Avedis Zildjian Company

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Zildjian redirects here. For other uses, see Zildjian (disambiguation).
Avedis Zildjian Company
Type Private
Founded 1623 (Present aged 384 Years)
Headquarters Norwell, Massachusetts, United States
Key people Avedis Zildjian, Founder
Armand Zildjian
Robert Zildjian
Industry Cymbal manufacturer
Website [1]

The Avedis Zildjian Company is the world's largest manufacturer of cymbals, along with Paiste, Meinl and Sabian. At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian remains one of the oldest operating companies in the world. They also sell drum-related accessories, such as drum sticks.

Contents

A 16" Zildjian A Custom Projection Crash
A 16" Zildjian A Custom Projection Crash

The first Zildjian cymbals were created in 1618 in Istanbul by an Armenian man named Avedis, who, while looking for a way to turn base metal into gold, created an alloy combining tin, copper, and silver into a sheet of metal that could make musical sounds without shattering. Avedis took the surname of Zildjian, from Turkish "zil+ci" (cymbal-maker/seller) and the Armenian suffix "yan" (son of), and began an industry in 1623, the details of whose main product remained secret for generations. It became family tradition that only the oldest son of the company's head would know the manufacturing process.

The Zildjian Company moved from manufacturing noisemakers to frighten the enemies of the Ottoman Empire to manufacturing its cymbals as musical instruments in the 19th century. In 1908, Avedis Zildjian III migrated to Boston, while Kerope Zildjian continued to make cymbals in Turkey under the K Zildjian Constantinople name. In 1923, the Turkish Republic was established and the name of Constantinople was officially changed to Istanbul, resulting in the change of the company’s name from K. Zildjian Constantinople to K. Zildjian Istanbul. In around 1926, Aram Zildjian signed an exclusive American distribution agreement for K. Zildjian cymbals with Gretsch.

Around 1928, Avedis III and Aram Zildjian began manufacturing cymbals in Quincy, Massachusetts, and the Avedis Zildjian Co. was formed in 1929, the same year that the Great Depression began, in competition with the K. Zildjian company in Turkey. Avedis made many innovations in cymbals that are still around today; he was the first to develop drum-set cymbals, and gave cymbals names such as ride, crash, splash, and hi-hat. Jazz drummers such as Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Cozy Cole, and Papa Jo Jones all used Avedis Zildjian cymbals. The cymbals were made with both automated processes and hand hammering, but Zildjian ended the latter tradition in 1964 after a rise in demand resulting from the popularity of The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In 1968, the K. Zildjian Co. and all European trademarks were bought back by Robert Zildjian on behalf of the Avedis Zildjian Co.

Zildjian was having labour requirement issues with oven room operators and machine operators, so Avedis split the production into two separate operations, one for rolling and casting only, and one for finishing work. They then opened up the Azco factory in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada in 1968.

From 1968 to 1970, the Azco factory produced Zilco cymbals. There were two types of Zilco: one was a thin rolling produced without any hammering at all, which cut costs.

At about this time in the Azco factory, Robert Zildjian, with a man called Dick Dane, invented the modern process for pressing cymbals into shape. Before this it was done by bumping with the Quincy drop hammer.

In 1970, Zildjian needed all their production capabilities at Azco for their regular Zildjian line, so the factory in Quincy (the then location of Zildjian) would send up castings to be finished into cymbals at Azco. At one point Azco was responsible for 40% of Zildjian's output.

In 1975, there were problems with the Turkish government and Robert went over to Turkey and brought over a crew to start making K. Zildjian cymbals in the Azco plant. This was an interesting time for the Zildjian clan because it was the first time that Kerope and Avedis Zildjian had worked together to make the same Zildjian cymbals after years of competing with each other as A. Zildjian and K. Zildjian Istanbul. These were made until 1979 when Avedis died and Robert split from Zildjian amidst conflict with his brother, Armand Zildjian. Shortly thereafter, in 1981, Robert started making Sabian cymbals in the Meductic Azco factory, while Kerope and his son continued to make Sabian's early HH (Hand Hammered) cymbals.

Other than cymbals, the Avedis Zildjian Company also produces products such as drum sticks and other drum accessories. The drum sticks are currently produced in Alabama, and are used by most endorsers of Zildjian. The Artist Series drum sticks allow these endorsers to personalize their own drums stick, and these sticks are sold to the public.

The Avedis Zildjian Company continues to produce cymbals today in Norwell, Massachusetts. Armand Zildjian was the head of the company after Avedis' death until his own passing in 2002. The company is now run by Armand’s daughters Craigie Zildjian and Debbie Zildjian.

