Hey Everybody!
Every once in a while I peek at this site called musicalcloseouts.com. They are located in Georgia and buy up music equipment when big music companies collapse. They have a big chunk of 70's and 80's Slingerland and Gretsch stuff, although a lot of it is weird, unfinished stuff (for instance, you can get a great deal on a set-o-matic tom holder, but you have to tap the threads yourself and you can't get the back brace for it).
One of their acquisitions was Istanbul's stock of cymbals in '93 (from the green logo days). If you peek through their cymbals, you'll find that they have 16" Sultan rides and 17" traditional crash rides in the $120-140 range. Istanbuls are cool cymbals--I saw Elvin Jones playing them on a video of the '90 Newport Jazz Festival. I know in Detroit at least, all the Istanbul/Bosphorus type Turkish-made cymbals are THE jazz cymbals.
The only thing that makes me hesitate is not hearing the things first. What makes the cymbals such good jazz cymbals is that they are way out there, sometimes. You get cymbals that don't sound like anybody else's. But in my case, I'd like whatever cocktail cymbal I get to mix sonically with my other Zildjians, Sabians, and Wuhans.
It's cool to know that you can still get a hold of 16" rides, though. Thought I'd pass the tip.
Will