article, news ou tuto
    Bookmarkez un article, une news ou un tuto et retrouvez-le dans votre section "Mes signets" du menu membre.
  • 6 nouveaux annuaires
    6 nouveaux annuaires
    Luthiers, Réparateurs, Cours de musique, Studios d’enregistrement, de mastering et de répétition... Suggérez l’ajout d’une entreprise, inscrivez la vôtre ou déposez un avis.
  • Alertes disponibilité et baisse de prix
    Alertes disponibilité et baisse de prix
    Ces nouvelles fonctionnalités vous permettent d'être informé·e dès qu'un produit est disponible ou que son prix a baissé.
  • Tentatives d'arnaque dans les petites annonces
    Nous faisons face depuis quelques mois à une recrudescence de tentatives d'arnaques dans les petites annonces. Suivez nos recommandations >
Cymbales
Produits
News
Articles
Médias
Avis
Petites annonces Annonces
Forums
Tutoriels Tutos

Hand-hammering and re-creating cymbals

  • 109 réponses
  • 22 participants
  • 12 910 vues
  • 20 followers
Sujet de la discussion Hand-hammering and re-creating cymbals
Hello !

Sorry for writing in English but my French is terrible. I understand it a bit but I can't write it.

I am a Belgian drummer from Bruges who also hammers cymbals.

I once started hammering cymbals because (to me) no modern factory made cymbal has the "old Turkish K Zildjian" kind of darkness and complexity anymore.

I hammer pro- and also some non-pro-level factory cymbals into much richer sounding cymbals.
Besides creating light complex jazz cymbals, I also hammer heavier rock-oriented cymbals to dramatically enrich the sound.

The cymbals I've hammered can be seen and heard on this INDEX PAGE. Mind you, I have hammered most of these cymbals to suit my personal taste (dark and trashy) but I can also brighten the sound of cymbals with a different hammering method.

Some "before and after modification" files can be heard HERE.

Some student cymbals I hammered into professional cymbals can be listened to HERE.

Here are some pictures (the soundfiles can be found on the site).

This was a Paiste Signature Power ride, hammered to sound like the old 60's Tony Williams ride, but a little heavier:




This was a Zildjian ZBT 20" ride, now a very complex thin professional jazz ride.


This was once a Paiste 2002 22" ride:



Here's a "before and after" pic of a cheap 16" Headliner crash cymbal, now a professional dark thin crash:
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
Afficher le sujet de la discussion
26
Here's Sabian AA 20" Crash which was very high pitched, but I hammered it into a 20" Dark Crash. Sounds like THIS now and here's what it looks like:

See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
27
Here's a 20" Paiste Traditional Medium Light Ride I completely rehammered.

Here's a "before and after" SOUNDFILE


See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
28
Here's a 20" Tony Williams "Nefertiti" style of ride I hammered from a Zildjian Avedis Medium Ride.

SOUNDFILE







Also a 20" High Complex Jazz Ride, hammered from a Ufip Class Ride.

SOUNDFILE

See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
29
Hello!
I've got a china 18" that I bought without trying it (big mistake). It doesn't sound really good, too dry, lack of the "tsshhh" (I don't how to express it) and the volume is too loud...
is there some ideas to make it better ??
Subtil et versatil, le reptile tranquil, entre dans le rythme comme on entre dans une femme facile...
30

Citation : is there some ideas to make it better ??

If you have no hammering experience you'll ruin or break the cymbal if you try to hammer it yourself.
Anyway, each cymbal is different and needs to be hammered differently to achieve a certain sound. I could only tell what needs to be done when I take the cymbal in my own hands.
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
31
Ok!! I expected this answer!! It would be quite hard to meet, I'm not even french, I'm tunisian... a little bit far from you :D:
anyway, my china will be a good decoration for my chamber's wallw :fou:
thanks a lot
Subtil et versatil, le reptile tranquil, entre dans le rythme comme on entre dans une femme facile...
32
Johan-> I wonder what you call "nefertiti ride".
Is that because it's sound like the one on "nefertiti", or did tony williams have a special ride for this song?

