From time to time I will do product reviews of drum/percussion products that I either own, or have tried enough to have an educated opinion about. Today I will be reviewing an Istanbul 17″ Dark Crash cymbal that I picked up a few days ago. Check it out!
Istanbul Dark Crash
Aint it purdy! Anyway I was on the lookout for a cymbal with a fairly dark, complex tone and I definitely found it in this crash. I actually have ulterior motives for this particular cymbal, as I will be using it in a set of 17″ hi-hats instead of as just a crash. I work with a lot of singer/songwriters, and am always looking for soft, beautiful textures to bring to their music, and this will definitely help me achieve that. The name of the cymbal is fairly self-explanatory. It has a reasonably dark tone for only being 17″ and decays moderately quickly (which is exactly what I want for a hi-hat cymbal.) It’s punchy and has great response and attack, and gets out of the way fast. In a hi-hat situation, it is texturally much more delicate than a standard 14″ hi-hat set, and can definitely bring a great feel and tone in a musical situation. Below is a short recording I took of the cymbal so everyone can hear what it sounds like.
Sounds great right?! You could use this cymbal in many different styles of music, but It would probably sound best in a rock, pop, or folk rock/singer/songwriter context. Below theres a listening example from The Killers’ latest record “Day and Age.” On this record, drummer Ronnie Vannucci uses a set of 18″ crashes as hi-hats that sound amazing! This should give you a great idea of what the crash/hi-hat concept can bring in a musical situation. Enjoy!
