Japan’s premier cymbal maker fuses centuries-old techniques with modern-day processes. Although relatively new to the international market for high-end cymbals, Japanese company Koide (pronounced “co-ee-day”) has a long history in metallurgy that dates back to 1947, when founder Toshio Koide’s father and two uncles opened a metal processing facility. For a short time in the 1960s, that factory produced entry-level cymbals, and then the company spent twenty-plus years fabricating orchestral timpani bowls. In 1998, Toshio returned to cymbal making, using readily available B8 bronze, and Koide’s first production line was introduced in 2003. Shortly thereafter, Koide began importing B20 blanks from Turkey to explore traditional cymbal-making techniques, and then he began experimenting with developing new bronze alloys and production techniques to further expand the sounds of his cymbals. The results of those experiments are the patented B23ZT and B21ZFe alloys, which comprise zirconium, titanium, iron, and higher percentages of tin. […]

August 2020 Issue