Istanbul Agop
Istanbul Agop's founder, Agop Tomurcuk, was born in Istanbul-Turkey in 1941. Growing up in the Samatya neighborhood of Istanbul, he followed in the footsteps of his older brothers Oksant and Garbis, by beginning work as an apprentice cymbal-smith at the age of 9 at the only cymbal factory in Turkey. Here, Agop learned, and later helped to refine every aspect of the cymbal making process, becoming a master at every process and eventually becoming the chief cymbal-smith, until that company ceased production of their cymbals in Turkey in 1977.
Feeling “like a fish out of water,” after a little over a year spent working various odd jobs, Agop became to determined to continue the Turkish tradition of handmade cymbals on his own. With a little bit of asking around, he was able to locate and buy up much of the equipment and tools he used at his previous company. He rented a small workshop in the Bakırköy-Kartaltepe area of Istanbul, and began to experiment and produce some cymbals with the help of his dear wife, Uskui Tomurcuk. But the limited resources and manpower made things very difficult.
“At the end of the day, my father’s cousin once brought him home by carrying him on his back” explains Agop’s son and now company Co-President, Arman Tomurcuk. Eventually, he was able to set up a small, but functional factory and his older brother, Oksant joined the company as chief cymbalsmith. They began by selling cymbals locally to some music stores in Istanbul’s Tünel area, but the prospects of this were limited.
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Istanbul Agop Xist 17” Dry Dark Crash
Modern production techniques combined with traditional by hand cymbal-making processes bring drummers a diverse selection of sounds from classic to innovative and distinctly modern designs to cover every style of music. Learn More -
Istanbul Agop 19" Traditional Crash Thin
Responds quickly. Low and dark characteristics with a musical sound Learn More -
Istanbul Agop 18" Traditional Crash Medium
Versatile and full sounding crash, with a longer sustain Learn More -
Istanbul Agop 08" XIST Natural Splash
Modern production techniques combined with traditional by hand cymbal-making processes bring drummers a diverse selection of sounds from classic to innovative and distinctly modern designs to cover every style of music. Learn More -
Istanbul Agop Xist 10" Natural Splash
Xist Splashes are quick and direct responding with a clean attack. Learn More -
Istanbul Agop XIST DRY DARK BRILLIANT HI HAT PAIR 17"
Modern production techniques combined with traditional by hand cymbal-making processes bring drummers a diverse selection of sounds from classic to innovative and distinctly modern designs to cover every style of music. Learn More -
Istanbul Istanbul Agop XIST DRY DARK BRILLIANT HI HAT PAIR 15"
Modern production techniques combined with traditional by hand cymbal-making processes bring drummers a diverse selection of sounds from classic to innovative and distinctly modern designs to cover every style of music. Learn More -
Istanbul Agop 19" Xist ION Dark Crash
A darker, drier take on the Xist Ion Series, the Ion Dark crash has a darker attack with a more quick decay. Remarkably versatile. Learn More -
Istanbul Agop 20" Mel Lewis 1982 Ride
A full sounding ride with warm, lush wash and a woody stick definition. Learn More