My Istanbuls arrived today...

[another_jake]

And totally blew me away! They make the A Customs I had sound like garbage, and that's saying a lot cuz the A Customs didn't sound half bad.

Talk about responsive? I used to have to really lay into the Zildjians to get anything out of them when I rolled on them... With these, you just kind of caress them and they make sound.

I have them arranged on the stands the same as I had the Zildjians... 17 on the left, 16 in the middle and the 18 on the right. With the 17 Istanbul being a Medium, it's a little brighter and heavier, so it's also a little louder. That's good because I use that one a lot being that it's on my left. The 16 Dark is cool too. It's a little thinner than the 17, and has just a hint of trashiness to it. It also has a short sustain, almost like a fast crash would, so it fits into my mix really well. The 18 dark is my favorite. It doesn't have the hint of trashiness that the 16 has, and it sustains long like you'd expect an 18 crash to. It doesn't attack sharp, it builds soft, then sustains slow. It's like butter. The 17 and 18 can both be ridden on lightly and sound like an old K sizzle ride, but wash out fast if you get to hard on them. They also have great bells. The 16 however is just a crash.

They all have lots of hammering in them. Even the lathing is rustic looking. I decided a while back that I wasn't going to clean my cymbals anymore, and just let them patina. So I had a couple that I wanted to remove the logos on (I hate logos) and give them a final cleaning after I removed them so the surface matched. With the Istanbuls, I decided I'd leave the logos mainly because they were new in case one had to go back or something. But when I put them on the stands, they all had this kind of factory funk on them. Lots of dirt. So I gave them all their only bath in Barkeeper's Friend, and put them on the stands. They'll be left to patina forever more.

[skaman]

congrats! gotta love new sounds!

[SaludaCymbals]

Istanbul is a very solid cymbal company. They make some good stuff.

Is Istanbul in the original Zildjian plant? I have heard rumors that it was and Istanbul took over the original Zildjian plant after the split???

Anyone know anything about that?

Jamie

And totally blew me away! They make the A Customs I had sound like garbage, and that's saying a lot cuz the A Customs didn't sound half bad.

Talk about responsive? I used to have to really lay into the Zildjians to get anything out of them when I rolled on them... With these, you just kind of caress them and they make sound.

I have them arranged on the stands the same as I had the Zildjians... 17 on the left, 16 in the middle and the 18 on the right. With the 17 Istanbul being a Medium, it's a little brighter and heavier, so it's also a little louder. That's good because I use that one a lot being that it's on my left. The 16 Dark is cool too. It's a little thinner than the 17, and has just a hint of trashiness to it. It also has a short sustain, almost like a fast crash would, so it fits into my mix really well. The 18 dark is my favorite. It doesn't have the hint of trashiness that the 16 has, and it sustains long like you'd expect an 18 crash to. It doesn't attack sharp, it builds soft, then sustains slow. It's like butter. The 17 and 18 can both be ridden on lightly and sound like an old K sizzle ride, but wash out fast if you get to hard on them. They also have great bells. The 16 however is just a crash.

They all have lots of hammering in them. Even the lathing is rustic looking. I decided a while back that I wasn't going to clean my cymbals anymore, and just let them patina. So I had a couple that I wanted to remove the logos on (I hate logos) and give them a final cleaning after I removed them so the surface matched. With the Istanbuls, I decided I'd leave the logos mainly because they were new in case one had to go back or something. But when I put them on the stands, they all had this kind of factory funk on them. Lots of dirt. So I gave them all their only bath in Barkeeper's Friend, and put them on the stands. They'll be left to patina forever more.

[bluesman]

It doesn't attack sharp, it builds soft, then sustains slow. It's like butter. The 17 and 18 can both be ridden on lightly and sound like an old K sizzle ride, but wash out fast if you get to hard on them. They also have great bells. The 16 however is just a crash. They all have lots of hammering in them. Even the lathing is rustic looking.
so.....
what you're basically saying is that these Istanbuls have a plethora of "hand hammered tonal complexities" ? And let me take another wild guess...Istanbuls don't come from China?
{{{ducking from the wrath of the dreaded "Cult of Saluda"}}} :-)

[bri_guy636]

so.....
what you're basically saying is that these Istanbuls have a plethora of "hand hammered tonal complexities" ? And let me take another wild guess...Istanbuls don't come from China?
{{{ducking from the wrath of the dreaded "Cult of Saluda"}}} :-)

OMG guys get em! :rolleyes:

Istanbuls are definitly nice cymbals. Any pics?

[another_jake]

Istanbul is a very solid cymbal company. They make some good stuff.

