Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals – 100% Hand-Crafted Cymbals from Turkey


In an industry that has evolved from making its products by hand to making them via machine in order to ensure consistency, it can be hard to be the one that resists and insists that the original way is still the best way. Technology is changing all the time, and experts think that keeping up with it is the only way to stay relevant. But is that really true?

In the midst of all of this technological upheaval, Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals is one of the few brands that can honestly say that the old way is the best way. In all of the years of change, it has successfully been able to set itself apart by resisting the change and upgrades technology offers and continuing to produce cymbals that are made one at a time by hand and hammer in its home country of Turkey.

The result is a beautiful line of products that consists of cymbals that each contain their own slight variations and characteristics to give each drummer who ones one his own “custom” cymbal. Their philosophy of staying true to their roots has proven to be extremely successful and has given them the confidence to continue doing what they’re doing.

Carl Thomson, USA Artist Relations and Online Media Manager for Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals, joins us in this episode to share the story of how a single brand became two separate companies that continue to respect each other (and even share a similar brand and logo), how an original cymbal factory in Turkey is still used to produce their cymbals to this very day, and what it’s like to try and set themselves apart in a “shared branding” environment.

свернуть