CYMBALISTIC: Two new 22" rides in stock!

CYMBALISTIC news: Thanks to a very successful Germany trip in December, stock of cymbals on hand is a little skimpy right now, but we do have a couple of new 22" A-type rides available— one thin and one medium.

I should clarify what is meant by the description A-type— with Cymbal & Gong cymbals, that refers to a higher, squarish bell similar to a 50s A. Zildjian, with moderate hammering, and usually light-medium in weight. These are complex, warm, relatively dark, hand crafted cymbals. I'm a jazz drummer, and my main 22" ride is a C&G A-type— mine happens to be similar to “Mallory” below, but higher pitched.

In each of these videos I'm using Bopworks Birdland model sticks, and then Vic Firth SD-04 Combos.

22" Cymbal & Gong Holy Grail Jazz Ride “Eloi” - 2085 grams - $450.00
Unusual jazz-weight A-type ride. Slightly exotic. Nice low roar, with a very responsive, full, booming crash with a light bwah sound. Sonorous, cutting bell sound.





22" Medium Ride “Mallory” - 2360 grams - Cymbal & Gong factory second - $280.00
Excellent, very playable A-type light-medium ride. All of C&G's medium rides are crashable, with a good balance between clean and complex harmonic profile. They would never be mistaken for a modern A-type cymbal by a major brand. This cymbal has a warm, relatively clean sound, long sustain, and an awesome, very full, musical crash sound at fortissimo levels. It will make a good jazz ride, or medium ride in settings where a live, full-sounding cymbal is called for.

A minor technical flaw in the manufacturing process means you get a big discount on this cymbal. There's a slight flaw with the lathing— the lathed-away metal is stuck in the grooves in a few spots. Only visible on close inspection, there is some light surface roughness in those spots. This makes no detectable difference in sound, and will not affect the life of the cymbal. Tim at Cymbal & Gong tells me you could go in with a dental tool and remove the stuck bits, but you will probably just play it as is.

This cymbal has the Holy Grail-type patina, but as a factory second, it has no C&G cold stamp or label.



We will be getting some more cymbals at the end of January, and then a full re-stock in March or April. If you have any interest in these cymbals, let me know what size/weight/model you're seeking. Also visit the Cymbalistic site and get on our mailing list to hear about new cymbals as they come in.

Cymbals for sale

A few cymbals for sale. They're all nice, and I hate to part with them, but I've just got too many medium-heavy 20" rides around, and for whatever reason these haven't found their way into my regular rotation. Hit the email Todd link in the sidebar to contact me about them.

18" Paiste 602 (black label) Flat Ride - SOLD


20" Paiste Sound Creation New Dimension Dark Ride - $240 shipped
I've written quite a bit about my interest in the Paiste Sound Creation line in the past few years, and I've acquired a few of them. I've had students play this cymbal and love it, I just already have a 22" SCND Dark, and a 22" 602 Dark, and I'm just not that likely to take this one to a gig over either of those. It's medium-heavy, with a rather aggressive sound, and a small, high-pitched bell. Everybody wants the 22" version, and they're priced accordingly— the 20" still sounds great, and is a good entry into the SCDR experience. I want to keep it just because I've seen video of Famoudou Don Moye, Ronald Shannon Jackson, and Sonship playing this model, but I have to let it go.

Stick marks on top from the previous owner, but can be cleaned up easily, logos are strong.


20" Paiste 602 (blue label) Heavy - $240 shipped
This would be the prettiest-sounding pop or rock ride in the world. It says “heavy”, but it's about the weight of a Zildjian Ping Ride, with more overtones, and much nicer to play all around. Semi-crashable at higher volumes. With rivets it could be a decent Billy Higgins-type cymbal— passable until you can spring for the ~$500 to get that 22" 602 Medium Ride.

In played condition, finish is bright, logos strong on bottom, moderate wear on top.


20" Sabian Jack Dejohnette Series (original, not Encore) Ride - $200 shipped
Great all around cymbal if you're looking for a very percussive, dry Dejohnette or Joey Baron-like vibe. Good practice cymbal, because you can really hear your attacks. It's a very playable cymbal, very crashable in that very dry kind of way.

Doesn't really have that virgin showroom sheen any more, but it looks basically new.

A few items for sale

Just FYI, I have a few things for sale right now:

Pearl 12"x7" snare drum — $150.00
It's a  “popcorn” size drum, but it's a real drum, well put together, with a nice, fat (8-ply?), maple shell. I used this on my last record, tuned low— great for getting that timbre without the pitch going way too low. Click through to my record Travelogue in the sidebar to give it a listen. Looks great.

