Meinl Amun Series cymbals review
© Bill Ray 13612
The Meinl Amun series cymbals is the latest addition to their product line. For starters, many of you have never heard Meinl's cymbals. For this reason, I will use comparisons to the major manufacturer's sounds. It is not intended to be disparaging towards Meinl's sounds in any way.
A brief overview -
There are two general schools of cymbal manufacture- the Turkish sounds and the Euro sounds. Turkish sounds are generally more complex tonality wise and have a certain darkness about them. The Euro sounds are much cleaner sonically and seem more focused in; less intangible frequencies bouncing around. To my ears, the Meinl lines sort of fall in the cracks between these two methods of construction. Think "K. Paiste".
Rides
The first Amuns I received were two 20" rides, in light and medium
weight. I have to say, these rides have to be the darkest sounding cymbals I've
ever played. It's just a low pitched blanket of warmth that fills in a real nice
sonic space that you wouldn't normally associate with a 20" cymbal. Both really
sound like a 26" or even 28" pitchwise, with the Medium being slightly higher in
pitch than its thin counterpart. One thing that I think helps achieve this
effect is the profile of the cymbal- Where a higher pitched cymbal will have
more of a bow and curve, the Amun rides have a flatter profile. Due to the lack
of the curve, the cymbals have a slightly more controlled sound. The cymbals
don't have much wash to speak of and have a nice short crash sound. The sustain
is also a bit more controlled. Stick sound is nice and clicky. The Bell is
bright and cutting, a nice contrast from the body of the cymbal. If you like a
ride that falls into the dark, controlled, mid-volume category, this is
definitely a contender.
Crashes
The crashes I have are just gorgeous. I have 16" and 18" medium
crashes in my arsenal and I have to say they take the majority of the workload.
I can use these gems in *any* situation and feel great about it. The 18" has a
small bell which detracts from the usual thought that all cymbals 18" and above
have to have a large bell. The crashes are warm and shimmery as would be a
Turkish model yet maintain the higher frequencies within their voice that eludes
to their "Euro school" of manufacture. Due to the medium weight, I find they
really crave the shoulder of the stick with a few more foot-pounds of force
behind it in order to get the metal moving. Overall, the crashes are very
present in the blend and as their Ride cymbal compadres, have a bit flatter
profile which adds to the control factor and darkness of tone. The bell sound is
what a crash cymbal's is usually thought as- higher pitched and really not used
for any more than a tonal generator for the body of the cymbal.
One criticism I have of the cymbals is the finish- In my "bag of
tricks" I like to scrape the tip of the stick across the surface of the cymbal
to achieve a very high pitched squeal. With the sealer coat Meinl puts on the
surface of the cymbal, I find it nearly impossible to achieve this effect.
Conclusion
All in all, Meinl has a great product. I have been involved with the
company for almost a year now and have been treated to some very beautiful
cymbal sounds. My personal selection includes the Amun series (crashes, ride)
CCS line (Hi Hats and splash) Raker (HiHats) and their One-of-a Kind series.
(Ride cymbal #2, splash and chinas).Every recording engineer I work with has
raved over the cymbals The Artist relations team there is second-to-none, and
have done great things to help my career. Everyone there at Meinl is very down
to earth and can answer any questions you may have. Just Email
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if you have
any questions or comments.
Proud to be a Meinl guy!
13612
Bill Ray
is a professional drummer, teacher, clinician and helluva bloke. If he'd give
me a 50 word write-up I'd stick
it
in here - P
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