So, you've got a great sounding vintage Zildjian K ride cymbal but you have no idea when it was made: how do you date your vintage Zildjian cymbal?

Most people start by searching the internet and guessing at the age of their cymbal based on what they know. What they know is usually based on the biggest marks on the cymbal: the cymbal stamp and cymbal manufacturer logo (if it's not rubbed off). Drummers almost always start with the cymbal stamp since it doesn't rub off.

If you're lucky you'll find a drum or cymbal forum post with a decent photo that matches your cymbal's stamp and logo, and you'll know if you've got a coveted “old K”. More often, you end up lost in a thread with a mix of helpful posts, and some posts that have nothing to do with your cymbal.

If you're lucky enough to find photos of your cymbal model all you have to do is compare your cymbal to the photo right?! Right, if you know what to look for…

Identifying a vintage cymbal: things to look for!

Here's a list of the things that make up a cymbal, focusing on vintage Zildjians. If I missed something get in touch! It might not be totally complete but it's a good starting point if you're totally lost in drum forums full of drum nerd talk.

If you learn with your eyes don't worry, I'll have a gallery after the list with examples.

A quick note, a lot of this info was pointed out to me by Steve Black , whose cymbal research uses statistics to build on the work of Bill Hartrick's original Zildjian stamp timeline.

Cymbal Characteristics:

Cymbal manufacturer stamp:

A manufacturer's mark that's usually engraved by laser in the surface of the cymbal or stamped into the molten alloy, especially on vintage cymbals. Laser stamps happened to Zildjians in 1994.

Cymbal manufacturer ink logo:

This is the inked/painted manufacturer's logo that usually includes the cymbal's specific model. This varies by brand but for Zildjian the actual “Zildjian” logo wasn't inked until the second-half of the '70's. Some even featured a “Hollow Ink Logo” in the late '70's. Earlier cymbals had models (like “Paper Thin”) inked on them but mostly lost them during cleaning over time.

Cymbal size:

Grab your yard stick or tape measure. Most cymbals fall between 13˝ for hi-hats, small crashes and accents and up to 26˝ for the heaviest crashes, larger rides and huge trash/china cymbals. Manufacturer sizes aren't exact, a 20˝ cymbal can actually be slightly larger or smaller than 20˝. Fun fact: Zildjian As were made in huge sizes of 24˝ and 26˝ as far back as 1948! By the way, if you want to get really accurate you can even measure your cymbal bell!

Cymbal weight:

Vintage cymbals, Zildjians included, often weighed less than newer cymbals so drummers often give weights in grams (g) as a clue to when they were made. Rough weights for medium lines of cymbal are 2500-2800g for 22˝, 2050-2300g for 20˝ and 1650-1850g for 18˝. If yours is lighter than that you've got a clue that it's an older Zildjian.

Cymbal centerhole:

Usually you're looking at size. Manufacturers often change the sizes of cymbal holes. Case in point: in the '50's Zildjian switched from a 7/16˝ hole to 1/2˝, which definitely helps date a cymbal when the labels are gone (or when you can't fit it on your cymbal stand). There's one other thing to look for: grommets. If you see a small metal ring in the centerhole you've got an old marching cymbal.

Manufacturing process:

Cymbals are stamped from bronze sheets, hammered or hand-hammered. This can be hard to tell but is more obvious on vintage or boutique cymbals. Cheap cymbals are stamped from bronze sheets with more expensive lines cast from bronze and hammered by machine, giving consistent hammering patterns. More expensive hand-hammered/handmade cymbals (or very old vintage cymbals) are cast and shock-cooled from a higher temperature, which gives a weird shape to the blank and needs more time to hammer back into shape: sounds great but costs more!

Hammering pattern:

Related to the manufacturing process. Machine hammered cymbals usually have a “dead on” pattern of dimples or hammer indents. Hand-hammered patterns are a little less precise or straight-up uneven: especially when the cymbals are shock cooled from a high temperature.