I mean, I thought tony williams used to play sometimes on a 24" ride... Is that what you mean?
LE dossier avec LES réponses?
33

Citation : Johan-> I wonder what you call "nefertiti ride".
Is that because it's sound like the one on "nefertiti"

Tony Williams used the same 22" old K Zildjian on most recordings during his Miles years. I've just picked the name "Nefertiti" because it's a well known Miles Davis album where his cymbal can also be heard clearly.

I'm trying to capture that sound into 20" to 24" cymbals. You can hear and see all of them here:
http://jvds.byethost15.com/1_RECREATED_CUSTOM_CYMBALS/5_NEFERTITI_RIDES_and_related/
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
34
Flag :aime2:
35
Yes flag too!!!! :lol:

Nouveau noomiz  http://www.noomiz.com/coyotesdessert  - Nouveaux morceaux http://www.myspace.com/funkaltrans 

www.poker-agency.com

36
Some re-created 15" crashes:

15" Dark Medium Crash, made from a 15" Zildjian Avedis crash.

SOUNDFILE








15" Dark Thin Fast Crash, made from a Sabian AA 15" crash.

SOUNDFILE

See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
37
On Cymbalholic, some American drummers have posted a review of cymbals I hammered for them :

http://www.cymbalholic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11957

http://www.cymbalholic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11948


Also some general comment about my work:

http://www.cymbalholic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11932
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
38
Here's a set of fairly bright 13" funky hihats I hammered from Ufip 13" hats.


SOUNDFILE

See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
39
An American drummer sent me two 20" Paiste B8 alloy cymbals (crash and ride) and asked me to convert them into a 20" Ripple Trash and an 18" Radial Trash.

Here's a before and after clip of the ride, which is now a 20" Ripple trash.
http://users.telenet.be/cymbzdrumz/3_BEFORE_AND_AFTER_MODIFICATION/Paiste_B8_alloy_ride_before_and_after_into_20_Ripple_Trash.mp3

Looks like this now:





Here's a before and after clip of the crash, which is now a Radial Trash.
http://users.telenet.be/cymbzdrumz/3_BEFORE_AND_AFTER_MODIFICATION/Paiste_B8_alloy_Crash_before_and_after_into_18_Radial_Trash.mp3

See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
40
How long does it take you for such a cymbal work ?
LE dossier avec LES réponses?
41
At least a week because I divide the hammering into several steps to let the metal recristallize in between.
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
42

Citation : At least a week because I divide the hammering into several steps to let the metal recristallize in between.



"recristalize" ??
johan, could you please explain that a bit more in details?

(I have a old ufip 12" splash cymbal, a crappy one. I'd like to try to hammer it... I found a round hammer, and i think I will test it. If I break the cymbale it's no big deal but I'd like to avoid it if possible ;) )
43
I've nothing to say at this moment, unless nice job Johan :bravo:
44

Citation : "recristalize" ??
johan, could you please explain that a bit more in details?


Hammering causes a temporary dis-organisation of molecules. When the metal rests, the molecules organise themselves again into a solid structure.

That's the reason why the factories never sell brand new cymbals the day they are made. They keep them in stock for a while until the molecules have settled.
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
45
Nice to know it, thanks.
How many day do we have to wait - in average - before replaying the cymbal ?

do you have any tips for hammering ?
from bell to edge ? other ?

any advice is welcome :bise:
46
It's different for each cymbal. There are no general rules or theories. My tip is that you'd better experiment with very cheap brass cymbals first to learn the skill before you hammer a good cymbal like a Ufip.
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
47
This is the only "not as good as the others" I have...
(ok, it does not sound like crap)

maybe I should buy a really cheap one and try on it :??:
48

Citation : This is the only "not as good as the others" I have...

If you know how to hammer you can make it better than the others :)
See and hear my custom cymbals:JOHAN Custom Cymbals
49
Well... I think I will follow your advice and buy a crappy 40 euros cymbal and practice before hammering the ufip.
50