Do Dirty Cymbals Sound Better?

Lots of drummers, especially jazz drummers, believe that 'the dirtier the cymbal, the better it sounds'. That sounds like a wonderful, romantic idea but IS IT TRUE?

Only way to find out is to do a Before And After video to let us see and HEAR THE DIFFERENCE!

In this video, Brian will clean an old Zildjian 18" A series cymbal (possibly a Rock crash or crash/ride?) that is cover in some nasty green oxidation and grime. You will get to hear the sound of this cymbal before AND after cleaning so that we can use our ears to guide us toward the truth of "Do Dirty Cymbals Sound Better?"

Using the Session Ace™ SHINE cymbal cleaner and a special textured scrubber glove (available FOR FREE with every 16oz. bottle of the cleaner), Brian show you how to clean your own cymbal safely in real time!

He also covers some best practices for protecting the shape and surface of your cymbals while cleaning your cymbals.

In the end, Brian shows you how Session Ace™ SHINE lifts decades of dirt, grime, and other sound dampening caustics out of the grooves of any cymbal to release the full, true, singing tone of your beloved bronze.

There is no sonic magic in all of that greasy gunk that coats many of your cymbals. If anything, it is muting the beautiful, full-bodied tone that you cymbals were meant to add to the music that you play. Find out how to restore your cymbals' original luster and sound with Session Ace™ SHINE!

#cymbalcleaning #dirtycymbal #cymbalcleaner #beforeandafter

[gencarnacion]

The quality and the info of the video deserves a million views, Much appreciated! Thank you

[panndaacookies]

Exactly the type of video I want to see !! I have a uncle who believes it's best to leave it dirty, but I believe it's best to have a clean cymbal. Excited to see more videos 😀 ! Great job cheers 🥂

[AvitalShtap]

I don't know anything about cymbals but it sounds noticably higher and crisper and more trebley after!
I was looking for a vid about this cuz I'm about to purchase a REAL dirty nearly brown pair of 1920s 7" hand cymbals, to do that lil crash they love to do at the end. I wonder how they'll sound :)

[jamesschruder]

Hey Brian, thought you would want to know that tap chlorinated water is not as good as distilled water. The chlorine tends to reverse all the good work that you do.

[cleancymbal]

Excellent video and I agree, these cymbals sound so much better after cleaning. And, I love they way they look too, much better than an ashtray on a stand. Take care. Jeff

[kmwa]

I use Bar Keepers Friend powder on the green crud and the soft liquid on the lighter crud .
It's less expensive and I don't worried about patina or the ink stampings. Make's them sound and look great ! (on some I've even use Ceramic car coat)

[DiegoAmbrosio-gq]

11:36 That is the red pill! Thanks!
I have been looking for this kind of information for a long time. I got a pair of Zildjian New Beat Hi Hats and they need some treatment.

[clayfoster]

This is a commercial, not a comparison video. Yes the clean cymbal appears to sound better but that’s an illusion created by a combination of it being hit harder and the human ear perceiving louder sounds as “better”. That’s why we’re compelled to turn the volume up when our favorite song comes on. If you focus on the 2-3 crashes of similar strength before and after cleaning there’s no audible difference. However, in fairness I will say that as a cleaner this stuff does seem to work very well.

[nathanielnicholson]

Not my sound either way, but I prefer the straight up crash sound pre-clean. Well done video :)

[upsidedownquarterbackcente]

Have a question for you. I have a K Zildjian it's not an ink but stamped into the the top.. will you're product scratch that stamped K Zildjian?

[DemetrioAlbidrez]

I soak it with CLR and Bar Keepers Friend to take off the built up rust !!
Lightly scrub with a plastic brush and then rinse with warm water !! It works for me !!

[jacksondernar]

Why do mine sound more like a gong then a cymbal?

[thecoronavirus]

Whoa I didn’t know Rick Nielsen was a drummer!

[jimmywinchjr]

I have a set of paiste 2000 sound reflection symbols that are extremely dirty.
What is the best cleaning solution to get rid of the dirt and grime

[PleiadianLover]

When I was searching on how to clean cymbals I had an EQ in mind. This.... gave me a new perspective. :D

[rwbz]

Been playing the same Zildjian A's for 40 years. I keep um clean.

[elvissorna]

Wow, exactly what I wanted to see. Very cool demo..

[Sonoftheking]

You deserve way more subs and views. Quality video!

[rogeliomunozoffical]

My question is did that green stuff come of after a while ?

[Solar.Geoengineering.Advocate]

depends. paiste signature crashes for example, you should definitely dust them from time to time, brightness is their strong point and i could definitely hear when they hadnt been wiped down in a while they sounded a bit duller. on the other hand i have a second hand zultan caz ride and its filthy and it sounds great.