Lathing pattern:

This is the pattern of rings that go from the cymbal's outer edge in to the centerhole or bell. Most cymbals are lathed, although some are partly lathed with raw (unlathed bells) or no lathing at all (sometimes called blanks).

Cymbal type:

Is it a ride, hi hat, crash, china/trash? This one's easy for new cymbals but tough for vintage ones. Once the paint gets rubbed off from cleaning it's easy to mistake a hi hat cymbal for a small crash or even a splash cymbal. Old cymbal catalogs often have the sizes of the cymbals for a given year but if your hi hat is the same size as a crash for that year you have to find another way to identify the cymbal.

Cymbal finish:

Again, this one's easier for new cymbals — it's a fancy way of asking if it's shiny (brilliant), normal (natural), or does it look like it just came out of a cave (raw)? Zildjian first advertised brilliant finish cymbals in their catalog in 1970. This can also be misleading since older brilliant finish cymbals have a patina that can look like they had a natural finish. Natural finish cymbals can also be polished to a more brilliant finish.

Cymbal Holes:

Sometimes cymbals have holes drilled in them besides the centerhole to change their sound. Example: check out this vintage Zildjian, again thanks to Steve Black.

Cymbal Sound:

Identifying a cymbal by sound is tough! It's pretty subjective and requires a lot of experience but can be useful as a last resort. The good news is I've started recording my cymbals including in videos on my YouTube channel, to provide drummers and percussionists the ultimate resource. If you don't know what cymbal you have, check out my videos to help you narrow it down by look and sound. By the way, all the audio and video of my cymbals is professionally recorded for accurate sound!

Confused?!? Here's a gallery with examples of cymbal terms:

I made an illustrated gallery for all you visual learners. These cymbals aren't vintage Zildjian cymbals but have easy to spot visual examples of the cymbal characteristics above.

Check it out and hover over the images for more info on the cymbals:

Not vintage, but awesome!! This Hybrid Crash is a newer Zildjian K with both natural/traditional and brilliant finishes (both hand-hammered) for two different tones. This cymbal is a perfect visual aid for spotting the difference between lathed and unlathed cymbals and brilliant/traditional finishes. Also a good example of how hand-hammering looks on different finishes.

An example of the painted model and the manufacturer stamp. The “Impulse” paint is already rubbing off from cleaning but the engraved Zildjian Amir stamp is still visible (normal Zildjians don't have the “AMIR” part). This ride cymbal is unlathed (no rings going around the cymbal). The faint dots are the machine hammering marks.

This one's easy to identify from the machine-hammered radial pattern with huge hammer marks! It's also got typical modern Zildjian lathing including the bell and a glossy, brilliant finish (a little less brilliant from age and use). Z Customs aren't always considered vintage Zildjian cymbals but useful as an example.

These ones aren't vintage Zildjian but I'm including them to make a point. The bottom hi hat cymbal in the photo is an awesome, hand-made boutique cymbal by TRX! It has a raw finish with a one of a kind copper color, hand-hammering that looks like leopard spots and hand-lathing that makes dark irregular grooves with an unlathed cymbal bell. Compare the raw finish to the brilliant finish on the top hi hat (barely visible on the right).

What we just went over was a lot, but now that you've looked at all your cymbal's characteristics how do you find the year of your cymbal? If you're able to find other pictures of vintage Zildjians that match some of your cymbals' characteristics you can get a good idea of what year or era it was made in. But what if you can't?

So, how do you decide when your Zildjian was made?

The short answer: Steve Black's Zildjian Stamp Timeline

One of the best perks of my job is the people I meet and connect with on a day to day basis. One of those people is Steve Black, a trained statistician researching Zildjian and Paiste cymbals.

A while back Steve contacted me about an 18˝ Avedis cymbal I had on the site which I thought was from the '80's. Turns out I was wrong: the lathing, hammering and “small stamp” meant I had a late 1950's Avedis Zildjian SSB cymbal that came after the earlier '50's small stamps, the SSAs. Thanks again Steve!

