Cracked Cymbals

 

 I was playing a worship service for church one Sunday about 3 years ago, when I noticed that one of my crash cymbals had a crack on it. My first thought was, great now I have to spend money I don't have to replace it. I asked our percussionist about it and he told me if I drill a small hole right behind the crack it should stop it from getting worse.

 

  I took his advice, when I got home that day I grabbed my drill and a small drill bit and drilled a hole where he told me to and I'm still  playing on it. I haven't had to buy another cymbal yet. I'm not saying this is the stop all for all cracks, but I haven't broken it yet.

 

  If you can catch the cracks before they get too big, it will prolong the life of the cymbal. I'm not a very hard hitter, though at times I am, it has lasted for 3 years now. It's not a permanent fix, but it should buy some time for you to save for a new cymbal. Though I've never tried it, I've heard that you can cut the cymbal down in size but you have to know someone with the equipment to do that, and I don't know the cost difference between that or a new cymbal. Keep in mind that this will change the overall tone and sustain of the cymbal, but it might be fun to experiment with if you are throwing it away anyway. 

  Remember the life of your cymbals will depend on how you take care of them, play them, and overall how thick they are to begin with. This is why I would recommend purchasing higher quality cymbals or packs, instead of beginner packs. It cost more money up front but will save your cost in the long run, plus, higher quality cymbals sound so much better. I mentioned in a previous post, to case your cymbals the times they are not in use, and especially if you gig out. The cymbal that I drilled a hole in was, an 18" UFIP Class Series crash. Though I've been fortunate with this technique with this cymbal doesn't mean that it will work this long on a thinner cymbal, but absolutely worth trying. Now when I have cracks that appear on any cymbal I will certainly try this first before throwing it away. 

"Now, go get your drum on."