Istanbul Agop Picture-Fest

Stan you have no idea how jealous i am of you. If i ever invest in a full on jazz set i'm going to get...

22" Agop Sig. ride
15" OM hats
18" and 20" Epoch crashes.

Mmm, i can hear it now...

Yes that would make for a nice dandy combo Cottontop!

Don't be jealous my cymbal insanity is quite the craziness to deal with for my poor wallet LOL!
 
Gruntersdad buys ticket to Vancouver BC...Stalks Stanley....catches him at a laxed moment where he only goes to the store around the corner..... stealthily enters Stans
domicile...collects a few pies....departs before being caught by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police....close call. Back to the Florida sun.
 
Here's an overhead shot of my kit (L-R): 14" Traditional Mediums (938g/1136g), 18" Traditional Dark, 22" Traditional Jazz Ride (2760g), 22" Traditional Dark Ride (appx. 2500g). Not pictured is my 17" Traditional Medium Thin and 21" Sultan Ride (for sale in the Classified's thread if interested).

For the singer/songwriter stuff I play, the Dark Ride usually takes the main slot. Last month I had Tony at CymbalsOnly.com order a slightly heavier ride for my rock gigs... they sent us a Jazz ride that had been discontinued a while back. Nice to see one of those make a comeback :)
 

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I have finally become part of the family!!! I picked up this beauty on ebay.

Had a crack that was repaired. I took a chance and couldnt be happier. It is a perfect match for my go to cymbal- an 18inch zildjian A thin crash. I am not a hard hitter so I believe this baby will be with me for a long time.

I dont know much about it-- 17inch Rock crash- Has the Instanbul logo but pre- Agop.

Both Agop and Mehmet have signed the inside of the bell- Was hoping someone out there could give me a little info?

Thanks guys

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I have finally become part of the family!!! I picked up this beauty on ebay.

Had a crack that was repaired. I took a chance and couldnt be happier. It is a perfect match for my go to cymbal- an 18inch zildjian A thin crash. I am not a hard hitter so I believe this baby will be with me for a long time.

I dont know much about it-- 17inch Rock crash- Has the Instanbul logo but pre- Agop.

Both Agop and Mehmet have signed the inside of the bell- Was hoping someone out there could give me a little info?

Thanks guys

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That's pre-split, which happened in 1997 when Agop died. Two companies formed as a result... his sons (Sarkis and Arman) formed Istanbul Agop in their father's legacy, and Agop's brother started Istanbul Mehmet.

I can't see the pictures since I'm at work, but I'm sure it's a great find! I'll check it out when I get home.
 
Without seeing the hard stamp i'll ballpark this pre-split Istanbul based on the size and color of the ink logos top and bottom at being from around the 1987-1992 production period.

Yes Agop died tragically in a boating accident in 96. The original company was split up in two with Arman and Sarkis {the two son's of Agop} forming Istanbul Agop at that time. Mehmet carried on at the original pre-split Istanbul factory with the other company in the mix called Istanbul Mehmet which still produces its own handmade Turkish cymbals we still see today.
 
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I tried to take a pic of the stamp- my camera couldnt take a good picture.

States- hand mand in Turkey- with Tumorturk ( I know I'm spelling that wrong but I'm at work doing it from memory)

No date -as far as I can see
 
I tried to take a pic of the stamp- my camera couldnt take a good picture.

States- hand mand in Turkey- with Tumorturk ( I know I'm spelling that wrong but I'm at work doing it from memory)

No date -as far as I can see

Yes the pre-splits have the Agop Tomurcuk and Mehmet Tamdeger full names in the cymbals hard stamp. The design of the hard stamp changed over time as well as the color and such of the ink logos on these original Istanbuls. These two elements combined are the best {and only way} to narrow down an actual production date time line on them.
 
Sweet!- So I'm in the club! Not the young hip swingers section but hanging with the oldies!!!


I'm very happy- For me, I think I've found myself a gem!
 