Not everyone's lucky enough to have someone doing cymbal research get in touch with them through their website. That's exactly why Steve's been putting his research on his Avedis Zildjian Timeline since 2014. The awesome thing is that he's using “evidence based analysis using appropriate statistical methods” (to quote the man himself) to help clarify the rumors going around on the internet.

Vintage cymbal identification resources

The best vintage Zildjian cymbal identification resource:

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Steve Black's timeline is my favorite “one stop shop” for figuring out when your vintage cymbal was made. Although the other timelines out there are pretty good, no one's using stats the way Steve is.

One reason I'm trying to get people to use his timeline is that it doesn't always come up as high in searches as other ones. It also contains a ton of info so here's some links to get you started:

1. Avedis Zildjian small stamps: SSA vs. SSB
2. Zildjian's changing centerhole sizes
3. Zildjian's different eras of hammering patterns
4. Avedis Zildjian bell lathing patterns

Again I can't recommend Steve's work enough!

Other great cymbal identification resources:

1. Drum & Cymbal forums: My favorites are Drumforum's cymbal talk and Vintage Drum Forum's vintage cymbal section. If you have a questions, ask them there. Forums are full of drummers who know more than you, just take it with a grain of salt and do your homework.
2. Bud Stein's cymbal weight calculator. You can use this to ballpark the weight of your cymbal. This is more useful for drummers with vintage cymbal experience but beginners can compare it to eBay ads for similar cymbals that have weights listed.
3. The Hazelshould vintage cymbal and drum museum. Check here to see if you can find a picture of your vintage Zildjian (or Paiste, Bosphorous, Ufip, Sabian, Istanbul Agop or Istanbul Mehmet).
4. Jollity's Drum Farm Cymbal Listings. Another resource for vintage Zildjian cymbal pictures.
5. eBay searches. This might be obvious, but I've ID'd plenty of cymbals buy searching for the size and make of a vintage cymbal and going through pictures on eBay listings. Never hurts!

Know a resource I'm missing? Let me know and I'll get it on the list! Or drop a comment below…

A cymbal does one thing and one thing only… it makes a sound!! Whether it's a ride cymbal, crash, pair of hi-hats or an accent splash, the only reason to buy one is to dial in that perfect sound you're looking for.

It's nearly impossible to know exactly what sound you are buying when you look online. Drummers rely on everything from brand, make, description, and/or looks to predict what it will sound like in their percussion set up. Experience plays an important role as well. After all, how are you supposed to know the difference between Paiste and Zildjian if you've only ever had Sabian cymbals?

The truth is that choosing cymbals is hard and I want to make it easier! That's why I've been working on recording audio and video of my cymbals so you can hear the awesome sound of the cymbal you're buying!

But, before I go into more detail about the recordings let's go into some of the things experienced drummers consider when buying used cymbals.

How to choose cymbals: the hard parts

Choosing cymbals (or any music gear) is different for everyone. Mostly it depends on the drummer's ear and experience with cymbals in their price range. Let's face it, no one has an infinite cash, especially drummers! It can be hard to know how a Zildjian K Custom will sound in your kit unless you've actually played one for a while (and they're not cheap unless you buy them from me).

Even with personal taste included there's a few things drummers and percussionists typically look at when choosing cymbals:

1. Cymbal brands, makes and lines: think Zildjian A, Zildjian K Custom, Sabian AA, Paiste Red Label, etc. including the size, finish (brilliant, natural, unfinished/raw or traditional), hammering and specifications of cymbals. There's a lot here, so I'm just going to focus on brands and lines for now.
2. Cymbal sound descriptions: Online sellers (including my cymbal listings) use adjectives like clean, cutting, vintage, pure, bright, expressive, warm, powerful… you get the picture.

There's a lot that goes into a choosing cymbals and each of these areas could be it's own book, and I could definitely add more categories but this is a good starting point. Let's look more closely at what drummers are looking for in online listings.

Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian, Istanbul, AAX, K Custom, Pitch Black!? Cymbal gear in lines & brands

Most drummers develop some brand loyalty, whether they like the classic contemporary sound of Sabian and Zildjian, the brighter sound of Swiss made Paistes, or the dark, jazzy flavor of traditionally made Turkish cymbals from boutique brands (I'm talking Anatolia, Istanbul or Soultone).

Players who buy mostly from one of the majors (Paiste, Zildjian, Sabian) sometimes go for a line of cymbals in that brand. Jazz drummers love the complex and darker pitched tones found in Zildjian Ks or (if they can afford them) Zildjian K Customs over Zildjian's more modern sounding Zildjian As or A Customs. The Ks are legendary for having the tone of thinner cymbals made famous on old school jazz recordings.

A popular line with drummers who need extra volume in a heavy band is Sabian's AAX line which are louder, with a slightly higher, more focused pitch to “cut through” noisy mixes. AAXs usually have classic modern tone but with the extra edge you need to get heard over your guitarist's Marshall stack. They're awesome!!

Major brands tend to be pretty consistent, so knowing that Sabian B8s are made from a cheaper alloy than AAs can really narrow things down to your budget and give you a ballpark idea of a cymbal's sound.

So what's wrong with choosing cymbals by brand?

Nothing! But it should only be part of your decision. One major reason is that two identical used cymbals can sound completely different, even if they're about the same age and condition.

For example check out these videos (headphones recommended) I made of two different 20˝ Sabian AAX Stage Rides. They sound completely different!!

The second cymbal has a much brighter tone, partly due to the shinier brilliant finish. Ok, I know you're saying one of them has the label rubbed off more, but they're actually in very close condition.

The other problem is that lines change over time even within one brand. For example Zildjian used the Zilco name twice for two very different sounding cymbal lines from different decades.

Either way, don't always buy cymbals just by the brand and type, and even if you do there's one rule that still counts: only buy cymbals that sound good to you!

The sound of cymbals: is my hi hat jazzy, dark, shimmery, glassy, bright, warm or awesome?

I've seen cymbals sold all over the world using words like “shimmery”, “glassy”, “Ginger-ish,” even “delish” in an attempt to describe the sound of a cymbal. I use my share of cymbal sound adjectives myself, because they're the best way to describe the characteristics of the cymbal without hearing it. But even with all the information online, they can't take the place of an awesome drummer's experienced ear.

For drummers and percussionists who have played lots of different cymbals it's easy to understand how Sabian AAXs (especially the X-Plosion Fast Crash) can be “full and explosive.” They probably can compare a Paiste 2002 crash cymbal to other ones they've played and see why it's described as “shimmery”.

What's important to me is that my customers always get what they want, and buying a used cymbal “sound unheard” can involve a leap of faith. Not everyone's tonal definition of “Dark and jazzTASTIC” is the same as mine, and I don't want unhappy customers!

Well, that's enough of that… From now on, I'm working to solve drummers' problems by including video and audio of the actual cymbals I'm selling being played!

Choosing cymbals by sound: the easy part!

This video shows the actual cymbal being played, but the real value is in the audio. These recordings are made in a sound-proofed and controlled environment, with completely dry acoustics, using very fancy recording gear, professionally done by an engineer with a passion for accuracy! The cymbals are played the same way, every time.

The result is an exact audio recording that sounds identical to the way the actual cymbal sounds! Play it through your headphones or monitors in the same room as the actual cymbal, and there is NO DIFFERENCE. No story-telling, no guessing, no misinterpretation… just the ACTUAL SOUND!!

With sounds of my entire cymbal inventory at your fingertips, think of the possibilities!!

1. Need Cymbals? Grab a set of legit headphones and your phone, go to your drum kit, and play every cymbal I have in stock with your existing line-up, from anywhere in the world!
2. Crack some cymbals Zildjian Ks during a show? No problem. Before tearing down scroll through my Zildjian inventory, match my cymbals with yours and with a few clicks they're on their way to your next gig!
3. Eyeing a rare and expensive hand hammered cymbal somewhere? Splurge! I can save you a fortune on the rest of your cymbal line-up! Don't limit your choices to what's in stock — with the audio and video on my site, you can bring my entire catalog of cymbals with you to any music store to match with that rare find!
4. Wondering how my vintage Sabian cymbals sound next to ones at a nearby music shop? With the recordings on my cymbals pages, you can compare how my vintage cymbals sound with one you're looking at in the store! Muffle out that salesman with your headphones and make the right choice!!

