Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis 1982 18-inch Crash Ride

General

The sound a cymbal produces is largely determined by the material used to craft it and the way it is hammered into shape. Machine-made cymbals tend to sound rather consistent, while hand-hammered cymbals will never sound exactly the same. Even if a cymbal suffers a dent or scratch, the effect can be heard immediately. Mel Lewis, who was a famous drummer and the first of his kind to be endorsed by Turkish cymbal-maker Istanbul Agop, also had his own unique and instantly-recognisable cymbal sound.

The Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis 1982 18-Inch Crash Ride

After his unfortunate passing in 1990, Lewis' family sent his characteristic cymbals back to Istanbul Agop. As a tribute to Mel Lewis, the company then decided to re-create his full cymbal set-up, but not before carefully checking out, analysing and taking note of each detail, big or small. Every little dent and scratch the original cymbals suffered during Lewis' many tours were faithfully recreated and as such, the Mel Lewis signature cymbals sound almost exactly like the master himself. Hand-hammered and made of B20 bronze, this 18-inch crash-ride is already a genuine classic!