Meinl Cymbals Byzance Traditional Polyphonic Ride Cymbal - 21-inch Reviews

This cymbal is awesome. So much fun to play, it is a work horse type of cymbal. Can do about everything! It has just the amount of wash for my taste and is very crashable. Nice stick definition and a nice bell. Very nice bright sound to it with solid stick definition considering how crashable it is.

What really boosts this is Sweetwater themselves. They really outperform the competition like Guitar Center (ive had too many bad experiences with them). These guys actually know what they're talking about and will work with you! Not to mention their trade in program is probably the best available on the market, really makes it easier to get the gear upgrades I want. For them not to take any cut of a successful sale (if you go with sweetwater gift cards instead of cash) is unheard of. Yes, you have to wait for a bit to make the sale, but I think that's more than reasonable if your aim is to upgrade. Not to mention, if you cash out, the rates are still fair (I got charged around 10% on ebay compared to the 7.5% Sweetwater charges). Can't say enough good things about this company!

Great look, nice sweet ride sound but able to crash it, and the bell...THE BELL-defined, powerful! Get this ride!! You won't be upset. Similar to a sweet ride if I had to choose a comparison.

Bought this in a pinch because my 20" Byzance Dark ride developed massive cracks during a recording session. The Polyphonic was a perfect replacement as it gave a bit more in the "bright" department without being too obnoxious, but also provides a nice drier cut on the bell. The crashability is great, and overall the cymbal is full of sounds, truly living up to the polyphonic-ness of its namesake.

I really wanted a ride that also sounded good as a crash. Before choosing the Polyphonic, I listened online and compared with Heartbeat Studio, Sabian AAX Omni and Meinl Byzance Transition rides. This cymbal has exactly the shimmer and sounds I want. So far I've used it in both my band's practice (hard classic rock) and in worship band. I had to play at a low volume for worship as we took the "cage" away for a simplified appearance. Even when playing quietly with almost no attack, the crash wash sounds amazing, nice and shimmery. It's a very musical cymbal, especially compared to the Zildjian A I've played for the past 25 years. That being said it does have more of a shimmer when riding normally which some may not like. To me it almost approaches a sound like the old sizzle rides, but definitely not that much of a sustain and doesn't come through the mix. Love the bigger bell sounds, and can't wait to gig with it. A very versatile cymbal, no regrets!

I spent the last eight months listening to every cymbal out there. I know of the Istanbul's and the soul cymbals or whatever, but I focused on the big 4. Meinl, Zildjian, Paiste and Sabian. Now, they all sound great. Every brand had something to offer, however, for me and the sound I was looking for, Meinl just sang to me. When I got these cymbals in person, I knew I made the right decision. They sound incredible. The bell on this ride is larger than I thought but that's good for me cuz it gives me a bigger target. Lol. Anyway, love Meinl, love this ride. Highly recommended.

I"d say Meinl delivered on this one. A great all purpose ride. This ride swings great with a light stick and produces a beautiful shimmer. A medium stick and the ride pushes out clean defined eighth notes for pop, lay into those eighths a bit and you get a great wash. This ride responds great the the Meinl cymbal mute/magnets. The bell .... dry, clear, articulate. Does not overstate, I"d have no fear playing rock on this bad boy. Crashes and returns to ridability nicely. I believe I have one ride that can cover most situations

For me finding a ride I like has been difficult. The Polyphonic Ride comes closest to the sound I'm looking for. Great timbre and playability. The bell cuts through with a nice ping. It works well with rock and funk. I think it would do well with jazz but I'm not a jazz player so I couldn't say for certain. It does crash great at the edge and the rideability in the middle and towards the bell creates a nice bright with overtones washy sound. I wish it was slightly less washy for the overall sound I'd like. Maybe if the cymbal was just a little bit heavier it'd take some of that out and focus the sound a little more but overall it's a great sounding cymbal. Kind of a more complex Zildjian Sweet Ride.