Not buying cymbals right now? Do your homework!

Even if you're not looking right now, check out some of my cymbals. Beginning drummers can use the video and audio to get an idea of how different brands and lines sound. For a really good time, try comparing some of the “identical” cymbals… you'll be shocked!!

Or use the videos to hand-pick your ideal matching cymbal set. What I've done is EXACTLY as if I opened a location in every cymbal room, on every stage, in every studio, and next to every drum kit in the world, simultaneously!!

Believe me, nobody likes the sound of my own voice more than I do but from now on, I'll let my cymbals do the talking!

Sometimes these cymbals turn out to be valuable Zildjian K Constantinoples with the stamps worn off, sometimes they're cheap cymbals that sound great after age mellowed out their sound, or sometimes they're just cheap and overpriced because they look old.

A few questions go through most drummers' heads before buying used cymbals from from garage sales or flea markets:

1. Do you buy a cymbal you've never heard before just because it looks old?
2. Will it sound good with the rest of your cymbals?
3. Can you get your money back if it doesn't? By the way, this is the main reason I let drummers trade in used cymbals!!

In any case, when I ran into a vintage Zilco cymbal at a garage sale I wanted to know more.

Zilco Cymbals?!?!?

All drummers have had this problem at one point or another:

I ran into a great condition, close to perfect crash (or crash/ride?) cymbal with a Zilco by AZCO Canada stamp under a scimitar and some Ottoman script. I didn't recognize the brand.

The cymbal had enough of a patina to be from the '70's but it was lathed like modern B20 cymbals with no signs of factory hammering or hand hammering. My guess was still '70's since it had a much smaller bell and thinner weight than most modern cymbals.

The good news was that it sounded great as a ride with tons of warm, wet vintage tone. Crashable and just dry enough!

Whatever it was, it was going for cheap so I grabbed it and took it back to the loft to play it and learn more.

Zildjian, Zilco & Sabian: A bit of cymbal history

When I got online and began to look around for info on Zilco and AZCO Canada I couldn't find much more than some drum forum posts asking about Zilco prices with tiny bits of history. Some of them dated Zilco from the 1930's with others calling the cymbals late '60's or early '70's era Zildjian factory rejects.

I knew the 'Zil' came from Zildjian, so I at least had a starting point...

I thumbed through Zildjian's history in The Cymbal Book (by Hugo Pinksterboer, 1992) to get a definitive answer.

The First Zilco Era (late 1930s to 1950s)

Most of the confusion in drum forums has to do with the fact that Zildjian used the Zilco name twice:

Starting in the late '30's Zilco was used on cheaper Zildjians that were about a quarter of the price of the regular line. Pinksterboer cites a 1937 Premier catalog writing:

In 1939 Zilco also featured 11˝ and 13˝ Swish cymbals, “The new cymbal sensation; introduced by Gene Krupa and Dave Tough.”

So basically the older Zilcos were A Zildjian quality control rejects that were re-sold cheaply, including the Swish cymbals and others sized from 9˝ to 12˝. Because they were factory seconds they were a bit of a gamble—some sounded great and others just okay.

I did find an article from a Nov. 1983 Modern Drummer, by Chip Stern that had some more dirt on the two different eras of Zilco:

The Zilco trademark, which included a sword and Arabic writing just above the Zilco text, was initiated in June of 1930 and was primarily used on second-quality Zildjian cymbals. These cymbals were supplied to various drum companies to use with their complete drumkit setups.

