Meet Mark Love
SABIAN cymbals are known for their superior quality and impeccable sound. But have you ever wondered who’s responsible for designing these iconic instruments? Meet Mark Love, SABIAN’s Director of Research and Development, who joined the company before they came to life with a bang in 1982, producing 45,000 cymbals in that first year of operation. Since those early days, he’s helped to design new instruments that resulted in the sales of millions of cymbals around the world, as SABIAN has grown from a new player to an industry leader.
As a Master Product Specialist, Mark Love’s job involves conceptualizing new instruments, designing them, and overseeing their production. Along with the rest of the Research and Development team at SABIAN, he ensures that every aspect of the cymbal manufacturing process meets the rigorous standards consumers have come to expect from the company.
Love’s passion for music and his understanding of the nuances of drumming have allowed him to create unique cymbal designs that stand out in a crowded marketplace. In his four-decade career with SABIAN, he has worked alongside artists such as Neil Peart, Jojo Mayer, Terry Bozzio, Dave Weckl, and Jack DeJohnette, in bringing to life beloved SABIAN products like the Evolution, Paragon, Omni and more. Designed in collaboration with Weckl, and featuring a unique blend of traditional tone and modern projection, the HHX Evolution line has become one of SABIAN’s most popular products and is used by drummers all over the world.
“We’ve always continued to offer what we thought were innovative products and push the boundaries of what that means,” said Love. “The test of time has stood up well for them. It seems like the more we progress and the more intricate we get in our designs, the more complicated things get, but it takes that to create the sounds that we need for today’s drummer.”
In addition to his work at SABIAN, Love is also an active member of the music community. He regularly attends trade shows, clinics, and industry events to stay up-to-date on trends and connect with musicians. Overall, Love is an integral part of what makes SABIAN Cymbals such a respected brand in the global music community. His passion for music combined with his design expertise has allowed him to create some truly incredible products that have helped countless drummers achieve their musical goals.
“We do it as a team here, and just creating a product that excites drummers out there, something that gets them excited about the brand and the product, is my favorite aspect of the process,” said Love. “We love what we do, so it it’s nice to see the players get excited about it as much as we do.”