Before the Pandemic I owned Zero Meinl cymbals

Justinhub2003

Silver Member
My curiosity (and boredom) got the best of me. I was a loyal Paiste user. But man, I’m in love with Meinl’s entire Byzance line.

I’ve got one more on the way In a week (18” Vintage Crash).

Pictured:
20” Sand ride
22” Polyphonic Ride
22” Dual Crash Ride
22” Heavy Ride
10” trash splash
18” Byzance Foundry Reserve crash
20” Extra thin hammered crash
18” Dark Crash
16” Vintage Trash Crash
15” Dual Hi hats
14” Vintage Pure Hi Hats

E1ACC666-E905-4BF9-896F-7BD62B7D8F5F.jpeg
 
Damn dude. That's quite a collection. The "C" virus has been good to you. Not so you're bank account though, I'm sure. As for Paiste, and Zildjian As for the matter, it's been my experience they always crack pretty easy. Not sure why. Always see them at the online sites for sale, ...uh...cracked. Maybe it's just because they were "used" by Demolition metal drummers. Anyway those Meinl cymbals are nice.
 
My curiosity (and boredom) got the best of me. I was a loyal Paiste user. But man, I’m in love with Meinl’s entire Byzance line.

I’ve got one more on the way In a week (18” Vintage Crash).

Pictured:
20” Sand ride
22” Polyphonic Ride
22” Dual Crash Ride
22” Heavy Ride
10” trash splash
18” Byzance Foundry Reserve crash
20” Extra thin hammered crash
18” Dark Crash
16” Vintage Trash Crash
15” Dual Hi hats
14” Vintage Pure Hi Hats

View attachment 96084
If you were having Paiste anxiety you should’ve got in touch I’d have put you right?! Seriously though, looks like you have a fine set of cymbals there...enjoy! (y) :)
 
If you were having Paiste anxiety you should’ve got in touch I’d have put you right?! Seriously though, looks like you have a fine set of cymbals there...enjoy! (y) :)

I still love my Paiste stuff.

I grew up obsessed with the 2002 line but now that I’m a bit older, I started to prefer the Darker stuff. I still have a full set of Paiste Dark Energy’s (hats, crash, 2 rides & a splash) that I still play.

I’ll also never sell my 2002 sound edge hats and 2002 crashes. I don’t play them much but they still a staple of my collection.
 
Damn dude. That's quite a collection. The "C" virus has been good to you. Not so you're bank account though, I'm sure. As for Paiste, and Zildjian As for the matter, it's been my experience they always crack pretty easy. Not sure why. Always see them at the online sites for sale, ...uh...cracked. Maybe it's just because they were "used" by Demolition metal drummers. Anyway those Meinl cymbals are nice.

Meinl provides a 2 year warranty on its cymbals. Im not sure what the other brands do. I have played a Zildjian since I was a kid.
 
As for Paiste, and Zildjian As for the matter, it's been my experience they always crack pretty easy. Not sure why. Always see them at the online sites for sale, ...uh...cracked.
Your experience? Or your observation? There´s a difference, you know. :)
I for one have never experienced cracking a Paiste (or any other cymbal, for that matter). IMHO it´s a myth that Paistes crack easier than other makes.
Anyway - those Meinls are nice indeed. ?
 
I've owned a couple 22" Byzance Traditional Heavy Rides, and they're surprisingly great. They're also very consistent from cymbal to cymbal considering their hand-made nature. I gave them a try after giving up on finding another great sounding Sabian HH Heavy ride.

I also have an M Series 22" Medium Ride and a pair of M-Series 14" Medium Hi Hats. They're also really good cymbals. Very much in the Paiste 602 vibe, just at half the cost.

Meinl still seems like a brand people stumble onto, as opposed to consider on equal ground to the other big three, but Meinl's consistency and quality control is fantastic and the variety of sounds they make is really impressive.
 
14 cymbals in 6 months, impressive indeed.

I’m
Your experience? Or your observation? There´s a difference, you know. :)
I for one have never experienced cracking a Paiste (or any other cymbal, for that matter). IMHO it´s a myth that Paistes crack easier than other makes.
Anyway - those Meinls are nice indeed. ?
Your experience? Or your observation? There´s a difference, you know. :)
I for one have never experienced cracking a Paiste (or any other cymbal, for that matter). IMHO it´s a myth that Paistes crack easier than other makes.
Anyway - those Meinls are nice indeed. ?

