Soultone Cymbals

Soultone Cymbals, commonly called Soultone, is a cymbal manufacturing brand based in Los Angeles, California. The company was founded in 2003 by Iki Levy, who had experience operating The Drum Connection, a Los Angeles specialty drum shop. The brand emerged from Levy's dissatisfaction with the quality and customer experience associated with major cymbal manufacturers. Rather than treating cymbals solely as display merchandise, Levy initially placed Soultone models alongside acoustic drum kits in the shop so that customers could play and evaluate them in a realistic musical setting. This showroom-demonstration approach connected the brand's development with hands-on testing by drummers and helped distinguish it from a conventional retail presentation. Publicly available reference material identifies Soultone primarily as a cymbal maker and does not provide enough detail to establish its corporate ownership, manufacturing footprint, distribution network, financial performance, or current executive structure. Its publicly associated artist roster spans rock, metal, hip-hop, soul, pop, jazz, and live percussion, indicating an intended market that includes both professional performers and serious drum enthusiasts. Named users include Steven Adler of Guns N' Roses, Nick Menza of Megadeth, Dave Goode of Mahogany Rush, Eddy Jones of Head East, Veronica Bellino, Nick Smith, Eric Seats, Ron Allen, Jerry Tee, Jerohn Garnett, Adrian Peek, Alex Hilton, Shane O'Brien, Eric Morotti, Jeremiah Stratton, Martin Osborne, Eddie Vallee, Rico H., and Brian Doherty. The available material does not identify specific current product families, model names, launch dates beyond the company's 2003 founding, campaigns, acquisitions, controversies, or recent strategic changes. Accordingly, Soultone is best characterized as an independent or privately held-looking specialist cymbal brand whose documented identity rests on its Los Angeles origins, founder-led creation, direct player-testing concept, and relationships with touring and recording drummers.

Soultone Cymbals was established in 2003 in Los Angeles by Iki Levy. Before creating the brand, Levy operated The Drum Connection, a specialty drum shop in the city. His decision to develop Soultone followed dissatisfaction with the quality of products available from major cymbal manufacturers. The early brand was therefore shaped by a practical retail and performance perspective rather than by a publicly documented corporate expansion program. Levy placed the first Soultone cymbal models next to acoustic drum kits on the shop floor, allowing customers to strike and assess them in a playing context. This differed from displaying cymbals separately on racks or hanging fixtures, where shoppers could not readily hear how they interacted with a drum kit. The available account presents this demonstration method as an important part of Soultone's early identity. Public reference material describes the company as a cymbal manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles, but does not document detailed manufacturing methods, facilities, distribution agreements, revenue, ownership changes, or a complete chronology of product releases. Soultone's visibility has also been associated with a broad group of professional and touring musicians. The cited artist users cover hard rock, heavy metal, jazz, soul, hip-hop, pop, and live percussion, including Steven Adler, Nick Menza, Dave Goode, Eddy Jones, Veronica Bellino, Nick Smith, Eric Seats, Ron Allen, Jerry Tee, Jerohn Garnett, Adrian Peek, Alex Hilton, Shane O'Brien, Eric Morotti, Jeremiah Stratton, Martin Osborne, Eddie Vallee, Rico H., and Brian Doherty. These associations suggest that the brand has sought credibility through working drummers and genre diversity. Beyond its founding story, product category, Los Angeles base, and artist affiliations, the supplied references provide little verified information about later corporate milestones or current operations. The brand's present status, ownership, product range, and international market coverage therefore remain incompletely documented.

• 2003

  Soultone Cymbals founded

  [1]Soultone Cymbalsen.wikipedia.org

  Iki Levy founded Soultone Cymbals in Los Angeles after becoming dissatisfied with the quality offered by major cymbal manufacturers.

• Early in-store player testing introduced

  [1]Soultone Cymbalsen.wikipedia.org

  Levy placed early Soultone models beside acoustic drum kits at The Drum Connection so customers could hear and play the cymbals in a practical setup.

A specialist cymbal brand emphasizing player testing, practical musical application, and artist association across multiple contemporary music genres.

• Drums and percussion · 2003

  Soultone cymbals

  Soultone's documented product category is cymbals for acoustic drum kits. The available reference material does not identify individual series, sizes, alloys, finishes, sound profiles, or current model names. The brand's early sales presentation emphasized hearing models alongside complete drum kits, highlighting their role in an integrated playing setup rather than as isolated display objects.

1. 1Soultone Cymbalsen.wikipedia.org