Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis, Signature and Artist Cymbals
© Copyright 2008 Cymbalism Music ® All Rights Reserved
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The History of Istanbul Agop
The art of Turkish cymbal making dates back to the 16th century; the time of the Ottoman Empire. The very first cymbals manufactured in Turkey were actually bells, created for the use in churches. Later on, as the story goes, cymbals were produced for the Ottoman Army band. In 20th century, it had become a well-known fact that Istanbul, Turkey had evolved into the cymbal making capital of the world. Generations of master cymbalsmiths developed, refined and redefined this art in their endless search for perfection. They formulated the most musical alloy, developed and tested hand crafted methods which have been used for centuries. As the 20th century drew towards its close, the traditional Turkish method for hand crafting cymbals had all but been abandoned due to the efficiencies and mass production facility provided by machines. In 1980, the very first Istanbul Cymbals began to enter the market place and the drummers around the world took notice immediately. What they heard and what they saw was the work of our founder, Agop Tomurcuk, who had been developing his skills since the age of 9 and had worked at the original K factory in Istanbul as the foreman until the factory''s closure in 1978. He started this new venture in 1980, with his partner Mehmet Tamdeger under the name ‘Zilciler'. Shortly thereafter, the legendary name Istanbul was founded.
In the following years, the name of the brand; ‘Istanbul Cymbals' became glorious for creating those unique and classic sounds. During those years, we also developed many completely original, inimitable, cutting-edge designs, while we were still employing the traditional methods. Many of these inventive designs are in our production-line today, such as Turk, Sultan, Vezir, Empire, Ottoman and Pasha. In 1996 Agop Tomurcuk passed away prematurely because of a tragic accident. At this point the company was being pulled in two separate directions. It was determined that the company must be split. Agop' s sons; Arman and Sarkis continued their way by following the footsteps of their father and Mehmet was free to run his own separate company as he saw fit. Arman and Sarkis Tomurcuk were ready to bring their own fresh ideas by using their experience which they had gained in many years in the business, while they were still being loyal to the tradition. Both companies would have had the benefit of the well-respected ‘Istanbul' name but it was distinguished by the clauses ‘Agop' and ‘Mehmet', which can be seen on respective logos.In the 21st century, the art of cymbal making mentioned with the name Istanbul Agop, as it is one of the few firms which manufacture hand-made cymbals for generations. We have recently introduced the Agop Signature Series, a tribute to our founder. By being consistent to the mentality of integrating new, cutting-edge designs with age old handcrafting techniques, we have introduced many different models. ISTANBUL AGOP is proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of traditional cymbal making, as the story goes on.
Play the original.
Play Istanbul Agop.
Alchemy cymbals are the ultimate in handmade Turkish cymbals. Alchemy cymbals are completely hand hammered and lathed producing cymbals with their own unique and individual sound. Alchemy cymbals are then polished to a brilliant finish that look amazing on stage or in the studio. Check out Alchemy out today. You WILL be impressed.
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Signature Samples
The most original cymbal that Istanbul has ever made. The master cymbalsmith Agop Tomurcuk lived a life dedicated to hand made craftsmanship and innovation in cymbal design. His small notebook has so many secrets that he only shared with himself, and these cymbals are made according to these exacting specifications.
Crafted with only the vintage hammers, lathing tools and other equipment from the 1960s, these were the last project of his life. The Agop signature series are extremely dark, trashy and complex.
13" Hihats
14" Hihats
16" Crash
18" Crash
20" Ride
21" Ride
22" Ride
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13" Hihats
14" Hihats
18" Crash/Ride
19" Crash/Ride
Mel Lewis Samples
Mel Lewis was the first endorser for Istanbul. After his death in 1990 and with the blessings of his family, Mel's chosen cymbals were flown to Istanbul and used as models for what would become his signature series.
Every detail of every individual cymbal has been taken in with exacting detail and replicated by the hands of our cymbalsmiths. These cymbals pay tribute to Mel's legacy in the best way we know how!
20" Ride
21" Ride w/Rivets
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14" Hihats
19" Ride
20" Ride
21" Ride
22" Ride
Special Edition Jazz Samples
The Special Edition series are designed to capture the desirable qualities of our two most sought after Jazz cymbals, the Mel Lewis and The Agop signature Series.
Combining a unique, vintage lathing pattern on the top with a very light, Agop signature style lathing on the underside with a unique finishing process, the SE series combines the dark and complex with a slightly smoother high end and woody stick definition.
