Avedis Zildjian Company
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- Zildjian redirects here. For other uses, see Zildjian (disambiguation).
The Avedis Zildjian Company is the world's largest manufacturer of cymbals. At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian remains one of the oldest operating companies in the world. They also sell drum-related accessories, such as drum sticks.
The first Zildjian cymbals were created in 1618 in Istanbul by an Armenian man named Avedis, who, while looking for a way to turn base metal into gold, created an alloy combining tin, copper, and silver into a sheet of metal that could make musical sounds without shattering. Avedis took the surname of Zildjian, from Turkish "zil+ci" (cymbal-maker/seller) and the Armenian suffix "yan" (son of), and began an industry in 1623, the details of whose main product remained secret for generations. It became family tradition that only the oldest son of the company's head would know the manufacturing process.
The Zildjian Company moved from manufacturing noisemakers to frighten the enemies of the Ottoman Empire to manufacturing its cymbals as musical instruments in the 19th century. In 1908, Avedis Zildjian III migrated to Boston, while Kerope Zilcan continued to make cymbals in Turkey under the K. Zildjian Constantinople name. In 1923, the Turkish Republic was established and the name of Constantinople was officially changed to Istanbul, resulting in the change of the company’s name from K. Zildjian Constantinople to K. Zildjian Istanbul. In around 1926, Aram Zildjian signed an exclusive American distribution agreement for K. Zildjian cymbals with Gretsch.
Around 1928, Avedis III and Aram Zildjian began manufacturing cymbals in Quincy, Massachusetts, and the Avedis Zildjian Co. was formed in 1929, the same year that 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. Jazz drummers such as Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Cozy Cole, and Papa Jo Jones all used Avedis Zildjian cymbals. The cymbals were made with both automated processes and hand hammering, but Zildjian ended the latter tradition in 1964 after a rise in demand resulting from the popularity of The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr on The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1968, the K. Zildjian Co. and all European trademarks were bought back by Robert Zildjian on behalf of the Avedis Zildjian Co.
Zildjian was having labor requirement issues with oven room operators and machine operators, so Avedis split the production into two separate operations, one for rolling and casting only, and one for finishing work. They then opened up the Azco factory in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada in 1968.
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 at all, which cut costs.
At about this time in the Azco factory, Robert Zildjian, with a man called Dick Dane, invented the modern process for pressing cymbals into shape. Before this it was done by "bumping" with the Quincy drop hammer.
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. At one point Azco was responsible for 40% of Zildjian's output.
In 1975, there were problems with the Turkish government and Robert went over to Turkey and brought over a crew to start making K Zildjian cymbals in the Azco plant. This was an interesting time for the Zildjian clan because it was the first time that Kerope and Avedis Zildjian had worked together to make the same Zildjian cymbals after years of competing with each other as A. Zildjian and K. Zildjian Istanbul. These were made until 1979 when Avedis died and Robert split from Zildjian amidst conflict with his brother, Armand Zildjian. Shortly thereafter, in 1981, Robert started making Sabian cymbals in the Meductic Azco factory, while Kerope and his son continued to make Sabian's early HH (Hand Hammered) cymbals.
Other than cymbals, the Avedis Zildjian Company also produces products such as drum sticks and other drum accessories. The drum sticks are currently produced in Alabama, and are used by most endorsers of Zildjian. The Artist Series drum sticks allow these endorsers to personalize their own drums stick, and these sticks are sold to the public.
The Avedis Zildjian Company continues to produce cymbals today in Norwell, Massachusetts. Armand Zildjian was the head of the company after Avedis' death until his own passing in 2002. The company is now run by Armand’s daughters Craigie Zildjian and Debbie Zildjian.
