Masterwork Swish Cymbal - Riveting Swish and China Cymbals

Here is a video about installing rivets in Swish and China cymbals.
Because of the shape of these cymbals riveting them can be complicated.
I am using a recently acquired Masterwork Thalles 24" swish/china as a demonstration cymbal.
I play it for you without the rivets I show you how I mark the cymbal.
Then we go out to the shop were I drill the cymbal and install the rivets.
Finally I play the cymbal again with the rivets installed.
The drums used in the video are Gretsch Centennial from 1983.
The sizes of these drums are: 18"x14" bass,10",12",14" toms and a 14"x 6.5" snare.
The cymbals in this video are all 1940's- 1960's K Zildjian except for a Paiste 22" swish/china and the Masterworks 24" swish/china.
Cymbal sizes
21" ride
18"crash/ride w/rivets
16" crash
15" Hi Hats
22" Paiste swish/china with rivets
24" Masterworks Thalles swish/china
The drum heads are all calf skin.
Microphones are a AKG C24 stereo overhead and an Shure Beta 52 on the Bass drum.

[@raykingstonmusic]

For cymbals heavier than paper-thin, consider a drop of oil to help lubricate the drill bit. Metal on metal gets hot and a little oil can help prevent a cracked bit - or worse - a cracked cymbal! Great video (as always), Rick. Thanks for sharing your experience and wisdom with us.

[@rickdior]

Thats a great idea for thicker cymbals. This one drilled like budda.

[@robertlage1072]

Very nice video Rick, thanks for sharing your skills and knowledge.

[@papagcortellino5283]

Masterwork is the hidden gem, in the cymbal world, to come out of Istanbul..I have and had several in the JazzMaster series. They are SUPERB. Masterwork is the secret maker behind Soultone, TRX, Buzzin, and other smaller boutique Turkish cymbals. They decided about 10 years ago to come out with their own brand/Masterwork. Two former Bosphorus cymbal craftsmen started the company

[@EricT43]

Beautiful-sounding cymbal. I've never heard of Masterwork before, will have to check them out.

[@brandoncoffey3449]

I found that using a countersink drill bit on the underside of the hole will usually take care of any burrs that resulted from drilling without making the hole bigger.

[@mattbridges8908]

I have found that a great way to deal with the slight edge on the underside of the hole is to grab a drill bit that is one size larger than whatever you used to drill the hole, and simply twist the larger bit against the sharp edge of the hole by hand. It will remove the "dimple" as you called it, leave a nice smooth edge, and won't change the shape or size of the hole.

[@tmaddrummer]

There is nasty and there is Paiste....... nasty has it's time and place, but I'm liking the sound of Paiste. I've got a set of Masterwork cymbals that were made for Yossi Buzin under his Buzin Vintage label about 18 years ago. I've got a 22" Ride, 20" Flat Ride, 16" Crash and 14" Hats and they are nicely matched. I'd like to add some rivets to both rides, but I've never done this and I'm afraid of messing them up so I'm hoping to pick up some of your expertise from your video. Thanks Rick!

[@12alozada]

Beautiful cymbal! It has that classic 70’s JazzFusion vibe.

[@wddrumming452]

I have a Zildjian swish that developed a crack from the edge straight in about 1 1/2", you mention riveting a crack. do you use multiple rivets along the crack?

[@rickdior]

Yes, I add 2 to 4 rivets along the crack. One on each side of the crack to stop it's progression and one or two in the middle.

[@leodogliani869]

Hey how much this cymbal and where can I buy one

[@willshaughnessy8515]

Love that cymbal Rick I'd have to go use home depot drill press ..all my workshop is for bicycles..lol What's the best rivet ?

[@marekwroblewski8794]

Super × 100 !!!

[@robertphillips2492]

What about riveted cymbals going into your cymbal case to gigs? Do you remove them?...

[@rickdior]

You can get cymbal bags with dividers to keep the rivets from scratching your other cymbals. Thats what I use.

[@chipsnegativeharmonyrips7187]

Riveting indeed

[@wddrumming452]

purchase yourself a auto body metal dolly, they are curved to various degrees and would make your life so much simpler.

[@michaeljensen5120]

Wow Rick! That masterwork cymbal sounds amazing, sounds like rain drops to me

[@simonoxley3711]

You'd sound good playing anything!

[@rickdior]

Thank you, Simon

[@DrMackSplackem]

1900 grams for a 24; That's practically transparent!

[@justhadrums]

Was this a hazelshould cymbal? Looks familiar

[@rickdior]

Sure is. Gerry always has great cymbals.

[@demonicsweaters]

amazing drumming at the end, great sound and feel!

[@mgrdibbs]

Excellent video Rick as always. Love these cymbals. I use a Zildjian 20 and 22 rivetted and non-rivetted pang and a Zildjian 20" swish all from 1960s or 1970s depending on the gig - not all together though!

[@swami15]

Hey Rick: I'm a novice and want to thank you for all the great instructional videos you post. You're an awesome teacher. One can really hear the improvement in sound after adding the rivets to the new swish. Sorry to hear about what happened to your Paiste 602. Even though I am a novice, I've been trying to acquire great cymbals for future use and picked up a set of 602 pre-serial #, SIXTEEN inch hats. A little dirty like you mentioned, and they sound sweet

[@davidsuprenant893]

Sounds beautiful, haven't heard a lot about masterworks. I own a 22" paiste master series swish.love it.I will be checking out masterworks. Thanks Rick.

[@paul-ld9vh]

Love that sound! Also your skill really helps accent the quality of the cymbal!

[@raymondkarlsson9794]

Very interesting. The delicate balance looking for a swish or chinese that really ”take you on a ride”.

[@percussionquintet]

Does one brand or type of rivet sound better than others?

[@rickdior]

Hi Russell They all sound a bit different. The brass ones like paiste and Bosphorus are a bit lighter and darker. I like the brighter zildjian rivets in my darker cymbals. You can also use a split rivet. Those are very light and work best on heavier cymbals. I use different types on different cymbals, usually to counteract the natural tone of the cymbal. If its a dark cymbal I use brighter rivets.