Cymbals
Funch cymbals are inspired by Old Ks. The ones that jazz giants of the past cherished and revered for their organic musicality. The ones that keep you coming back to discover evernew sounds, colors and textures to be drawn out of a single instrument like magic. The ones that remain highly sought after by drummers and musicians around the world to this very day. In essence, all Funch cymblas are a tribute to the Old Ks. Each one has its own unique story to tell and are designed to help you express your originality in the studio or on stage. Here is an overview of our other regularly released collections:
Vanguard - This highly versatile series is clean, warm and buttery with a woody stick sound. They provide a comfortable cushion for the music that would be just as welcomed in small ensembles and intimate clubs as they would be in big bands and theatres. Swing your heart out on these sweet cymbals inspired by Mel Lewis and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. This series is produced in all of our standard sizes.
Messenger - These cymbals have the vibes and demeanor that any old school, hard-swingin’ cat would kill for. Each one posses a clean stick and strong dark crash, but beyond that it’s all about the intangibles and the fact that each one can be characterized by its bold individuality. These are intended to be adaptable workhorse instruments with aspirations of setting the club on fire night after night. They’re named after Art Blakey’s legendary institution The Jazz Messengers. These cymbals are produced in all of our standard sizes.
Perceptual - These cymbals have a clear and well articulated stick definition buoyed by an even clearer, deep, low-pitched resonance. Their wide bell is integrated into a flatter profile which produces a gorgeous dark shimmer. They are always responsive in a full dynamic range and ready to shine in any circumstance. These are typically produced as 22" and 24”, and sometimes have rivets and sometimes do not.
Nefertiti - Named after the iconic and influential album by Miles Davis with the great Tony Williams (TW) on drums. These cymbals are hard-hammered with a medium-high profile and finished with pinstripe lathing. This process gives each cymbal an exotic surface that accentuates its complex shimmer. They are known for their dynamic sensitivity as well as huge spread of active top end and fiery, low growl. All these qualities are complimented by a nice, bright stick sound. Nefertiti’s are produced in all of our standard sizes, typically without rivets.
TW Tribute - This series has a medium-high profile like a Nefertiti, but with a cleaner surface do to fewer, scattered hard hammer strokes and the absence of pinstripe lathing. They speak more clearly with a drier voice and have an extra strong core which allows them to keeps their stick at high tempos and louder volumes. TW Tributes are produced in all of our standard sizes without rivets.
Elvin Jones Tribute - Our tributes to Elvin focus on his 20" sounds from the 1960s. To us that means its wash provides a perfectly balanced, sweet and dark cushion for a bright stick attack to dance on. It has a well pronounced bell that cuts, but is not harsh, making it ideal for afro-latin patterns. It has an explosive full-bodied crash with a fast decay. These almost always come with 3 evenly spaced rivets in a triangle pattern that blend in gently to help create that quintessential smokey jazz sizzle.
Bill Stewart Tribute - Our tributes to Bill offer the highest profiles of any Funch cymbals. They are also the “spiciest”. Their umbrella-like shape give them a shorter sustain and higher stick pitch. Their wild, trashy and colorful character speak with a noticeable excitement. They are typically produced as a 22” ride without rivets.
Roy Haynes / Marcus Gilmore Tributes - The royal family of jazz drumming has a flat ride proclivity and we want to honor that. Flat rides get their name because they have no bell. Without a bell a cymbal will not be able to project as loudly or buildup hardly any overtones or sustain so what you hear foremost is a whole lot of clicky stick attack. We aim to give their highly controlled wash a dark and throaty character that can be semi-crashable (more like accent-able). Our 20” flats are in Tribute to Roy Haynes and the 22” counterpart are in tribute to his grandson Marcus Gilmore.
On occasion, we will produce additional, special release artist tributes.