Every Meinl Cymbal I Own and WHY // Meinl Cymbals Review + Demo

[@qweasdzxc428]

I remember when Mike gave you the 16" prototype cymbal!!! Such a great memory from drum camp.

[@Bruh-rv1yg]

Wow that 19" Traditional Medium Thin crash sounds so dang good! I recently got myself a 20" Traditional Extra Thin Hammered Crash and it has such a deep washy roar to it. It is way fun to play! Some day I will have to get another Byzance so the 20 has a buddy.

[@ColeParamore]

It's a particular favorite of mine. Crazy how similar it is to the 18" Sand Thin crash which was my old fave. Bet that 20" is a monster!

[@bolth800]

The green rust on cymbals is one of the most fascinating things to me. Love how I can see that on your 18” sand crash

[@kentturner595]

Didn’t really think I was going to like this video when it first came up, but it was very enjoyable. Thanks much!

[@ColeParamore]

Thanks! I think…? 😅

[@joshuajuaire8757]

I loved the 20 brilliant crash I love how dark it’s pleasing to my ears

[@williamfotiou7577]

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on meinl. Their cymbals just have a fullness and shimmer to them that I love. Kind of similar to hhx's. Great video

[@kushking420]

I've wanted meinl cymbals for over 10 years, finally have my hands on some Byzance 14" extra dry medium hats, byzance 18" extra dry thin crash, byzance 20" extra thin hammered crash, and a byzance 21" transition ride. I'm jealous of how many awesome meinls you own. I always bought sabian cymbals in the past cause i get a good deal in canada.

[@Quartiano]

Cool! I love the Byzance Dark crashes. I use a 20” crash as my main crash/ride cymbal. Surprised to not see them represented here! Rock on, sick collection!

[@Boston84]

Oh hell yeah I love the way that sounds as a ride is amazing. A little bit of wash but still a ton stick articulation and a great crash sound

[@rglickdrums]

Really good review dude! Love your cymbal selection.

[@ColeParamore]

Thanks! Much appreciated Ryan.

[@thomasmoje5926]

Meinl sure has come a long way..first Meinl cymbal I had was a 20" Raker ride I got cheap wasn't really my sound way too loud and 'ringy' so I sold it. I now have a Meinl 22" Vintage Pure light ride and it is one of my favorite cymbals great stick definition on the dry side but with enough 'wash' that it is very useful for a variety of musical situations, and it crashes well. Really like the Sand series thin crashes might pick one up.

[@gaffroman]

I'm now a meinl guy having had zildjians and sabians in the past. Your 13"K/Zs sound very different to mine! Yours are a lot brighter, maybe I got lucky with some darker ones. I was actually looking for something comparable from meinl until I went the polar opposite way and got 15" Byzance Foundry Reserve hats, which I absolutely love. Rest of my set up is 18" dual crash, 20" extra thin hammered crash, 20" sand ride, fat stack, 20" equilibrium China and 8" brilliant splash (old, looks traditional!). Really digging all the new meinl stuff at the moment, by far the most interesting about!

[@ColeParamore]

Agreed! Though I've always got half an eye on Instabul Agop as well...

[@gaffroman]

@@ColeParamore love the Istanbul lines too. I have a 20" Azure ride I put 3 rivets in when I did jazz at University, paired with a 22" K Constantinople ride for a small group set. Beautiful! Agops sound incredible, I'd consider one if I didn't already have enough cymbals 😬

[@ColeParamore]

@@gaffroman Oof! I'll bet that combo was 🤌🏻

[@gaffroman]

@@ColeParamore very fun to play, but think I'm more jealous of your sand crash ride... It's what my set is missing at the moment!

[@Prizmatic1658]

That 22 tradition ride is awesome

[@blueburnsred]

Dude, wow! You and I have very similar taste. I also have an 18 Extra Dry Thing crash, I have an 18 Dual Crash, I have a Transition Ride and a Sand Crash Ride. Good choices I'd say!

[@DerekStrick]

I assumed this vid had hundreds of thousands of views lol, damn. Nice video!

[@jakecandrum]

dude those 18 inch hi hats sound killer

[@aryalakshman3657]

This is a certified Cole Paramore moment 👍 gotta love the dark byzances

[@joshuajuaire8757]

I would love to see a video on your favorite drumsticks. I would love to see your interpretation

[@ColeParamore]

The short, easy answer is Vater Sugar Maple Blazers.

