Avedis Zildjian Company Finger Cymbals - Thin

These finger cymbals are great. If you're looking for something to actually use for music and not just as a prop for a belly dancing costume, this is probably what you're looking for. The sound is clear and resonant, and the 'thin' versions I got are articulate and have a long sustain. They are slightly out of tune with each other which gives them a nice rich warble (it's a feature), however you can always play a single cymbal with a brass mallet if you'd rather not have those tuning beats.The only cause for slight concern was that I could find no obvious branding on either cymbal. Zildjan products normally have the name written or stamped somewhere, but both cymbals were free of any markings. The soft bag they came in was also unbranded, though there was a "zildjan" sticker on the bag with the font I'm used to seeing as well as a "Zilco" sticker on the bag in a somewhat generic sans-serif font. I'm not a finger cymbal expert and it's possible that marking them in any way would have affected their sound since they're so small (and the surface is heavily textured so it may not take ink very well). I mostly assume these are legit, but I'd be lying if I said a tiny part of me wonders if this is a counterfeit. They sound great so I it's not likely they're bootlegs (and if they are, they're good enough to not really matter anyway).The cymbals do not come with any sort of handle or string attached. There are small pieces of elastic which you may tie through the holes of the cymbals to create little handles if you like. I was a little put off by that at first, but I realized that it made it easier to customize how long you'd like the loops to be or if you'd like to use a different material altogether. I basically tied the elastic on like you would a piece of rope for an orchestral crash cymbal. I'm not a finger cymbal expert and part of me was worried the knotted elastic sitting on the bottom of the cymbal would mute some of the sound, but it has not been an issue. I could probably trim off some of the excess but I've yet to be bothered by it and I like having the option to elongate it later if I need, so I'm leaving it for now.

These finger cymbals worked great for our large ensemble. Lighter, cheaper cymbals just didn't have the right sound, and didn't sound loud enough to be heard. These finger cymbals sounded clearly with a beautiful tone and came through the large ensemble to be heard well. Glad I bought these!

The sound is pretty good, but having only one hole was a challenge. Turns out I needed to use pins to keep the rubber band in place. Not ideal solution considering the price of the instrument. Also, I thought I was buying 2 pairs but it’s o ly a pair.

These guys fulfill their purpose of making noise in a percussion section.

I paid a decent price and got a less than decent product. Very sturdy but completely unmatched tonally. Can’t use them in performance and probably won’t let my grandkids play them in my house. “Fingernails on a chalkboard”:)

From the time I started belly dancing in the mid-1970's, I heard about Zildjian cymbals, but never tried them. Although my first zils were one-hole, I was persuaded that the control of having two slots was better. And it is, for some things. But these zils (two pairs of the regular ones, not the dancer set) are wonderful. I find I can play faster on them and the little bit of instability in the single hole adds to the speed and gives another range of sounds. The tone is balanced and attractive. They do have a distinct, mellow sound. I have zils that I would prefer in a stage setting or when playing as a musician because they give a greater variety of quality tones, but the Zildjians are also pretty good in range of tones. For just dancing these are, at least for the time being, my zils of choice.

LOVELY sound (no comparison from the cheap ones). Some have suggested you should always buy the ones with two holes.That is for all I know probably a really good idea if you are a belly dancer. However, I did the research after reading the review written by Shannon who appears to understand professional percussion settings and I appreciate her advice TREMENDOUSLY. Our little medieval style band bought both these and the belly dancers choice. The difference is like banging on a tupperware dish compared to tapping on fine crystal. Raucous versus clarity. Money talks. In this case, you can hear it SINGING!!! DON'T CHEAP OUT!!! You will be so glad for this choice. I also ordered the thin ones. They have less volume. BTW, to Matthew: I picked these up on the way to practice and was able to tie a simple overhand loop knot leaving lots of room for fingers. I won't need to be heading for the needle and thread.

These thin ones sound great, clear, not perfectly tuned, for sure -- but I've never owned finger cymbals that were. But they look so plain I have to deduct a star in may rating. I prefer the engraving in the ritual types. These are intentionally utilitarian, but, to be honest, the fancy looking ones typically sound just as good and are more inspiring to look at. I know this is a UX thing, but it does make a difference to me. Still, I can definitely recommend these for use in various styles of music. I use them in popular and film cue style recordings, and am perfectly content to utilize them for such.

Returned with no problems

Nice clear sound.

The harmonic of the two cymbal don't realy fit together.

The elastics don't hold really good and aren't really tied to the cymbals so could be removed or dropped easily. Badly done. Not impressed.

These could be quite nice, if they were in tune. They are about about 1/4 tone out from each other. It will make you cringe.