Buckaroo Cymbal Cleaner – Or – How I lost All My Elbow Grease

            In addition to our duties as Connoisseurs, the four of us have many other talents, not the least of which is being proficient musicians, my personal weapon of choice is the drums. As anyone who has spent a fair amount of time around drums could tell you, maintenance is very important, and often overlooked. In that vein, I came across a product called Buckaroo Cymbal Cleaner during one of my forays into picking up spare parts for my drum set.

            Now I have had my current drum set since I received it for Christmas six years ago, the ride cymbal, an well-used entry-level Camber II 20” Ride, was tarnished and filthy then, and subsequent use has only sullied it further. So, being the grimiest of my cymbals, it was chosen as the test subject for the Buckaroo Cymbal Cleaner.

            Buckaroo comes in a gold tin with a charming early-50’s nostalgia label affixed to the exterior replete with instructions and warnings. The product itself is a mass of unprocessed cotton wadding saturated with the cleaning solution. Upon opening the can I was hit with a strong scent not unlike WD-40 or other industrial solvents, it reminded me of doing necessary household maintenance with my father on Saturday mornings as a young kid. The instructions seemed simple enough, basic “Lather, Rinse, Repeat” directions, so I began.

            I immediately saw results, using the wadding and scrubbing a small area on the cymbal, not earth-shattering results, but the grime lightened considerably. For the next 30 minutes or so I worked over the entire face of the cymbal, buffing and cleaning as I finished with on area. The latex gloves I thankfully opted to wear were covered with the oily black residue the cleaner was creating. My arms were getting tired, so it was time for a different approach.

            Now I am not what you would call a man of Mohammed’s patience, no mountains have ever come to me, so I dug up a scrubber-sponge I had kicking around nearby and began my assault anew, this time with much more dramatic results. After I got the surface looking presentable enough, I brought the ride to the tub and gave it a good rinsing off… much to my bathtub’s dismay, as the ichor I created on the cymbal surface now firmly affixed itself to the walls and floor of my tub. But that’s a chore for another day.

            The results speak for themselves, Buckaroo Cymbal Cleaner is powerful cleaner and it restored my filthy ride cymbal to a luster I have never seen in it before. The sound coming from the cymbal is now as clean as it looks. That said, this product isn’t for everyone, it doesn’t do the work for you, and unless you are serious about getting that good-as-new shine, and willing to put forth the considerable effort to achieve it, it’s not going to happen. As for me, I hope the new shine lasts, because I don’t want to have to do this again for quite a while.