Going to Istanbul!

major_panic

Senior Member
Greetings all. So, around Easter, I'll be heading to Istanbul for around three days (and the historical site of Ephesus for two, but that's another story). Because of my fairly limited time, I have very reluctantly ruled out a cymbal factory visit.

I was wondering, however, if anyone here has been there recently, and knows where to go to check out cymbals (and, if it's not a rude question, what prices might be like)? My interwebz research shows that Taksim Square / Istiklal Caddesi seems to be the place for most music stores, but I thought I'd open it up to see if anyone here had any other ideas.

I'm looking forward to hand-carrying a small bag of cymbals home..!
 
I was in Turkey a couple of years ago - not in Istanbul tho - and the main thing to do is to TALK THE PRICE DOWN! That's how they operate down there. Seriously, they get offended if you don't try to talk the price down lol

I came home with a beautiful Istanbul Mehmet 20" for almost half the price I would have paid at home.

Haggle, haggle, haggle!
 
A city I Love. Check out the Grand Bazaar and ask around. They will know someone but they will also know the market value of the good ones.

GJS
 
Hope you have fun. My brother went on a trip to India and just had the time of his life. I'd love to go myself some day.

Make sure you post lots of picture of whatever treasures you bring back.
 
My interwebz research shows that Taksim Square / Istiklal Caddesi seems to be the place for most music stores, but I thought I'd open it up to see if anyone here had any other ideas.

I'm looking forward to hand-carrying a small bag of cymbals home..!

No, your internet research is bang on the money. Istiklal is the place to be. The Bosphorus Cymbals guys used to run a shop along there, not sure if they still do. You could contact them and find out.
 
I "did" Istanbul in 2005, so things may have changed but then;
Taksim square is the place for music stores. 90% of them are congregated in that area. Most had someone that spoke English, or enough to get bye, some that didn't went to the store next door and brought someone who could. There were cymbals everywhere (not much in the Grand Bazzar though). From memory it was (then) about $US120 for a 22" ride.
There was one shop in particular, a tiny little place owned by a local jazz drummer who had a huge range of drum "stuff" in the shop. If he didn't have it he would arrange to get it from the factory.
It was "Drum Club". Very close to Taksim Square.

http://www.theguideistanbul.com/spots/view/1906/drum-club-shop/
Their website doesn't work but their Facebook page does.
I also went to the Bosphorus factory was picked up from the hotel (but had to pay the driver to take me back) and spend a good few hours there, looking at production, playing anything they had on the shelves and for one particular set of hats I want they were out of stock. So I stood and watched as they made two pair (so I would have a choice) from blanks.. that was seriously cool! In the drummer world I'm (and still am) no-body, but I was treated extremely well by Bosphorus. I ended up buying a stack of cymbals (I can't remember how many, but I remember they weighed 25Kgs).

I've been lucky to had done a lot of travel, and to this day Turkey is THE best place I have been!.
Enjoy it
 
Thanks for all the replies so far, everyone - it's funny how one of the most visited cities in the world seems relatively unknown when compared to other cities! I will most certainly be posting photos of what I get here.

Keep any suggestions or comments coming, this is great!
 
Say "Hi!" my ISIS homies for me.

The rock 'n roll, the Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian...

Good times, good times...
 
Greetings all. So, around Easter, I'll be heading to Istanbul for around three days (and the historical site of Ephesus for two, but that's another story). Because of my fairly limited time, I have very reluctantly ruled out a cymbal factory visit.

I was wondering, however, if anyone here has been there recently, and knows where to go to check out cymbals (and, if it's not a rude question, what prices might be like)? My interwebz research shows that Taksim Square / Istiklal Caddesi seems to be the place for most music stores, but I thought I'd open it up to see if anyone here had any other ideas.

I'm looking forward to hand-carrying a small bag of cymbals home..!

Beyoğlu is good place to visit cymbal shops. Just continue walking up from Galata tower and you should see some music shops that sell cymbals. There is one good shop with large cymbal collection called Senkop at side street where I bought three Istanbul mehmet crashes two years ago at very good price.
 
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