Istanbul 14" Mel Lewis Hi-Hat

Group: Hi-Hats
Type: Mel Lewis Hi-Hat
Size: 14 Inch
Series: Istanbul Series
Weight: Top: 840g / Bottom: 1050g

Top: 857g / Bottom: 1054g

Years of production: 1995 - 1996
Sound file: Istanbul 14" Mel Lewis Hi-Hat
Istanbul 14" Mel Lewis Hi-Hat
Istanbul's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "The Mel Lewis hi-hats, 14" in size, would certainly be perfect for use in a jazz context—large or small band. Both sets were viewed had a husky, low pitch, yet they still had a cutting chick sound. The splash sound, especially on the lowest-pitch combination of hats, was very delicate and musical—almost like low-pitched finger cymbals.

Riding on either pair with the cymbals held loosely together was a pleasure, and you could clearly hear a certain "Mel-ness" com-ing through. Although thin, these hats were just a little bit sloppy for quick barks and other short accents. But their positive attributes far outweigh this minor complaint. One concern, though, which was apparent from the get-go, was the inability of the bottom hi-hat cymbal to fit on my DW hi-hat stand. The hole in the cymbal was simply too small to fit around the nylon sleeve of the stand. I then tried both bottom cymbals on a standard Pearl stand and I was just able to get them on. (I had to force one a bit, and thus it had no "play.") I fixed the problem by sanding the sleeve on the stand.

When informed of the problem, George Rose, Daito's CEO, said that he would immediately contact Istanbul and have the holes slightly enlarged. (Hopefully that won't change the sound of future ML hats.) As I mentioned, it's a relatively minor problem to fix and one that may not even be a factor on other brands of stands."

Review written by William R Miller ("Istanbul Mel Lewis Series Cymbals", Modern Drummer, October 1996, pp.36-37)

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