Just over 15 years ago I invested in a few Istanbul Agop Traditional crash cymbals. They sounded incredible, and seemed like very good value.
Unfortunately within 2-3 years I had to replace at least 2 of them as they formed cracks, and then their cost seemed to go up and up.
I’ve been looking for a good value substitute ever since, and finally I think I’ve found it with the Zultan Z-Series.
I was looking for something that had similar dark, warm and complex sound, with good attack and medium decay, and the Z-Series for me, is on par with Istanbul Agop Traditionals, but far cheaper.
As I’ve only had this cymbal for about 1 week I can’t comment on the quality or durability – time will tell, but I’m hopeful.
To top it off, the cymbal looks great with it’s unique raw/polished pattern.
The only very slight disappointment is that it’s a little quieter than the Istanbul, but it’s not a big deal and still projects well.