Zildjian Recreates K. Constantinople Cymbals
 March 11, 1998 In the city of Constantinople, late in the 19th century, Kerope Zildjian put
his name on his family's cymbals during his tenure as keeper of the Zildjian
secret and a legendary sound was born. Made famous by the great Bebop drummers
of the '50s and '60s, the 'K' sound became legendary and has been captured on
the many classic recordings of the time featuring such greats as Max Roach,
Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams and Elvin Jones. For years this
sound was lost ... until now.
The Avedis Zildjian Company has now recreated these cymbals with the new K.Zildjian
Constantinople cymbals. The result of a design project lead by Armand Zildjian
himself, employing the time-honored techniques of original Turkish cymbal making
and a still secret process dating back to 1623 has created these remarkable
instruments.
"To recreate these legendary cymbals, our challenge was to determine the definitive
'K' sound. This we met with the help of some of our top Artists, most importantly,
someone actually responsible for making this sound so famous ... the great Elvin
Jones. Next we had to find a way to replicate that sound and manufacture it
to a higher standard of consistency than previously possible," says Armand Zildjian.
These cymbals feature the closest in sound, weight, shape and cup size to the
original K.Zildjians made in Turkey years ago. The highly elaborate and extensive
hammering of ancient cymbal craftmanship has been recreated, yet with more precision
and consistency. They are carefully hand lathed by skilled artisans using old-style
cutting tools. Pit marks and impurities on the surface of the cymbal, that occur
naturally during the manufacturing process, have not been removed as doing so
would sacrifice total quality.
Every K.Constantinople cymbal exhibits the same rich feel under the stick and
unique texture of sound as their ancestors. Though these instruments are given
time to age in Zildjian's vault, their sound will improve even further with
age. For more information, visit their web site at www.zildjian.com. | 
