My Kit Build Begins!

Mart61

Silver Member
Well guys, having taken on some of the advice from this great forum, I've decided to splash a little cash on cymbals even before I bought my kit. Don't know if these cymbals are particularly well regarded but, having been in numerous stores and tried out numerous cymbals of many different brands, these were the ones I fell in love with. To my untrained ears they sounded great.

They are Istanbul Mehmet Sultans and I ended up getting them in set form and they are a 20" ride, 16" crash and 14" hi hats. The set cost me around £245.

I hope they're a decent set and the price I paid was OK?

Alas I didn't get to visit any of the factories - there just wasn't the time. We've done a bit of a tour of Istanbul tho and loved the place.

Here's some pics.


Istanbul Mehmet Sultans by grimsbytog, on Flickr


Istanbul Mehmet Sultan by grimsbytog, on Flickr
 
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You made a great choice and you got a fine deal IMO. Nice going. Cymbals are where the smart money goes.

As long as you love them, it matters not what is said about them. (Not expecting anything but raves anyway)

You did good.
 
Cymbals are where the smart money goes.

We all told you, we all told you!

I'm chuffed to bits for you, and doubly chuffed that you went where your ears led you.
 
Thanks for your kind words one and all.

I'd have loved to have gone to the Amedia and Agop factories. Alas this weekend was more about my good lady. She's wanted to visit Istanbul for some time so we have seen the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Galata Tower, saw the Whirling Dervishes and generally had a lovely day.

Bought these cymbals from Senkop Muzik in the end. Was looked after by a very nice guy called Teveth. They had a great cymbal room upstairs and I had a go of lots.

I went with the sizes in the kit as to buy individually including an 18" crash rather than the 16" in the kit would have added a big chunk to the price.
 
You've done VERY well. Not that I'm any kind of role model, but I prefer 16" crashes, meself.

Mr Madge was talking about holidays the other day. I said, "What about Istanbul?" - and he bit!! Not that I have the slightest objection to visiting the must-see sights (and enjoying the food) but, strictly entre nous, I may have an ulterior motive ;)
 
Mum's the word, Madge!

:D
 
Mum's the word, Madge!

:D

"Mum". I rather aim for the Sheila E end of the maternal spectrum.

But yeah, your discretion is much appreciated!
 
Incidentally, you paid a very fair price for those. A few years ago in the UK that would have been possible but Istanbuls have been going up in price. I bought a 20" ride (that I still have) 10 years ago for £140 - you probably wouldn't find that any more. £240 for that set is very reasonable.
 
i have both Galata & Dervish series Amedia cymbals (amongst others). Great to see the inspiration for the series names :)

The price you paid for your cymbal set is stunning, as is the quality of sound you'll get :)

Good luck on the rest of your journey.
 
I didn't know Duncan (BacteriumFendYoke) moonlighted as a dervish.
 
Thanks again for your kind words. Seems I made a good purchase. :D

Saw lots of stuff - too much to list.

Teveth, the guy in Senkop, reckoned I'd be better off with a set of Mapex Mars drums rather than the Yamaha Stage Customs. He reckoned they were as good as the Yams but for less cash. Any thoughts?
 
LOVE the other photos, and would appreciate seeing more of your visit if you are so inclined. You did some very nice photography.

The dancing girls are really ugly, but the photo is great! :) :) :) :)

GeeDeeEmm
 
Teveth, the guy in Senkop, reckoned I'd be better off with a set of Mapex Mars drums rather than the Yamaha Stage Customs. He reckoned they were as good as the Yams but for less cash. Any thoughts?

One man's opinion. There are a million of them. I'm sure he had nothing but your best interests at heart. I'd probably agree with him too. Mapex makes some warm sounding drums.

The point is, the only thing that matters, is your opinion of the drums.

Make the drums an emotional purchase. The more you want them, the better. Pretend you're picking out a wife. One who really turns you on. Take your time and sample the flavors. Make a list of kits that intrigue you and seek them out and take sticks to them. (Bring a drumkey)

You can get 900 different tones from the same drum, so keep that in mind when you play all the crap tuned drums out there. Get a finish that you just love, with a tone that trips your trap, bam, job done.

Then you go home and tackle the REAL reason you go through all this hassle, to PLAY them and improve yourself as a drummer, and by default, a person.

You may be the first person in DW history to take the advise given in such a timely manner. You're either highly gullible or highly intelligent lol. I'm just funnin ya. You did good man
 
I agree with Larry: play the drums you want first. If you find two sets you love... try them out blindfolded, to really see what sounds better to your ear.

Gorgeous cymbals by the way, those will keep you quite happy!
 
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