We all know how buying cymbals sight unseen or without "trying them out" can sometimes be a nightmare. However, Sweetwater provided four demo videos showcasing the Meinl Dark Series cymbals, making it easy for me to determine these cymbals were right for me. I ordered the 17-inch and 18-inch crash cymbals and they have far exceeded my expectations! They have a very explosive and quick attack, followed by a minimal amount of overtones. They have a wide dynamic range and remain consistent, regardless of how lightly or heavily they're played. Although they're not quite as bright as most of my existing/previous crashes, they cut nicely without sounding overbearing or obnoxious. A few minutes ago I purchased a 22-inch Dark Series ride cymbal from Sweetwater. I intend to have the complete "set" by the end of the month; I'll be purchasing (from Sweetwater) the 14-inch hi-hats, as well as 14-inch and 16-inch crashes. I play with 3 separate bands, and I'll be playing my entire set of Meinl Dark Series (22-inch ride, 14, 16, 17, & 18-inch crashes, and 14-inch hi-hats) with my large stage kit I use for my Friday & Saturday night gig, I'll use the hi-hats, ride, and 14 & 17-inch with my church kit on Sunday mornings, and the ride, hi-hats, and 16 & 17-inch crashes with my travel/stage kit I use for my Sunday afternoon/evening gig. I'm blessed to have made a living playing drums and singing for more than 45 years now, and I have not come across cymbals that have impressed me more than these Meinl Dark Series cymbals have! I HIGHLY recommend them!

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When you open the box the first thing you notice is the cymbal's beautiful and unique design. When I played the cymbal for the first time I was blown away by the rich, dark, warm, and somewhat trashy sound of the cymbal. It has a very cutting sound which can go through any instruments (if you're in a band). The bell on the cymbal has a warm and dark sound to it making it my favorite bell on a cymbal and my favorite crash cymbal thus far.

added this 18" crash to my recently purchased set of Meinl dark custom cymbals, through Sweetwater. 10" splash, 12" trash splash, 14" hi-hats, 16" trash crash, 16" crash, 18" crash (X2), 18" china, 20" ride. love how they sound.

I had heard lots of great things about the custom classics dark line, and a few great drummers (Anup Sastry, for example) have used them with great success. I bought this to pair with a 16" Custom Classics Crash. I played it for a few days and it had a nice high end that wasn't too harsh, but there was something in the upper mids that stood out and wasn't pleasant to my ear. They also seemed to respond poorly to any play style that wasn't full force 100% of the time. They'll probably perform fine if you're playing any kind of metal, but I returned this crash in favor of the 900 series from Paiste.

This crash is phenomenal! It's quick with no obnoxious overtones, there is a lot of depth to it which makes it nice for a main crash or accents. My only gripe is a slight gong sound on the initial hit but it decays almost instantly. I would highly recommend this for anything between gospel and metal.

Using this as the bottom cymbal for my hi-hats, using the Meinl Classics Custom Medium Crash (18") for the top, love the sound of this pairing for hats, just gotta make sure the rebound spring on your hat stand is tightened up as the extra metal weighs more of course than your standard 14 or 15 inch hats.

Bigger hats have more sizzle when partially open, and have a big, thick "chick" sound when closing. You will have to fine tune your hat stand though, make the spring as tight as it will go otherwise you will see sluggish response.

Sounds exactly like the one Benny Greb is playing on the Meinl youtube demo. So, good job to Meinl for a great demos for choosing and buying on-line. It's very dark and unbelievably loud. Doesn't sound like a budget cymbal in the least bit. The only weakness might be the bell. If Meinl made a china in this series, it would take your ear off. Sweetwater did a great job packing it and it arrived save and sound. Extremely happy with my purchase.