Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals- Traditional, Sultan, Radiant, Murathan, Onurhan, Emirhan, Mehmet Legend, Origin, X-perience, Nostalgia,Turk, Vezir, MC Jazz, Tribute, Anniversary, Signature Rides : crash, ride, hi hats, effects
SULTAN ONURHAN EMIRHAN
TRADITIONAL RADIANT MURATHAN
MEHMET LEGEND MIKAEL Z TRIBUTE M.T.60th ANNIV.
VEZIR ORIGIN TURK
NOSTALGIA MC JAZZ61st ANN HAT TRIO SESSION
Rather than rehashing the colorful descriptions of the various lines and models from the IM website - Istanbul Mehmet.com -some of them "lost in translation" from Turkish- I will give you some basic information, subjective impressions, and short reviews here:
The lines can be roughly and somewhat arbitrarily divided into three categories:
Most suitable for Jazz : Nostalgia, MC Jazz, Mehmet Legend, Turk, Vezir, the Tribute and Anniversary Rides, Origin Dark *** Most suitable for Rock: Radiant, Murathan, Funky Rock, Session *** For All Genres: Traditional, Sultan, Onurhan and Emirhan, Origin, Vezir, Mehmet Legend, Legend Dark, Session. The Xperience series conveniently designates Jazz, Metal, and Effect models.
Traditional
Fully lathed, the classic Turkish cymbals, the "Avedis" of IM, with the widest variety of models and sizes: crashes from "paper-thin" to "heavy" weights, 6 different rides, 4 kinds of hats, splashes, bells, Chinas, Pangs, the works...
Sultan
Stripes of lathed and unlathed on top, unlathed bell, lathed on bottom. Among my personal favourites. Great balance of energy and dryness, like good champagne. The crashes tend to be medium-thin to thin, feel light and airy, and have relatively little tonal body with perfect hissssssss ! Terrific in the studio, but loud enough for most un-miked gigs (except Heavy Metal and the like).
Onurhan and Emirhan
Wider stripes of lathed/unlathed than Sultan, more heft , volume and tonal body; nicely "explosive" without being overpowering. Two separate lines w/ different lathing patterns: the warmer, drier Onurhan, and the brighter, more cutting/piercing Emirhan. Crashes tend to be medium-ish: weight- and sound-wise right between Sultan and Murathan. Great all-rounder series .
Radiant and Murathan
The Rock series, highly polished
, mostly heavier, with more tonal body, and louder than other lines ,
cymbals of choice for rockers all over Europe. Radiant
have the classic lathing pattern and are lighter, Murathan
models (raw/polished) are designated specifically for Hard Rock and
Metal (ala "Rude"), can take hard hitting and can be very loud, but
-being handmade Turkish cymbals- they also respond to a softer touch,
and easily shine in other genres. The crashes- medium to full- tend to
have a full-bodied "explosion" with a clean finish, sound and feel
nothing like the clang-y "rock crashes" of the Mac-(dj)ians.
"...Heavy metal thunder.."
Nostalgia 2010
Nostalgia
See independent review at http://www.drumdojo.com/istanbul_nostalga_2.htm . As of 2010 the Nostalgia series has been reworked: a slightly changed
profile with a more gradual transition from bell to bow, and a small traditional logo- all done by Mehmet's "Special Production Team", headed
by the man himself, which now handles all the high-end lines. New: Nostalgia now available in 70s Jazz Rides (smooth bell bridge) and 50s Jazz Rides ("umbrella" profile). These new models are turning out to be very popular (and much more affordable) Old K substitutes . Here are some soundfiles.
And some more.
Mehmet Legend/Legend Dark
See independent glowing review at http://jazztimes.com/articles/14202-istanbul-mehmet-legend-cymbals . "..perfect traditional jazz cymbals.." ( the Mehmet equivalent of Agop's Mel Lewis series), but I happily use the 19" C/R in a rock band setting, and love the precise stick definition over the controlled silvery wash. I also really like the new Legend Dark (2009) series. The rides are sort of "a less wealthy man's" versions of the MT Anniversary Ride (similar lathing pattern, but raw bell, and heavier) .
X-perience
Haven't seen or heard them in person. Pricey. The X-Jazz Mehmet Sign. Dark Series (20" Ride, 14" Sizzle Hats) are a limited edition w/ only 250 pieces per model made.
Origin/Origin Dark A more recent series, the medium weight, fully lathed Origin, and the lighter , jazz-weight, unlathed, heavily
hammered Origin Dark. Beautiful high-end cymbals w/ rich musical sounds. Rides, crashes, and hats available.
Legend Dark Ride
MC Jazz
Yet another gorgeous jazz series, introduced at NAMM 2010. Raw smooth bell, deep dark lathe pattern top and bottom, described as a dark version of the Mikael Z Ride -same profile. Dry, dark. "washy", vintage. 20", 22" Rides, 18" Crash, 14",15" hats. Pricey!
Mikael Z Tribute and Mehmet Tamdeger 60th Anniversary Rides
The cream of the crop: Mehmet's tribute to his former employer and teacher Mikael Zilcan, and his celebration of making cymbals since age nine (they do have child labor laws in Turkey by now). Both rides available in 20" and 22", with or w/o factory-installed rivets. Same profile with a smooth bell bridge. The Tribute Ride is a typical classic smooth and "washy" jazz ride, the Anniversary is darker w/ different, unusual lathing on top, and possibly more versatile in application. They received much praise in DrumMagazine's Soundlab Review (12/09) for refined musicality, versatility, and- yes - "looks". The Modern Drummer Reviewer (7/09) preferred the 20" sizes, and found them to be "the closest replications of old Ks I've ever heard". Here is my two cents: are those babies works of art w/ even more complex overtones than their "lesser siblings"?-
Absolutely. If money is no object, and you are a serious jazz player -especially accoustic trio etc.-and/or collector, go get them. I'll try and discount what I can...If you can't afford to spend half a month's rent on a cymbal, there are other, more affordable choices that won't disappoint ( i.e. Nostalgia, Mehmet Legend). Price Alert: IM has just reduced the price of the Anniversary and Tribute Rides. They are still higher than other series, but not by that much anymore.
Sound files are >> here <<:
Mehmet Tamdegger 61st Anniversary Rides
The Anniversary marketing..um...celebration goes on with two new lines
in fully lathed (20", 22") and unlathed "vintage" versions (18, 20, 21, 22, Jazz hats 14 and 15") .
Hat Trio (Traditional) A great new idea: heavy bottom with removable rivets and two different top alternatives (medium, thin). Covers all bases !
Session
The first new non-jazz-specific series in a while: a blend of Traditional and Radiant with some interesting modifications - extra large "powerbell" on the ride, heavy raw bottom on the hats and extra wide reverse edge on the china. Medium weight, versatile cymbals designed for louder applications. Soundfiles here.