adamgood
Oud Junkie
Posts: 499
Registered: 6-27-2005
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: 2.7 koma flat
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Cümbüş, better than usual quality
Hi all,
I'll be traveling to Istanbul in a couple of weeks and am very curious about finding a cümbüş that is better than the quality that we can get
in the US. Does anyone have any ideas?
There's that youtube video of Bitmez i think it was...that seems like way above average quality.
thanks!!
adam
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eliot
Oud Junkie
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Location: The Gorges
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Hey Adam,
I know there are wooden-body cumbus instruments which appear to have slightly better workmanship, my friend Eric Ederer bought one a couple years back
from the Cumbus manufacturer itself (not a retail outlet).
http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~ederer/ may have info on that or direct contact info for Eric...
Sorry, no more info - I don't know where the cumbus shop was located!
-eliot
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rebetostar
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 1-31-2007
Location: the East shore, BC
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Hi Adam,
You've probably been to the cümbüş website, but here it is just in case: http://www.cumbusmusic.com/
I bought mine at the original family-owned cümbüş shop, which is about 1/2 hours' walk from the Sultanahmet area, towards the NW, a little ways
past a very old aquaduct, if memory serves..
They've got the regular models which I appreciate for their cheapness and toughness (mine survived 4 months of travel on Indian Railways), and the
fancier wooden-bodied models.
I'll bet that the cümbüş on the Bitmez video is a vintage one, probably quite old, as evidenced by this picture from Thassos Theodorakis'
collection:
http://www.theodorakis.name/uk/syllogh.html
That said, if there's one place you may be able to find a vintage one for sale, it's Istanbul!
Best of luck on your quest.
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rebetostar
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 1-31-2007
Location: the East shore, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Ajam Ushayran
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Ah! technology. Here's a map!
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cumbus&...
You might have to copy and paste, it's a long URL..
Use this: http://tinyurl.com/3ymyb8
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Monty88
Oud Junkie
Posts: 135
Registered: 8-15-2004
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YEah adam, the one that Mehmet Bitmez plays is an original instrument, very old. I know a man here in australia that has one like this, it is about 75
years old, made by zeynel abidin! the sound is great, but it has the original skin head, so it doesn't stay in tune. they don't make them like
this.
the wooden bodied ones are more expensive, and they sound much nicer, they still are loud and have the pluck, but are more rounded and even, much
better for classical insturments i've heard. I played one in Greece, they are great. I will need to get one myself. At the shop on Ataturk Bulvari,
they sell this wooden bodied model with both the cumbus neck, and also the tanbur neck (like on the regular metal cumbus tanburs), but the wooden body
has a hole in the back to allow you to put a sound post and make a proper yayli tanbur. They sound much better.
I've also heard that cumbus make a copper bodied model that is much louder and a little heavier, but i don't know. You know how to find the shop?
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adamgood
Oud Junkie
Posts: 499
Registered: 6-27-2005
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: 2.7 koma flat
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Thanks to all of you for your ideas!
I'll be on a quest during the 10 days i'll be in Istanbul. Should be able to come up with something.
adam
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