New Bosphorus Crash

[ECVail]

Sold a 17" Sabian AAX Studio crash. Wanted something darker and more "organic" sounding. So I ordered up an 18" Bosphous Antique Series Medium-Thin crash - 1464g

Tony at Cymbalsonly.com was fantastic as usual.

Here it is (sorry 'bout the bad cell phone pics):

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c114/ecvail/IMAGE_00036.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c114/ecvail/IMAGE_00037.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c114/ecvail/IMAGE_00038.jpg

[Drummer Karl]

Yeah, I`m also thinking about selling my AAX 16" Bright Crash for an Istanbul or so. (And yes, I`m allowed to sell cymbals at least! =)

Very nice, I personally like that mixy sound. dry, earthy qualities...control but also sweetness and a nice wash.

How would you describe yours?

Karl

[pearl_floyd]

looks amazing, how much did it cost you?

[ECVail]

Karl - bummer is I haven't been able to play it yet! I will tonight after work and will update you on the sound. The sound file is still on cymbalsonly.com and that sold me enough to order, but 1st hand impressions are still nonexistant.

The price was $243 + shipping. Right on par with the price a good 5 star drum shop can do on a pro-level brand Z, S or P (well maybe not brand P) cymbal - but worth it in my book to have something completely hand-made and original.

[fourstringdrums]

Very nice! I gave a listen to the mp3 and it sound beautiful. I have a 19" Antique Thin Ride which is a wonderful cymbal as well.

I'm not sure how many people know this, or if you did, but did you notice that your cymbal has two different weights written on it? The weight written at the 9:00 position under the bell is what Bosphorus put from the factor, but Tony said that 99% of the time it's wrong, sometimes as much as 100g. The second weight written at 12:00 in black ink is the weight that Tony wrote is is the actual weight.

Enjoy it!

[ECVail]

I definitely did notice that weight discrepancy. Thanks for the info on that, really interesting that the factory and the retailer could be that far off (100g). A 6g difference is easily explained by variance in equipment, but 100g?

[fourstringdrums]

I definitely did notice that weight discrepancy. Thanks for the info on that, really interesting that the factory and the retailer could be that far off (100g). A 6g difference is easily explained by variance in equipment, but 100g?

Yup, according to Tony. Possible that the scales they have in Turkey at the factory are not very accurate.

[ECVail]

So, I've now had some practice and gig time withe the new Antique series and I'm a little worried. I just have to barely swipe my HHX Evolution or Paiste Sig Full crash to get great sound. With the Bosphorus, a little effort produces a little sound. You have to really lay into this cymbal and I'm a moderately hard hitter. I felt like I had to take an angry swing at it to be heard in the mix (no mics).

Funny thing is, my 15" Antique is very responsive, requiring little effort to make it sing. I know that the 3" difference is significant as far as weight, but I didn't expect this cymbal to feel so clunky.

When you do lay into it - it's got sweet tone. I love the sound of this cymbal, I just don't know if it's going to work for me in the long run as a crash. It may get moved to the left of my hats as a left-side ride. I may try a Traditional Series crash next to get more of that "glassy" quick response, although that really wasn't the goal with this crash, I think it may be what I really needed from the beginning.

[kung_f00]

Well, it may come down to music you play. The Antiques are designed for a little more subtlety than most generic machined cymbals. If you're more of a rock guy, than the Antiques probably aren't your bag. Of course, the 15 is going to cut through better because of it's 'higher pitch'. But Traditionals are probably your best bet if you're playing rock music with a bunch of guys who crank their amps.

I had a similar issue with my Bos Masters 19", it wasn't cutting through as well when I played with guys that had amps cranked, but in a smaller, jazz/club setting it sang. Luckily, I don't bother much with the amp crankers anymore.

[ECVail]

Well, it may come down to music you play. The Antiques are designed for a little more subtlety than most generic machined cymbals. If you're more of a rock guy, than the Antiques probably aren't your bag. Of course, the 15 is going to cut through better because of it's 'higher pitch'. But Traditionals are probably your best bet if you're playing rock music with a bunch of guys who crank their amps.

I had a similar issue with my Bos Masters 19", it wasn't cutting through as well when I played with guys that had amps cranked, but in a smaller, jazz/club setting it sang. Luckily, I don't bother much with the amp crankers anymore.



Yes, I do play with amp-crankers (funky ones) but the expectation I had for this 18" was based on the responsiveness of the 15" combined with the sound files on cymbalsonly.com. While the sound file was fully accurate and a great representation of the cymbal's sound, it didn't (and no way could it have) convey the amount of force needed to produce even a moderately loud crash. BTW - I'm more of a funk-rock guy than a straight ahead classic/hard rock player. There is subtelty in what we play, loud to quiet bridges with jazz/funk feels, shuffles, challenge/response, improvisational noodling and yes, straight ahead, hi-hats wide open 4/4.

I know what the Antiques are "supposed" to be used for. I like using cymbals that are somewhat non-traditional for the type of music I play. I think it adds a unique voice to my playing and maybe someone remembers some hit or groove for being a little different than the average local-bar drummer. Unfortunately, I think I missed the mark on this one for it's original intended purpose. Doesn't mean it won't find a niche in my bag 'o tricks.

[fijjibo]

My very first Bos is coming in the next day or so.

I hope that I will be as proud as you must feel looking at that lovely pair you have there......

Seriously though, If Buddy Rich was Turkish he would be using Antique series, lol

[ECVail]

Guys - just wanted to let everybody know that this cymbal is now on eBay. Jamie at Saluda is selling it. I traded it in for a new Saluda. It's got about 10 hours left on the auction and is pretty inexpensive right now.

This cymbal was only played for a couple of hours and is in basically brand new condition. If you want a great deal on a Bosphorus crash, give it a look:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=150160767739&Category=41445