Istanbul Agop Cymbals...HOLY SHIT

[Kroy]

I just had some cymbals re-hammered by Johan and I've been really pleased with the results. He has this ability to 'tune' the cymbals. The overtones are sweet and in tune with each other. I have four Johan cymbals and each one is a pleasure to the ears. The hi-hats he modified (12 inch Zyldian recording hats) have great stick definition. Doubles sound great. I found this with all the hi-hat demos I heard on Johan's site.

Among my current crop of cymbals round my kit (the only one not one of Johan's) is a 22inch Sultan Ride. I really like it but it has some conflictual overtones. This doesn't really come across when I record this ride, and one of the things I like about it is I can lay into it without it building into a wash. But it does stand out among the crowd as being a little out of tune - the others being so beautifully 'in tune.'

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Johan's work.

[Jax]

Originally Posted by toolskid

I WOULD recommend every drummer to check out Johan's work, it's more varied and wide-ranging than Hubbakcs or Spizz's...

Since that is mentioned again, I'll say again that I would if the cost of shipping from the States to Europe + cost of having cymbal work done wasn't exorbitant!

From here, all I can hope for is that eventually Johan Cymbals are sold through a distributor in the States. If they ever go "mass market," let's hope there are NO sacrifices in quality. I doubt he'd let that happen, given his reason for crafting cymbals in the first place.

[chrisso]

This guy seems to have a connection with Johan:
******//www.cymbalcellar.com/

He also seems to have a great stock of other brands.

[Jax]

Thanks for the link. I sent him the following email:

I've heard great things about Johan cymbals and his re-creations. Have you setup a small distribution outlet for Johan in the States, or are the two you have now from personal demo's?

Let's see what he says.

[Jax]

If this guy is legit, then it's good news for drummers here in the States. Here is the reply I got, which he sent within hours of my email to him (hey Johan, can you verify the connection?):

Yes, I've been working with Johan a bit to try to get some here in the
states. He dictates the pricing, but I'm able to offer better shipping

within the US. I let him decide what cymbals / sounds we should try to
sell
here. He's the boss. . . I'm just the website in the US.

If you want to know more, please let me know. I do have a group of
cymbals
coming in soon. What kind are you looking for? I also had someone
recently
contact me to sell a slightly used 22" Ride. . . perhaps that might
interest
you.

How did you hear about me / find me?

Thanks for your message!

Todd

[toolskid]

He's legit Jax!!

the last Johans Todd had sold out real fast iirc !

Originally Posted by Jax

If this guy is legit, then it's good news for drummers here in the States. Here is the reply I got, which he sent within hours of my email to him (hey Johan, can you verify the connection?):

Yes, I've been working with Johan a bit to try to get some here in the
states. He dictates the pricing, but I'm able to offer better shipping

within the US. I let him decide what cymbals / sounds we should try to
sell
here. He's the boss. . . I'm just the website in the US.

If you want to know more, please let me know. I do have a group of
cymbals
coming in soon. What kind are you looking for? I also had someone
recently
contact me to sell a slightly used 22" Ride. . . perhaps that might
interest
you.

How did you hear about me / find me?

Thanks for your message!

Todd

[Jax]

Damn, wish I had the cash right now. I need to work on that...

[Johan VDS]

Originally Posted by Jax

If this guy is legit

He most certainly is, check THIS.

Every now and then Todd will have some cymbals of mine on offer. He's the only one in the US who has.

My cymbals he'll have on offer will indeed be priced the same as the ones you can get through me directly. Still, especially the US audience can benefit from buying from him because his shipping costs to US inhabitants will of course be cheaper than if I ship cymbals to the US.
Still, the amount of cymbals he has (and will have) from me isn't that extensive, so better be quick !

But also check his collection of second hand brand-cymbals. He's got really good prices, his cymbals are in excellent condition and his service and shipping is just awesome.
I think even with shipping costs, his second hand brand cymbals could be interesting to the UK audience.

[chrisso]

Yes, he has a varied and interesting selection.
Excellent prices too.

[brendondp]

Has anyone had any experience with CymbalsOnly.com?

They've got Istanbul, Paiste and my latest crush, Bosphorus...

Good samples and lots of selection.

Anyone?

Cheers,

bdp

[zaczac]

Tony from Cymbals Only was really great to talk to. Very informative and friendly. That said, I didn't end up buying anything, but only because I ended up buying an SG instead.

[lpkyer]

Originally Posted by brendondp

Has anyone had any experience with CymbalsOnly.com?

They've got Istanbul, Paiste and my latest crush, Bosphorus...

Good samples and lots of selection.

Anyone?

Cheers,

bdp

This is where I got mine very good service

[brendondp]

Hey, thanks guys, that's good news.

Cheers!

bdp

[chrisso]

Originally Posted by brendondp

Has anyone had any experience with CymbalsOnly.com?

Yes.
Tony offered me great advice and I ended up buying 3 crashes.
Very good prices and customer service too.

[kodomo]

Hello, I havent written anything on this subforum but this topic interested me. First off I am from Turkey and used to be a drummer and was a sucker for good cymbals.
I am seeing the new lines of cymbals you are talking about but pre 1997 there were (for my taste) actually very good ones. I have some crashes, rides and hi-hats made by Mehmet Tamdeger and Agop Tomurcuk. They are signed as Mehmet Agop. These 2 guys when together were incredible. Then sadly Agop died and they divided. They were the original Istanbul Cymbals, not istanbul this or that.
Those cymbals they did together are as good as if not better than the original Zildjian cymbals. The technique and materials for these cymbals were derived/learnt from Kerope Zilcan (where the K comes from in K series).
This is very typical in Turkey, the info passes from generations to generations, and there are always offshoots from the original factory like in this case.
I ll take em out to hear them once again. Thanks for the recall. Being a electronic music producer I was kind a forgot them, its time to take em out for their beautiful sound.

[gpiccolini]

being at that:

******//www.gearslutz.com/board/editp...post&p=4702301