private industry cymbal manufacturer founded constantinople present day istanbul ottoman empire 1623 ; 393 years ago 1623 founder avedis zildjian headquarters norwell massachusetts united states key people avedis zildjian founder armand zildjian craigie zildjian current ceo debbie zildjian products cymbals drum sticks owners craigie zildjian current ceo debbie zildjian website www.zildjian.com the avedis zildjian company commonly known as zildjian z ld n 1 is a cymbal manufacturer founded in constantinople present day istanbul by armenian avedis zildjian in the 17th century during the ottoman period . it is now based in norwell massachusetts . zildjian is nearly 400 years old and thus is one of the oldest companies in the world . zildjian also sells drum related accessories such as drum sticks and cymbal carriers . it is the largest cymbal manufacturer in the world . 2 3 4 5 6 on december 20 2010 it was announced that avedis zildjian company had merged with vic firth inc. 7 according to the announcement both companies will continue to run autonomously . 7 contents 1 history 1.1 beginnings 1.2 1900s 1.3 recent history 2 current cymbal products 2.1 sheet bronze cymbal lines 2.2 cast bronze cymbal lines 2.3 other 3 discontinued cymbal products 3.1 sheet bronze cymbal lines 3.2 cast bronze cymbal lines 4 list of notable zildjian players 5 sister companies 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit beginnings edit the first zildjian cymbals were created in 1618 by avedis zildjian an alchemist who was looking for a way to turn base metal into gold ; he created an alloy combining tin copper and silver into a sheet of metal that could make musical sounds without shattering . avedis was given the name of zildjian zilciy n by the sultan osman ii 8 from the turkish terms zil bell ci er maker seller ian a common suffix used in armenian last names and began an industry in 1623 the details of whose main product have remained secret for generations . it became family tradition that only the company s heirs would know the manufacturing process . the zildjian company moved from manufacturing noisemakers that frightened the enemies of the ottoman empire to manufacturing its cymbals as musical instruments in the 19th century . 9 1900s edit avedis zildjian iii in front of zildjian quincy factory around 1928 avedis iii his brother puzant and his uncle aram zildjian began manufacturing cymbals in quincy massachusetts . the avedis zildjian co. was formed on september 19 1929 the month before 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 . avedis iii s son armand zildjian also known as the father of artist relations began hand selecting cymbals for top drummers . it was his close personal relationships with the top drummers and percussionists of the day on which zildjian still bases its artist relations department . in 1968 the k. zildjian co. and all european trademarks were bought back on behalf of the avedis zildjian co. also in 1968 avedis split production into two operations opening the azco factory in meductic new brunswick canada . 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 which cut costs . at about this time in the azco factory the modern process for pressing cymbals into shape came about . before this it was done by bumping with the quincy drop hammer . citation needed gravestone of puzant and arpine zildjians mount auburn cemetery watertown ma 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 . in 1975 zildjian began making k. zildjian cymbals at the azco plant . this was an interesting time for the zildjian clan because it was the first time that k. zildjian istanbul and the avedis zildjian company had worked together to make the same zildjian cymbals after years of competing with each other . these were made until 1979 . within four years 1980 all k cymbals were being made in the norwell usa plant because the ks demanded far more oversight . armand worked with friends the great elvin jones and tony williams to relaunch the k series . in early 1977 armand zildjian was appointed president of the avedis zildjian company by his father . soon after robert zildjian split from the company amidst conflict with his brother armand . shortly thereafter in 1981 robert started making sabian cymbals in the meductic azco factory . citation needed after taking over in 1981 armand was awarded a number of honors from his 50 year career . in 1988 he received an honorary doctorate from berklee college of music . in 1994 he was inducted into the percussive arts society hall of fame . he was one of the few manufacturers to be honored at the rock walk on sunset boulevard in los angeles . in 2002 he was presented with the modern drummer editor s achievement award . recent history edit in keeping with tradition armand passed the zildjian secret alloy to his daughters craigie and debbie 14th generation both of whom continue to run the family business from the current factory in norwell massachusetts . other than cymbals the avedis zildjian company produces products such as drum sticks and other drum accessories . the artist series drum sticks allow these endorsers to personalize their drum sticks and these sticks are sold to the public . current cymbal products edit armand zildjian beautiful baby ride cymbal zildjian a custom 22 ping ride cymbal zildjian a 18 inch