This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the October 2016 issue, which is available here.

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Bosphorus

20th Anniversary Series Cymbals

A throwback to the ’60s, with musicality and expressiveness at its core.

Bosphorus, one of the leading cymbal manufacturers in Turkey, is commemorating two decades of operation with the new 20th Anniversary series, which comprises a limited range of thin, vintage-style pies. These cymbals are made from the same bronze formula as all other Bosphorus series, and they feature a dark-gray, antique-looking finish and a simple white twentieth-anniversary logo. We were sent a pair of 14″ hi-hats, 16″ and 18″ crashes, and 20″ and 22″ rides to review. (The series also includes 13″ hi-hats, a 17″ crash, and a 21″ ride.)

The Look and Feel of Yesteryear

Since its inception, Bosphorus has focused a lot of effort into recreating the classic warm-sounding and soft-feeling cymbals of the ’60s, which can be found in various series, such as the all-purpose Traditional, the softer Master, and the drier, unlathed Master Vintage. (More contemporary tones are also available in the bright and crisp-sounding Gold series and the raw, dark Turks.)

The 20th Anniversary series sits somewhere between the Master and Master Vintage lines. The cymbals are lathed on top and bottom like a traditional cymbal, but they’re treated with a special process that darkens the appearance to make them look like they’re decades old. They’re not raw and earthy like the Master Vintage, but the bronze isn’t clean or fresh looking either. Swipe away the white logos, and you’d swear these were some pristinely preserved old Ks. Advertisement

The bells on the 20th Anniversary rides and crashes are fairly wide and flat, while the bells on the hi-hats are smaller and steeper. The 16″ and 18″ crashes are thin and flexible. The 20″ and 22″ rides are a little more rigid, with the 20″ being the firmer of the two. The hi-hats have a medium-thin top and a medium bottom. The crashes could be classified as paper-thin, the 20″ ride is medium-thin, and the 22″ is thin.

by Michael Dawson

For the complete review, check out the October 2016 issue, which is available here.