Meinl 14" Byzance Sand Hi-Hat

After watching the promo adverts for this cymbal range, I was instantly attracted to them, and I'm even more impressed with these hats now that they're part of my lineup!

I have been playing these cymbals with some math rock bands, alongside a pop-ballad songwriter to find they work tremendously in two different musical environments. The versatility of the sound of the hats was the biggest appeal for me. The hats to my ears are dry and very responsive, without sounding 'choked'. The foot gives a nice subtle 'chick', where the open hat sounds unique but palatable. A foot splash keeps the uniqueness but with more attack and volume.

I love everything about the cymbals, from the weight difference between the pair, to the finishes. As mentioned before, the top hat finish is more alike the Byzance Vintage Pure finishes, it has that slighty raw look, but still beautiful cymbals.

Exactly what i want from hi-hats, a dream!

I bought these after listening to a lot of demos on YouTube, including several featuring the man himself. Well. What a treat. These hi hats look and sound amazing. The top is quite golden in tone, quite raucous really. With Its big hammer marks it looks almost feral. The bottom cymbal is much heavier and more refined in texture. It has a silvery tone - somewhere between a cymbal and a bell. Benny Greb generally uses the word buttery when talking about these sand blasted cymbals. I think the word glassy is nearer the mark in this case.

With both cymbals there are quiite a spread of layered tones to be heard. I'm looking forward to really getting to know these cymbals and learning how to pull the different sounds from them at different volume levels. You can see in the videos how Benny does just that by using different parts of his sticks and also different 'attitudes' in the way he strikes them.

One immediate observation: they sound best on a sturdy, solid hi hat stand. They are so lively that anything lightweight tends to pick up their vibrations which can create some unwanted and rather nasty undertones.

These are the hi-hat cymbals you need to get if you want a dry sound that isn't so dry that it loses its musicality. Solid stick response, when the hi-hat is closed it creates a 'ch' attack sound rather than a 'tt'. The heavier lower cymbal gives a slightly metallic pitched sound that isn't heard on sound samples because it is so subtle. You may not like this or you may think it gives it musicality and character. Please note, they do not look like the photo; the hammering is more pronounced and they have a gorgeous bronze/purple sheen. There is a signature of Greb, which is a nice touch. Be aware, these cymbals are heavy.