Zildjian dating guide

How do you date Zildjian cymbals?

While other instruments have incorporated date stamps and serial numbers for years, a working date system wasn’t put in place at Zildjian until 1994. That leaves around six decades’ worth of cymbals primarily identifiable by one thing: the stamp.

What is a Zildjian stamp?

While it’s easy to assume this is the smallest stamp Zildjian ever produced, this era is known as the “Small Stamp” because of the stamp’s size in relation to the Large Stamp. The Small Stamps are defined by the absence of the three dots and a size of 1 ¼”.

How do I find the model number of my Zildjian product?

You can contact Zildjian Customer Service with your batch number (second group of digits) and unique serial (the last group of digits) and they can tell you the model information. In some cases it is obvious given the production year, diameter, bell shape, lathing, and weight.

What are the different stamps of Zildjian cymbals?

The Different Stamps of A. Zildjian Cymbals. 1 First (Pre-Trans) Stamp. Years of Production: 1929–ca. 1946 First, pre-trans stamp. 2 Trans Stamp. 3 Large Stamp. 4 Small Stamp. 5 ‘60s Stamp. More items

How can I tell the age of a Zildjian cymbal?

There really is only one method of ascertaining the age of a zildjian cymbal and that is the Manufacturer’s stamp that is enbossed onto each cymbal.

What makes Zildjian cymbals sound so good?

Until 1964 all Zildjian cymbals were hand hammered. This made them very thin which gives a deeper ‘trashy’ sound than thicker cymbals and is a major part of the reason why they have such appeal. The hand hammering and the varying thicknesses also mean that each cymbal is highly individual, consider it like speaking with an accent.