If you look at patina under a microscope, it`s not smooth like metal, creating more surface area, not much but enough sometimes to change tone !! Why most people don`t clean is the value involved in resale. Sometimes pollished is the way to get absolute tone but you`ll be dealing with fingerprints !!

Buddy

I put a post up on here how to really get them clean ...

I use Mothers polish ..and Wenol polish to and big old can of Never Dull .and a Buffer .I been doing this stuff for years .haven't hurt my vintage zildjians yet .Nope it don't lose a tone or the sound out of it at all ......I probably buff my cymbals once in so often ..Like i would say just about in six months or up to a year .Only depends on how you play and use them ...But people has their own way of doing things ..

But some times that is not the easiest to get off of your cymbals at all

But remember always use rubber latex gloves for doing this type of job ...

I do just keep getting your hands funky and dirty and smelling ..use the gloves that has the powder inside them ...

If by "buffing" them they remove some of the metal, then yes, it dulls the sound a bit. This is due to a couple of factors...it begins to level out the height difference between the surface of the cymbals and the depth of the lathing grooves. The deeper the lathing grooves, the brighter the cymbal's sound is. Also, removing some of the metal from the top slightly reduces the tension from the top of the cymbal (from a cymbalsmithing point of view...), so it dulls the sound as well.

Of course, there are MANY factors that affect the sound of a cymbal, such as size, profile, flanging, bell size/shape, tension (above and below), taper, thickness...etc. etc. etc... Cleaning a cymbal using good old soap and water, or a more abrasive cleaner, generally won't wear down the metal. The removing of the dirt/grime/oil/patina/tarnish will have more of an effect than the microscopic bits of metal you are removing. That is, of course, assuming you're not sanding or using an electric buffer on them...

I like mellower cymbals, so I don't clean my cymbals. If I bought an older cymbal because I like the sound of it, why would I clean it to make it brighter? Plus, I've found you typically don't need brighter cymbals unless you're looking to "cut through" a mix, in which case you're probably playing louder anyways, which naturally brings out the highs of a cymbal. So, I don't see the need to clean them...

Oh, and about the sand thing, or even about burying your cymbals...I've often wondered if the sound changes more due to the constant pressure applied to the cymbals rather than any kind of chemical change or formation of patina. The cymbal is tensioned a certain way, and burying it either simply "relieves" the cymbal of that tension, or possibly pushes the cymbal into a new one, mellowing it out. I dunno...I wish there were some research done by "experts" to figure out the *why* of the effects of burying cymbals.

I know all will grit their teeth and yell but for a very long time I,ve been using Brillo pads and water cleaning "with" the ridges not against. Sound hasn,t changed and I always outlined markings on the cymbal because the pads will remove them. Cymbals always looked brand new. Tom

Years ago, I heard that Gadd never cleans his cymbals. As a result, I never have cleaned mine either. I like to think that it adds character. There is just something special about a cymbal that looks played on...especially a cymbal that YOU have played on over the years. Cleaning takes that right off. Why mess up a great thing? Shiny cymbals look pretty lame in my book. Another reason I refuse to use brilliant cymbals.

So funny how tastes change over the years. In the 60's when I started playing, it was thought that older, funky cymbals sounded mellower. They were sought after for that very reason. New shiny cymbals sounded bright/brash and drummers couldn't wait until they got a little funky and started taking on a dull patina. It was like the funk and patina indicated a 'mellow/broken-in' cymbal. Today, if a cymbal doesn't cut, it gets eliminated from the set-up.

Fashions change. As far as I'm concerned, a cymbal is a cymbal, clean or dirty/aged, and the -sound- is all that matters. Being overly concerned with 'looks' is just a personal quirk. Sound is what matters. Period. I've seen guys playing broken pies that sounded GREAT.

John

That's a new one to me.The way i look at cymbals is when iam out playing shows i use new cymbals and yes i do clean them so they look good on stage.But when it comes to Vintage cymbals that i use in the studio or rent out to studio's i Never clean them to me it will change the sound i have old Zild. K's that have 60++ years of dirt ete on them .no new cymbal will ever sound like these vintage ones...Mikey