Mike Johnston’s signature cymbal pack is one of the most popular packs that Meinl offers. In this set, you get some amazing Byzance cymbals that produce musical tones and have plenty of character.
In this review, we’re going to review each cymbal in the set. We’ll elaborate on who this pack would be good for, and we’ll give you our thoughts on whether the set is worth the money.
The cymbal pack comes with four cymbals from Meinl’s Byzance line. The 14” hi-hats are the Meinl Extra Dry Medium Hats.
The first 18” crash is a Meinl Extra Dry Thin Crash. The second crash is a 20” Meinl Extra Thin Hammered Crash. The ride is a 21” Meinl Mike Johnston Signature Transition Ride.
All these cymbals are placed together for their coherent sounds. The overall tones you get are dry and complex.
With each cymbal coming from the Byzance Series, you know the quality is going to be good. However, we love how dry and musical each cymbal is.
The 14” Extra Dry hats have a very throaty sound, and they produce amazing tones when you open them up.
The 18” Extra Dry crash has a similar vibe, but the sounds are a bit lower-pitched. This is a great crash to crash-ride on, as it never sounds too loud and overwhelming.
The 20” Extra Thin crash has a powerful deep tone. It works well when ending phrases, as it has a sound that musically covers the whole drum kit as you strike it.
Finally, the Transition Ride is the star of the show. It’s made to have great articulation when you play the bow, but it washes really nicely when you strike the edge. The bell is also quite loud and powerful.
Each cymbal in the set is made from B20 bronze. That’s a mixture of 80% copper and 20% tin. The most musical cymbals on the market tend to have this mixture, so seeing that the cymbals are B20 options makes you know that they’re high-end.
We love the unlathed design of most of the cymbals in the pack as well. They have a very earthy appearance, which matches the earthy and dry tones that they produce.
Not everyone is a fan of the unlathed look, though, so it’s great that the 20” crash has a shiny brilliant finish.
These are some of the best cymbals to use in low-volume environments. You can crash on them really hard, and the volume will never be too overwhelming. That makes them good for church venues, coffee shops, and restaurants.
They’re also amazing cymbals to use for jazz drumming, as each option in the set articulates patterns really well.
They’re just not the greatest cymbals for live stage settings where you need a lot of volume. If you need cymbals that will cut through a big mix with bright sounds, these won’t work. They blend more than anything, so they’ll get lost in a mix.
That’s why they’re better cymbals for jazz drummers instead of rock drummers. If you play rock or metal, you’ll need a pack with brighter cymbals.
The set costs just over $1500. That’s quite expensive for a set of cymbals, but it’s also cheaper than what it would cost to buy each cymbal on its own.
Remember that these are high-end cymbals from Meinl, so the price is quite standard compared to other cymbals in the same category.
Because of that, we’d say that the price-to-value ratio is decent. You’ll need to save a bit, but you won’t need to buy more cymbals for a while after getting these.
The Mike Johnston Cymbal Set is a great option if you’re looking for artsy cymbals. It’s the one signature cymbal pack we know of that tends to work well for a wide variety of drummers.
If you’re looking for some new pies, we highly recommend checking these out.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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