July 2013

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Bosphorus

Black Pearl Series Cymbals

by Michael Dawson

Two of Bosphorus’s most popular jazz-style cymbal lines are the Master and the Master Vintage. The Master series comprises fully lathed, soft-feeling cymbals with traditional, warm, and dark tones. Master Vintage is designed similarly, but each cymbal is left unlathed, which results in a darker, drier, and more articulate timbre and an earthy look. The company recently decided to create a new series, Black Pearl, to bridge the gap between the rich, smooth tones of the Master line and the raw sound of the Master Vintage. We were sent a pair of 15″ Black Pearl hi-hats and 18″, 20″, and 22″ crash/rides for review.

My favorite of the three Black Pearl crash/rides was the 18″. Although it’s smaller than what’s most commonly used as a ride these days, it was equally at home when played as a crash and as a ride. The smaller diameter results in a higher pitch, which helps increase projection while also allowing for faster crashes. This model also didn’t wash out as quickly as some other 18″ crash/rides often do. If you’re a one-cymbal guy or gal and play mostly low- to moderate-volume music, give the 18″ Black Pearl a go. Or check out the entire set. They’re all very finely crafted and highly musical cymbals.

Click here to listen (Right click and ‘Save as’ to save)

http://youtu.be/wpn9xvJlG1M

To read more about the entire Bosphorus Black Pearl series, check out the complete review in the July 2013 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

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