Supernatural Cymbals is one of several small companies that have emerged during the past few years, who are based in Turkey, and who still make cymbals the way they have been made for centuries (except for the electric motor that turns the lathing machine). The cymbals start out as cast bronze discs, which are heated, rolled, cut into the desired diameter for the cymbal, hand hammered, and hand lathed. There is no machining at all. The results are quite distinguishable from machine hammered and lathed cymbals. It is not that one way is better than the other, but rather, you now have several additional choices in sound, and some of them are due to the old world ways of producing them. This review covers the Supernatural 18" Universal Crash. It has a beautiful, distinct, moderately bright crash, and a long sustain. It is one of the finest cymbals I have ever heard, and I think that any of our readers who purchase one will agree with me.

Zildjian has re-introduced the K. Zildjian Constantinople series of rides and crashes, described as being mellow, dry, dark, and warm. Frankly, it is difficult to translate adjectives to the sound, but the proof is in the listening, and I think all four words accurately portray the sound of this particular cymbal, the K. Zildjian Constantinople Medium Thin High Ride. They also have a Low Ride, which we have reviewed, and which sounds somewhat different, but not extremely so. Either one would make a great ride for jazz drummers.