Sabian ( ) is a Canadian

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

company based in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. It was established in 1981 in the village of Meductic, which is now part of Lakeland Ridges, where the company is still headquartered. Sabian is considered one of the ''big four'' manufacturers of cymbals, along with Zildjian, Meinl and

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Switzerland, Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian language, Estonian and Finnish language, ...

History

Before Sabian Cymbals was founded, its current manufacturing facility was operated by Azco, which was then a subsidiary of Avedis Zildjian. In 1968, the Zildjian company set up Azco and the plant in rural Meductic,

under persuasion from Robert Zildjian, who, beginning in the late 1940s, had grown familiar with the area from going on

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

fishing trips. Initially, the Meductic plant was used for casting and rolling cymbals, while finishing work was done at the Zildjian plant in North Quincy, Massachusetts. By 1970, the Meductic facility handled both processes and produced about 40% of the company's output. After a dispute with his brother Armand following their father Avedis's death in 1979, Robert left the family business. In 1981, he founded Sabian, naming the new company by combining the first two letters of his three children's names—Sally, Billy, and Andy. The Zildjian company's former operations in Meductic under 'Azco' became the headquarters of the new company. In 1982, Sabian introduced the Automatic Anvil (AA) and the Hand Hammered (HH) lines, producing 45,000 cymbals in the first year. By 1987, Sabian was exporting 90% of their product, additionally receiving endorsements and special visits from percussionists including Gerry Brown, Martin Drew and

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

drummer Peter Criss. In 1989, Sabian produced its first signature artist cymbals, the

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...

ride/

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...

s, and the Carmine Appice Silver Nickel Chinese. Eight years later, due to rising demand, a larger plant was opened in Meductic. Sabian introduced the HHX series in 2001 which brought in the Manhattan's darker hammering techniques. In 2011, with the help of Jojo Mayer, Sabian produced the OMNI series, which was the product of years of research and development. Sabian cymbals are still made in New Brunswick. Robert's son Andy is the most recent president of Sabian. 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. In 2017, Sabian sponsored "The Capital Project Presents: The Final Concert", a music and film event in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

, New Brunswick, making the event free of charge. Refunds were offered to people who had already purchased tickets.

References

External links

*
Robert Zildjian Interview
at NAMM Oral History Library (2002)
Willi Zildjian Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2002)
Andy Zildjian Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2012) Percussion instrument manufacturing companies Cymbal manufacturing companies Companies based in New Brunswick Manufacturing companies established in 1981 1981 establishments in New Brunswick Canadian brands York County, New Brunswick Musical instrument manufacturing companies of Canada {{Musical-instrument-company-stub