MEINL BYZANCE BRILLIANT SERPENTS HI-HAT AND VINTAGE TRASH CRASHES

100
| FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
GEAR REVIEW
A
lthough Derek Roddy is best
known for dropping wrist-
mangling blastbeats he is well
schooled in a variety of
drumming styles. This is refl ected in the
versatile nature of his 13" Serpents hi-hats
where, instead of designated top and bottom
cymbals, either cymbal can be played
toppermost. As one of the cymbals is heavy,
lathed and brilliantly fi nished and the other is
mediumweight, raw, unlathed and speckled
with hammer marks, each pairing should
provide contrasting responses.
The 16" and 18" Trash Crashes are
paper-thin and have a semi-matt fi nish that
resembles that of their Byzance Vintage
stablemates, Benny Greb’s Sand
cymbals. Unlike Herr Greb’s
offerings, the Trash Crashes
feature a series of circular and
cigar-shaped apertures to
accentuate the trash factor
and provide funky visuals.
Hands On
With the brilliant cymbal
on top, the Serpents hats
are razor sharp and
respond instantly to every
input. The stick sound is clean,
tight and ideal for enunciating
rapid fi re patterns. Played nearer the
edge the hats sound bigger than their
13" diameter – beneath the brightness
is a note of considerable depth.
Relaxing the pedal fi nds them
breaking into a churning wash.
Swapping the cymbals
round brings a warmer,
slightly looser response.
Where the note was fi nely
honed and needle-precise
it’s now more spread and
slightly frayed. The timbre is
different as well: deeper, less
metallic and softer all round.
Derek reckons that in this
confi guration the hats could be
used for a bebop gig and, while they
From £282 Meinl teams up with Derek Roddy for new Byzance cymbals
MEINL BYZANCE
BRILLIANT SERPENTS
HI-HAT & VINTAGE
TRASH CRASHES
WORDS: ADAM JONES
VERDICT: The Serpents Hats’ innovative
design makes them versatile and
capable of different sounds and feels.
While not being quite as inspired, the
Trash Crashes also hit the spot. As with
all Byzance cymbals, they’re pricey.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
could be a little on the powerful side,
sound-wise they’re pretty darn close.
There are few ambiguities in the Trash
Crashes’ name and fewer still in their sound; a
blast of scything attack lit with coruscating
trashiness, edge wobble and rapid decay. They
are so intense and abrupt that they are
nudging into china territory. The smaller
model is marginally higher in pitch – though
still dark and dirty for its diameter – while the
18" unleashes an angry blaze of tangled
frequencies.
PRICES
Meinl Byzance Brilliant
Serpents hi-hats, £361;
Meinl Byzance Vintage
Trash crashes: 16", £282;
18", £337
CAST OR PRESSED
Cast
ALLOY USED
B20 bronze
FINISH
Polished and raw
(Serpents hats)
sandblasted (Trash
Crashes)
HAND OR MACHINE
HAMMERED
Both
COUNTRY OF
MANUFACTURE
Turkey and Germany
DIAMETERS
AVAILABLE
13", 16", 18"
MODELS AVAILABLE
Hi-hats and Trash Crashes
SUITABLE FOR
Metal, extreme metal,
rock, pop, indie, fusion,
some jazz
CONTACT
Active Music
020 8693 5678
www.meinlcymbals.com
Essential spec
SERPENTS HI-HATS
Instead of designated top
and bottom hi-hats,
either cymbal can be
played toppermost
RHY212.gear_meinl.indd 100 12/13/12 9:41 AM