Is Istanbul in the original Zildjian plant? I have heard rumors that it was and Istanbul took over the original Zildjian plant after the split???

Anyone know anything about that?

Jamie

I don't know about them being in the same plant, and plant can be used very loosely to describe the building in which they are made... But I know that the families of some of the original smiths in the old K. Zildjian company that didn't emigrate to North America after A. Zildjian bought K. Zildjian, formed Istanbul Cymbals. A few years back, they split, sort of like Robert and Armand Zildjian, and that is why you have Istanbul Agop and Istanbul Mehmet. I bought Agops. There is a video kicking around the net of the manufacturing at Agop, it's a real treat. Go look on Cymbalholic, you'll find links to it there. It's practically worshiped over there as a cult classic.

[another_jake]

OMG guys get em! :rolleyes:

Istanbuls are definitly nice cymbals. Any pics?

I'll post some tomorrow after I get the logos off. I called Tony and he said by all means, take them off. He said it wouldn't affect the warranty, and he takes his off too.

[bri_guy636]

The only prob with the logos on those it that they are white, and IMO dont look too great being unlathed and all. Plus they are pretty big logos, but none the less, they still sound great.

*EDIT*

Not all are white hmmmm. Are the Sultans the only ones with white logo's? Im limited as to my knowledge of Instabuls.

[trickg]

Wow! I just finished watching the 153 MB movie of cymbal production at the Agop "plant". Oh my, not one pair of safety goggles in the whole movie. :lol:

It's amazing what they produce considering the what appears to be an incredibly low tech facility, however, let it be said that the words "high tech" and "artisan" aren't generally used in the same sentence.

Here is a link to the thread on Cymbalholic where I found a link to the movie. It's very interesting and I recommend giving it a view, even though it does take a while to download at 153 MB.

http://www.cymbalholic.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=41815&page=&fpart=1&vc=1

Jake, I gotta say, I'm jealous. It sounds like your cymbals are very nice indeed.

[Chippy569]

^ interesting vid!

tho i don't think i learned anything.

[another_jake]

The only prob with the logos on those it that they are white, and IMO dont look too great being unlathed and all. Plus they are pretty big logos, but none the less, they still sound great.

*EDIT*

Not all are white hmmmm. Are the Sultans the only ones with white logo's? Im limited as to my knowledge of Instabuls.

I got Traditionals (http://www.cymbalsonly.com/test/images/agop/desc/trad_crashes.htm)... They have black logos.

[another_jake]

Wow! I just finished watching the 153 MB movie of cymbal production at the Agop "plant". Oh my, not one pair of safety goggles in the whole movie. :lol:

And the only one wearing gloves is the guy at the furnace! No ear protection either... OSHA would shut that place down in a New York minute.

It's amazing what they produce considering the what appears to be an incredibly low tech facility, however, let it be said that the words "high tech" and "artisan" aren't generally used in the same sentence.

There is also video and pictures of the Bosphorus "facility" floating around too... It makes the Agop place look like the Johnson Space Center.

Here is a direct link to the Agop video (http://studiolott.com/agop.mov)...

Jake, I gotta say, I'm jealous. It sounds like your cymbals are very nice indeed.
Thanks, that video is some good porn, and I enjoyed watching it again. BTW, don't that warehouse scene just make you wanna cry?

[skaman]

that vid was cool. it's funny the only white guy was doing the tone matching. just an observation.

[another_jake]

BTW, here's the link to the Bosphorus factory (http://www.cymbalsonly.com/cymbals/Bos/factory/bos_visit.htm) pics and videos. Like I said, makes Agop look like the Johnson Space Center.

[skaman]

wow. just wow...

[trickg]

BTW, here's the link to the Bosphorus factory (http://www.cymbalsonly.com/cymbals/Bos/factory/bos_visit.htm) pics and videos. Like I said, makes Agop look like the Johnson Space Center.
Man, you weren't kidding when you said the Bosphorus "factory" is even more low tech than the Istanbul place, but dang, they make some great sounding cymbals, don't they? I looked up some prices on Istanbuls last night and almost went into shock: $485 for a ride! It makes Zildjian and Sabian look like Bargain Planet. But again, I gigged with a guy one night who had an Instanbul ride (he got it used for something like $190 - a veritable steal) and it sounded just right.

