Paiste Zilko

Zilko

Post 1957 Swiss logo

1950s brass German Zilko logo

~1963 Dallas Arbiter Zilko logo

Introduction: Post war possibly 1947

Discontinued: 1960*
Pending further investigation.*

Alloy: Brass MS63

Quality: economy or general, mid-level cymbal

Background:
Paiste relocated to Germany in 1945 and most likely started Zilko production in 1947, they were produced using MS63 (brass alloy), Paiste confirmed that the brass Zilkos were made up until 1959.
The official Paiste '09 timeline states they were discontinued in 1960, but we found them on a Dallas-Arbiter price list in 1966.
We do know that these cymbals were not considered, top-of-the-line, rather they were intended as an economy or general, mid-level cymbal.
We don't exactly know what Paiste originally offered size wise (pre 1950), however here's what we do know and includes the following types and sizes:

PAISTE 1950/52/58 CATALOG:
Thin & Medium:
9" through 14" (Jazz type cymbals)
"Charleston" (hi-hats in pairs):
9" through 13" *Note: Hi hat cymbals were referred to as "Charleston" cymbals
Marching "Chinese style" (in pairs):
14" through 18" and 20"

• Regarding the 1958 catalog: there are no signs of the German factory making Stanoples, SUPERs, Zilko Standards or Dixies according to this and earlier catalogs.
• At some point between 1953 and 1957 a 14" Hi Hat option is added to the Zilko line.
  

ARBITER Ltd. '66 PRICE LIST: (No weight designated)
11" through 16", 18", and 20"

• Looks like Arbiter started carrying Paiste (with alternate embossing and series names: Arbiter Custom 602, Custom, Zilko, Zilket) in 1962. These were sold until at least 1966 and maybe as late as 1968, by 1969.
  

Arbiter started carrying standard Paiste branded product lines except for the ZIlkets which were sold until the early 1970s.

• 

  Late 40's brass German Zilko logo

• 

  Late 40's brass German Zilko (picture courtesy of Paiste)

• 

  Early German Zilko "be bop" cymbals with large bells

• 

  Zilko china

• 

  Swiss NS12 Zilko 14"

• 

  1957 or later Swiss Zilko made of brass

• 

  Before cleaning

• 

  1952 Catalog

• 

  1952 Catalog

• 

  1958 catalog

• 

  1958 catalog

• 

  1950 catalog: six panel catalog and price list from the early days of the company in Germany, back when they only offered Stambul and Zilko.

• 
• 

  Drum City London ad from 1963. Shows the Arbiter metal stamped Paiste lines were all available at this time: Arbiter Custom Formula 602 (Formula 602), Arbiter Custom (rebranded Stambuls?), Arbiter Zilko (rebranded Dixies?) and Arbiter Zilket (rebranded Supers?).

Standard/Zilko Standard

Note: there is no "TRADE MARK" to the sides of the moon and star, there is also no "M. Paiste" signature, at some point, those elements were added to the German made Zilkos

Introduction: 1957*

Discontinued: 1964*
(*) Pending further investigation.

Background:
Not to be confused with the "Ludwig Standard" line of cymbals, these were produced before the Ludwig's but the name could've been transferred post 1964 (Paiste had a bad habit of reusing names for different products of different quality): Ludwig Standard cymbals.
We have proof of the "Standards" existence from the back cover of the 1957 catalog (see below), unfortunately, we do not have the inside pages to the '57 catalog, so we have no data on types and sizes offered on this series, early 1960s catalogs need to be found to answer these questions, Paiste customer service has confirmed they were made until around 1963 or so.
We do know Standards and Zilko Standards are the same cymbal, most likely a late 50's upgrade of the brass Zilko line, they likely came out in late '57 or 1958 when Paiste 1st. opened thier Swiss factory.
It's possible they were stamped "Standard" in Switzerland and "Zilko Standard" in Germany or the stamping could have changed in time: Standard at first, Zilko Standard later.
It's unclear on the stamping variations, but Paiste confirmed they are the same cymbal regardless of how the logo was applied.
It looks like Standards were only made in the Swiss factory for a short time and then production shifted (and the name changed) to Germany only, either that or these were indeed the original Dixie and they changed the name in 1959, that could be why there are so few of them around.
The Standard and Zilko Standard were made from NS12 (Nickel Silver alloy), it's likely that they were the lower budget line at the time. We do know that the Standard series had 14" hi-hats and an 18", whether it was a crash or a ride, and a 16" crash, as part of their offering.

Alloy: Nickel Silver

Quality: Budget, student, entry level

Applications: Ideal for the beginner or student and are particularly useful in the grade school band, or small combo

• 

  1957 catalog

• 

  Standard NS12 14" hi-hats

• 

  Standard 16" or 18"

• 

  German Zilko standard

Arbiter Zilket

Dallas Arbiter Zilket logo

Introduction: 1965*

Discontinued: 1974*
Pending further investigation.*

Alloy: Nickel Silver - CuSn8

Background:
The official Paiste '09 timeline doesn't recognize this series: The only records we have are from the mid-1960's to the early 1970's and they were from distributor catalogs & price lists (Arbiter lists them in thier '71/'72 catalog). Due to the time frame, it's most likely that the early versions of this cymbal line were made of NS12 (Nickel-silver alloy), then later, B8 (most of the conversion from NS12 to B8 took place somewhere from 1966 to 1970). Arbiter Zilkets were most likely rebranded Supers (or "Standards", but we feel the "Super" is more the likely the case as these cymbals were produced into the early 70s and late versions were made of B8). Until we gain access to catalogs from this earlier time frame, we are left to guess. We do know they were made for beginners, advanced students, schools and small combos.
The following types and sizes were available during this time frame:

DALLAS-ARBITER '69 & '71-'72 CATALOGS: (No weight designated)
14" hi hats, 16", 18" and 20"

• 

  Dallas Arbiter 1971-72 catalog listing Zilkets

• 

  1971-72 catalog listing Zilket sizes and prices

• 

  Zilket NS12 cymbal

• 

  18" Zilket

• 

  14" Zilket hi-hats

---

Information from: Timeline from nf drums Germany Todd Little, Mark Carlson, Dan Garza
Return to the Main Page
Return to the Paiste Series Portal
Return to the Paiste Cymbal Type Portal