Bosphorus Stanton Moore Signature Cymbals

By Brad Schlueter

Stanton Moore is a young, versatile drummer known for his skill at covering a wide range of styles while giving them all a dash of his N’awlins Creole seasoning. His work ranges from funky drumming with Galactic, gigs with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars and, most surprising, his recent work with the hard-rock band Corrosion of Conformity.

Bosphorus kindly sent me some of the cymbals it created with this musical chameleon, and as I found, they can work well in a variety of genres, too. I was sent a 20-inch Wide Ride, 20-inch Pang Thang, 14-inch Fat Hats, 20-inch Trash Crash and 14-inch Versa Hats. Since the drum store I teach at is also a Bosphorus dealer, I was also able to check out the 20-inch Wide Ride, and duplicates of the other cymbals, which gave me a chance to assess the line’s consistency from cymbal to cymbal, and a better indication of what you’ll likely experience in a drum shop.

The 20- and 22-inch Wide Ride cymbals are situated more toward the wet, brasher end of the spectrum. The 20-inch model could even double as a really big rock crash, though I wouldn’t recommend it. When played loudly they projected a deep roaring wash. If you’ve seen Moore play, you know that he doesn’t read the labels on his cymbals. Everything can be a crash. Crashing these cymbals, or playing mallet rolls on them, produces a deep and satisfying “goosh” or “whoosh.” They offer just enough brightness over the spread to clearly identify your ride pattern. These cymbals are versatile enough to work as your primary ride depending on how much wash you like. If you prefer drier rides, these would work wonderfully as a secondary ride. The 22-inch was my favorite of the two. It was deeper and didn’t build as much with a fast swing pattern. The bells on these cymbals offer some complex overtones but aren’t very loud. If you play a lot of loud Latin bell patterns in a big ensemble, you may find them a tad subdued though pleasant-sounding.