[@joshuajuaire8757]

@@ColeParamore that’s a cool pair of drumsticks I bet

[@HarveyMorgan-q8p]

Never owned Meinls, but have ordered some for a church I attend & purchased a shell kit & hardware for.

[@brettclurdrums]

Soooo jealous. Awesome video, man! :)

[@ColeParamore]

Thanks Brett! I probably should have mentioned I've been slowly acquiring these for probably 12 or so years now. 😅

[@nathanmerriman9152]

HEY BRO I LOVE THIS CONTENT!!!!

[@butchcassidy3373]

I've got the custom classic dark crash in 20 inch and I love it Nice washhhhhh. Gonna add the 18 inch dual crash I'm thinking

[@rockerbob949]

Go Alaska! I lived in Homer and Soldotna for a couple years. Fished the Cook Inlet while up there.

[@ColeParamore]

Nice!

[@DbiPro]

That’s perfect. Brilliant crash 20”

[@jamar4]

I don’t have actual good meinl cymbals, only a 18 inch crash ride, but here’s the things I would love to have: 17 inch pure alloy custom medium thin crash nice and cutting, right amount of decay 18 inch vintage sand crash. Would probably be the main crash 20 inch medium pure alloy custom crash. I would probably use this as a ride crash or used it to end of my drum beats 22 inch HCS bronze ride. Bright ride, i just want it 14 inch raker hihats. Also bright, use it the most 12’14 inches gen X trash hat (stack). second hat (maybe?), cuts nice 16 inch byzance dual china. Decays fast which is good for me personally, cuts extremely well

[@simonkullberg]

Dope collection! I’m playing the 22” Byzance tradition ride as well, love the washiness of it. Have you tried their newer Pure Alloy series? I’m using the 14” medium hihats right now, and they sound great. Thinking of changing up my classics custom china to a pure alloy one!

[@stevelewis2080]

Favourite Meinl's I own surprisingly has to be the Gartska Fat Stack. Such a fun cymbal combination to play and separated are still really cool. Also, big fan of the Dual crashes, in particular the 18" and the 20" crash/ride (far better as a crash).

[@ColeParamore]

Also love the Fat Stack. Gartska's signature stuff is a little hit or miss to me, but that stack is a hit for sure.

[@Nobodycommented]

That Zildjian K in the thumbnail is mildly disturbing

[@cbasbwoyETP]

Got the K in the thumbnail? Interesting choice

[@ColeParamore]

@@cbasbwoyETP haven’t gotten that far in the video yet I take it?

[@NotYoung3592]

Am looking for a good sounding 16" crash, quick decay, interested in Meinl, which can you suggest?

[@ColeParamore]

Good sounding is subjective, but the Extra Dry thin crashes have a quick decay. I'd start there!

[@drummer4mysavior]

What are the weights on the 16” hi-hat crashes? They sound amazing and I’d love to try and get a similar sound!

[@ColeParamore]

I never got the weights, unfortunately. If you have a good drum shop nearby though go through the same process - grab a bunch stick them together and see what works!

[@drummer4mysavior]

Thanks for the reply!!! Do you have any videos that highlight these a bit more? I might try to pick up some cymbals to copy this combo!

[@moondrums]

Nice video. Great idea

[@ColeParamore]

Thanks!

[@rafaelchavarria9647]

Cole...I´m trying to transition to Meinl, but I am torn between a 18 inch sand thin crash, a 17-18 inch dark crash and a 17-19 medium thin crash...I play rock mostly...what would you recommend? I know it has to be my own taste, just looking for your point of view...(my gut is leaning towards the sand crash, just not sure if it is good for rock overall)

[@ColeParamore]

Go for the 19" medium thin!

[@bishopoftroy]

Hi Cole, would you do the same and pass that cymbal to someone else since you`re not using it anymore? :)

[@ColeParamore]

Are you volunteering yourself?

[@porky0579]

how come you dont have the 19" dual crash

[@ColeParamore]

Sorry I'm not sure I understand the question.

[@porky0579]

@@ColeParamorewell in my opinion its one of the best meinl cymbals, so thats why i was a bit surprised you have so many meinl cymbals and you dont have that one

[@ColeParamore]

@@porky0579 That's the beauty of opinions, they're unique to the individual. Hope you're enjoying yours!

[@patrickmanning7379]

who do you play with ?

[@ColeParamore]

Hey Patrick, I've played on and off with a number of local artists in the WA area the past few years, but if you want to check out some music you can look for Harrison B, Little Rumor, and SHIVERTWINS.

