K Constantinople vs Foundry Reserve

Rolltide

Active Member
Two premium cymbals, very expensive , any body have thoughts as a comparison of these great Pies? What else my compare that is less expensive - thx much
 
I had a Constantinople crash: it was meh. I sold it a couple months later.

What I really wanted to get my hands on was a set of Constantinople hats. But it never came to fruition.

now.

I currently own 2 Foundry reserve crashes and a pair of the 15” hats. Could not be happier especially with the hats.

I understand the honeymoon phase and recency bias, etc. but I never even entered the honeymoon phase with the Constantinople.

Had the foundry reserve hats since March, still happier than ever.

I think that the Meinl’s sound better. Probably more versatile than the K Constantinoples, too.
 
Opposite experience of organworthyplayer337. I played K Cons as my main cymbals from c. 2008-2021. They were awesome. If you're new to them it takes a minute to figure them out as they are pretty stiff feeling. That's by design, of course.

I got to play through a big bunch of the Foundry Reserves (I was in the physical location of a prominent online cymbal retailer) and found them to be, well, mediocre K Cons with a good marketing schtick.

But the thing is, really, everything depends on how YOU play and how YOU respond to cymbals. There's no objective best-- the best one is the one that inspires you to play.

Edit: The best way to experiment with K Cons is to get them used. They are still expensive used but if you are patient you should be able to get a 22" for under $350, a 20" for $325, and a set of hats for $350. If you do go that route, I think that it's worth trying to find the newer ones-- post c. 2016 a couple of the models are voiced differently.

The problem with trying to get cymbals like K Cons is that there really aren't very many imitators. The new Agop traditional jazz cymbals are also basically K Con knockoffs but they're also expensive. So I guess it depends on what you're looking for.
 
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Both are hammered so much that there is a lot of variation from one piece to the next. You really have to cherry pick them. One of the best sounding jazz rides I ever heard was a K Con, but then when I went to buy the same exact model, I was not able to find one that tickled me the same way. They were all good, just not “wow” in the way I hoped. By the same token, one of my local shops had a big Meinl event where they got in a good amount of Foundry Reserve stock, so I got to try several out, and some were more exciting than others. There was one that I totally loved, but it was like $600.

As expensive as Agops are, there are enough of them on the used market now that they are a good bet for a somewhat lower price.
 
I can’t speak for the zildjian stuff but I absolutely love my Meinl Foundry reserve hats and 18” crash.

They are just super versatile and beautiful cymbals
 
Oh man....you guys are gettin me ancy to thumb a ride over to YouTube and listen to some foundrys. See ya later.
 
I now use 2 KCon rides as my main crashes. A 22" Medium Thin Low, and a 22" Overhammered Thin. They are huge no doubt, but so lush, dark, and crash like a dream. The OT is much thinner obviously, and is a perfect crash/ride.
 
K Cons were great when they first debuted. But one thing I’ve noticed about Zildjian is how whenever they introduce a new high-end series like the Constantinoples, Keropes, A Avedis, etc., the first batches I see in stores almost always sound terrific. But then a couple years later, all the ones I’m seeing don’t sound as good. Then a decade or more later, they all pretty much sound meh. I don’t know why, it’s almost as if they’re hand making the first ones and then later start mass producing them.

So I used to love K Cons, but not all that much anymore. I have played a couple Foundry Reserve rides at a store—a 22” ride and a 20” Light Ride if I remember correctly—and thought they sounded fantastic. Possibly even better than the original K Cons.
 
One more thing I can say about the Foundry Reserves is that they are extremely consistent.

Didnt have an opportunity to try them out in person so I did a lot of research via YouTube and Memphis drum shop. Across the dozen + 1/2 videos I watched, the crashes sounded nearly identical across sizes. Even Meinl’s demo sounded close to the two that I have now.

also, I love the look of the foundries.
 
Actually the Cons sound better to me now. I got their hat (modern) and Ren 22. 90s-00s they made everything too thick
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely hear some K Cons that still sound good. But it used to be that the vast majority of them sounded great. Now finding a great one seems more like finding a needle in a haystack. Well maybe not that bad, but the majority these days don’t really do anything for me.

Of course your definition of great may differ from mine.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely hear some K Cons that still sound good. But it used to be that the vast majority of them sounded great. Now finding a great one seems more like finding a needle in a haystack. Well maybe not that bad, but the majority these days don’t really do anything for me.

Of course your definition of great may differ from mine.
They did change the hammering and lathe a bit too then if you change the weights too, it's almost like a new line. But this is broad strokes like you mentioned.

I never had any of their larger pies back then so can't comment much but maybe getting a well played Con now will be different too. The Rens came later but I just remember the hats specifically back then seemed a bit more modern sounding for louder settings and the one I have are a bit more softer towards a trad K.
 
Ok..just listened to some foundry reserves courtesy of Memphis drumshop. Crash?mmm no. Ride?..OH YA. Hats? I liked them because they had a nice strong cut even while playing them with the shoulder...THAT is my litmus test.
 
Arguing about whether cymbals are good or not is a bit like arguing whether mustard is good or not-- it's all a matter of taste and what works for you. That said, I've owned a LOT of K Cons and used them on all sorts of gigs. To my ears the post-2016 cymbals are better, more consistent, more versatile cymbals than the early ones. And it's not even close. The only thing I am sad about is that the old Medium Thin Lows made perfect crash cymbals, while the new ones don't. I think the new MTLs are better and more versatile ride cymbals but I liked how the old ones worked as crashes.

I don't know what'll happen now that Paul Francis is no longer with Zildjian, but most cymbal nerds I know think of post 2013 As and post 2016 K Cons as the best Zildjian has done in decades.
 
I´ve had my share of Constantinoples and Meinls and IME you might find what you want for less money in the Byzance line. At one time I had a Con Medium in 20" and a Jazz Big Apple Ride in 20" - I swear they sounded exactly the same. I also sold my 22" Con Bounce because the Byzance 22" Jazz Tradition Ride was extremely close but even better (to me). I´m talking about those specific examples I owned, of course - I´m just saying that there might be no need to pay Foundry Reserve money to get the K Con sound.
(Disclaimer: I no longer own any Z or M cymbals so I´d like to think I´m not biased either way. :) )
 
I am not really fan of either line to be honest . For Jazz gigs I would rather look for something from Istanbul Agop or Bosphorus . I also like the Sabian Artisan light rides more than any K Con or Meinl FR rides . The wonderful thing about cymbals is that there are so many choices that we can really dial in exactly what we want . Something I love may not be something you do .
 
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely hear some K Cons that still sound good. But it used to be that the vast majority of them sounded great. Now finding a great one seems more like finding a needle in a haystack. Well maybe not that bad, but the majority these days don’t really do anything for me.

Of course your definition of great may differ from mine.

K Cons, at the price they sell them, almost all of those I tried in store were not worthy of the price. Especially, like you said, compared to a K custom dark ride, about 200CAD less and equally sophisticated in my opinion. I had a better success by listening K Cons in recording and liking many of them a lot.. they must choose the better ones for recordings..

The one GetAgrippa uses sounds very good in recording, I think it's a renaissance?
 
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