SOLD - 20" A. Zildjian Deep Ride — $150.00
Late 70s vintage, with ink, and almost new looking. 8 rivets that must have been factory-installed. The Deep Rides are heavier cymbals, but with qualities you wouldn't expect. T. Bruce Wittet describes them thusly:

A marvelous low-profile, mystical ride cymbal that offered the articulation inherent in a heavier cymbal with the dark utterance of the Turkish K. [...] The Deep Ride was in a class all its own and while Zildjian figured the onslaught of new American-made Ks would render it redundant…they didn’t. The Zildjian Deep Ride confirmed my suspicion that a cymbal could be at once heavy in weight, full in tone.

It's a cool cymbal, but I've got a few too many heavier 20s around right now...

14" A. Zildjian New Beat hihats — $120.00
Early 70s. They're New Beats— as classic as they come. About in the middle of the weight range, relative to other New Beats.

SOLD - 20" Paiste Sound Formula Full Ride — $130.00
1996. Drilled for six rivets by Gregg Keplinger. A reasonable poor man's Sound Creation Dark Ride, if you want to try rocking that somewhat-dark, cutting vibe without spending $500. I used this on my 2012 Europe tour; it's on the heavier side of medium— I guess in the 2500g range?—  but lush-sounding, true to its name. Gregg Keplinger drilled this for eight rivets for me.

Ludwig 17"x12" marching tenor drum — $100.00
Olive badge, early 70s vintage? Gold/black/gold sparkle, with the long, one-piece lug casings. I was meaning to slap some bass drum spurs on this and make it the foundation of a micro-bop set, but I never got around to it. The 17" heads are apparently not as hard to get hold of as you might think— you will have to order them.

Let's say $30 shipping for the Ludwig, $20 for anything else, and $30 for two items. Reach me via email, in the sidebar, if you have any questions, or would like to arrange a purchase.

Some cymbals FS, too...

UPDATE: Pictures added! It looks like the Bosphorus and the Zildjian 16" may be sold— just waiting to complete that sale.

While we're at it I'm going to need to sell some cymbals. Here's what I'm willing to part with, barely:

SOLD — 22" Bosphorus Turk Original Ride — 2670 grams
Light, jazz-weight cymbal. Records great, good for very low-volume live settings. All normal-light Bosphoruses sound great. $250 +shipping.

It's the main ride on this track— on that entire album, in fact. And Little Played Little Bird, and Travelogue. Why am I selling this thing, again?

19" Meinl Byzance Jazz Ride
Unsure of the weight in grams, but I'd call it a light medium. Gives a beautiful, lush, full crash. $190/shipping


20" Paiste Sound Formula Full Ride
I'd call it a medium heavy. Dense layer of overtones, high pitched, but darkish, and fairly complex. I've written about this cymbal before— it's sort of a poor man's Sound Creation Dark Ride. Also makes a good Billy Higgins cymbal. Used this on my 2012 Europe tour, playing jazz. Drilled by Gregg Keplinger for six rivets. $150/shipping


SOLD — 16" A. Zildjian Medium Ride 
Late 70's? It's tiny, but handles exactly like every other Zildjian Medium Ride you've ever played. Nobody's playing rides this small any more, but if you're playing a lot of Bossa Nova, this would be a really cool cymbal. Or trad jazz/dixieland, whatever. $90/shipping.

Oh, and a snare, too:
6x15" Slingerland TDR Concert King snare drum
Slingerland's top of the line wood shells at the time, which were 5-ply maple and mahogany; nice modern (and original) TDR strainer. This model has single lug casings. With new Evans heads, and Puresound snares. $250/shipping

Drums for sale!

At a recording session in 2011.

SECOND UPDATE: Pictures added! 

UPDATE: I went ahead and got those drums, a Sonor Phonic bop kit, so I will be needing to sell the Slingerlands. You can hear them on my Bandcamp page— they're on both Travelogue and Little Played Little Bird. Let's say $1300, plus shipping, if anyone is interested. Email me if you have questions, want to see more pictures, whatever...


Considering selling my early-90's Keller-shell Slingerland jazz set to finance the purchase of another set of drums I reeelly want. Because of the sizes, quality, and the fact they were selling relatively cheaply at the time, there were a lot of New York jazz guys buying these during the few years they were available, I'm told.

The set includes an 18" bass drum, 10 and 12" mounted toms (with RIMS mounts), and a 14" floor tom, all in standard depths. Includes a bass drum mounted cymbal holder, which I really like. Finish is a white marine pearl wrap; they look great, but pearl finishes aren't really my thing, and I was intending to get them re-wrapped, or de-wrapped and refinished at some point.

These are really good drums. Because of the better hardware and Keller shells, I actually prefer these over any other Slingerlands I've played. I believe DW is making their own shells now, but for a long time, like when they were considered to be the absolute shit, they were getting their shells from Keller. Since I got this set, I sidelined my late 80's “progressive jazz” configuration Gretsch set, and have used these on my last two records, and everything else. I could've played these quite happily for the rest of my career, but these other drums are something of a Holy Grail for me, and I can't bring myself to sell the Gretsch...

More pictures after the break: