Avedis Zildjian Company

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*Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)*

The **Avedis Zildjian Company**, simply known as **Zildjian** (**Script error: No such module "IPAc-en".**), is an Armenian-American-based musical instrument manufacturer and the largest cymbal and drumstick maker in the world. In 1623, the company was founded in Constantinople by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian. Zildjian is now based in Norwell, Massachusetts. Zildjian is one of the oldest manufacturers of musical instruments in the world. Zildjian sells cymbals, drumsticks, percussion mallets and other drum accessories under the Zildjian, Vic Firth and Balter Mallet brands.

## History

### Beginnings

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The first Zildjian cymbals were created in 1618 by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian metalsmith and alchemist. Like his father, who was also a metalsmith, he worked for the court of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople. He made an alloy of tin, copper, and silver into a sheet of metal, which could make musical sounds without shattering. According to the company's website, the Sultan Osman II the Young gave Avedis the name Zildjian, meaning "cymbal smith" in Armenian, with *zil* being Turkish for "cymbal", *ci* meaning "maker", and *ian* being the Armenian suffix meaning "son of". In 1623 the Sultan granted him permission to leave the palace to start his own business in the Armenian sector of Constantinople, called Psamatia.

Zildjian's shop manufactured cymbals for the *mehter*, Ottoman military bands consisting of wind and percussion instruments, which belonged to the Janissaries. Mehter ensembles, which were known in the West primarily for playing in battle, also performed courtly music for Ottoman rulers. The Zildjians also produced instruments for Greek and Armenian churches, Sufi dervishes, and belly dancers of the Ottoman harem, who wore finger cymbals.

After the death of Avedis, the business, and the secret for producing the metal, was handed down to several generations of male heirs. In the early 19th century, Haroutune Zildjian passed it on to his son Avedis II. In 1850, Avedis II built a 25-foot schooner, in order to sail cymbals produced in Constantinople to trade exhibitions such as the Great Exhibition in London, and to supply musicians in Europe. He died in 1865, and since his sons were too young, his brother Kerope II took over the company. He introduced a line of instruments called K Zildjian, which are used by classical musicians to this day. Kerope II died in 1909 in Constantinople.

### 1900s

 File:Avedis Zildjian III.jpg
Following Kerope’s death, the business returned to Avedis’s side of the family. The eldest, Haroutune II, had become a lawyer and held a high position in the Ottoman government, thus he was not interested, and being a bachelor, he passed it to Aram. He was involved in the Armenian nationalist movement and resistance to the atrocities of the ruling Sultan, Abdul Hamid II. This was a time of political upheaval when the Ottoman Empire was in decline. Abdul Hamid II, also known as the ‘Bloody Sultan’ for his massacres of up to 300,000 Armenians in the mid-1890s, had reasserted Pan-Islamism.  Before Sultan Abdul Hamid II was finally deposed, there were several attempts to assassinate him. After being implicated in a 1905 failed plot to assassinate the Sultan, Aram fled to Bucharest, where he set up a small foundry.

During Aram's exile, Kerope II's daughter Victoria oversaw the Constantinople factory. There are conflicting accounts, but it is thought that Aram returned there in 1926.

Haroutune II's son Avedis III had left Turkey for the United States in 1909, and settled in Boston, where he established a family and a confectionary business. In 1927, he received a letter from his uncle Aram, informing him that he was to become heir to the family business, and Aram came to the US. In 1928, Avedis III, his brother Puzant, and his uncle Aram Zildjian began manufacturing cymbals in Quincy, Massachusetts, and the Avedis Zildjian Co. was formed the following year in 1929.

Avedis III sought out jazz drummers like Gene Krupa to understand their needs. The new cymbals he developed were widely adopted by swing and later bebop musicians, laying the foundations of the modern drum kit and playing technique.

Sales of Zildjian cymbals dramatically increased after Ringo Starr used the product in The Beatles' appearance on *The Ed Sullivan Show* in 1964. This created an enormous backorder situation. In 1968, in order to address this backlog, a second plant, the Azco factory, was opened in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada.

In 1975, Zildjian began making K. Zildjian cymbals at the Azco plant. These were made until 1979. Within four years (1980), all K Cymbals were being made in the Norwell US plant, because the Ks demanded far more oversight. Armand worked with friends, the drummers 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. In 1981, Robert started making Sabian cymbals in the Canadian Azco factory.

### Recent history

In 2002, Armand died at age 81. The Zildjian alloy recipe passed to his daughters, Craigie and Debbie (14th generation), both of whom continue to run the family business from the current headquarters in Norwell, Massachusetts.

In 2010, Zildjian acquired the Vic Firth Company and in 2018 acquired the Mike Balter Mallet company expanding the company's product offerings to include a full range of drumsticks and percussion mallets.

## Notable players

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At one point, more drummers and bands used Zildjian than all other big name brands combined. Musicians using or having used the brand:

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* Tim Alexander of Primus
* Rick Allen of Def Leppard
* Ginger Baker of Cream
* Travis Barker of Blink-182
* Carlton Barrett of Bob Marley & The Wailers
* Carter Beauford of Dave Matthews Band
* Chuck Behler of Megadeth
* Alex Bent from Trivium
* Jason Bitner of Shadows Fall and Overkill
* Art Blakey
* Albert Bouchard of Blue Öyster Cult
* Rob Bourdon of Linkin Park
* Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden
* Michael Cartellone of Lynyrd Skynyrd
* Randy Castillo of Ozzy Osbourne
* Dennis Chambers
* Will Champion of Coldplay
* Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan
* Tre Cool of Green Day
* Peter Criss of KISS
* Abe Cunningham of Deftones
* Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots
* Phil Ehart of Kansas (previously a Paiste user)
* Christian Eigner of Depeche Mode
* Peter Erskine
* Zac Farro of Paramore
* Asher Fedi
* Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac (previously a Paiste user)
* Steve Gadd
* Dave Grohl of Nirvana
* Omar Hakim, session player with Sting and Dire Straits
* Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead
* Sib Hashian of Boston
* Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters
* Gavin Harrison of Porcupine tree
* Bryan Hitt of REO Speedwagon
* Alex Holzwarth of Rhapsody of Fire
* Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer
* Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson of The Allman Brothers Band
* Elvin Jones
* Philly Joe Jones
* Manu Katche of Peter Gabriel
* John Keefe of Boys Like Girls
* Lee Kerslake of Uriah Heep and Ozzy Osbourne
* Joey Kramer of Aerosmith
* Bill Kreutzmann of Grateful Dead
* Gene Krupa
* Tommy Lee of Motley Crue (previously a Paiste user)
* Mike Mangini of Dream Theater
* Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie
* Dewey Martin of Buffalo Springfield
* Keith Moon of The Who (previously a Paiste user before switching to Zildjian in 1977)
* Joe Morello
* Dindin Moreno of Parokya Ni Edgar
* Andy Newmark of John Lennon and Sly and the Family Stone (previously a Paiste user)
* John Panozzo of Styx
* Simon Phillips, session player with Toto, Roger Daltrey and Judas Priest
* Jeff Plate of Trans-Siberian Orchestra
* Buddy Rich
* John Riley
* Max Roach
* Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails
* Gar Samuelson of Megadeth
* Phil Selway of Radiohead
* Eric Singer of Alice Cooper and KISS
* Steve Smith of Journey
* Matt Sorum of Guns N' Roses
* Zak Starkey of Oasis and The Who
* Ringo Starr of The Beatles
* Tommy Stewart of Fuel
* Devon Taylor of Justin Bieber
* Phil Taylor of Motorhead
* Roger Taylor of Queen (previously a Paiste user)
* John Tempesta of The Cult and Testament
* Butch Trucks of The Allman Brothers Band
* Vladislav Ulasevich of Jinjer
* Lars Ulrich of Metallica
* Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones
* Jay Weinberg of Slipknot
* Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
* Alan White of Yes
* Fred White of Earth, Wind & Fire
* Tony Williams

## See also

* List of oldest companies
* Sabian – Cymbal maker founded by Robert Zildjian after a family/legal dispute
* List of drum makers

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## References

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4. ↑ *Newsweek*, Volume 71, Issues 1-9, 1968, p. 71 "As the only producer of cymbals in the U.S., the Zildjian company dominates a world market rapidly expanding with the proliferation of per- cussionary rock 'n' roll bands."
5. ↑ *The Music Trades*, Volume 135, Issues 1-6, p. 90 "Maintaining its position as the world's largest cymbal producer, the Avedis Zildjian Company has announced an exciting joint venture with Barcus-Berry, Inc."
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## External links

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Template:Percussion instruments brands
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