RINGO'S BEATLE KITS

Cymbals

Information on Ringo's cymbals is left to much speculation. Research is being done through a variety of sources.

A number of visitors to this site have provided me with information concerning the cymbals that Ringo used. Ironically enough, the list does go litterally from A to Z (Arbiter to Zildjian.) Unfortunately, most of the information that I have been given cannot be verified. That being said, I plan to present some of the information that seems credible along with photos and hopefully audio and/or video files if I can get that specific on this web site.

I encourage anyone with direct information or with detailed experience in verifying or dating cymbals to be part of this investigation. Let's make this fun. 

FYI: By far, the most popular question is wanting to know details on the hi hat cymbals Ringo used early on to get his unique wash sound.

Let's Start At The Beginning

A photo from 8/22/1962 taken at the Cavern days after Ringo joined the Beatles.The cymbal sizes were 20", 18" with 15" hi hats

According to Ringo, his first drum set was an Ajax kit. Right from the start we have no information as to wether it came with cymbals or if Ringo owned any when he bought this set. For the record, Ajax did offer a low end line of cymbals.

When we take a closer look at the 20", we see an unusual large flat bell, which ironically enough is just what an Ajax 20" looked like back in the day. This seems like a logical conclusion until you discover that Paiste Stambul and Kurts also made cymbals with the same bell shape. I have an Ajax 20" in my collection and will post some photos. That being said, below are photos of Ringo's first 20":