I can't recall all of the threads on the PDF that I have read where someone is talking about either crashes or rides, and they just can't seem to find the sound they are looking for - from my personal experience playing next to a drummer using an Istanbul ride, it would appear that the extra money is worth every cent, but these cymbals certainly aren't for the kids who bash their cymbals until they break. They are for the people like this other drummer that I know who has been playing his Zildjian A's for 20+ years - no cracks, no breaks - because he either knows how to hit a cymbal, or he doesn't hit it so hard that it can't take the stress. For someone like that, a set of Istanbuls or Bosphorus might be a large output of money to begin with, but over the long haul would be a sound investment.

Sorry for the ramble. Jake, thanks for sharing your experience and bringing the subject of these smaller makers up. I learned a lot from reading and watching those film clips over the last two days.

[another_jake]

I looked up some prices on Istanbuls last night and almost went into shock: $485 for a ride! It makes Zildjian and Sabian look like Bargain Planet. But again, I gigged with a guy one night who had an Instanbul ride (he got it used for something like $190 - a veritable steal) and it sounded just right.
Did you look at Tony's place, www.cymbalsonly.com (http://www.cymbalsonly.com/cymbals/agop.htm)? There are lots of Istanbul rides under $300, many in the $220-$275 range. Most of the Bosphorus rides are in the $275 to $350 range. That makes them similar in cost to the high end stuff that Zildjian, Sabian and especially Paiste puts out. The three crashes I just bought were cheaper than anything I could have bought from them. $140, $152 and $168.

but these cymbals certainly aren't for the kids who bash their cymbals until they break. They are for the people like this other drummer that I know who has been playing his Zildjian A's for 20+ years - no cracks, no breaks - because he either knows how to hit a cymbal, or he doesn't hit it so hard that it can't take the stress. For someone like that, a set of Istanbuls or Bosphorus might be a large output of money to begin with, but over the long haul would be a sound investment.

I thought the same thing and was a little leery of them, having just cracked an A Custom. When I talked to Tony over the phone, he assured me that even though he is a percussion major from Berklee in '93, and gigs nearly every night with some sort of group, he still whacks a cymbal wrong, several times a night. And he plays the thinnest of cymbals on his jazz gigs, and he's never cracked a cymbal. And he says he's never had one come back to him. He's got a hell of a reputation on Cymbalholic, so I'm gonna take his word on that. Looking at mine, they are thick. Thicker than anything I'd dream of buying or playing from Zildjian for fear of what they'd sound like. But I told you what these sound like, and how they respond. I talked to Tony about that, and he said it's because of the difference in the malliablility in the metal. He said the Zildjians and others are harder, or stiffer, and don't respond as well to the stick. These are a little softer. I don't know if that's true or not, cuz I'm not a metalurgist, but there's definately something going on there.

[Kanbasher]

How refreashing it is to read a thread about different cymbals with more than one response that isn't about Saluda's...

[another_jake]

Well, variety is the spice of life.

[bluesman]

How refreshing it is to read a thread about different cymbals with more than one response that isn't about Saluda's...
say what????? you mean there are other brands of cymbals that exist BESIDES Saluda? SAY IT AIN'T SO! :-)
Kanbasher-you keep this up Bro, and the "COS" will hunt you down and eliminate you!

[another_jake]

Bill Cosby?

[Ghost]

i love their chinas...

I'd say Istanbul is probably the closest you can get to that old K sound w/o paying ungodly sums of money... when i'm plaing jazz or blues these are definately my first pick...

[drewpyperc]

I just bought a pre-split Istanbul 18" crash/ride off ebay for $115. Helluva deal, because this thing sounds like buttah.

I also bought a Sabian HH Dry Raw Ride. It's a little dry for me, but the bell on this thing will kill small animals. I think I'm going to really enjoy it after I get used to it.

I can echo your sentiments about the Istanbuls, though. I went to Fork's Drum Closet in Nashville a few months ago, and tried out about 15 pairs of hats. The ones that rose above all the others for me were the Istanbul 14" Traditionals. If I had the cash at the time, I would've been an impulse buying fool.

[another_jake]

Yeah, my next hats are going to be Traditionals too. Nice deal on that pre-split! How's it sound?

[munich]

Yeah, my next hats are going to be Traditionals too. Nice deal on that pre-split! How's it sound?

"I just bought a pre-split Istanbul 18" crash/ride off ebay for $115. Helluva deal, because this thing sounds like buttah. "

Hm, how does butter sound when hit with a stick?
Flap?

[bluesman]

"I just bought a pre-split Istanbul 18" crash/ride off ebay for $115. Helluva deal, because this thing sounds like buttah. "

Hm, how does butter sound when hit with a stick?
Flap?
I dunno...but that term "buttah"....it's a very good thing :-)

[another_jake]

Hm, how does butter sound when hit with a stick?
Flap?
Sweet cream or margerine?