Playing cracked/damaged cymbals............

vyacheslav

Senior Member
Greetings,

I am very lucky to have plenty of wonderful cymbals. I am truly grateful and thankful for that.

However, in a recent used kit purchase, there was an old A. Zildjian 18" crash/ride with rivets. Probably 1960's. There is a decent chunk missing out of the cymbal (the seller told me he let his teenage sons bash on them...............good grief!)

Anyway, I absolutely LOVE the sound of this broken cymbal. Dry, great stick, a controlled crash with just a hint of trash, all with a nice sizzle.

The OCD/Perfectionist part of me hates looking at it and I would be hesitant to take it on a gig (I have regular gig at an upscale restaurant and bar) because it looks "unprofessional". But man do I dig the sound!

Have you ever performed with a broken cymbal because you really like it? Or do you not want to project "that image". I know plenty of jazz guys use cracked cymbals. Bill Stewart used to use an old A. Zildjian with a bug chunk missing out of it in his early years. Also, Buddy used a 22" Swish that had a chunk missing out of it (the later it got in his career, the larger the chunk was)!

Anyway, I want to take it on the gig this Saturday, but my OCD self is hesitant because I want to look "professional". If I was in a metal or industrial band, no problem, but it won't go over as well in an upscale restaurant, at least I think.

Thoughts?

V
 
For whom are you attempting to "look professional"? People dining at the restaurant won't take note of your cymbals. They'll be there to eat, not to inspect your gear. If you like the sound of your cracked cymbal, play it with glee, and don't give the matter a second thought. On the contrary, if the crack troubles you in some way, leave the cymbal at home. Whatever you decide, be assured that you're the only one who cares. Restaurant audiences know as much about drumming as snails know about skydiving.
 
Greetings,

I am very lucky to have plenty of wonderful cymbals. I am truly grateful and thankful for that.

However, in a recent used kit purchase, there was an old A. Zildjian 18" crash/ride with rivets. Probably 1960's. There is a decent chunk missing out of the cymbal (the seller told me he let his teenage sons bash on them...............good grief!)

Anyway, I absolutely LOVE the sound of this broken cymbal. Dry, great stick, a controlled crash with just a hint of trash, all with a nice sizzle.

The OCD/Perfectionist part of me hates looking at it and I would be hesitant to take it on a gig (I have regular gig at an upscale restaurant and bar) because it looks "unprofessional". But man do I dig the sound!

Have you ever performed with a broken cymbal because you really like it? Or do you not want to project "that image". I know plenty of jazz guys use cracked cymbals. Bill Stewart used to use an old A. Zildjian with a bug chunk missing out of it in his early years. Also, Buddy used a 22" Swish that had a chunk missing out of it (the later it got in his career, the larger the chunk was)!

Anyway, I want to take it on the gig this Saturday, but my OCD self is hesitant because I want to look "professional". If I was in a metal or industrial band, no problem, but it won't go over as well in an upscale restaurant, at least I think.

Thoughts?

V

It's very "Hipster jazz" person right now to have cracked cymbals and things like shakers hanging all over the drums, etc.

It's just a different aesthetic - I wouldn't worry about it.
 
If I like the way something sounds, that's what counts. As C.M. Jones says, those folks at the restaurant are there to eat. YOU are background. I would say if you're so OCD that a damaged cymbal affects your playing then you should only play it at home. BTW, when you're out playing a gig, make sure tour hairs combed and pants are zipped. Remember that time when your shirt was buttoned crooked? Let's not have that anymore. People will talk. They might even take pictures and post them on the weird restaurant drummers site.
 
My favourite ride has scuffs and more than a few flea bites on the edge, I couldn't give a hoot, that's what it sounds like counts.

Plus there's only you that has to play it!
 
To play devil’s advocate, I’m sure someone would notice the musician playing broken/damaged gear, though I’m having a hard time imagining what a “decent chunk missing” actually looks like on your cymbal.
Who knows, maybe the owner walks by and thinks you’re a stunod for playing on broken stuff in her nice restaurant, maybe not.
 
Hmmm, I’d be very careful if I were you. This could lead you down a rocky/jazzy road where you only play a cymbal if it’s cracked. The last thing you want is an addiction to crack...as Whitney once said “crack is whack”...or was it “whack the crack”?!? Seriousness aside, if you like the cymbal, play it!!(y);)
 
To play devil’s advocate, I’m sure someone would notice the musician playing broken/damaged gear, though I’m having a hard time imagining what a “decent chunk missing” actually looks like on your cymbal.
Who knows, maybe the owner walks by and thinks you’re a stunod for playing on broken stuff in her nice restaurant, maybe not.
WTH is.............. a stunod ???
 
I've seen professional live dvd's of bands where the drummer had chunks missing out of a cymbal, so don't worry about it.
It's the sound that matters. I use 2 stacks with 2 not so visually appealing cymbals, but man do they sound good and that's what matters.
 
Last edited:
WTH is.............. a stunod ???

Hmm, do we have an Italian speakers at DW that can help us out? @Bernhard is Swiss, but maybe he can help. Let me dust off my google.translate...

Bernhard: Negli Stati Uniti, alcune persone usano il termine gergale "stunod". A quanto pare, la parola deriva dall'italiano "stunato". Conosci questa parola? In tal caso, come tradurrebbe il significato in inglese?
 
I don't speak Italian but Dr. Google says:

In the United States, some people use the slang term "stunod". Apparently, the word comes from the Italian "stunato". Do you know this word? If so, how would it translate the meaning into English. /"stunnato" = "stunned" . Does this help? - Bernhard
 
stunod

Etymology
Italian-American immigrant slang; dialectal. In standard Italian it would be Italian stonato (“out of tune”). However, in the late 19th and early 20th century emigrants to America did not speak the Florentine dialect Standard Italian is based upon and instead used the Sicilian stunatu or the Neapolitan stunat' . The meaning is very similar in all three.
Adjective


https://www.yourdictionary.com/stunod


Stunod definitions



Stupid or crazy; out of touch with reality; disagreeable.



"That stunod customer thinks Trent was eyeing his secretary."






(slang, pejorative) A stupid or crazy person.



"Which one of you stunods broke the powerwasher?"




 
stunod

Etymology
Italian-American immigrant slang; dialectal. In standard Italian it would be Italian stonato (“out of tune”). However, in the late 19th and early 20th century emigrants to America did not speak the Florentine dialect Standard Italian is based upon and instead used the Sicilian stunatu or the Neapolitan stunat' . The meaning is very similar in all three.
Adjective


https://www.yourdictionary.com/stunod


Stunod definitions



Stupid or crazy; out of touch with reality; disagreeable.



"That stunod customer thinks Trent was eyeing his secretary."






(slang, pejorative) A stupid or crazy person.



"Which one of you stunods broke the powerwasher?"




As Italian, I can confirm stonato = out of tune (and intonato = in tune), and it's usually referring to voice or non-string instruments (scordato shall be used for guitar, piano, violin, etc.).
Dialect versions from Naples and Sicily sounds reasonable but I'm not 100% sure.
 
I've played with an 18" Sabian AAX Stage Crash with multiple cracks in a church for 2 years. It worked for me and no one really cared about the presentation.
 
Related question: let’s say you really love a cymbal like this, would it be better to baby it and/or limit its use to recordings because it’s likely to deteriorate rapidly, crack in half, etc or will it probably stay pretty much the same for a long time? (Playing normally, not bashing or anything.) Sometimes I hear a great sound file of a damaged cymbal for sale but I’m unsure how much trouble I’d be asking for.
 
Back
Top