Jumping the Zildjian ship for... Meinl?

SGT_Drummer

Senior Member
Ok, so anyone who has read my posts knows that I am a die hard Zildjian fan, but I'm always up for more options. I had been hearing alot about Meinl cymbals for years now and finally decided to look them up. All I can really say is... WOW! I was stunned by all of the inovations Meinl is doing. I firmly believe that Meinl has a MUCH larger selection than any other cymbal maker out there because of the variety. But I'm not quite ready to jump off the Zildjian ship just yet.

So anyone who has ever played a Meinl cymbal, please tell me more about them!! (of course by "played" I mean someone who has physically hit a Meinl cymbal with a drum stick, not someone who went on thier webpage and listened to the sound clips)
 
Considering that Meinl takes other company's idea's ( look at Sound Caster Fusions and K Custom Hybrids as well as a couple others ) they are not really my first choice. But I really like their Byzance Jazz cymbals.
 
I would not have any problem doing that. Meinl's are great stuff, and very underrated. I say that because ZIldjians are in every single store. Meinl don't have half the coverage and press (UFIP to an even lesser degree).

Byzance and mb20 are very nice.
 
Meinl has a much larger following in Europe, than here in the states. Great cymbals.
 
they are great cymbals, while i've only 'played' them in store, i'm sold - i have a Byzance ride on order and plans to get matching hats and crash... i agree with you on Meinl's diversity, they have a broad range of finishes, sizes and metals - so i guess i'm saying go for it!
 
Meinl's become a very good cymbal company in my opinion. I especially like their Generation X series, which is really good if you're looking for interesting sounds you wouldn't expect from your average cymbal. I own a Gen X Trash hat and 12" + 14" Filter chinas and am currently setting my sights on a China Crash.
 
Meinl's become a very good cymbal company in my opinion. I especially like their Generation X series, which is really good if you're looking for interesting sounds you wouldn't expect from your average cymbal. I own a Gen X Trash hat and 12" + 14" Filter chinas and am currently setting my sights on a China Crash.

yeah the Gen X stuff is what really caught my fancy. How do those chinas sound? and have you tried the "jingle" versions? How does the Trash HH sound compared to like Mastersounds or New Beats? I'm also fascinated by the "Safari" cymbals! They are also really advertising the "Drumbal". Which I realize probably wasn't thier invention, but how in the world does that thing work?? and what's it sound like?
 
yeah the Gen X stuff is what really caught my fancy. How do those chinas sound? and have you tried the "jingle" versions? How does the Trash HH sound compared to like Mastersounds or New Beats? I'm also fascinated by the "Safari" cymbals! They are also really advertising the "Drumbal". Which I realize probably wasn't thier invention, but how in the world does that thing work?? and what's it sound like?

They do sound pretty cool, but the problem is that they are pretty quiet. The holes and softer fx-9 alloy they use in some of them is pretty soft.
 
Considering that Meinl takes other company's idea's ( look at Sound Caster Fusions and K Custom Hybrids as well as a couple others ) they are not really my first choice. But I really like their Byzance Jazz cymbals.

Well the at least one of the big three (sabian) has adopted what i think is the best selling point of Meinl cymbals, a 2yr warranty on everything they make...Sabian might have been the first to do 2yr coverage on the HH line, but i think it was a big step for the whole industry to see not one but two major manufacturers offering this kind of customer support and reassurance.

I was a sabian purest for 8 years or so until i cracked both of my HHX crashes, i then decided to buy MB20 heavy crashes.

Every aspect of these cymbals is outstanding.

My 17 and 19"'s are very responsive for their heavy weight and seem just a little bit quieter and darker than other heavy crashes which isn't a big concern for me,brings the drums out a little more in the mix. The result is a highly versatile, loud, and musical instrument. They also seem to shimmer much more than my HHXs did, you can really hear the silver content in the MB20s.
 
yeah the Gen X stuff is what really caught my fancy. How do those chinas sound? and have you tried the "jingle" versions? How does the Trash HH sound compared to like Mastersounds or New Beats? I'm also fascinated by the "Safari" cymbals! They are also really advertising the "Drumbal". Which I realize probably wasn't thier invention, but how in the world does that thing work?? and what's it sound like?

Here's a video for a "Drumbal" which is skillfully used by Johnny Raab: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H25tepiHXAo

And here's Benny Greb advertising his Trash Hat in his recording studio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyoJ3gEm5M0

I like the filter chinas. They have a weird sound, but as explained before, they are a little more quiet and for that reason, I find that they are less harsh than other chinas. I haven't tried the jingle stuff yet, but I really want to.
 
