Meinl Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride

Group: Rides
Type: Pure Metal Ride
Size: 24 Inch
Series: Mb20
Weight: 4430g, 4684g, 4789g
Years of production: 2006* - ?
Sound file: Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride (Chris Adler talking about working with Meinl on this model)
Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride
Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride
Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride
Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride
Mb20 24" Pure Metal Ride
Meinl's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "The Pure Metal ride is a phenomenal cymbal, and not simply because of its size, weight and price, although all are impressive. It is an incredible sounding instrument that manages to combine ear-shattering volume with a remarkable three-dimensional tone. There´s an ever-present hint of warmth and depth here that surprises, given that you might expect volume and clattering upper-mids above everything else, and this adds extra muscle and tone to a cymbal that fits perfectly with skull-battering double-kick patterns.

You have to be extremely assertive with it to push it into a wash, but that´s no bad thing (and hardly avoidable given its proportions), and it means the Pure Metal ride carries a minimum penalty in terms of unwanted sustain and overtones. And the bell? Jeez, we can still hear it. Yes, the Pure Metal ride is fearsomely expensive, but the fact that it will outlast all of us and sound like the end of the world long after the end of the world means the cymbal will pay for itself in the long run.

Just make absolutely sure it´s the cymbal for you before reaching for your wallet."

Review written by Music Radar Team ("Meinl Mb20 Series cymbals review - If you can afford them, Meinl's Mb20s let metal drummers go 'all the way up to 11'", musicradar.com, February 15, 2008)

Review: "Lamb Of God's Chris Adler set Meinl a daunting challenge. He wanted a ride cymbal with so much personality that it could "stand up and control a rhythm, a kit, or even an entire band." Adler was happy with the results of the Pure Metal Ride, so I was curious to see how it met his definition.

I'm used to smaller rides, so I knew I'd had to make concessions just to avoid letting this heavy, 24" monster cause havoc within my setup. It fit, but just barely, within my medium-sized rack system (after a few adjustments and maneuvering), covering the splash like a hovering, Ed Wood-ian UFO. In addition, there was only a few hairs' distance separating my crashes from the ride.

To my surprise, the massive cymbal responded exceptionally well, with a surprising degree of subtlety. It had a killer screaming tone, it moved a lot of air, it absorbed the stick bounce and shock very well (without my hand suffering), and its brilliant finish produced shimmering tones. (I believe my thin sticks brought out many voices of the ride that I might not have heard otherwise.) When I "shanked" the cymbal's surface with the side of the stick, accented flairs garnered every color. The cymbal's design (including the mini-mountain of a bell and the brilliant finish) allowed me to hear all of the many overtones ascending and descending around my ears.

This gargantuan ride also worked very well with its sonically and physically smaller cousins: the 16" medium heavy, 18" medium heavy, 17" Mb20 heavy, and 19" Mb20 heavy crashes. When I hit the bell, its loud ping cut through the trashy hiss, while playing on its surface produced a great combination of build-up and stick definition, with no unwanted dissonance.

I recorded in a live situation using the Adler ride. In that setting it was borderline overpowering (it certainly filled the venue's open spaces), though it definitely did not lack in clarity. Without a doubt, the Pure Metal Ride is seriously dangerous. Playing it was a little like standing on the edge of a cliff while hearing (and feeling) violent winds rush by your head. Truly moving."

Will Romano ("Product Close-Up - New Meinl Mb20 Cymbals - Punchy, Loud, and Complex", Modern Drummer, January 2007, p. 31)

Artist/song where it can be heard: Chris Adler

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Source: (*) "Modern Drummer's Great Gear 2006 - Percussion Products Extravaganza", Modern Drummer, June 2006, p. 98)