The most original cymbal that Istanbul has ever made. The master cymbalsmith Agop Tomurcuk lived a life dedicated to hand made craftsmanship and innovation in cymbal design. His small notebook has so many secrets that he only shared with himself, and these cymbals are made according to these exacting specifications.

Crafted with only the vintage hammers, lathing tools and other equipment from the 1960s, these were the last project of his life. The Agop signature series are extremely dark, trashy and complex.

Mel Lewis was the first endorser for Istanbul. After his death in 1990 and with the blessings of his family, Mel's chosen cymbals were flown to Istanbul and used as models for what would become his signature series.

Every detail of every individual cymbal has been taken in with exacting detail and replicated by the hands of our cymbalsmiths. These cymbals pay tribute to Mel's legacy in the best way we know how!

The Special Edition series are designed to capture the desirable qualities of our two most sought after Jazz cymbals, the Mel Lewis and The Agop signature Series.

Combining a unique, vintage lathing pattern on the top with a very light, Agop signature style lathing on the underside with a unique finishing process, the SE series combines the dark and complex with a slightly smoother high end and woody stick definition.