I get more and more intrigued by Meinl's offerings. My local shop carries a pretty wide array of Meinl percussion, which is all top notch and a fine peer to the Toca and LP laying around. I imagine their cymbals are of the same high caliber. The only cymbals I've played are 14 Byzance med hats. They were very clear and articulate. For a smaller(?) cymbal company, I am quite impressed by the spectrum (no pun intended) that Meinl covers in it's cymbal selection. They are a very legitmate contender. I may even be compelled to say that they are the standard in selection of effects cymbals - very diverse.
 
They are a very legitmate contender. I may even be compelled to say that they are the standard in selection of effects cymbals - very diverse.

I am definitely inclined to agree. The concepts they are marketing so to speak are, like I've said, amazing! They have taken things that have been around for years and expounded on it in a way I haven't really seen from other companies. Example, stacking cymbals. They are selling cymbals already stacked. Holes in the cymbals: Sabian and Zildjian both start doing the broad gaping cuts in thier cymbals, but Meinl took the rivet holes used on Swisher ride and a few crashes and put them in a China. Then they have the new things that I just haven't even thought of. Hello Fusion series! Half the cymbal lathed the other half not. The possibilities are endless, and I'm glad there is a company that is exploring that avenue. What I'd really like to see is a cymbal similar to the Fusions wherein they make a cymbal that is half lathed and half hand hamered, or half unlathed/half hammered. And there are so many other things that I've only recently began to dream about thanks to Meinl.

As a side note, I'm not saying NO company has ever done this in the history of modern drumming. I'm saying I personally don't know any with the exception of Sabian's cymbal thingy that kind of looks like a slinky combined with a splash...thingy. I wanna play with one of those.
 
Why do you have to be on a single manufacturer's "ship"? Do you have an endorsement contract for that? If not, why not just go down to the store and buy with your ears, instead of your eyes?
 
Why do you have to be on a single manufacturer's "ship"? Do you have an endorsement contract for that? If not, why not just go down to the store and buy with your ears, instead of your eyes?

Totally agree 100%. I have never figured out why non-endorsers get so brand conscious. I guess you feel like pro'ish'?
 
Totally agree 100%. I have never figured out why non-endorsers get so brand conscious. I guess you feel like pro'ish'?
ive talked with fellow drummers in the chicagoland circuit and most drummers (not all) have all one brand. They didnt give any indication that it was cause of the "pro" looks etc, its just some people like consistency within their sets, i'm one of them as well. I have never mixed brands, nor will i. Consider it narrow minded or what have you, but a lot of people do it and if you don't get it, you dont get it. Either way back to my discussion with other drummers, most just said they like a certain brand a lot and just stick with it. i have seen drummers who have a whole mess of different companies, but there excuse was thats all they could afford at the time and they bought used.

thats just my .02 cents.
 
ive talked with fellow drummers in the chicagoland circuit and most drummers (not all) have all one brand. They didnt give any indication that it was cause of the "pro" looks etc, its just some people like consistency within their sets, i'm one of them as well. I have never mixed brands, nor will i. Consider it narrow minded or what have you, but a lot of people do it and if you don't get it, you dont get it. Either way back to my discussion with other drummers, most just said they like a certain brand a lot and just stick with it. i have seen drummers who have a whole mess of different companies, but there excuse was thats all they could afford at the time and they bought used.

thats just my .02 cents.

Whoa.. whatever floats your boat, bud.

No need to get defensive. It was just a gentle reminder that it was an aural thing and not really visual...AND that you have a choice unlike endorsed Pros,

but heck it sure could be an emotional thing too.

No offense.
 
Yesterday I played on the whole wall of meinls at the store! There were some bad, BUT there were also many great sounding ones! The bad ones were of course the beginner lines. All the byzances, mb8's, and mb10's sounded great! Unfortunately they didn't have any mb20's :(

The classics sounded alright too :)
 
Whoa.. whatever floats your boat, bud.

No need to get defensive. It was just a gentle reminder that it was an aural thing and not really visual...AND that you have a choice unlike endorsed Pros,

but heck it sure could be an emotional thing too.

No offense.
no offense taken, but i do hear a lot on the forums about people not understanding sticking with one brand. i simply gave my opinion and my point of view. sorry you thought i was getting defensive but i thought i was given my .02 cents without being too emotional about it :)
 
Back
Top