This type of availability continued until 1968, when Zilco cymbals became its own line of cost effective cymbals. The Zilco line did utilise Zildjian's famous alloy, but in order to keep costs down, the company did not apply the hammering process. This 'new' Zilco line offered three factory matched setups called 'The Starter', 'The Rocker' and 'The Swinger'. The lines were available until 1970 when Avedis Zildjian decided that he no longer wanted to offer second-quality cymbals.

But, it's not as simple as that—Zilco also had two different stamps during this first 1930s era which, according to the Modern Drummer article may have lasted until 1968.

Zilco Constantinople Stamp

This earlier era of Zilco had at least two different stamps, one that read “Zilco Constantinople” and on that read only “Zilco Trade Mark” in all capitals.

I haven't been able to find any info about exactly when these different stamps were used but did find a forum post by someone who spoke to Armand Zildjian himself. He claims that Armand says it is probably a World War II era cymbal made at the Zildjian plant using the Quincy drop hammer technique—used until Avedis Zildjian stopped offering Zilcos and the technique was replaced by the pressing process.

The “Trade Mark” stamp is from the first part of the era, with the “Constantinople” one coming later on. No one seems to know the dates.

These cymbals have small bells, feel paper thin and often have hand hammering. Also, according to magazine ads like the one here most of these era of Zilcos were the smaller swish cymbals sized from 10 to 15 inches. If your cymbal falls into those sizes, it's more likely it was made between 1930 and 1950.

These are definitely worth buying (if the price is right), or at least trying out since the tone of cymbals from this era is a favorite among drum nerds—even if you don't know exactly when it was made.

Either way, my cymbal was for sure from the AZCO Canada era, and not one of these hand hammered aspiring Zildjian As.

The Answer!! A Cheap Zildjian Cymbal

So there you have it, my Zilco was not a Constantinople diamond in the rough, but nonetheless was a pretty solid, great sounding crash/ride. Well worth the money I spent on it!!

The same 1983 Modern Drummer article has a quote from Robert Zildjian explaining how the Zilco by AZCO Canada cymbals like the one I had were made:

There were two types of Zilcos. Originally there was a Zildjian that didn't make it, a second; then there was a Zilco that was a thinner rolling done without hammering, which cut the cost considerably.

Hopefully some more information comes out about the two Zilco stamps from the 1930s-1950s era, but in the meantime at least no one reading this will have to dig through drum forums trying to find out what Zilco is.

HAPPY ZILCO BUYING!!

Lodo Drum Guy is proud to partner with Legends Jazz Festival 2015 as its backline drum & percussion gear provider. Check it out tomorrow, 12/3, and Friday, 12/4, at Legend High School in Parker, CO. The music will be amazing as 30 bands perform and you'll get to hear my inventory in action. Space is limited. Event will be AWESOME!!

The “Legends” Jazz Festival will be held December 3rd and 4th 2015 at Legend High School.

The Festival is honored to have Nelson Rangell from Denver, CO as a Clinician and Concert Performer. World renowned saxophonist and flautist Nelson Rangell will perform with his band a Noon Concert each day for all festival participants! Our All-Star Line-Up of Clinicians and Adjudicators includes:

• Dr. John Guther — University of Colorado Boulder
• Dr. Dana Landry — University of Northern Colorado
• Dr. Chipp Crotts — Georgia Tech University
• Farnell Newton — Portland State University

Jazz Improvisation Clinics will be conducted by: Ron Miles — Metropolitan State University Jeff Young — Aurora Public Schools

Hope to see you all there!!

I recently came across an awesome vintage drum kit, the 1989 Yamaha Recording Custom (model PRC1492). The owner was looking to get a smaller set of drums and swap out some cymbals and I had no problem taking on his monster Yamaha Recording Custom drums. These are Yamaha drums from the era of heavy music with over sized power toms and massive 22˝ bass drums.

Why Made in Japan drums are better:

MIJ drums were made back when every drum and piece of hardware Yamaha made was made in Japan and made to last. I bought this kit from a pro drummer and after 25 years these shells still sound great!

