Meinl Cymbals Byzance 20" Vintage Sand Ride, Benny Greb Signature — Made in Turkey — Hand Hammered B20 Bronze, 2-Year Warranty (B20SAR)

I absolutely love this cymbal. It has so much range, character and soul. Honestly, when I first took it out of the box and started playing it I didn't care for it much at all and was somewhat disappointed and a little concerned having bought it online before actually sampling it because it was very foreign sounding to me and what I'm used to based on my other rides which are much heavier. But I was going for something different and that's precisely what I got. It has some trashiness to it depending on how its hit, especially in the wash and as it's name suggests it is very extra dry. However, the more I've played it the more it seems to come alive with it's own symbiotic life force echoing my own playing characteristics and intentions (which can range from jazz through punk rock, everything in between and even post and sub-genres). The bell is just awesome and for it's stark dryness it also seems to resonate somewhat throughout the whole cymbal. That trashy wash when I crash it can sometimes sound almost a bit gong like. For a ride it is actually extremely great for crashing on, but I still wouldn't call it a ride/crash because of the warm, subtle, dry but somewhat dark and expressive sticking sounds I get while riding on it. It's such an amazingly versatile cymbal. I can now say it's the best ride I've ever owned. It goes great with my set of Meinl darks (replacing my slightly cracked 20" dark ride) and my limited edition custom (larger) sized Gretch Catalina Club Mod. I can make this ride do everything I need and want it to do and it has me doing some things I didn't even know I could. It's a great jazz cymbal but also great for a unique sound in all things rock.

This Cymbal is totally awesome. Very very versatile. It has a smooth raw/dry wash to it when pushed, but nice stick definition if you poke at it more gently. The bell is fat... MAYBE just a tad too thick on the bell, but it is the character of the cymbal and it's all about high quality with this piece. The sand finish on top is great, and the bottom of the cymbal is beyond great.. beautiful...its too bad that the bottom is more hidden, but when the drums are lifted and looked at from the front, it adds a whole bunch of character and class to the appearance of the kit. This cymbal fills a much larger sound spectrum than my previous ride... and than most rides i've heard. Part of the fun is that you can play this cymbal differently than many of the rides out there because it sounds so good when you slap it around a little to add some sustain to the mix.The BG Sand ride is going to stay on my kit for a LONGGG time if not indefinitely... this is the kind of cymbal investment you know you'll always keep around regardless of what else you're trying out. much respect for Benny Greb... he knows... and anybody who's studied his playing and attention to sound details knows that he knows... :)

I cannot believe that this was sent from America in a 2 foot w by 3 foot l by 5 inch h thin cardboard box with just a split Meinl plastic bag and a little bit of balled up brown paper for protection. It slides freely about in all directions, sideways and top and bottom. Somehow, I think the cymbal has survived. Although it was cheaper than buying it from England I would not risk that again and will pay the extra to buy it from a shop here. Absolute pants packaging. Normally things are overpacked, but this is taking it to the other extreme. The person packing it had obviously NO CLUE WHATSOEVER about delicate musical instruments and it was obviously not packed in a music shop. Very strange. Please beware.

If you are even looking at this cymbal you already know how massive it is...yes it’s quite expensive...even a used one is $300-$325But it’s WELL worth it

I bought this after using a zildjian sweet ride for several yrs. I wanted something a little darker and clearer with more definition. It is perfect! The meinl sound samples are very accurate and were helpful when I purchased this cymbal. Can fit in many styles including rock, pop and funk.

It has been less than 3 years since i bought this very great sounding cymbal, but i did not use this cymbal for 1 year and a half. This cymbal is already breaking, i thought these cymbals were expensive for a reason. I do not tighten this cymbal and there is no reason for it to start breaking in less than 3 years. It is a great sounding cymbal, but i would not buy meinl again. 1 year of constant use.

Washy and trashy with smooth stick articulation. Excellent crashability.

Hand made in turky , Deep Dark, scary,,, with 3 Rivits ,,, there's nothing like it ,,, totally satisfied customer Perfect for Jazz or Blues