  • ZBT - The lowest-end of Zildjian sheet bronze cymbals. The ZBT alloy contains 92% Copper, 8% Tin and comes in a Brilliant finish.
  • ZXT - Zildjian's mid-level sheet bronze cymbals. The ZXT alloy contains 92% Copper, 8% Tin and comes in a Brilliant finish.
  • ZHT - The highest-end of Zildjian sheet bronze cymbals. The ZHT alloy contains 88% Copper, 12% Tin and comes in a Traditional finish.

A 19" Zildjian Armand Signature "Beautiful Baby" Ride
A 19" Zildjian Armand Signature "Beautiful Baby" Ride
  • FX - Special effects cymbals which includes oriental splashes and chinas, Azuka timbale cymbals, Zil-Bels and Remix Cymbals with tambourines inserted in the body. The FX series comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes.
  • Z Custom - Cast bronze cymbals made specifically for heavy music. Z customs have a particularly heavy weight, which make them very loud and bright. The Z Custom alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in a Brilliant Finish.
  • A Zildjian - The original and most popular line of Zildjian cast bronze cymbals. A Zildjians are also the most popular and most recorded cymbals in the world. The A Zildjian alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes. In 2007, the Armand Zildjian line was introduced as a sub-series of the A Zildjian. Armand Zildjians are made from the same alloy as regular A Zildjians, but a made with a slightly lower profile to approximate the classic cymbal sounds of the late 1960s. In 2006 with the cooperation of Matt Sorum Zildjian released the A Fast Crashes as a new alternative for those musicians playing rock.
  • A Custom - Cast bronze cymbals developed with help from Vinnie Colaiuta. Based on the original A Zildjians, A Customs have a particularly medium-thin, thin weight making them very responsive and bright. The A Custom alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in a Brilliant finish. In 2006 Zildjian introduced the A Custom Fast Crashes line as an alternative for musicians in need of a thinner cymbal with the same sound properties as the regular A Customs.
  • K Zildjian - Cast bronze cymbals which stem from Kerope Zildjian's original hand hammered line. The hammering on the K Zildjians make them dark and dry. The K Zildjian alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes.
  • K Custom - Cast bronze cymbals based on the original K Zildjians, but are made with very complex hammering techniques. K Customs are dry and complex, making them popular among jazz drummers. The K Custom alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes. The new 2007 K Custom line includes the K Custom Hybrids (developed with help from Akira Jimbo)which are heavier than regular K Customs and their finish is half Brilliant (from the bell to the middle body) and half Traditional Finish (from the middle body to the edge).

  • Amir/Amir II (mid 1980s) - Moderate/higher-end sheet bronze cymbals when compared to Zildjian's present-day lines. Amirs were released alongside the Impulse line.
  • Scimitar/Scimitar Bronze (early 1990s) - Scimitars replaced Amir line.
  • Edge/Edge Plus (1990s) - Higher-end sheet bronze cymbals; preceded ZXTs.
  • ZBT Plus (early 2000s) - Released alongside ZBT, ZBTs and ZBT Pluses replaced the Scimitar line. ZBT Pluses were discontinued shortly after Edge was replaced by ZXT.
  • ZXT Titanium (2003-2006) - Silver colored cymbals made without any actual titanium in the alloy, with laser etched logos. ZXT Titaniums were discontinued shortly before ZHTs entered production.

  • Impulse (1982 - 1986) - Cast bronze cymbals designed for hard rock. These were developed in response to Paiste RUDEs, and are similar in appearance (raw, unlathed B8 bronze). Impulses were replaced by the original Z Zildjian line, several years later.
  • Z Zildjian (1986 - 1994) - Heavy, unlathed cymbals designed for heavy metal and punk. Replaced in 1994 by the current Z Custom series.
  • Avedis Platinum (1990s) - A Zildjians with platinum coating and blue logo. Avedis Platinums were discontinued due to environmental problems during manufacturing (a safer process would have been prohibitively expensive).
  • Re-Mix (late 1990s) - Cast bronze cymbals developed with help from Zach Danziger. Re-Mixes were designed for live performing of Jungle / Drum and Bass and other electronic styles. Only the ride and effects cymbals exist today as the A Breakbeat Ride and the A EFX, respectively.

Zildjian also manufactures a variety of drums sticks, mallets, and brushes. Zildjian offers the standard sizes of drum sticks: 7A, 5A, 5B, 2B and Rock.

  • DIP - Drum sticks with a coating which makes them easier to grip.
  • Anti-Vibe - Drum sticks made with patented technology to reduce unwanted vibrations.
  • Hickory - Basic drum sticks made of 100% hickory.
  • Artist Series - Drum sticks designed by famous drummer in which the artists place their signature on the sticks.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avedis_Zildjian_Company"
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