I hate to review this because I just bought a set of drums and I don't play them yet. I bought this 20-inch ride cymbal because after watching some drumming lessons on video I decided that I definitely want a nice large ride cymbal.
I marked this 5 stars because the shipping was super fast, and the cymbal looks and feels great. However, as far as sound goes I can't say a lot because I don't have a lot of experience with it. I'll tell you what I did do so far. I put it on a cymbal stand and played some various 8th and 16th patterns to see if I could get a feel for what it will be like. Here's what I experienced.
The cymbal has a very wide range of tones (or sounds) from the rim to the bell. In some spots it sound more like a gong than a cymbal, in other spots it has a that nice ride cymbal sound I was hoping for. So I think I'm going to be happy with it. In fact, there seems to be two "sweet spots" on this cymbal. The first one is about an inch and a half in from the rim, and the second one is about an inch out from the edge of the bell. Hitting it at other places produces more of a gong sound than a cymbal sound (but keep in mind that I'm totally inexperienced with this)
The other thing that I noticed too is that the bell itself seems to be rather dead. I noticed this because one of my lessons teaches to go into the bell on every other beat. On the video their bell sounded like a bell. This bell just sounds like a thud. However, this could have something to do with my cymbal stand or the way I have it mounted, but I tried various tensions etc, and could never get an actual bell sound from the bell. This isn't really a concern for me personally, but I thought I'd mention it for anyone who might be in need of that bell sound.
I'm happy with this cymbal because I think it's going to be nice for the sound I'm looking for which is to use it as a ride cymbal. Considering the price I can't complain because it's hard to find a 20 inch cymbal at this price. So for this reason I gave it five stars. It does give that nice ride cymbal sound when hit in the right place and it sounds about what I would expect from a 20 in cymbal. It's also quite heavy and looks like it's going to be durable. It might turn out to be better than I think once I actually start playing. It's hard to say at this stage.
Plus I now have a great "gong" sound to use too if I ever want it. (ha ha) You just got to watch where you his this cymbal. It has a wide range of sounds. Just don't whack it blindly, you got to pick your spot and play it like an instrument. Hit the right spot and you can get some really sweet sounds from it.
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Thoughts on the Meinl twenty inch ride cymbal
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HCS 20" Ride by Meinl Cymbals
Meinl USA L.C.
From the manufacturer
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| HCS 18" Crash-Ride | HCS 20" Crash-Ride | HCS 20" Ride | HCS 22" Ride | |
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| Customer Reviews |
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| Price | — | $94.99 | $94.99 | — |
| Pitch | Medium-High | Medium | Medium | Medium-Low |
| Tone | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sustain (ring) | Medium-Short | Medium | Medium-Long | Medium-Long |
| Application | Beginner/Intermediate | Beginner/Intermediate | Beginner/Intermediate | Beginner/Intermediate |
| Material | MS63 Brass Alloy | MS63 Brass Alloy | MS63 Brass Alloy | MS63 Brass Alloy |
ALL MEINL HCS CYMBALS:
Compare with similar items
This Item  Meinl 20" Ride Cymbal - HCS Traditional Finish Brass for Drum Set, Made in Germany, 2-YEAR WARRANTY (HCS20R) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $94.99 | $35.00 | $99.99 | -17% $169.95 List: $204.00 | $94.99 | $104.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| For beginners | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
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| Sold By | Drummer's Planet | Arborea cymbal | HAIRIESIS MUSIC STORE | Amazon.com | Arborea cymbal | Drummer's Planet |
| material | MS63 Brass Alloy | Metal | Stainless,Steel | Copper | Stainless Steel | MS63 Brass Alloy |
| model name | Ride | — | — | ILH20CR | — | Big Bell Ride |
| body material | MS63 Brass Alloy | — | Brass | Bronze | stainless steel | MS63 Brass Alloy |
| weight | 4.73 pounds | 500 grams | 1 kilograms | 4.17 pounds | 100 grams | 4.48 pounds |
Reviews with images
Perfect for me
Just started playing drums after almost 40 years playing bass. Drums were my original instrument before bass. I’m not much of a drummer yet but this ride is perfect for me.
