Look what just rolled onto my backline roster!!
DW Collectors, Yamaha Oak Custom, 9000 everything, 22 cymbals, etc...
Building Denver’s premier over-the-top drum backline.
More to come...AWESOME!!
Posts filed under Music Gear
Date Your Vintage Zildjian K Cymbals: Steve Black's Zildjian Stamp Timeline
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? The short answer, check the cymbal stamp!
Redefining how used cymbals are sold using only sound!!
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 now hear the awesome sound of the cymbal you're buying!!
Vintage Cymbal History: Zildjian's “Cheap” Zilco Cymbal Line
When you buy cymbals as much as I do every once in a while you're bound to run into a cymbal you've never seen before. This can be both good and bad, as every drummer who's bought a patina covered vintage cymbal at a garage sale knows.
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.
Recently I ran into a Zilco cymbal for cheap and grabbed it—here's what I learned when I took it home.
Awesome Cymbals: Zildjian
Right now the loft is loaded down with cymbals after a few quick buying runs so I'm getting ready to do another cymbal sale for those of you who missed the last one.
I've got a ton of rare, used and vintage cymbals in stock right now so take a look and grab them before they're gone. I managed to find some awesome vintage Zidljian crashes and rides, as well as a great selection of sought after modern cymbals like Paiste Prototypes and Sabian Vaults.
Check out my cymbal sale buyer's guide below for a couple of my favorites!
Also if you're not on the mailing list yet, make sure to sign up so you don't miss out on upcoming sales!!
Cymbal Sale Buyer's Guide
In the meantime I thought I'd do a few profiles of some of the awesome cymbals I've got in stock right now (sorry to those reading this after the fact) as a buying guide for the upcoming sale.
Since I've already gone into detail on some of the boutique Turkish cymbals before I'm going to focus more on the big guys here and write about some of my favorite Zildjian cymbals I've got at the loft right now.
Zildjian Avedis Quick Beat Hi Hats
These are some of my favorite hi-hats, and right now I've got a great pair of vintage 14˝ Zildjian Avedis Quick Beats in stock. These hats often get compared to Zildjian's New Beat Hi Hats for their versatility—you can play funk, rock, soul, jazz, pretty much whatever you want with these hi hats.
The main difference with Quick Beats is that they feature a vented bottom hat—check out the four holes Zildjian drilled around the bell on the bottom hi hat:
Quick Beats have a vented bottom that allows air to escape the hi hats.
The vented bottom gives Quick Beats a much crisper “chick” than Zildjian's New Beat hi hats because it prevents air lock.
Quick Beats also feature a flatter profile and heavier bottom cymbal than Zildjian New Beats normally have. 14 inches is an ideal size for these.
The sound of these is nice and focused and can make any drummer's sticking sound articulate.
Nice bright tone and good volume that cuts through the mix.
This particular pair is from an older run and has great vintage warmth that so many drummers are looking for.
These are awesome and a must have if you're looking for professional quality hi hats with crisper, unique tone!!
The 18˝ Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Crash
Looking for an awesomely dry crash cymbal?
It doesn't get any drier than this awesome Zildjian K Custom Crash cymbal.
Look no further, this Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Crash sounds epic with a nice dark pitch and dry, borderline trashy tones. This is a faster crash compared to other 18 inchers and has short sustain.
Zildjian Ks are legendary for their low, dry tones from the jazz era and this crash cymbal is custom built to be even drier! Zildjian's factory lathed the bottom, scored the top and used unique hammering (giving the cymbal a cool pattern) to get the unique tone.
Not only does this cymbal sound great, it's a rare find. These were made in 2011 when they were released only to small dealer shops.
This cymbal is perfect for a jazz crash, metal drummers who love dark, dry cymbal tones or anyone who just likes how these awesome cymbals sound.
Happy Cymbal Buying
Alright guys, I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. As always if you have any cymbal or drum questions get in touch.
And if you haven't already done so get on the mailing list so you don't miss your opportunity to grab great cymbals like the Zildjian Quick Beats or K Custom Dry Crash at a discount on top of my already awesome prices.
Vintage Drums: 1989 Yamaha Recording Custom Turbo Tour
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.
Used Starter Drums: 5-pc Tama Swingstar for an 8-year Old Girl
Used Tama Starter Drums at a Starter Price
About 7 months ago, I sold this 5-pc Tama SwingStar drum set to the family of an 8 year old girl for $370. The girl was brand new to drumming, her parents wanted to get her a solid used drum kit with hardware and cymbals but didn't want to spend a lot of money in case she quit.
Tama SwingStars aren't the nicest drums around but sound surprisingly good with new heads when tuned right. The deep toms, 20˝ kick drum and a set of used starter Zildjian cymbals on solid Tama hardware are a kid's dream, even if the parents would rather have a quieter, smaller bass drum. In fact used drum sets like this are perfect for starting drummers—I go through tons of used Tama SwingStars with whatever cymbals I have around. The difference is when you buy from me you know they're not ruined drum shells with bad bearing edges and keyholed cymbals. Trust me, I've seen a few drums and cymbals in my day.
This 8 year old loved her drum set for 7 months until, guess what...she quit and wanted to play guitar instead. So I took the used drum kit back on trade towards a starter guitar package I had for $260 and paid the family an additional $50 in cash. So for only $60, this little girl got to play a legit Tama drum set for 7 months.
Good news for the parents: now they can have their daughter practice guitar with headphones after listening to her bang on her drums and cymbals. And they didn't pay $900 for a new SwingStar at some other drum shop in Denver.
That's how things roll here at Lodo Drum Guy. My drum store started when I bought a similar starter used drum set and cymbals for my own daughter (although it wasn't a Tama SwingStar). This has had a life-changing impact on my kid and no other used drum shop or music store can offer you this flexibility for $60!
I LOVE IT!! you will too...see you soon.
Michael Jochum Former Drummer of KORN is AWESOME!!
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!!
Introducing “Big P” My Newest Premier Signia Backline Rental Kit
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!
Free Drum Lessons & Discounted Drum Gear for Students!
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).
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!