Sabian Presents 'One Of 100' Offers Exclusive Soil-Aged Cymbals

Feb 11, 2009

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In a move driven by consumer curiosity, SABIAN has buried 100 of its premium Vault Artisan ride cymbals and will dig them up from the ground in mid-2009. Why? According to SABIAN VP of Sales Peter Stairs, the company receives hundreds of queries annually regarding the "aging of cymbals by burying them in the ground." So the specialists in the SABIAN Vault have buried the cymbals in an undisclosed spot near the SABIAN factory in eastern Canada. The project is entitled 'One of 100'.

Continued Stairs, "Buried cymbals are the stuff of legend. Anecdotal comment indicates that aging the cymbals by burying them in soil actually helps shape their sound. Of course we are as curious as anyone to see what these cymbals sound like when they're pulled up from the earth. These are custom-sized 21-inch Artisan Medium Ride models in Natural Finish. They will have endured about eight months of dry, wet, hot and cold soil including the freezing temperatures of our Canadian winter. We anticipate they will be dirtier looking, and if what the legend says is true, they may be dirtier sounding as well."

The cymbal of choice for 'One of 100' is no accident, says Stairs. "The Artisan Ride exemplifies SABIAN cymbal making artistry in that it is hand hammered traditional-style, and its tone is darker and dirtier… quite earthy. It's the ideal choice."

Once dug up, the cymbals will be sonically approved by the SABIAN Vault Team, then individually packaged in a deluxe wood box, complete with official documentation of authenticity signed by master product specialist Mark Love.

Available starting 9:00 a.m. A.S.T. on Thursday, March 5th, the cymbals in the 'One of 100' collection will be available to the first 100 eligible buyers who submit a purchase submission form on the Sabian Web site. The cymbals will be numbered 1 through 100 and will be allocated in the order the submissions are received. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity; further details can be found on the Sabian website.

"Innovation happens in many ways," concluded Stairs. "And though 'One of 100' is another industry first from SABIAN, it is also a reminder that we are more than willing to experiment in an effort to ensure drummers can play the sounds they want to hear."