Reviews
"Another delicate and dry cymbal, but with more wash and finesse. These have your most expansive range of uses. Great for jazz, and if you like a darker and more defined ride sound. With lots of stick definition and controlled sustain, these cymbals sing. A great crash that decays quickly makes them great for live settings and recording." - Nick Cesarz
"You’ll notice that all the cymbals in the Istanbul Agop Signature have a darker appearance. This appearance is typical of dry cymbals, and these are some of the driest cymbals you’ll find in Istanbul Agop’s lineup. However, I found them to be quite warm as well, giving you a fantastic blend of the two qualities. You’ll find much drier cymbals from other brands, whereas these are a bit more universal in their use. The cymbals are hand-hammered, so they’re highly responsive to dynamic playing. The lightest touches will bring out the purest tones, which is an incredible quality." - Brett Clur
"Exceptional cymbal, raw finish, warm and dry sound. Good overall balance, very interesting bell, however be careful not to get carried away by the resonance of the cymbal which can cover the stick sound. With good control, you will lose yourself in its depth and in its jazzy tone that it fills perfectly." - P Labreuche
"The signature line in general is extremely thin, dark, low, washy, warm, and complex. This cymbal is exactly that. It can work as either a ride or a crash depending on your needs and takes up a lot of space without being too overpowering. This makes it great for low volume acoustic settings like jazz and singer songwriter gigs. But I think this cymbal can also bring a unique voice to a pop or rock gig. This is a very unique cymbal, it's on the washy side for a ride, and on the quiet side for a crash. The 21" ride is very low pitched. If you're using it as a crash, you'll need to pair it with an extremely low pitched/dark ride to keep this cymbal from getting lost. If you're using it as a ride, you'll need to play it very softly in order to get an articulate stick sound." - Luke O.
"If you like a ride with a strong bell and a lot of ping, you're in the wrong place here. The Signature ride cymbals have a good stick definition, but there is always a very present portion of wash mixed in, which can also lead to crash-like sounds when played more vigorously. Struck at the edge, a relatively short, hissing, dark crash sound is heard. The bell sounds very subdued. The ride cymbals are also fun in a jazz context, but due to the overall very deep pitch, they could lack some presence in a musical context." - Christoph Behm
"The reason we now have a model that's the Agop Signature with green logos is that was Agop's favorite color. So Arman and Sarkis' dad loved green and thought it looked nice on the cymbals, so that's how he liked to make them. After he passed away, they made that Agop Signature series cymbal from a collection of notes he had from cymbal construction, like "How to Make the Perfect Jazz Cymbal" based on feedback from a lot of drummers he had worked with through the years, some of whom are endorsers, some of whom are just really great drummers who visited the factory. Lots of guys, jazz musicians, would pass through Istanbul all the time and they would often stop and visit the factory, check out some cymbals, buy some cymbals, offer feedback. Agop always meticulously kept record of this stuff, and he would keep the records around. After he died, his sons made the Agop Signature Series from his notebooks, and as a tribute to their father gave the series his name along with the green ink." - Scott Liken