I’ve never cracked a Paiste cymbal either but then again, I haven’t cracked an expensive cymbal ever. Most of my cracked cymbals were the budget lines when I first started to play and/or stored my kit in cold environments. Stuff like Zildjian ZXT’s, Sabian B8 Pro’s and I did crack the top of my Paiste Alpha Sound edge hats.

So cracking hasn’t been an issue.

as for sound, I still love Paiste. I always will. I absolutely love the Dark Energy stuff.

That said, with the move to darker cymbals I’ve found that meinl excels in that area and also does it cheaper. For example, my 18” Paiste Dark Energy crash was $440 bucks

whereas my now favorite crash, a Meinl Byzance Extra Thin Hammered crash 20” was just $369!!! An 18” only cost $319.00

So with meinl, im able to get cymbals that sound good to my ears and also remain easier on the wallet.

same deal goes for the ride cymbals. I paid $399 for a Meinl polyphonic ride 22” whereas my favorite ride from paiste, the Dark Energy Mark I is whopping $605 bucks!!!

my Paiste dark energy set up of hats, crash, splash & Ride cost me $1770 bucks!!!!
 
I've owned a couple 22" Byzance Traditional Heavy Rides, and they're surprisingly great. They're also very consistent from cymbal to cymbal considering their hand-made nature. I gave them a try after giving up on finding another great sounding Sabian HH Heavy ride.

I also have an M Series 22" Medium Ride and a pair of M-Series 14" Medium Hi Hats. They're also really good cymbals. Very much in the Paiste 602 vibe, just at half the cost.

Meinl still seems like a brand people stumble onto, as opposed to consider on equal ground to the other big three, but Meinl's consistency and quality control is fantastic and the variety of sounds they make is really impressive.
I initially scoffed at them.

They just weren’t a real contender when I was coming up as a drummer. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen more and more artists playing them and being blown away with complex and versatile sounds I was hearing.

it also helps that cincinnati has a dedicated and Indy Drum store called badges drum shop. They carry all the high end stuff including Meinl and they had the meinl cymbal tour come through over the summer. I was able to hear so many great cymbals in person that it made me a believer and I just jumped all in.

Same goes for Istanbul Agop. I was introduced to them from Carter McLean’s videos. Then found out we have one of the best retailers for Agop stuff right here in cincinnati (Cymbal House on Reverb) and so I was able to play what are normally inaccessible cymbals. I’ve added meinl and agop cymbals to my collection because cincinnati finally has good drum stores
 
My curiosity (and boredom) got the best of me. I was a loyal Paiste user. But man, I’m in love with Meinl’s entire Byzance line.

I’ve got one more on the way In a week (18” Vintage Crash).

Pictured:
20” Sand ride
22” Polyphonic Ride
22” Dual Crash Ride
22” Heavy Ride
10” trash splash
18” Byzance Foundry Reserve crash
20” Extra thin hammered crash
18” Dark Crash
16” Vintage Trash Crash
15” Dual Hi hats
14” Vintage Pure Hi Hats

View attachment 96084

Very nice ??. Since you’re done with your Paiste’s , you can send them to me anytime you want ?. I’ll even pay the shipping?
 
I was the same last year in October when I bought a Tama Star 1973 Maple from one of my friend who is a drummer collecting Cymbals... I decided to install a permanent kit in our practice place (ai'm the keys player of the band...) And started to search a lot online to increase my knowledge of cymbal ps and then, re-discovered Meinl... I knew thâeom when I was in France as a teenager and then, I bought few of them, they are awesome:
1) Meinl Byzance dark crash 17 crash
2) Meinl Byzance Traditional 19 crash
3) Meinl Byzance Extra Ton hammered 20" crash
4) Meinl Byzance Splash Sand 10"
5) Meinl Byzance China Equilibrium 20, Matt Garska
6) Meinl Byzance sand hat 14" Benny Grebb

So, not as much as you but not bad for a non deummer...they are all on the kit with some Sabian and Zildjian and yes, they are very nice dark cymbals...
 
with the move to darker cymbals I’ve found that meinl excels in that area and also does it cheaper.
That is true - here in Europe the price difference is not that huge, but still substantial.
(Unless you get as lucky as I did - got a bunch of Masters and 602s on sale for almost 50% off.)
And if you want dark and dry, Meinl is the way to go.
 
