O.K., stand-by until this situation is rectified.

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/ebaycymbals1/K%20Zildjian%20Constantinople.jpg[/img]

Most here have never had a chance to hear what a pair of these concert cymbals sounds like, so I've posted a soundfile of this pair of 19's. Be sure to wait and listen until the very end because there's a silent gap between the first part and the ending.

O.K., so now try this:

[color=black][font=times new roman][size=+1]19" K. Constantinoples[/size][/font][/color]

I got this when I tried to play the new link online:

[img]http://black.net.nz/cym2015/google-error.png[/img]

but I can download it successfully. Others may or may not be able to play it online depending on: what sort of browser they are using, what sort of operating system they are using, what sort of software settings they have, what sort of applications they have loaded.

Welcome to the wonderful world of modern computing.

So there you have it.

And I'd still like to know what ever became of these.

My name is Michael, and I'm an Old K cymbal hoarder.

Whew, now that that's out of the way, I should write a more in depth post (especially since I have come into owning some of the plates mentioned on this thread). I'm an orchestra percussionist and recently joined the percussion section of the Cincinnati Symphony, where I have already had the joy of playing lots of cymbal parts with the group.

Over the past few years, I've been EXTREMELY fortunate to come into owning several pairs of factory-matched Constantinople K's, and man is it a pleasure to be able to use these in the orchestra. While each pair has it's own unique personality, I've found that they all have a rich, complex sound that gets brighter the louder they are played, and blend marvelously with the orchestra. Hopefully, I'll get some good sound files of each pair to share.

More posts to come with pictures. I'm not super knowledgable about the exact stamp timelines for these (need to read up on that), so any insight is appreciated!

The attached pic is the setup for this week's show: Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini"

Pair #1: 19" Old K Constantinople

This pair is insane. Really the only way to describe how great they sound. They're super rich with tons of overtones, and they really open up at louder dynamics. I found one plate on ebay, and since it looked like the previously mentioned 19" plate owned by Astrosoniq, I begged him to sell it to me. I'm 99% sure they were originally a factory-matched pair since they look and sound to be that way (especially since it's a rare size). Thanks again to Astrosoniq for making their reunion possible! Mind-blowingly amazing pair (not exaggerating)!

Each plate around 2100g. On the thin side with a flattish profile.

[IMG][img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5712/21586354873_e1be4c3336_z.jpg[/img]19K by michael Culligan, on Flickr[/IMG]

[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/21586357893_1feb8c3c5f_k.jpg[/img]19Kstamp by michael Culligan, on Flickr

#2: 19" Old K Constantinople

These are the aforementioned EFG plates. Just got them a few days ago, and wow do they sound great. Absolute Howitzers, if you had the fine wine equivalent of a Howitzer. A colleague in rehearsal today said "that first loud crash cleared my sinus"! They are a bit heavier and have a more "chunky" attack than the other, thinner 19's, but still open up very well and sound amazing p-fff. Did I mention they're loud?

The sound file that has been going around doesn't do them any justice: I'll try to make a better one soon.

The pair originally belonged to conductor Fabien Sevitzky, who was music director of the Indianapolis Symphony from 1937-55 and then moved to Miami to teach at UM. Before his death in 1967, he gave them to the seller's father who was a percussionist in Miami area. Still trying to figure out who EFG is. Perhaps one of the early Indy percussion guys. Or maybe it stands for Extremely F-ing Great cymbals.

Each plate is around 2500g.

[IMG][img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5744/22181265126_3b90e60751_k.jpg[/img]19Kefg by michael Culligan, on Flickr[/IMG]

[img]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/571/22021103749_39b9b941dc_k.jpg[/img]IMG_9462 by michael Culligan, on Flickr

#3: 18" Old K Constantinople

These are super dark and chunky. Great crispy attack. They don't open up quite as well as either of the 19's, but they sound awesome for notes with bass drum, especially for Verdi, Rossini, marches, etc. I used them recently for most of the 4th movement of Scheherazade, and they worked great.

Both plates around 2300g.

[img]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/730/22020348208_70fd333da5_k.jpg[/img]18K by michael Culligan, on Flickr

[img]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/570/21587103903_862b3477a5_k.jpg[/img]18Kstamp by michael Culligan, on Flickr

#4: 16.5" Old K Constantinople

This pair sees tons of play. They sound fantastically dark and complex at pp dynamics and have a great spread as they get louder. They're also really nice for loud, sharp notes since they speak super fast and bright at forte+.

Both plates around 1700g.

[img]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/563/22020470939_ef4081558e_k.jpg[/img]16andhalfK by michael Culligan, on Flickr

[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5664/22019601178_24a7fe8b5e_k.jpg[/img]16andhalfKstamp by michael Culligan, on Flickr

#5: 16" Old K Constantinople

This pair is bright and splashy. They are a bit stiffer and don't come together as well as the 16.5" pair (especially soft), so I only end up really using them mf and above.

Each plate around 1600g.

[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5822/22207382235_7219e76db7_k.jpg[/img]16K by michael Culligan, on Flickr

[img]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/587/22217702551_2dfff9b7b4_k.jpg[/img]16Kstamp by michael Culligan, on Flickr