Istanbul Mehmet 19" Legend Dark Ride Sizzle

I try to keep down the volume of my drums (often playing with rods), so I'm always on the lookout for cymbals that sound good but are less ear piercing.

This ride is pretty much optimal in that regard. Its small size and dark character combines to make it very quiet (for a cymbal of course, everything is relative!). It also has a fairly fast decay, which means you can play it very softly without it ringing out too long. You can even crash it softly in a quiet setting, because the crash sound is so dark it doesn't get overbearing.

While this cymbal is very dark, it's not overly dry and dull. There is some shine left in the ride sound, and it doesn't feel like playing a piece of cardboard. It simply sounds like a ride should, only darker and less harsh on the ears. To me this is exactly what I've been looking for, and I'm tempted to check out the larger versions as well.

The individual cymbals vary a lot though! Hand hammered Turkish cymbals aren't exactly standardized products with tight tolerances. The cymbals I tried out ranged in pitch from A to F#, and while they all sounded good, they were also very different.

I kept two of them. One sounds best with the sizzles on, and has a nice "jazzy" shine to it. The other sounds best with the sizzles off, and gives off more of a rock/funk/fusion vibe with less wash and more ping. The second ride has a bell pitched a major third lower than the bell on the first, that's how different they are.

But they're both great sounding and very playable rides!

In my experience, Istanbul Mehmet is even less consistent than Istanbul Agop (otherwise my two favorite brands). They're generally priced a bit lower too, so I assume less care went into them. But even if you never know exactly what you'll get when you order a Mehmet, you're sure to get a good cymbal well worth its modest price.

Einfach ins blaue bestellt. Sowas habe ich lange gesucht. Becken mit Nieten sind selten. Also: das Ride klingt sehr fein - erinnert etwas an das 19" Mel Lewis Ride. Sehr klar definierter Stockanschlag für Ridefiguren, Klare aber unaufdringliche Kuppe. Sizzleeffekt sehr feinfühlig in der Ansprache. Crashsound nie zu laut. Eher ein sensibles Becken für mittlere Lautstärken und darunter. Gut auch mit Besen. Das Becken ist ziemlich dünn und nicht so wahnsinnig laut - sehr gut für kleine Besetzungen - vermutlich nicht so gut für Bigband...

"washy" im Grundton und doch brilliant im Anschlag, eine glockige Kuppe,
schwingt sich niemals zu sehr auf, schöner vollmundig der crashanschlag, -
mein Favourite nach zig Beckentests im Bereich 18"/19" Ride/Crash`s.
Die 2 Sizzles hab ich rausgenommen, - je nach Gig setz ich sie wieder ein.
Sie sind nicht zu laut im Verhältnis zum Grundklang.
Wer mal ne günstige Alternative zu den teuren Meinl Byzance sucht, - antesten!