I try to keep down the volume of my drums (often playing with rods), so I'm always on the lookout for cymbals that sound good but are less ear piercing.
This ride is pretty much optimal in that regard. Its small size and dark character combines to make it very quiet (for a cymbal of course, everything is relative!). It also has a fairly fast decay, which means you can play it very softly without it ringing out too long. You can even crash it softly in a quiet setting, because the crash sound is so dark it doesn't get overbearing.
While this cymbal is very dark, it's not overly dry and dull. There is some shine left in the ride sound, and it doesn't feel like playing a piece of cardboard. It simply sounds like a ride should, only darker and less harsh on the ears. To me this is exactly what I've been looking for, and I'm tempted to check out the larger versions as well.
The individual cymbals vary a lot though! Hand hammered Turkish cymbals aren't exactly standardized products with tight tolerances. The cymbals I tried out ranged in pitch from A to F#, and while they all sounded good, they were also very different.
I kept two of them. One sounds best with the sizzles on, and has a nice "jazzy" shine to it. The other sounds best with the sizzles off, and gives off more of a rock/funk/fusion vibe with less wash and more ping. The second ride has a bell pitched a major third lower than the bell on the first, that's how different they are.
But they're both great sounding and very playable rides!
In my experience, Istanbul Mehmet is even less consistent than Istanbul Agop (otherwise my two favorite brands). They're generally priced a bit lower too, so I assume less care went into them. But even if you never know exactly what you'll get when you order a Mehmet, you're sure to get a good cymbal well worth its modest price.
