These were some of Paiste's first name line cymbals and first came out in 1956. Originally they were made of nickle-silver alloy, then later changed to B-8 in 1965......and its Stambul, not Stanbul.

Thanks for the info. 1956 eh....

I noticed that the top hi-hat has a number 7 stamped on the inside of the bell also.

I might clean em up. They're in good condition. No cracks or keyholes.

Thanks again.

Blonkins.

That's a cool old find...there aren't many Stambuls around anymore. They weren't awesome, but some are quite nice. I have a big ol' 26" ride which has some good qualities about it....

...if they end up not to your liking, hit me w/ a PM, because I would be interested in acquiring a set.

The B8 version was actually called Stambul 65 and has it's own distinct logo. Yours are NS12.

I've ended up using the top Stambul with a vintage A Zildjian top as the bottom hat and they sound great. 70's funk sounding.

Blonkins.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Yeah, I'd imagine that'd work out very well...nice and crisp as a bottom and it would have some edginess to it...perfect for funk, I would think.

Cool.....[/COLOR]