china low cymbal sheet bronze cymbal lines edit zildjian s sheet bronze cymbals are made out of identical bronze discs which are shaped hammered and lathed to their direct specifications . these cymbals have a higher pitch than their cast bronze counterparts and produce a more consistent sound . zbt crisp clean and defined zildjian s low end line of sheet bronze cymbals . the zbt alloy contains 92 % copper and 8 % tin and comes in a traditional finish . s zildjian versatile & bold a new cymbal family developed recently and was launched on february 2016 . made of b12 alloy 88 % copper and 12 % tin top and bottom fully lathed and extensively hammered with a brilliant finish . cast bronze cymbal lines edit all of zildjian s cast bronze cymbals contains 80 % copper and 20 % tin with traces of silver in its alloy . fx ethereal atmospheric and creative special effects cymbals that include the oriental and azuka lines designed by alex acuna the spiral trash cymbal and sound effects such as china cymbals zil bels finger cymbals and others . the fx series comes in both traditional and brilliant finishes . avedis zildjian a zildjian bright full bodied and natural the original line of avedis zildjian cast bronze cymbals . these cymbals come in both traditional and brilliant finishes . armand zildjian a sub series of the a zildjian line introduced in 2007 . they are similar to the a zildjian line but they are made with a slightly lower profile to approximate the classic cymbal sounds of the late 1960s . the armand zildjian cymbal line only comes in a traditional finish . the armond series is no longer in production a custom fast modern and shimmering cast bronze cymbals developed with vinnie colaiuta . based on the original a zildjians a customs have a particularly medium thin to thin weight making them very responsive and bright . these cymbals come in a brilliant finish . also has a sub series itself rezo ; which is featured to have sounds of the jazz era 1920s to 1970s . k zildjian dark warm and expressive cast bronze cymbals that stem from kerope zildjian s original hand hammered line . the machine hammering on the k zildjians makes them dark and dry . these cymbals come in both traditional and brilliant finishes . k constantinople made in order to duplicate the looks and sound of zildjian cymbals made in the early to mid 1900s . kerope the new kerope from zildjian draws upon all of zildjian s rich history and cymbal making expertise to bring forth the most authentic vintage k recreation to date . each cymbal is meticulously hand crafted using a 14 step process that encompasses the best of everything we have learned in 390 years of cymbal making . k custom rich dry and complex cast bronze cymbals based on the original k zildjians but are made with very complex machine hammering techniques . k customs are popular among jazz drummers and come in both traditional and brilliant finishes . k custom hybrid a subseries of the k custom line developed with akira jimbo . k custom hybrids come in a traditional brilliant finish with the lathed outer edge in a natural finish and the unlathed inner part and bell in a brilliant finish . other edit gen16 is zildjian s acoustic electric cymbals for electric drumkit users designed to offer the same feel of acoustic cymbals but at only one fourth of the volume . originally these cymbals came in a polished nickel chrome finish with blue logos . recently zildjian introduced the buffed bronze gen16 series . gen16 includes a digital cymbal processor dcp with a library of various sound samples of zildjian cymbals with optional expansions to the sample library available for purchase . notable endorsers of this line include carter beauford and kenny aronoff . 10 discontinued cymbal products edit sheet bronze cymbal lines edit 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 . impulse 1982 1986 non cast bronze cymbals designed for hard rock . the impulse line were replaced by the original z zildjian line several years later . scimitar scimitar bronze late 1980s 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 which 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 titanium in the alloy rather there was titanium plating . zxt titaniums were discontinued shortly before zhts entered production . pitch black 2008 sheet bronze cymbals covered with a black proprietary coating process . the pitch black alloy contains the same alloy as the zht line 88 % copper and 12 % tin and comes in an all black coated finish . the cymbals were entirely coated except for the hi hat versions which were uncoated on the bottom . they are the first cymbals from zildjian that are color coated and were for the most part poorly received by the drumming community . zxt clear musical and powerful zildjian s mid level line sheet bronze cymbals . like the zbt alloy the zxt alloy contains 92 % copper and 8 % tin and comes in a brilliant finish . discontinued in 2013 with the trashformer cymbals being incorporated into the fx line and 7 other cymbals being incorporated into the avedis line zht bold bright and melodic zildjian s high end line of sheet bronze cymbals . the zht alloy contains 88 % copper and 12 % tin and comes in a traditional finish . discontinued in 2016 planet z discontinued in 2009 the least expensive line of cymbals made by zildjian made for beginners and