Meinl

I bought "this unit" at Drumcenter in Borlänge, Sweden. The store is actually the biggest one in north of Europe, pretty amazing for being situated in a town with approximetaly 50 000 inhabitants in AND around it. I payed 995 SEK, which is about $95. The Meinl Classics symbals are great stuff for players that are known as "begginers/hobbyists". The thing that really differs from other cymbals in this price range, and I have compared this to Paiste 802, Sabian B8 and Zildjian ZBT, is that it is actually made from cast bronze. Sabian B8 and Zildjian ZBT are made from large sheets of bronzed from which the cymbal is stamped out of. This makes the cymbal both sound bad and not very durable. But to a lower price. Actually this cymbal costs less than the above described series. I think this is a wonderful oppurtunity for hobbyists and beginners with empty wallets! The sound is not very much to be amazed about. Low volume and fast decay makes it sound cheap. I tried to play it with rods, hoping that it would be better fit for softer music and volume levels, which proved to be wrong. The cymbal did hardly even react on the softer hits and when striking harder it did just sound like it did when hitting it with sticks, but at a lower volume level. No "levels" at all. The same thing was for when playing it with sticks, there was just to levels. Either it was nothing at all, or there was a regular crash. Still, it is a good cymbal for beginners. The Classics-series are produced like higher qualityb range cymbals, by cast bronze. Though it consists of a less durable and well-sounding bronze alloy than "better" cymbals. This generally makes the cymbal sound and be more durable than for example Sabian B8 and Zildjian ZBT, though. A good choice for anyone who is a beginner or hobby-drummer that just need something to play. Also works for homerecordings and small gigs, preferably for a beginning band. I would recommend this to anyone who fits the description, but anyone who is looking for a good cymbal should buy Paiste 2002! Meinl Classics gets 3 points, since it is a good and cheap beginners cymbal. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I found this cymbal on Ebay and, using the "buy now" feater, I only paid an amazing 75.00! They normally retail for over 150.00. I needed something with a beefey sound that would fit well with my heavy metal band and replace my previous 20" Sabian B8 ride. I LOVE this cymbal! It is extremely heavy, and has a beautiful finish. The sound is great. There is little to no wash and the sound penetrates the LOUDEST of music. It also has a fired bell which has a fine, high pitched sound. The bell sound didn't blow me away, but it is better than most rides out there. This is a must for any hard rock/Metal band! Nothing, it was exactly what I was looking for! Extremely thick and heavy duty. One of the most beautiful cymbals I have every seen. Because of it's sheer volume, I would ONLY recommened it for loud music. It isn't very adaptable for a variety of styles of music. THIS CYMBAL KICKS A$$!!! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Cajons are really a new tool to the westernized musician, but none the less a useful one at that. I had the opportunity to play one in south America some years ago, it was custom made from teak and Brazilian wood. Fast forward to a year ago, I was in a studio where I saw this Meinl Cajon. I immediately started using it and realized how cool it was. It is a fantastic drum. It has the sounds needed for any style of music, great touch, terrific non-echoed resonance is something I noticed with this unit. It is very light and easy to carry around as well. I often spot street performers using these in santa monica, and I was stupid to have not purchase one sooner since it is so cheap. At under 100 dollars I purchased one with a mahogany front face, because most people who build their own use mahogany in the united states of america. Since it is played with the bare hand or hands, it will outlast most other instruments in the realm of percussion. The only thing I noticed with mine, is the occasional need to clean the front face with lemon seed oil, something I use for my guitar fret board. I also like to let my little cousins play the instrument since they are young, and have little regard for care and good treatment of my drum sets, I prefer to let them smash on this cajon with their bare hands and feet. They get out all their energy, and the cajon goes unharmed for the most part. All in all, I believe this cajon is a steal at under 100 dollars, and cheaper used, I think any good percussionist who is into world music, or different styles of rhythm can and would make good use of such an item if added to the arsenal. Not to mention, it is a nice conversation piece and can be placed outside of the studio or basement and look nice in the living room with furniture.

The Meinl Byzance Medium Crash 18" is an awesome cymbal that is to be used with a full drum set. This is great either as your main crash simple or in compliment with another one. I've only had the chance to use this crash cymbal a few times, mostly just messing around. While I'm not a drummer, a good friend of mine has this at his band's practice space where we play sometimes. He also has a ride cymbal from this series of Meinl Byzance cymbals, and the two work great together. I don't know exactly what this cymbal is made from, but it's definitely well made and should last a lifetime as long as it's not lost or stolen. I don't really know how the sound of this cymbal compares to some of the other crash cymbals in this series, but I'm really a big fan of the way this one does sound. What I mean by that is I'm not sure what other colors they've got, but this one seems very well rounded and great for a variety of purposes. I've only used it for rock purposes, so that's definitely where I see it best fit. It's not the loudest crash cymbal, but definitely can get loud when struck harder. I like the way it sits because it's not overbearing like a lot of crash cymbals are. It's definitely best for the more experienced drummers and professionals since it's not at all cheap and a few cymbals at this price could really add up. Having said this, in all cases you're going to have to pay at least a decent amount to get good sounding cymbals, and you might as well spend it on something of a real high quality like the Meinl Byzance Medium Crash 18". I'd recommend checking out the other crash cymbals that Meinl has to offer, as they have ones of all different sizes and colors...

The Meinl Byzance Dark Ride 20" is a high end ride cymbal for use within a full drum set. This is one of the best ride cymbals I've ever had the pleasure of using. Although I'm not really a drummer, I dabble a bit and as a recording engineer record all sorts of difference cymbals and drum kits. I hadn't heard of these cymbals until I played the drum set of the drummer from a friend's band. The cymbal is made out of bronze alloy and it's hand hammered to give it it's own sound. You can tell just from looking and playing the cymbal that it's extremely well made and it's even more evident when you heard it's incredible tone. It's a normal sized cymbal, although I believe it comes in a few different sizes. Of course, it's not the brightest ride cymbal out there at all (hence the name), but personally I prefer this kind of sound as I find it more appropriate most of the time. My friend who owns the cymbal plays in a rock band and it works perfectly for their sound, but it definitely seems versatile enough that you could use it in almost any context. I'd really only recommend the Meinl Byzance Dark Ride 20" for professionals and aspiring professionals because of the large price tag. It's worth it for the drummer who is looking for a ride cymbal to use for life for recording and gigging, but it's not really necessary otherwise. It sounds incredible and will compliment any drummer's kit well, but it's more important to spend the money on a great drum set before branching out and spending a ton of money on cymbals. If you're looking for a truly professional ride cymbal check this one out and the full line of Meinl Byzance cymbals...