That is true - here in Europe the price difference is not that huge, but still substantial.
(Unless you get as lucky as I did - got a bunch of Masters and 602s on sale for almost 50% off.)
And if you want dark and dry, Meinl is the way to go.


I do love the master series from Paiste as well.
 
This is what a guy at Long and Mac Quade told me, that I had a lot of dark cymbals and he was a lot surprised finally... I don't know if it's a trends but besides what I recall in the 80's about evey bands having Paiste Cymbals, and seeing them in store, I was never impressed by too much high pitch cymbals...
Maybe it's my Jazz education that leads to this personal preference but I feel that with the Meinl Cymbals - and the HHX line or the Evolution or Complex Sabian Lines, I'm "at home" with them...
Again, I'm not a drummer but I never had in mind to have the same line of cymbals in my drums kit, like all cymbals are AAX or I'd etc... it was always what I was hearing in my head that drove my recent purchases in cymbals.

The highest pitch that I have should be an AAX Raw Bell Dry Ride (Still a pretty dry cymbal...), a Zildjian A Custom Sweet ride 23", 35h anniversary, an AAX Xplosion fast crash 18" (that I bought more at first because at 150$ new with the rolling bag, that cost itself 150$...but that is at the perfect place between the Artisan 16" and the Meinl Dark 17"), The AAX Xplosion crash 15", again bought used at 50$ in super shape with the kit.
All the other high pitch cymbals are the effects cymbals: AAX Aero 10", AA Holy China 17" and Mini holy 12", Sabian Mini Monster and Sizzler Stack, AAX Air splash 10", AAX splash 11" and that's it...
Even the other splashes are more on the darker side, HHX Evolution splash 10 and 12", HHX splash 12", even Meinl sand splash 10", they are all darker... Ok, I've been told it's because we don't play classic rock or hard rock when you need long sustain and bright cymbals...but the one that I had with the kit in heavy 16" and medium heavy 16" crashes Avedis Zildjian 1970's were too Much high pitched and "gongy" and so long in sustain for me that I decided to buy something else for our Funk Dance Cover band...
Ok, "Funk is the son of jazz" so, maybe that's why, but if it's a trends nowadays (and it should, everyone is launching darker lines...), it was in my "roots" for me...
I didn't pay attention to the dark Paiste because the ones that I chech in stores are always very bright, maybe the brightest of the cymbals I have encountered...Then, I have only one Paiste, 900 splash 10" in blue: the wrapping on the kit is blue!!!
Anyway, shorter version, trends or not trends, it's what I like, thus several Meinl in my Arsenal...that I kind of "impose" to my drummers but they kind of like it a lot until then so....
 
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And to reply to the list of the OP, I was really close to buy a Meinl trash crash 18"... But found a demo Equilibrium china 20" at 400 CAN$ only...and demoed by who? Matt Garska during a clinic!!! So, I didn't t hesitate a lot...
 
My curiosity (and boredom) got the best of me. I was a loyal Paiste user. But man, I’m in love with Meinl’s entire Byzance line.

I’ve got one more on the way In a week (18” Vintage Crash).

Pictured:
20” Sand ride
22” Polyphonic Ride
22” Dual Crash Ride
22” Heavy Ride
10” trash splash
18” Byzance Foundry Reserve crash
20” Extra thin hammered crash
18” Dark Crash
16” Vintage Trash Crash
15” Dual Hi hats
14” Vintage Pure Hi Hats

View attachment 96084


Haha - that's awesome. Meinl always looks really cool - I bet that's a killer rig!!

Yea since pandemic started I've picked up:
1. Gretsch Brooklyn 5 piece
2. Gretsch USA Bronze Snare
3. Yamaha Crosstown Hardware
4. Cases for the Brooklyn and Snare
5. Noble & Cooley Solid Ply Piccolo Snare (The One Headlight snare)
6. New Ford Explorer

So I'm with you haha.

I need ONE new crash (or maybe two): Every cymbal I have right now is either giant (23", etc) or an EFX kind of cymbal...I need a couple of 18" and 19" more conventional crashes...but I have a deal with Bosphorus and their direct payment is all weird because something happened with the US and Turkey monetarily they keep explaining.
 
What do you think of the Byzance Vintage Pure hi hats? I first saw them in a Chris Coleman Drumeo video and love how they sound on that video. Curious to get your thoughts on them. Do they cut through effectively?
 
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