Soultone Vintage Old School 1964

Roscoe Joe

Member
I'm interested in '50's/'60's jazz. What are your thoughts on Soultone Vintage Old School 1964? Also intetested in other brand series for the style.
 
I'm interested in '50's/'60's jazz. What are your thoughts on Soultone Vintage Old School 1964? Also intetested in other brand series for the style.

I have a lot of issues with Soultone - but that primarily from a business standpoint. So I really don't know about that series of cymbals to make an intelligent argument for or against them.

What I would say though is that the vintage market is poppin': So I would hop on reverb and actually look at some old Ks and As from that time period and see what you can find.

I play Bosphorus cymbals - which are super steeped in a jazz background and from Bosphorus I can recommend a few great lines for your to check out:

The 20th Anniversary Series: These have a really nice vintage feel that can handle a lot of sounds from jazz to rock and they feel super comfortable:


The Jazz Master - These are a little more crisp and contemporary - but they have a beautiful wash and an awesome crash:

 
I have a lot of issues with Soultone - but that primarily from a business standpoint. So I really don't know about that series of cymbals to make an intelligent argument for or against them.

What I would say though is that the vintage market is poppin': So I would hop on reverb and actually look at some old Ks and As from that time period and see what you can find.

I play Bosphorus cymbals - which are super steeped in a jazz background and from Bosphorus I can recommend a few great lines for your to check out:

The 20th Anniversary Series: These have a really nice vintage feel that can handle a lot of sounds from jazz to rock and they feel super comfortable:


The Jazz Master - These are a little more crisp and contemporary - but they have a beautiful wash and an awesome crash:

Thanks for that. I've been starting to explore Bosphorus, so I appreciate the input.
 
I Love Soultone Vintage old school 1964 hi hats. They are IT for me. I have 4 pairs. I can't speak intelligently about the other 1964 offerings, hi hats are the only 1964's I have... Been playing Soultones since 2011. I never had a problem with Soultones. Quite the opposite, I really dig them.
 
I own one Soultone Cymbal (18" Custom Series Flat Ride) and I like it a lot. Here is the thing that makes me wary about not only Soultone, but all Turkish brands in general:

First off, there are only a handful of cymbal foundries in Turkey (I'm not for sure, but people in the know I have talked to all agree it's less than 10). Look how many Turkish brands of cymbals there are. That means many of the Turkish brands are "Seconds" or "Thirds" of a bigger brand (I know Hearbeat cymbals are a second of Bosphorus??). Still fine cymbals, but is it really that much different/better/worse than a "first" from that foundry? And all the Turkish branded cymbals are roughly at the same price point. I'm not sure I want to pay "full price" for a second or third. Yes, they are still premium, hand hammered, B20 bronze cymbals that sound great, but still, it kinda makes you think just what are the differences between all these companies?

Secondly, and this kind of ties in with my first point above, is that almost all of these Turkish brands have HUGE catalogs. Soultone has 14 different series (or lines) of cymbals, each with a full "run" of sizes for rides, crashes, hi-hats, chinas etc. Amedia Cymbals has 34 different series of cymbals! 34! Not only is that overwhelming to the consumer, but many of the differences are so subtle between the lines that it clouds the picture even more. It would be one thing if these Turkish companies had a few budget lines, a few intermediate lines etc. But they don't. All of their lines are pro level, B20 bronze cymbals. And all of those lines have a full range of sizes to boot. To me, it's kind of like "what's the point"? Do you really need 34 different series of cymbals that all (more or less) sound the same? It's like going to a restaurant and having nothing but burgers on the menu. 34 different burgers, all of them have buns, meat and cheese, but some have leaf lettuce and others have romaine lettuce.

Anyway, despite my rant above, the key, as always, is finding what YOU like. If that's the sound you dig, then by all means go for it! Just know, as I've stated above, there is a metric crap ton to choose from in the Turkish cymbal market.

Edit: I'm not saying anything bad about any of the Turkish companies. I've never heard a bad cymbal from any of them. Nor am I trying to discourage Roscoe Joe (or anyone else) from buying them. Personally, I just think their huge catalogs of all hand hammered B20 cymbals is overwhelming to me, and probably to most of us, especially when each line of cymbals is just a smidge different than another line. Again, using my restaurant analogy, it's like serving 34 chicken entrees where each is prepared exactly the same each time, just the vegetables and starch are different with each one.
 
