Sabian
Sabian is a Canadian and Armenian cymbal manufacturing company established in 1981 in Meductic, New Brunswick, where it is still headquartered. Sabian is considered one of the big four manufacturers of cymbals, along with Zildjian, Meinl and Paiste.[2]
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Type | Private |
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Industry | Musical instruments |
Founded | 1981Meductic, Canada | in
Founder | Robert Zildjian |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Andy Zildjian (president/CEO) Sally Zildjian-Teague |
Products | Cymbals |
Brands | Crescent [1] |
Website | sabian.com |
History
Sabian Cymbals was founded in 1981, by Robert Zildjian, when he had a conflict with his brother Armand after he was not chosen to be the main CEO and successor of Avedis Zildjian. Robert opened Sabian in the small eastern Canadian village of Meductic, New Brunswick. The name 'Sabian' comes from the first two letters of the names of Robert's three children (Sally, Billy, and Andy).[3]
In 1982, Sabian introduced the Automatic Anvil (AA) and the Hand Hammered (HH) lines, producing 45,000 cymbals in the first year.[4]
In 1989, Sabian produced its first signature artist cymbals, the Jack DeJohnette ride/hi-hats, and the Carmine Appice Silver Nickel Chinese.[4] Eight years later, due to rising demand, a larger plant was opened in Meductic.[4]
Sabian introduced the HHX series in 2001 which brought in the Manhattan's darker hammering techniques.[4] In 2011, with the help of Jojo Mayer, Sabian produced the OMNI series, which was the product of years of research and development.[4]
Sabian cymbals are still made in New Brunswick.[5] Robert's son Andy is the most recent president of Sabian.[5] In January 2015, the company announced the acquisition of US cymbal manufacturer, Crescent Cymbals, moving all its production to Sabian's factory in Canada, subsequently incorporating Crescent into its list of brands.[1]
In 2017, Sabian sponsored "The Capital Project Presents: The Final Concert", a music and film event in Fredericton, New Brunswick, making the event free of charge. Refunds were offered to people who had already purchased tickets.[6]
References
- Crescent cymbals acquired by Sabian on Modern Drummer, Feb 2015
- "Crash Clash: The Shared History of Zildjian and Sabian Cymbals". Reverb. Reverb. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- "Robert Zildjian, world-famous cymbal pioneer, dies in Brunswick". Bangor Daily News. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- "The Sabian story a timeline of cymbal craft". Reverb. Reverb. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- "Robert Zildjian, Sabian Cymbals founder, dies at 89". CBC. CBC. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- "Sabian Cymbals Buys Tickets so People Can Attend 'Capital Project' Event for Free". Huddle Today. Huddle Today. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sabian. |
- Official website
- Robert Zildjian Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2002)
- Willi Zildjian Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2002)
- Andy Zildjian Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2012)