In the mid-sixties I was the proud owner of a large set of 'Turkish-built', dirty-sounding, 'K' Zildjian cymbals. They were without doubt the strongest cymbals that I'd ever owned, and literally took a great deal of stick from me without any adverse affect. This was something of a feat in those 'un-amplified' years when the only way to increase volume was by hitting harder! Anyway, aside from this, what I remember most vividly about them was their sound, and it all came flooding back once I played these Istanbuls.

Now, my old cymbals came from Istanbul, Turkey which is exactly where these 'new' instruments come from. As a double coincidence, this month's test set could easily have been built by the guys who built my 'K's 20 odd years ago. The story of Istanbul cymbals is interesting, but made slightly more complex by the fact that the people who create them don't speak a word of English. However, through an interpreter I learned that the two men who own the Istanbul cymbal factory are named Agop and Mehmet. They turn out to be distant relatives of the Zildjians (via old Avedis' branch), and both used to work for that family's old Turkish company before its name and product was moved to Canada along with several of its artisans. (Nowadays, by the way, that North American factory is owned by Bob Zildjian and solely produces Sabian cymbals.)

Anyway to cut the story short, when old Avedis' cousin Mikayel died in 1978 that was the end for the non-American Zildjian products. Of course the Turks carried on making those same sort of cymbals, though they obviously weren't called Zildjians, but it wasn't 'till 1981 that their new company began exporting under the name 'Istanbul'.

Their cymbals are made by hand from an 80/20 amalgam of copper and tin, with a minute quantity of silver. They are first cast into a blob, which can best be described as possessing the shape and physical geography of a cow pat! This blob is then allowed to cool before it's cross-rolled until it becomes a plate. Its centre is then heated and the bell is pressed in.

Eventually it's cold-hammered to thin it out a little in the important places and, if it's deemed necessary, finally planished on a lathe. Once the instrument has been aurally quality-tested it receives the guy who actually made it's signature, just I ike the old 'K's used to. John Hornby Skewes is the company's British wholesaler and he sent along a very comprehensive set of Istanbuls for me to test in the studio.

The 16" and 18" crash cymbals were the instruments which reminded me most of my old ones. They were both sibilant, and complemented each other very well. They were designated thin, but even so their sounds were full-bodied with lots of expensive 'shimmer'. I found their 18" china too be tinny but in the nicest possible way. I couldn't discern too much undertone, and strangely it sounded more or less the same whether upside down, or downside up! Whilst I realise that a 20" thin crash may not be everybody's cup of tea, (or should it be Turkish coffee?) that particular cymbal was my favourite. It was meaty and dirty, but with even more sibilance than the others.

I'd like to have tried a 20" Ride, but the one they sent along was a medium 22". It was definitely the business; even its bell had a 'trashy'sound! It had quite a shallow profile, and the only thing I could fault it on was a tendency to 'blur' towards the extreme edge when I played very fast beats. It seemed to me to be slightly more silvery than any other ride I've played. Their 10" splash sounded unique too. It had an inherent sort of whip-crack about it, yet still with a lot of after-ring. It appeared to be hammered a little differently to the others but this may have been an illusion due to its size. I was impressed by it, but would hate to guarantee its longevity to anybody. You'd really need to handle it with care.

I tried out two totally different pairs of hi hats: 14" Quick beats and 15" Rock. The smaller set had a flat bottom cymbal without a bell, and four holes drilled into it to alleviate the air pressure. It had a typically dirty Turkish tone, although its chick sound was not as prevalent as I'd expected. They were very jazzy though. (For me they'd be improved immeasurably with a slightly more substantial bottom cymbal.) The Rock hi hats fared better. They were definitely louder, strident, and more sibilant, but still with Jazzy overtones. To be honest, I couldn't imagine a Heavy Rocker falling in love with them. The bottom cymbal is traditionally shaped, and this set too would benefit from a heavier bottom.

The profile of all the Istanbul cymbals seems very normal: it's not exaggerated in either direction, and the planishing operation, which cuts the tone-grooves, appears to have been carried out by a finer than usual tool. Hammering is done very sparingly too, but presumably in just the right place.

Now for the bad news. None of these Istanbul cymbals give up their lives cheaply! To put it to you straight, they're decidedly expensive. The 10" is the cheapest at £63; the 16" costs £112; the 18" costs £130; the 18" China is £175; the 20" goes for £152; the 22" is £187; and the hi hats are £187 for the smaller ones, and £205forthe larger.

However, if you're looking for a slightly different, high quality, genuine Turkish cymbal, complete with typical 'trashy' sound, and can afford to pay for it; these Istanbuls are very probably just what you're looking for.

Istanbul Cymbals - RRP: From £63 to £205