I am wondering if anyone out there knows anything about how to oxidize a brand new cymbal in a short amount of time without messing it up. I have heard of people burying a cymbal in their back yard for a short time, but I don't want to run the risk of ruining a brand new ride. Tell me what you all think.

I've buried cymbals. It won't ruin the cymbal. If you don't like the sound, you can scrub the cymbal down with soap and water. Might take a little elbow grease to remove some of the grime but it won't damage the cymbal.

Also, if you're interested in the sound of an older, oxidized cymbal, my recommendation would be to buy an unlathed ride- something along the lines of Sabian's Raw Ride or (my personal favorite) either an Istanbul or Bosphorous Turk Ride. Thin, unlathed cymbals tend to be dried out and emphasize the cymbal sticking without being overly bright or pingy. Nice and dry but still with that earthy trashiness to them.

The best way to describe it would be to quote Morgan Rose (Sevendust), who was asked in a recent Modern Drummer issue about his ride cymbal sound on a particular song. He replied that his ride was a Zidjian A Medium that had been sweated on, spat on, bled on, and had water dripped on for about 10 years. He said that he cleaned it once, but hated the sound, so he hasn't cleaned it again.

So, to answer your question, Morgan says, "Take your ride cymbal, run around the block 10 times and sweat on it, punch a wall and bleed on it, get a mouthful of water and spray it straight up in the air and let it land on your cymbal, and, well, spit on it. Above all, DON'T CLEAN IT!!".

LOL, while I don't agree with everything that Morgan says, the paraphrased answer is to not clean it. Touch it with your hands, don't be afraid to get it dirty, and listen as the patina (age) grows on the cymbal. The sound will get darker and darker with age. Burying it does work to a point, but just play it and touch it as much as possible.








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I've considered doing this too, I'm a becoming more of a fan of darker rides. Would this even make a difference on my beginner Sabian B8s? Or is this reserved for high end stuff?








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It'll work to a point on any cymbal, but keep in mind that no matter what you do, a Sabian B8 isn't going to end up sounding like a 1920's Zildjian K Constantinople. The B8 alloy just doesn't have those characteristics.

If you are interested in getting a darker, dryer ride, then you really should just save the money and purchase one, or buy a newer regular ride and start working with it to darken it and dry it out.








_________________
Me, My Story, and Pics Of My Drums:
http://www.saludacymbals.com/c/ksiegel.html
Proud to endorse Saluda Cymbals since 2006.
Howie is my homie. Word.

aztec1 wrote:

I've considered doing this too, I'm a becoming more of a fan of darker rides. Would this even make a difference on my beginner Sabian B8s? Or is this reserved for high end stuff?

Like was said before, you can certainly do that to a B8, just keep in mind that it will sound like a 30+ year old B8 cymbal and not a vintage A from the 60's. But even still, it will help dry out that particular cymbal a bit.

Also, Ebay has tons of 60's vintage A's in various conditions and prices. Be sure to check out the pictures though, as they often have serious keyholing problems, along with the occassional small cracks, chips, etc. Also keep in mind that the cymbals from this era are much thinner than almost any of today's models.