Modern studio drums with vintage sound:

The Yamaha Recording Customs were made specifically for studio recording—they were customized with updated hardware to make close micing easier with great sound: the deeper shells of this kit put out a deep tone that can be more easily picked up in a fully miced studio.

Although Yamaha still puts out a re-issued version of these awesome drum kits, you won't get the vintage tone of aged birch drum shells unless you get the Made In Japan originals!!

How Denver's coolest drum shop came to be

For those of you that don't know the story behind Lodo Drum Guy or want to know more about how I became one of Denver's biggest used drum, cymbal and music gear dealers check out Westword's music section. Bree Davies just did a feature that goes into detail about how I got started buying used and vintage drums, cymbals, guitars and everything else I can get my hands on.

Check out the article it's awesome!!

Update: Denver's best place to buy used music equipment!!

Anyone who knows me has heard me say it, but now you don't take it from me, just listen to Westword:

Thanks Westword!

It's not everyday that celebrities walk through my downtown Denver drum shop and loft but when Michael Jochum (drummer and percussionist formerly with Korn and Jonathan Davis and the S.F.A.), came by my loft to check out my used drum gear, I was pretty stoked!!

Michael stopped by looking for crash cymbals, a ride cymbal, hi-hats and a bunch of drum hardware to finish his new kit. Currently independent, Michael is working on a new project.

He had his pick of the litter here (like all my visitors & clients do) and walked out with a sick set of cymbals including a Sabian Artisan ride cymbal, Sabian Paragon hats, and a few vintage Sabian Vault crash cymbals I'd got in only 2 hours earlier.

I set up a Sonor 3007 maple kit up for Michael that had the exact same configuration as the one in his Malibu studio,  a 1up/2 down setup with 12˝, 14˝ floor, and 16˝ floor toms, 20˝ bass, and a tough to find 14˝ by 3˝ snare drum.  

He lit up the Sonor drum shells for about 2 hours, rotating through all my high-end cymbals and dialing in a sound he wanted while we talked about everything from yoga to Prague. 

The next day he called with buyer's remorse about a crash he got and said he really wanted some Sabian Ozone cymbals. I didn't have any in stock, but I found a private seller in Pueblo who did. Two hours later, I had them and four hours later, Michael had them.

 By the way, he gives great drum lessons so come grab a kit from me and get in touch with him so you can build up your chops!

I'm looking forward to jamming with him in the future and sharing more good stories!

Check out Michael drumming on "Blind" with Korn on MTV Unplugged.

If you're going to Great American Beer Festival this year make sure to stop by the Brewers Studio Pavilion this Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 for the Intersection of Beer & Music. I'm providing a backline drum kit for Bradley Lathan of Brewers Association, Isaac Hanson of Hanson, Matt Potts of Destihl Brewery, and Kyle Hollingsworth of String Cheese Incident, who will be part of a panel about musicians brewing beer and brewers playing music.

Beer and music are two things many people are intensely passionate about. Sometimes those passions intersect when a brewer plays music or a musician makes beer. They hint on GABF's site that you “may even hear a little music” but you can bet they're not renting a kit for next to nothing so come hear some pro drums demoed by a pro. He's on the site right now checking out what I've got so come see which of my awesome drum kits he chooses—then come pick out your own gear at the lowest price in town!

Also check the Lodo Drum Guy Blog again over the next few hours, I'm going to do a live update of kits being played with photos from the stage.

Update

For those of you that missed it here's a few photos of the show at GABF.

He ended up playing my five piece Tama Starclassic drum kit and the all maple shells sounded awesome!

Join Logan St Throwdown and eight other bands on September 20, 2014 to help raise money to revive the historic Aztlan Theatre. It will be a fun afternoon and evening of live music so be sure to stop by, check out some great bands and say hello when you come by!!

