About NickyMoon Custom Cymbals

My name is Nicholas Margarite and I am a professionally trained, traditional cymbalsmith.

I started making cymbals because I could never find the sounds I heard in my head anywhere in the stores. Even with the vast amount of cymbal choices on the market, there is a particularly human element missing from the cymbals available. I decided to change that and create my own unique instruments.  With some courage and a few randoms bits of information that I gathered through my research, I set out on my journey to learn this craft.  For my first real training I was lucky enough to spend a couple days learning the basics of hand hammering and the fundamentals of lathing from Heather Stine, a talented independent cymbalsmith in California. Following this, for quite some time my learning was self-guided (trial and lots of errors).  Eventually, my work caught the attention of Brazilian master cymbalsmith Franciso Domene, who invited me to beautiful Avare, Brazil to continue my training.  There I learned the traditional Turkish method that has been passed down for generations since the original K Zildjian factory, as well as Domene's own method which he has modified and improved upon over the years.

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I was born and raised in the Boston area suburbs of Massachusetts, and now reside and make my cymbals by the water on the beautiful New Jersey Shore, just about an hour drive south of Manhattan. I have been playing the drums since age six, and have spent my life creating music with top level musicians in various styles and genres. I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and have shared the stage and the recording studio with some of the finest and most unique musicians alive.  I have an ear for music and an ear for cymbals. 

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Bronze is my canvas. The hammer and lathe are my brushes.  I found my voice.  Now it's time for you to find yours - by playing cymbals that speak. Play NickyMoon.