Meinl 16" Byzance Vintage TrashCrash

This is labelled a trash crash and described as somewhere between a crash and a china. This is true enough, but the description makes you think it might only be good for punky accents or metal type music. In fact it's much more versatile than that. Because it's very thin you don't need to hit it very hard to open it up, plus it dies down very quickly. For that reason it's become my crash cymbal of choice for the semi acoustic band I play with. Previously I just used a 8 inch splash which was suitably quiet, but in context sounded thin - like a cat sneezing. But with this I can get a much broader and more full-bodied range of sounds - from exotic washes to quick (louder) punctuation. But at low volume if needs be. You really only have to touch it to get the magic to happen.

Of course, you can use it for louder stuff too. I've also tried this in a stack with various cymbals on top and underneath and it works fantastically well if you're looking for those electronica style accents.

So all in all, very pleased I got this. I have the Benny Greb sand ride and the sand hi-hats and it blends in very nicely with those. Would recommend this generally as the first choice for a second crash.