Istanbuls will give you that old K sound at a fraction of the price - and there's some pretty good UK distribution on them as well. I'd go for their standard issue - or get experimental and start pairing bigger crashes together.

Yeh I've heard that about the istanbul's. I was thinking of trying the 15" thin hats. Reckon they'd be about right...

Just out of interest, can anyone recommend a model in the zildjian k's?

[COLOR="Green"]Quite honestly, Istanbuls or Bosphorus or Masterwork are all way better than contemporary K's.

They all sound more old-K'esque than new K's do.....plus are cheaper.

If you can find any Meinl Byzance models, those are great, too....

Sabian Manhattan series....Paiste, not so much because their alloys are mostly B8 and B15, so a tad glassier and more metallic than your typical B20. They have some great ones, but not very old-school soundin'.[/COLOR]

I've gotten kind of sweet on "Dream" cymbals "Bliss" model they are modeled off of old "K's". They are hand hammered so each one has it's own unique sound some are good some are bad it's the type of cymbal you want to play or hear sound file of before you buy.

I currently have

15" Bliss Hats

10" Bliss Splash

14" Bliss Crash

17" Bliss Crash/Ride more crash than ride

22" Bliss Crash/Ride Great as a big crash when used as a ride creates a wall of wash and overtones.

I say follow your ears you seem to have a pretty good idea of what your looking for which is half the battle right there. I would just go to a music store ideally one that has both modern and vintage offerings and spend some time, if you can bring the rest of your cymbals to see how the new hats will blend with them before you buy. I have had great success with mixing and matching series, companies, eras, even cymbal types. I have a great set-up I use that's made up of 2 vintage Zildjian 16" Thin Crashes sounds awesome! I think the only pair of hats I use the way they were "intended" are my early 70's New Beats but those sound so good as is I don't mess around with em'. I also have a pair that is comprised of a 13" A Mastersound Bottom and a K 13" Top they are modern but that pairing has a very vintage motown/staxs vibe to me, maybe its the weights they are both fairly thin with a majority of the weight being at the bottom hat it speaks clearly but its not loud and has a great chick sound. Hope this helps I love picking out new hats so many options take your time and keep your mind open!!!

[COLOR="Green"]Can't argue that advice. Nothing like testing a bunch yourself.

Also, my 2 cents....the Dream cymbals are OK...I mean, they are hand-hammered and they do have some sound qualities of old hand-hammereds...to a certain degree. They are also hecka inexpensive...so for Jazz players that's a very enticing combination.

But they aren't really K-esque the same way other suggestions above are. chinese alloys aren't very pure, and chinese hammering techniques cannot be compared to Turkish or Italian craftsmanship.

They are K-esque for about an inch deep, if you know what I mean. But they aren't bad...many are quite OK and they fill a void in the player's market.

My other thought, following up on the post directly above...is...if you want a set of cymbals for a 60's Luddy kit...why not just buy a vintage set ?

A nice 60's pair of A's at the right weight (14's at about 800g top/900g bot or 15's at 900g top/1100g bot...give or take 50g) will give you all that and cost half as much as a new set of cymbals.

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