I don’t know about other drummers, but I get more geeked about cymbals than drums. So, I was just wasting some time on YouTube checking out some cymbal factory tour videos, and came across some great ones! So many, in fact, that I felt bad not sharing. Enjoy!

How It’s Made: Cymbals
This video, I’m assuming from a TV show, doesn’t give you a ton of views of the Zildjian factory, but is a very good primer to cymbal making in general. This makes me wish I’d gone into cymbal testing as a profession!

Istanbul Mehmet Factory Tour
This one is awesome! Filmed by some dudes just walking around the factory, there’s not a word of English in the entire video. I love the guys just sitting in the corner of the factory, pounding away at cymbals. Then, at the end, they walk into the break room and check out everyone’s lunch!

Sabian Factory Tour
A tour of the SABIAN factory in Meductic, NB given by Robert Mason.

Bosphorus Factory Tour
This video might be my favorite of the entire bunch. No sound. Shaky camera work. But it’s a great stroll through the Bosphorus factory, where there appears to be molten metal around every corner. It’s amazing that such beautiful things can come out of such a dirty place!

UFIP Cymbal Fabrication
Perhaps the most informative of any of these videos, this one is not so much a factory tour as it is a step-by-step guide to the building of UFIP cymbals. It walks you through everything from the pouring of the metal to the stamping of the logo.

Paiste Factory Tour by Charlie Benante of Anthrax
Badass drummer Charlie Benante of Anthrax takes us on a walk through the Paiste factory in Switzerland. There’s not a lot of talking in this video, but we do get to listen to Anthrax throughout.

Amedia Cymbals Factory Tour
A tour of the Amedia factory, lead by factory owner Hamdusuna Baykusak. Hamdusuna has a ton of great insight and funny stories…if you can speak Turkish, please let me know what he’s saying.

Zlidjian History Lesson
I found some more corporate Zildjian videos online, but I kind of like this one, from FOX 25 in Boston. We never actually make it inside the Zlidjian factory, but get to check out the awesome Zildjian lobby. The phrase “Full of history” is an understatement.

Dutch drummer Bram Hakkens at the Meinl Cymbal Factory
This guy, Bram Hakkens of Dutch Band Kyteman, is living the dream. He was invited into the Meinl factory to hand pick his next cymbals. Jealous.

Masterwork Cymbal Factory Tour
This is another great factory tour video taken by a guy and his camcorder, this time at the Masterwork cymbal factory in Istanbul, Turkey.