I just bought some 15 Om hats and a 25th Anniversary ride. I am waiting for 8 (!) Om crashes to pick the one for me. Can't wait to start testing! :)

cheers
Max
 
Here's a couple i've had for a while I just got around to photographing.

First up a 24" Agop Signature ride at 2345g...yes 2345 grams for a big 24" ride folks!

The stick sound heard on top and ultra dark overall vibe and trashy quick explosive crash of this pie heard in the flesh will blow your mind. The ultimate true CRASH/ RIDE in my books doing both REALLY well though not marketed as such a cymbal by the company.

The other seen next is my Agop Signature 18" Flat Ride. This one has been heard on several of the tracks of the Delta Quartet {Jared Burrows and friends} I posted in a link to Jared's website in the recent studio recordings thread. Here the link to the music again for those who missed it to hear this 18" flat in action in context:

http://jaredburrows.com/music/delta_quartet

YouTube clip featuring it on the track "Dinner with John" from the summer recording session:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sjdjF2nnEM

Very nice sounding 18" flat with a great clear stick click sound combined with some bacon sizzle in the dry dark wash.
 

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It's my first real ride cymbal and it's a 20" Istanbul Agop Alchemy Rock Ride :)

I just love it, I can't stop myself playing it! You've got to love ebay for bargains!

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Hi guys... some nice agops here.... Not planning on buy nothing but turkish pies. My first agop pie where a 13" sultans hats, wich i really liked, but sold to pick up this babies...

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Right now, i'm playing bos, masterwork's, turkish, byzance's but gotta love these greenlogo isti's

Cheers from Chile
 
Hi Stan

how do you love your OM ride? How would you describe it? I'm thinking about getting
one of these beauties!! Funny thing is, though I like all the video and audio samples
I hear, I don't dig Cindy Blackman herself's sound very much, she seems to bash it
quite loud.

Is the 20" crash rideable, or is it too thin?

By the way, is this dark wood furniture thing on many of your pics a piano?
 
Has anyone played the Agops alongside the Mehmets? I am curious as to how similar or different they are to each other.
 
I just bought a 22" Mehmet Radiant Rock Ride and it's the best damn sounding ride I have ever played. I love it and I will never let it go
 
Hi Stan

how do you love your OM ride? How would you describe it? I'm thinking about getting
one of these beauties!! Funny thing is, though I like all the video and audio samples
I hear, I don't dig Cindy Blackman herself's sound very much, she seems to bash it
quite loud.

Is the 20" crash rideable, or is it too thin?

By the way, is this dark wood furniture thing on many of your pics a piano?


First up it's a old upright piano used for my shots Matthias......

I really love the sound of the complete OM cymbal family and I would consider the 20" as an excellent larger dark and explosive full on crash that fits well in acoustic instrument based music. It does function too as a nice light ride with the right stick and touch but it really shines as a crash to my ears from my experience .

Here's a very good video I came across this weekend of the 22" OM played with good dynamic playing skills with a wide variety of stick choices that delivers the vibe and character they have going on for acoustic jazz work. Nice cymbal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg2CYtt9wU4
 
Stan:

God bless you and lovely cymbal collection. I'm delighted reviewing your pictures and learning from your comments, from now on I will call you - Ata Istanbul Agop (Father of Istanbul Agop).

...by the way, now I have my 24" Paiste Giant Beat Ride!

Cheers,

Ian
 
Here's a very good video I came across this weekend of the 22" OM played with good dynamic playing skills with a wide variety of stick choices that delivers the vibe and character they have going on for acoustic jazz work. Nice cymbal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg2CYtt9wU4
Thanks for the link, excellent! Think I'm gonna get me one of these!! Apart from the 20"
OM crash, what would you recommend as a complimentary smaller ride to the 22"?
I mean it's personal of course, but as the Ata Istanbul Agop (hehe) you surely have
the experience and the ear for those cymbals!
At the moment I'm using a Sabian Encore 21" as a left side ride, but I think it's quite
a different kind of sound and I doubt it will match the 22" OM well...
 
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