Istanbul cymbal questions..

Hbdrummer · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:00 pm Post subject: Istanbul cymbal questions..

Anyone know anything about Istanbul cymbals? I heard a set of hats awhile back and they sounded fabulous! I was on Vintage drum website and their prices are less than the more commonly known big name pies (hand hammered) I'm considering an upgrade to their Mehmet traditional series... suggestions???!!! durability? imput?? thanks. Very Happy

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kuniggety · Tiger Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 870 Location: Okinawa

Never played them myself but have never heard anything negative. If you're going for the traditional Turkish sound, that's what you'll get out of them.

If I have it straight in my head, the founder of Istanbul cymbals was a worker on the old K Zildjian factory.
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Hbdrummer · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:45 pm Post subject:

There's a few different series. I love the sound of Zildjian K's and Sabian's HH series. The sound of The Istanbul hats was, from what I can remember, was along those lines...dry and musical.. going to check out their website. If anyone has played or owns their crashes, splashes, rides lemme know what you think. And yeah, Mehmet was somehow associated with the Zildjians...I recall reading that in MD some time ago Very Happy

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sfauts · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 8:00 am Post subject:

There are two different lines from two separate companies.

Both are very nice cymbals. I've recorded with an Istanbul Ride and I was more than impressed.

The549 · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:24 pm Post subject:

You can hear an Istanbul Mehmet 21" ride at www.myspace.com/strangegroove

Although the other cymbals are all wuhan and paiste. If I was looking for anything other than a splash and china (wuhan for me), then I'd be looking at istanbul agop and istanbul mehmet.
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bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5223 Location: Kansas

Check out the cymbals available on www.cymbalsonly.com

They have sound clips of the actual cymbal for sale. They have both Agop and Mehmet Istanbuls, as well as Bosphorus and other brands.

12barblues · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:42 pm Post subject: Re: Istanbul cymbal questions..

UCLAbruin21 · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:10 am Post subject:

My entire cymbal setup these days is Istanbul. My set up and comments are as so:

16, 17 and 18" Mehmet Sultan regular crashes: By my ear, I put these somewhere inbetween Paistes and A customs...not too glassy, not too clangy. just right. Sound great live and recorded.

20" Mehmet Sultan flat ride: Great silvery prototypical flat ride sound...great for those slow songs where your main ping ride sounds too overbearing.

21" Mehmet Turk medium heavy ride: A great ping-type ride. Cuts through the heaviest of guitars (we play alot of Iron Maiden). To my ear, similar in ping, wash and tonality to a Paiste DE ride.

14" Mehmet Sultan medium heavy hats. Crisp, no clang. I bought this specific pair due to the lack of "clang" when played with just the foot. Nice "swish" and again, they really cut through the mix.

22" Agop Turk China: The china of doom. Big, deep...it roars. This is not your $25 wuhan. Low-pitched with a perfect amount of trash fo rride work on the right song. However, smack this thing and everyone will stand up and take notice.

As others have mentioned, check out Tony at CymbalsOnly. I swapped out all of my A's for these and have not regretted it for one second.
Hope this helps...Cheers, Bob

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609

I have an Agop Istanbul ride that I adore. Because they're hand made, it takes a lot more time and patience to find the right one, but when you do find the right one, it's a keeper. While I have enjoyed the Agop Istanbul companies' products, I have yet to be impressed with the Mehmet Istanbul cymbals.
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UCLAbruin21 · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:50 am Post subject:

I will say this as VERY GROSS GENERALITY, there seem to be really two camps of folks: those who prefer Agops, and those who prefer Mehmets. The only real physical difference between cymbals made by the two companies seems to be the average weight of the cymbals produced. The Agops seem to be generally lighter in weight, with more wash (Jazzier?) while the Mehmets are a bit heavier (as mine are). I think it boils down to the right tool for the right job. If I were playing more Jazz or low-volume blues, I would go for the Agops (or some of the Bosphorus line...there is a 24" masters turk flat that I am oogling right now). However, for the heavier, louder, more 'lectrified music I am playing now, the Mehmets are just the ticket.

As was said, they are all hand made, and when you find good ones, they are keepers, regardless.
Cheers, Bob

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609

strat64 · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:29 am Post subject:

I play many types of Paistes, 602, 2002, Signature, Sound Formula and Sound Creation. By and large, they have that crystaline, high-pitch sound, some more silky than others.

I wanted some different sound colors to choose from- I needed to change manufacturers. I chose Istanbul. I wanted an "anti-Paiste" sound, so I went with Istanbul Agop Signatures.

Thin, so they are very dark. They are hand-made and tuned individually, so it is best to HEAR BEFORE YOU BUY! Very old Zildjian sounding with a short dark wash and a lot of articulation. Hard to overplay on the ride and the crashes sound odd at first, but as part of a set of Agops, they make for nice softer washy tones.