The art of Turkish cymbal making dates back to the 16th century, during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The very first cymbals manufactured in Turkey were actually bells, created for use in churches. Later on, as the story goes, cymbals were produced for the Ottoman Army band. In the 20th century, it had become a well established fact that Istanbul, Turkey had evolved into the cymbal making capital of the world. Generations of Master Cymbal-smiths developed, refined and redefined this art in their endless search for perfection, formulating a most musical alloy and developing tried and tested, hand crafted methods. As the 20th century drew towards its close, the traditional Turkish method for hand crafting cymbals had all but been abandoned in favor of the efficiencies afforded by machines and mass production. In 1980, the very first Istanbul Cymbals began to enter the market place. Drummers around the world immediately took notice. What they heard and what they saw was the work of founder Agop Tomurcuk. As the foreman of the original K factory in Istanbul, Master Cymbalsmith Agop Tomurcuk developed his trade, beginning at the age of 9 in the 1950's until the plant's closure in 1978. He started this new venture in 1980, with partner Mehment Tamdeger under the name Zilciler. Shortly thereafter, the legendary name Istanbul was settled on.

In the following years, Istanbul Cymbals became notorious for creating these classic sounds, and drumers listened. During these years, they also developed many completely original, unique, cutting edge designs, while still employing the traditional methods. Many of these inventive designs are in production to this date, such as Turk, Sultan, Vezir, Empire, Ottoman and Pasha. In 1996 Agop Tomurcuk passed away prematurely, as the result of a tragic accident. At this point the company must be split. Agop's two sons Arman and Sarkis would continue to follow in the footsteps of their farther and Mehment would be free to run his own seperate company as he saw fit. Arman and Sarkis Tomurcuk were ready to bring their own fresh ideas, developed in their many years of experience in the business, while still being loyal to the tradition. Both companies would have the benefit of maintaining the respected Istanbul name but they would be distinguished by the names Agop or Mehment.

In the 21st century, the art of cymbal making lives on at Istanbul Agop. Consistant with the theme of integrating new and cutting edge designs with ago old handcrafted technequies, they have introduced many different models. Istanbul Agop is proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of traditional cymbal making. Simply the story goes go. Play the original. Play Istanbul Agop.

Istanbul Agop's own B20 formulation is the most musical alloy ever. The Istanbul Agop alloy is a traditional Turkish mixture that is the result of many centuries of old fashioned, hand-crafted cymbal making which has been handed down and refined by several generations of Master Cymbalsmiths. They take great pride in honouring their legacy and furthering the tradition of this nearly lost art form. Each instrument is a testament to their dedication to this art. There are many imitations but no comparisons.

The Istanbul Agop Custom range includes many series. These unique cymbals careful balance weight with creative lathing patterns to produce perfect results. The Custom range has also recently expanded to allow room for the brand new Azure series.

AZURE
The Azure Series is designed to offer drummers of all styles a cleaner, more focused alternative to traditional Turkish cymbal sounds, while maintaining the musicality that can only be truly achieved with handmade cymbals. The ride cymbals have icy, focused sticking with a smooth, dark wash. The crash has a glassy attack with a dark, balanced decay. Hi-hats are crisp, tight and focused yet light enough for lower volume playing.

SULTAN
Sultans are the kings. The striped lathing patterns provide the sounds of both the Natural and the Dark. The dry un-lathed Turk part limits the sustain, controlling the sound without sacrificing the natural feel and also provides multiple, distinct sticking sounds. The Sultan, just as its name implies, will rule your set up with its versatility and unique sound. The Sultans will sound excellent in any context, from Jazz to Fusion to Heavy Rock.

TURK
Raw and natural. Designed for those who seek something honest, untamed and unrefined, yet exuding class. There is no lathing to soften the complex sounds created by one man and several thousand hits of the hammer.

VEZIR
The Vezir series is very controlled and tight. The traditionally lathed top helps to soften the sound and bring a musical versatility to the un-lathed, raw underside, which helps the cymbal retain dark and fast qualities. The Vezir is extremely versatile and works well with all styles of playing.

EMPIRE
Traditional lathing at the edges with progressively more open lathing towards the centre provides a combination of tight sticking, and a cutting high end. Thin and musical, the Empire series is powerful yet subtle and works well in most musical situations.

PASHA
The Pasha Series is bright and powerful. The combination of a lathed top and un-lathed underside provides a unique combination of tight sticking and strong projection. The roughly lathed edges help to softly control the deeper overtones, allowing them to ring musically. The end result is a cymbal that is tight and controlled yet remarkably powerful.

LENNY WHITE
Developed in collaboration with Lenny, and heavily inspired by the ride he used while playing with Wallace Roney. This ride features combinations of more advanced hand hammering, shaping and lathing techniques giving it a dry, yet cutting, full sticking sound with a thunderous, dark crash.

IDRIS MUHAMMAD
The Idris Muhammad Signature Ride was developed in collaboration with Idris and Istanbul Agop's Master Cymbalsmiths in Istanbul, Turkey. The 22" Ride is medium-heavy in weight, and features an un-lathed, brushed underside and special hammering techniques, which further accentuate the cymbal's dry and dark qualities. These qualities, combined with the cymbal's larger, proportionally thicker bell give Idris' new signature ride all of the dynamic range and musicality that Idris himself is famous for.

MEL LEWIS
Mel Lewis was Istanbul Agop's first endorsee. After his death in 1990 and with the blessing of the family, Mel's chosen cymbals were flown back to the factory and used as models for what would become his signature series. Each detail of every individual cymbal has been taken in with exacting detail and replicated by the hands of Istanbul Agop's Cymbalsmiths. These cymbals are Istanbul Agop's way of paying tribute to Mel's legacy.

AGOP
The Master Cymbalsmith Agop Tomurcuk lived a life dedicated to hand-made craftsmanship and innovation in cymbal design. His small notebook had so many secrets that he only shared with himself, and these cymbals are made according to these exacting specifications. Crafted with only vintage hammers, lathing tools and other equipment from the 1960's Istanbul Agop are proud to call these cymbals the Agops. They were the last project of his life. The Agop signature series are extremely dark, trashy and complex.

SPECIAL EDITION
The Special Edition Series is designed to capture the desirable qualities of two of Istanbul Agop's most sought after Jazz cymbals, the Mel Lewis and Agop Signature Series. Combining a unique, vintage lathing pattern on the top with a very light, Agop signature style lathing on the underside with a unique finishing process, the Special Edition Series combines the dark and complex with a slightly smoother high end and woody stick definition.

The Azure Series is designed to offer drummers of all styles a cleaner, more focused alternative to traditional Turkish cymbal sounds, while maintaining the musicality that can only be truly achieved with handmade cymbals. The ride cymbals have icy, focused sticking with a smooth, dark wash. The crash has a glassy attack with a dark, balanced decay. Hi-hats are crisp, tight and focused yet light enough for lower volume playing.