Turkish Cymbals Bee Crash – Controlled Trash

The Bee Crash is a cymbal that refuses to be boxed into categories. It sounds like a crash, carries the character of a china and breathes like a swish – yet it is none of them in full. This hybrid creature from the Istanbul workshop of Turkish Cymbals is the result of a unique lathing process that brings the outer edge into its characteristic supple, slightly curved form. Anyone who has played a Bee Crash immediately understands: this is a cymbal with its own DNA.

The Secret of the Bee Series: Warped, Flexible, Unique

The characteristic form of the Bee Crash is no accident – it is the result of a creative, handcrafted lathing process that transforms the cymbal's outer edge into a slightly rippled, malleable structure. This paper-thin construction gives the cymbal a sensitivity that conventional crash cymbals cannot match: it responds to the lightest touch with an immediate, full sound – and at harder playing delivers a powerful, dark character that reaches deep into the mix. A drummer from our community put it perfectly: "Exactly as it should be – controlled trash and pleasantly dark." That description could hardly be more accurate.

Sound Character: Trashy, Dark and Controlled

The sonic character of the Bee Crash is a hybrid: the initial attack carries the sharpness and directness of a china cymbal – high, cutting, with a characteristic hiss tone. The sustain that follows opens into a dark, slightly swishy soundscape – shorter and more controlled than a classic crash cymbal, yet broader and more musical than a china. Thanks to the B20 bronze alloy, rich overtones develop despite the paper-thin construction – the sound remains musical, never flat. As size increases, the sound gains more depth, more body and more sustain: the 14" model is dry and direct, while the 22" model delivers a voluminous, dark crash sound reminiscent of large swish cymbals.

Applications: Rock, Fusion, World Music and Percussion

The Bee Crash is a specialist for drummers and percussionists who think outside the mainstream. In a drum setup it delivers explosive, unconventional accents in Rock, Fusion and experimental music styles – a cymbal that gets noticed and stays in the memory. In World Music and ethno-percussion it finds its natural home: the paper-thin, flexible construction makes it one of the few cymbals that can be played beautifully by hand. Frame-drum players, percussion ensembles and sound artists prize its exotic character as a creative means of expression beyond conventional cymbal sounds.

Craftsmanship from Istanbul – At the Fairest Price

Every Bee Crash is made in the workshops of Turkish Cymbals in Istanbul – a workshop with over 25 years of experience crafting handmade B20 bronze cymbals. The special lathing process that gives the Bee series its character is the fruit of long experimentation and deep craft knowledge. The B20 bronze alloy – 80% copper, 20% tin – is hand-cast, heated in traditional furnaces and hammered thousands of times by master craftsmen. No two Bee Crashes sound exactly alike – each is a unique instrument. We at Cymballand are proud, as the official partner of Turkish Cymbals, to bring this craftsmanship directly to you – without intermediaries, at the fairest price.