I'm looking for a poor man's version..

rstix

Member
I'm looking for a poor man's version of this cymbal...

it's an Istanbul 22" Mel Lewis ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAvxf89NC3Y

I use this one with my university jazz band and I've grown to love this beautiful cymbal. My only issue is I cannot afford to pay 400+ dollars for one.

What are some poor man's alternatives to getting this sound - great wash - sounds beautiful played at medium - low dynamics and carries a low tone yet very thin and crash-able


Thanks,

Rstix
 
The poor mans version of that cymbal would be the Jerry Lewis ride.

Sorry man I couldn't help myself. You can blame it on Dr. Watso's influence.

I honestly don't think there is a legitimate answer to your question as first off most of us don't know what a Mel Lewis ride sounds like. The only way to get usable suggestions is to record the cymbal, post the recordings here and maybe someone can suggest an alternative based on what it sounds like.
 
I'm not familiar with a 'Mel Lewis" but check out the offerings of Dream cymbals. They make some nice large (22+) dark rides, trying to mimick old K's at pretty low prices.
 
+1 on the Dream stuff, surprisingly great, especially for the money. They've gone after the Turkish market (by way of China) with a vengeance. I've got a 24" Bliss Ride that's sweet and buttery.

Bermuda
 
Alternatively, they do turn up now and then on eBay. The 21" is a little easier to get hold of if you like it, it just has a slightly higher fundamental.

You could also look into the 'Traditional' ranges. They can strike very close to the Mel Lewis cymbals and they're a bit cheaper.

Dream are great, too. Perhaps (in general) not as complex but a similar vibe.
 
The poor mans version of that cymbal would be the Jerry Lewis ride.

Sorry man I couldn't help myself. You can blame it on Dr. Watso's influence.

I honestly don't think there is a legitimate answer to your question as first off most of us don't know what a Mel Lewis ride sounds like. The only way to get usable suggestions is to record the cymbal, post the recordings here and maybe someone can suggest an alternative based on what it sounds like.

Hahaha that's funny right there ;)

What do ya mean you're not familiar with the Mel Lewis ride? It's gonna be dark and smoky, and feel buttery...like all the OTHER rides preferred by the master jazzers. Nothing ever changes.

Too bad there's not a Zildjian Pitch Black version of the Mel Lewis ride ;)
 
I talked with a friend who's the main drummer guy at my local music shop and he explained to me that the reason istanbul's are so expensive is because the demand in the US is little so they keep the prices high to keep up with market - something along those lines.

Anyway, he said byzance is something around the area I'm describing. The istanbul's are great for jazz vocal stuff/ small bead drum tip use like erskine sticks and such, but using 5As on that ride and the sound kinda gets lost.

I tried the 22" byzance sand ride today too - wooo weee - i think i'm going to save up dough for one of them
 
Most anything you are going to find in that relm will be in that same price range. For instance, the 22" KCON KW Bounce Ride, is also supposed to be a copy of the Mel Lewis ride Kenny Washington has been using. Its is the same weight and sonic range as the Agop ML Ride.

A poor man would get a used 22" K, 2400-2500 grams, and have it sent out to Saluda or somebody to get the special hammer clusters Zildjian puts in that KCon. The 21" version Agop makes is 2150-2200 grams with two rivets opposite the playing area, 6.5" apart, 1.5" from the edge.
 
I'd say check out Dream as well. However if you can I'd go someplace where you can really try them out as they vary quite a bit from cymbal to cymbal. I'd suggest making a trip down to Dallas, TX and go to Lone Star Percussion. They'll let you head back to the warehouse and just try everything they got.
 
Dream's are great cymbals, most of the cymbals in my kit are Dreams. However, I'm not too sure you'll get a sound THAT dark from a Dream. Their darkest series is the Bliss line I believe? And I played a 22 Bliss Ride when looking for a ride myself, and it certainly wasn't as dark as that. Although this was over a year ago, so my memory might be out
 
have any of you guys heard the byzance 22" big apple ride? I'm going to try it out tonight - a friend wants to sell it to me for $300 - I was wondering if anyone had some experience with that special jazz byzance ride

Rstix
 
I was on a trip though Missouri last year and in Lebanon there was a music store with a ton of Dream cymbals. They had some 22" Bliss Vintage that did that old dark deep thing.
 
have any of you guys heard the byzance 22" big apple ride? I'm going to try it out tonight - a friend wants to sell it to me for $300 - I was wondering if anyone had some experience with that special jazz byzance ride

Rstix


The Meinl Byzance big apple was going to be my suggestion for a (slightly) poorer man's Mel Lewis. I haven't heard one live yet, but the samples on mycymbal.com sound great to my ears.

Rstix, let us know what you think about it!

radman
 
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