[@peterortiz4553]

That was very cool I'm also starting to look at male symbols

[@DbiPro]

The medium thin is my non negotiable crash.

[@dew_b_dew]

'I don't use my 18" crash anymore, I tend to use larger cymbals' I guess I'm behind the times, I thought 18 was pretty big for a crash lol

[@ColeParamore]

Indeed, it’s true. 20s and 22s are common these days. Maybe the pendulum will swing the other way at some point but these days a 14 might as well be a splash haha.

[@johnkenn1608]

Meinl is the tits. And DW too lol. Your kit is awesome, and all of those cymbals as well!

[@ColeParamore]

Thanks John!

[@MannyMo_]

Your telling me you don’t own not one China??

[@ZoranVručinić]

Očito je da moraš naučiti svirati činele jer ti pucaju a to je znak da trebaš mijenjati svoje postavke i shvaćanje glazbe općenito kao i naučiti svirati činele a da ostanu čitave. Learn hit's cymbals!

[@ColeParamore]

I haven't cracked a cymbal in many years. That said, even with "perfect" technique any cymbal will eventually crack if played with any significant force (excluding hi hats).

[@ZoranVručinić]

Sviram 40 godina i nikad nisam slomio niti jednu činelu. I play Paiste signature fast and full crashes from begining 89. Ne miješam fast i full. Nikad ne idem palicom u nju nego je jako brzo slajsam tj. okrznem po rubu i tada činela daje puni zvuk. Byzance sam probao u Njemačkoj u dućanu ali imaju veliku manu a to je da nemaju konzistenciju nego je svaka drugačijeg tona a to me užasno smeta, probao sam svirati Zildjian ali tu u Evropi tj, Croatia nemaš baš neki izbor tako da sam ih svirao 6 godina i vratio se na Paiste jer sam shvatio da ih mogu lako nabaviti a kod signature činela do sada nisam naišao na neke veće razlike između dvije iste činele a od bubnja sam svirao ludwige i sada od nedavno sviram Sonor delite i samo mogu reći da je paiste i sonor dobitna kombinacija kao u Americi, ludwig, gretsch ili dw and Zildjian cymbals. Eto, lijepi pozdrav svim bubnjarima gdje god bili iz Zagreba!

[@ColeParamore]

@@ZoranVručinić Yep, variance is inevitable when cymbals are handmade.

[@leopoldomuniz2745]

What is going on Meinl cymbals it looks like they all have cracking problem this is not the first I seen it before Menil companies should give you a lifetime guarantee on their cymbal after all you are paying lots money for their cymbals.

[@maxhammerum7705]

Well one of them cracked because someone hit it with a guitar, the other one was a prototype cymbal, which I’m guessing comes with no QA guarantee

[@MWDPond]

TLDR: He likes ride cymbals and using crashes as high hats!

[@jamesnikki5]

I liked none of the cymbals, too trendy, too dry, to close sounding too slabs of metal or tin cans, definitely not my taste in cymbals whatsoever, that being said, sonic beauty is in the ears of the beholder. Watched the whole video because is a crossover format, bringing inspiration from other industries is very interesting and refreshing. Plus is nice to see other people nerding about their gear, like that.

[@rizdog9191]

What cymbals do you use then

[@jamesnikki5]

@@rizdog9191 Whatever that is not on this trend of super dry slabs nor "metal" very thick cymbals, stuff like Avedis, hhx, paragon, 2002s, Formula 602s and my personal set is all Paiste Signature Full.

[@erichan6985]

@@jamesnikki5the hhx series are sooo nice

[@jamesnikki5]

@@erichan6985 Indeed! Sabian makes phenomenal cymbals!

[@erichan6985]

@@jamesnikki5 they really do. I made a pretty big mistake buying a meinl cymbal set for $1,500 before tax . Extra dry hats , extra dry crash etc. They got boring after a year of playing them. I’m gonna sell those and buy an hhx pack. Versatile for sure .

[@rickarmstrong3247]

PLEASE just play them quick and a little less talking...

[@ColeParamore]

Hi Rick. I'm sorry my formatting didn't work for you. You'll note that I have every cymbal timestamped, and I actually start each segment with a performance. This video is really intended to be more about my acquisition story and use cases for all of my personal cymbals. If you're looking strictly for demos and comparisons I'd highly recommend Memphis Drum Shop's page. They have thousand of cymbal demos oriented specifically towards sound samples.