In true Colorado spirit a group of Denver bands and music lovers in collaboration with local music talent agency and broker Tangaroo Entertainment, have joined together to raise awareness and money and help revive the historic Aztlan Theater. Tangaroo is hosting a charity benefit concert “Save the Aztlan: A benefit to restore Denver’s musical heritage” on the evening of Saturday, September, 20, 2014. Doors open around 5:30 PM, suggested donation is $10. Confirmed bands include: Concrete Effect, KUNUNDRUM, Thousand Frames, Aloris, Logan St. Throwdown , Buck25, NDAAZ, Orcinus and AdrienneO.

Behold Big P, my new backline rental drum kit and possibly one of the greatest drum sets ever manufactured! This top-of-the-line Premier Signia drum set is made from 5 plies of 5mm thick maple reinforced with rings and sounds DEVASTATING! You can feel these drums resonate in your chest as they fill the room and shake the floor with thunderous tone. This was Premier's best!  

If you're wondering why I'm making such a big deal about this drum set you probably missed my drum shop feature a few months back on Edinburgh's Drum Vault, a shop specializing in vintage Premier restorations. There's a reason for that; the Drum Vault's owner Jamie Corstorphine knew about Premier's reputation for hand-selecting quality woods, a practice that peaked with their Signia line of thin, 100% maple shells that produced an amazing drum kit.

The good news is now you can rent it for $80/night with five cymbal booms, an Iron Cobra pedal and hi hat stand, and both a Pearl Sensitone and Yamaha Rock Tour Maple snare drum—just add cymbals and a throne! It's the best money you can spend for your gig!

But don't take my word for it—come see a live demo at Rock Jam 2014 this Saturday, August 23rd at Hopper's Sports Grill and hear them for yourself. They'll be played from 6pm to close with free giveaways, volleyball and specials on food and drink so there will be something for everyone.

And in case you were wondering, no, it is not for sale, but everything else I have is.

Lodo Drum Guy is stoked to announce a new partnership with drum instructor Lane Parsons! Lane is an old friend and among the best rock drum instructors in Denver or anywhere (if you need proof just check out his drumming on my YouTube channel).

Here's the deal—not only do you get a free lesson from Lane, you get awesome discounts on my entire inventory of used drum kits and used cymbals so you can get the best gear and best lessons all in one place!

All you have to do is sign up for your first lesson with Lane (he takes students of all levels and abilities) and he'll give you exclusive discount codes you can use in my online store for 10% off all drum kits and 20% off all cymbals. The coupons never expire so whether you're a beginner grabbing your first starter drum set, a seasoned pro upgrading to a custom drum kit with Turkish cymbals, or an intermediate player looking to pick up a brutal set of hi hats to match Lane's heavy sound you'll be sure you're getting the best deal!

Head over to Lane's site sign up for lessons, grab some gear at my unbeatable prices and be awesome!

Namaste!

Come see my band Logan Street Throwdown play this Saturday at an awesome SUMMER SOLSTICE PARTY. There's a lot going on here with something for everyone, especially music fans.

It's all taking place at Grow Big Supply on 4501 Wynkoop St. June 21st from 2pm to midnight so come check out the show, ride the mechanical bull and get some free swag from GBS.

Show starts at 8:45.  No cover.  AWESOME!

Summer's here, I'm gigging, and you should be too! My band Logan Street Throwdown is starting the season off with two awesome Saturday shows in the next month: May 31st at Broadway's Tavern in Englewood and June 14th at Bannock Street Garage. To celebrate I'm having a sale on all my used music gear inventory just in case you need some new shells or cymbals to get ready for a heavy summer schedule of shows and touring.

Here's the deal:

I'm matching each show up with an exclusive online offer. From now until the first show on May 31st, 9PM, Mountain Time get 10% off drum kits you order online using coupon code LDGMAY31. Until our 2nd show starts June 14th at 9PM, Mountain Time, take 20% off my used cymbal inventory with LDGJUN14 and add some new flavor to your kit.

As of now I've got over 30 complete kits in stock with 150 cymbals multiplying daily so you'll definitely find something you need.

And if you have any doubts about the quality of my awesome gear just come by the shows for a live demo (I'll be playing guitar, not drums). Show up early, stay late and buy some gear!