Home » Product Close-Up: Meinl Signature Ride Cymbals (From the January 2014 Issue)

Product Close-Up: Meinl Signature Ride Cymbals (From the January 2014 Issue)

On 03rd Dec 2013

by Michael Dawson

In addition to its vast and diverse catalog of stock models, Meinl also offers an array of rides designed in collaboration with key endorsing artists who represent a wide range of playing styles and who have particularly discerning tastes. These artists include fusion players Benny Greb, Rodney Holmes, and Trevor Lawrence Jr.; metal drummers Derek Roddy, Brann Dailor, and Chris Adler; jazz/studio drummer Wolfgang Haffner; and electronica expert Johnny Rabb. We’ve gathered all of these signature cymbals here to see how well they fared.

Sand, Spectrum, and Stadium

All three of these unique rides are from the Byzance family. They are handcrafted from B20 bronze in Turkey and finalized in Meinl’s main factory in Germany. Benny Greb’s Sand ride, which is available in 20″ ($610) and 22″ ($740) versions, falls within the Vintage subseries, and it features a sandblasted main playing surface, a partially lathed bottom, and a hammered bell. Advertisement

The 22″ Spectrum and Stadium rides, designed for Rodney Holmes and Trevor Lawrence Jr., respectively, come from the Dark series and feature a raw surface with more pronounced hammering. The Spectrum ride has a wide circular lathing pattern that gives it a unique look. The Stadium model has a big, pronounced bell and is lathed on the bottom only. (Both list for $740.)

Serpent, Ghost, and Pure Metal

Derek Roddy’s medium-heavy 21″ Serpent ride ($670) is from the Byzance Brilliant series. It’s made from B20 bronze and has a shiny finish. Brann Dailor’s 21″ Mb8 series Ghost ride ($500) is made from B8 bronze. Like the Spectrum ride, the Ghost features wide lathing, but the bell is left raw. When designing his signature Pure Metal ride ($920), Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler went all out with a giant 24″ Mb20 model.

Jazz Club and Safari

The Jazz Club model was developed with the top German jazz/studio drummer Wolfgang Haffner. It features the traditional look of the Turkish-forged B20 Jazz series, plus large hammer markings and four rivets. Electronica expert Johnny Rabb’s signature Safari ride ($268) is from the Generation X series and consists of an 18″ flat cymbal and a smaller splash-type effects model designed to rest directly on top of the 18″. Advertisement

Take a listen at the links below. For the complete review, be sure to check out the January 2014 issue of Modern Drummer.