Meinl Cymbals
About Meinl Cymbals History and Background
ROLAND MEINL BEGAN MANUFACTURING cymbals a year after he founded Roland
Meinl Musikinstrumente in 1951. However, to many American music
retailers and consumers, the company experienced something of a rebirth
in 2000. That was the year that Meinl established a U.S. sales and
marketing operation and began a wholehearted push to create cymbals--as
well as marketing and dealer programs--that truly serve the U.S.
market. At last, alter more than half a century in business, the cymbal
industry's apparent "new kid on the block" is creating strong reasons
to be taken seriously by United States drummers and dealers.
The dominance of the two major North American cymbal manufacturers
tends to obscure the accomplishments, even the existence, of all others
in the eyes of many American consumers. Few are aware of Meinl's
dynamic history dating back to the 1950s, or that its products enjoy a
very high profile in Germany and throughout Europe. And until recently
its innovations barely made an impression on most American market's
collective consciousness. For example, in 1974 Metal introduced the
concept of the cymbal pre-pack, now successfully marketed by most major
manufacturers, but few Americans heard about it. (Meinl was also the
first company to ship its cymbals in poly bags, 1965, and use
multi-color screen-printed logos, 1984.) That Meinl remained deeply in
the background of the U.S. cymbal market for five decades was in small
part due to Americans' home-centric culture, but probably more to the
company's own limited attempts to reach out to the American market.
That ended dramatically in 2000 with the launch of Meinl USA, and with
subsequent strategic initiatives in Germany.
By opening a
U.S. office, which was relocated from Miami to Nashville in 2002, Meinl
signaled a new era of promoting its product to U.S. dealers and
consumers. "For years Meinl cymbals were being distributed by companies
that offered many different product lines," explains Juan Berrios,
vice-president of sales and marketing, Meinl USA. "Those distributors
were great for establishing initial relationships, but understandably
their focus was on their own brand names--or at least it wasn't
typically on Meinl's. However, we continue to work With Chesbro Music,
which distributes Meinl products to the mountain and desert states, and
they're doing a fantastic job.
Our first goal in establishing
the U.S. office was to have a U.S. management team hire a local
workforce and train them how to promote Meinl products and serve the
needs of U.S. retailers and end-users." But Meinl's management knew
that it had to "Americanize" some of its products as well as its
presentation to interest the U.S. market.
For many years "the
German sound" in cymbals, typically associated with techno, jungle,
house, and drum 'n' bass musical genres, was strange to most American
drummers' ears. Over the past decade, as those styles began to
infiltrate American pop music, the highly defined, harmonically simple
"German sound" seemed less foreign, and even found a home in some heavy
metal music, but it still wasn't fully embraced by the American market.
The most obvious reason for the different sounds, Berrios
explains, is that European manufacturers worked with different alloys.
"Even when they were using a lot of the same manufacturing techniques
as their U.S. counterparts, the Europeans were working with B8 bronze.
B8, which is 92% copper and 8% tin, is by nature sonically less
complex. Also, in Europe the alloy is typically supplied in sheets by
an outside foundry, so some of the initial processes that affect the
cymbals' sound may be predetermined. For decades most European drummers
preferred the sound of European-made B8 cymbals, the sound they were
familiar with. Because most of Meinl's customers have historically been
European, its product designers naturally catered to European tastes.
The reverse was true in the U.S.; for decades most American drummers
only heard B20 cymbals made by one American company, and their tastes
were defined by that single reference."
But the world has
gotten smaller. Expanded international trade and cultural globalization
(through the dispersion of pop music, MTV, etc.) made drummers
everywhere more familiar with different countries' cymbal sounds. Major
cymbal manufacturers adopted automated or computer-guided hammering for
all or most of their lines. And over the past decade B8 has become the
industry standard for entry-level and some midrange cymbals. Still, for
many drummers, the sound of a good B20 cymbal couldn't be convincingly
simulated with other materials.
Meinl responded boldly in
2000 by establishing B20 bronze cymbal production in Turkey, where the
leading brands' history began. It launched its Byzance line of Turkish
made, hand-hammered B20 bronze cymbals the following year. Berrios
explains, "Byzance instantly became the biggest factor in Meinl's
growth in North America."
But it also began to awaken the
drumming community to Meinl's products in general. "Part of our
marketing strategy was to use Byzance to get our foot in the door to
professional-level drummers," Berrios continues. "And we've seen it
working: Byzance got American drummers' attention, and now they're
beginning to open their ears to our other series."
But it
isn't only Americans who are listening. In 2003 Meinl's Generation X
series won the prestigious Musikmesse International Press Award for
most innovative cymbals. It is significant to note that this series,
some signature models of which were created in collaboration with
Austrian super-drummer Thomas Lang, was designed especially for use in
house, techno, jungle, and drum 'n' bass music. The irony might tempt
some to say that in a few short years Meinl has come "full circle," but
in actuality it has surged confidently forward.
Byzance
wasn't Meinl's only 'Toot in the door" of the American market.
Shrewdly, the company also returned to the hot entry-level cymbal fray
with its new MCS line. MCS, which stands for Meinl Cymbal Set, is made
of Meinl's B8 bronze, but its design specs and manufacturing processes
were painstakingly refined to make it "compete very well" with other
entry-level cymbals on the market. "Even though it's a B8 cymbal," says
Berrios, "we really did our homework with MCS to create the
best-sounding B8 cymbal on the market. On top of that, we wanted to
offer them at the lowest price possible without degrading our branding.
Between Byzance and MCS, we're attracting enough attention to make
dealers seriously consider carrying Meinl."
Another element
of Meinl's new strategy was to build its artist roster with drummers
who are meaningful to American consumers. Introduction of the Byzance
line was the first critical step, winning endorsements from
high-profile U.S. pros who had previously used only major-brand
cymbals. In turn, these artists helped Meinl fine-tune all its various
lines' cymbal sounds to further appeal to the U.S. market.
"Historically Meinl focused on European artists who would excite its
predominantly European clientele," notes Berrios. "We also tended to
focus on 'drummers' drummers.' More recently we've tried to cultivate
endorsers who had a greater appeal to the younger, less advanced
players who were tuned into MTV, the pop and heavy metal magazines, and
the pop music scene in general. Those are the consumers who are still
buying their first cymbals--they probably haven't established a brand
preference...
Meinl Cymbals
Meinl Percussion makes some of the
most popular cymbals of any music company, providing a number of lines
sure to satisfy any drummer, from the novice to the internationally
renowned musician, Meinl's consistent sound will please you for years
to come.
Meinl cymbals focus on a European sound with a
Turkish ancestry, rather than the Chinese design of other cymbal
manufacturers. Produced in Germany, these cymbals feature crisp sound
and sharp focus, making for a clean effect.
Many popular
bands today use Meinl cymbals. Chris Adler of Lamb of God, Moe Carlson
of Protest the Hero, Brann Dailor of Mastodon, Jake Davidson of Aiden,
Jon Wilkes of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Zac Farro of Paramore all
use Meinl.
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