Last edited:
Damn. Back in the early 60s when I bought my cymbals the only real choice was Zildjian. Music store clerk would then show me my choices. Ride, crash, and hi hat. Paiste wasn't around yet. At least not where I lived. Choices were simple. You chose a couple rides and tested them. You picked the one you liked best. Same for crashes, and hi hats. Easy. Now, there are zillions of brands, sub brands, "series", rock cymbals, jazz cymbals, cymbals made so specific that you can ask for and buy cymbals made especially for elephant metal music, My advice is transcend the marketing hype, try a bunch and pick what YOU like, NOT what you're told should be used when playing Taiwanese modern jazz in 12/8 time.
 
Well, the truest 50s/60s sound I know of are Cymbal & Gong... which I happen to sell.

They're manufactured in Turkey to traditional specifications. Basically a Portland drummer took some old cymbals to Turkey, found some great smiths, and had them copy them-- he had to talk them into it, because they don't really make them that way any more. Quality and consistency are excellent. I recently played about fifteen 20" jazz rides when picking a cymbal for myself, and there wasn't a single dog. I could have just taken one at random and have been equally happy with it.

You can check them out here. Shoot me a note if you'd like to know more. A couple of guys on the forum use them-- @Swissward Flamtacles and @Griener.
 
I've owned quite a few cymbals over the years: 60s Zildjian A, Constantinople, Zilco, Zanchi, Sabian Jazz Ride, Mehmet Jazz, Amedia Galata.
None of them were bad and some very good. Most of them cost more or less $100 used, so that would be a rather cheap starting point if you want to buy single used cymbals and don't mind mixing a bit.
If you want new and don't care for lurking on ebay constantly to find more cymbals to complete your set, I can definitely recommend C&G a lot. It was the first time, I bought a set of new cymbals and they were definitely worth it to me.
The web site seems to be down, unfortunately. @toddbishop Do you know about this issue?
 
I don’t know much about soul tone minus the fact they offered every one and their brother an exclusive endorsement deal where you save Like 10% on cymbals and have to sign an exclusivity agreement for 2 years or owe back any discount.

lol it’s a scam
 
Some of the brands mentioned I've never heard of & I'm kind of limited as I live in Australia. I looked at Dream, for example, but they don't have a distributor here. Even Soultone I have to buy through Amazon, so can't try before I buy. Fortunately, there is a distributor for Bosphorus here, so it's my first brand steps away from Ziljian & Paiste.
 
Soultone are made at the Masterworks foundry. As far as them possibly being seconds, I don't know. I got mine used in a cymbal set that was being sold by a retiring drummer. That's how I was first exposed to them. I loved the Vintage series hi hats I got with the set and sampled the 1964 hats and that was what I wanted in a hi hat.
 
Soultone are made at the Masterworks foundry. As far as them possibly being seconds, I don't know.

Masterwork originally made all of the Buzin (pre-Soultone) cymbals, and is now one of three foundries making cymbals for Soultone.

As with most cymbal brands, many of the Soultones sound nice. And I always advise buying the cymbal that sounds good to your ear. But you first need to hear a cymbal in order to do that, and unless you can find honest sound files of the exact Soultone you'd be buying, you won't be able to find them at many stores to try them in person. Also, Soultones are needlessly pricey, and I don't think they hold much of their value on the used market.

For those reasons, the OP should really try to audition cymbals in person, and I suggest leaning towards a mainstream brand. Used is also a great way to go, and it's possible to stumble upon a genuine '50/60s Zildjian or Paiste at a much better price than new.

Bermuda
 
Masterwork originally made all of the Buzin (pre-Soultone) cymbals, and is now one of three foundries making cymbals for Soultone.

As with most cymbal brands, many of the Soultones sound nice. And I always advise buying the cymbal that sounds good to your ear. But you first need to hear a cymbal in order to do that, and unless you can find honest sound files of the exact Soultone you'd be buying, you won't be able to find them at many stores to try them in person. Also, Soultones are needlessly pricey, and I don't think they hold much of their value on the used market.

For those reasons, the OP should really try to audition cymbals in person, and I suggest leaning towards a mainstream brand. Used is also a great way to go, and it's possible to stumble upon a genuine '50/60s Zildjian or Paiste at a much better price than new.

Bermuda
Yeah, I like to try before I buy. It's how I got onto Bosphorus. I've used Zildjian crashes & rides & Paiste 2002 hats for decades as they were my first (2nd hand). I've only now gotten into a position where I can start exploring other brands.
 
Back
Top