Swamptrashstompboxes
Well-Known Member
I just snagged a pair of hats for stupid cheap. I absolutely love them. Are those cymbals forgotten gems for some? I am looking for others to pop up cheap.
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Thoughts on Meinl Camber branded cymbals?
- Thread starter Swamptrashstompboxes
- Start date
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i have a set of hats, 15%, nickel silver I think. They sounded a lot like the hihats you'd find in an old analog drum machine...i ended up giving mine to a professional keyboard player who was looking to learn how to drum.
There was a guy on another forum who loved some series of Cambers.
There was a guy on another forum who loved some series of Cambers.
Swamptrashstompboxes
Well-Known Member
I just want to find a heavier camber/meinl ride, but I don't have the opportunity to try one.
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Swamptrashstompboxes
Well-Known Member
Also for a 20" ride, how many grams would you consider heavy?
Pimp-a-diddle
Very well Known Member
Camber II's, my first set of cymbals. They were never gems, but they're happily forgotten. 
drummerjohn333
DFO Veteran
drummerjohn333
DFO Veteran
I have done alot of research on MAC, for about the last 5 years generally - even going so far as swapping emails from Meinl employees. What is shocking (not bragging here) is that those present-day Meinl employees - did not even know as much as I did at that point.
Of all the Camber cymbals (not all were made in that MAC era) - they were made of brass, NS, B8. Thing is - it is really difficult to know the difference by sight.
The Crystals were made of NS and had completely unique 'lathing'.
Specifically - the MACs (that this thread is about) were also all made by all 3 alloys.
The B8 ones - are the best sounding - HHs sound the best, crashes and Rides are...... better than the other alloys, but not as good as their competitors from other lines (but this is where preference really comes in). Part of this may be because when we encounter a B8 alloy crash or ride, we expect something bright, resonant, and sometimes even potentially explosive. If there are warm B8s (aside from the result of extensive hammering) - B8 MAC are the ones. They actually sound good if you like that warmth, or can EQ them. For example, a recorded 18in B8 alloy MAC - actually sounds real good - but it comes with a different EQ curve than most other B8 crashes on the market.
I have bought alot of them just to find out what they were - and consequently have sold quite a few of them.
Of course this is general cymbal advice - but I will throw out - if you discover some Camber HHs that you don't quite like, try matching the top or the bottom with other HH singles - try all the alloys, all the makes, all the weights. Sometimes, you might decide to keep them just for swap/matching and creating more options.
For the last 4 years, I have been using a B8 MAC top and a ZBT bottom on my kit at the church. I have been playing for over 30 years and flipping hundreds for the last 15 years or so....so saying this is really saying something: this pair at church sounds amazing - as good of ANY HH pair I have ever heard, like bright New Beats. Professional soundman in the congregation showered his love for how they sound.
(Adding more here) I have a 14in pair of these MAC HHs that I am not quite sure what alloy they are - potentially NS - because this particular pair had grime - and a more grayish look them. The lathing (and shape) looks very similar to Paiste 404s. They were identical pretty much (weight). So, I traded off one of them to a friend who needed a good top. They were SUPER SMOOTH - "LIKE BUTTER". I can still get that sound with a different bottom, so no loss giving up the one to my friend. I do indeed recall others testifying to the smoothness of Camber HHs (of several models). I recall my CamberII HHs I had in the 80s were really smooth and clean sounding. I have some of those again now, but they are a different smooth compared to the MACs.
Of all the Camber cymbals (not all were made in that MAC era) - they were made of brass, NS, B8. Thing is - it is really difficult to know the difference by sight.
The Crystals were made of NS and had completely unique 'lathing'.
Specifically - the MACs (that this thread is about) were also all made by all 3 alloys.
The B8 ones - are the best sounding - HHs sound the best, crashes and Rides are...... better than the other alloys, but not as good as their competitors from other lines (but this is where preference really comes in). Part of this may be because when we encounter a B8 alloy crash or ride, we expect something bright, resonant, and sometimes even potentially explosive. If there are warm B8s (aside from the result of extensive hammering) - B8 MAC are the ones. They actually sound good if you like that warmth, or can EQ them. For example, a recorded 18in B8 alloy MAC - actually sounds real good - but it comes with a different EQ curve than most other B8 crashes on the market.
I have bought alot of them just to find out what they were - and consequently have sold quite a few of them.
Of course this is general cymbal advice - but I will throw out - if you discover some Camber HHs that you don't quite like, try matching the top or the bottom with other HH singles - try all the alloys, all the makes, all the weights. Sometimes, you might decide to keep them just for swap/matching and creating more options.
For the last 4 years, I have been using a B8 MAC top and a ZBT bottom on my kit at the church. I have been playing for over 30 years and flipping hundreds for the last 15 years or so....so saying this is really saying something: this pair at church sounds amazing - as good of ANY HH pair I have ever heard, like bright New Beats. Professional soundman in the congregation showered his love for how they sound.
(Adding more here) I have a 14in pair of these MAC HHs that I am not quite sure what alloy they are - potentially NS - because this particular pair had grime - and a more grayish look them. The lathing (and shape) looks very similar to Paiste 404s. They were identical pretty much (weight). So, I traded off one of them to a friend who needed a good top. They were SUPER SMOOTH - "LIKE BUTTER". I can still get that sound with a different bottom, so no loss giving up the one to my friend. I do indeed recall others testifying to the smoothness of Camber HHs (of several models). I recall my CamberII HHs I had in the 80s were really smooth and clean sounding. I have some of those again now, but they are a different smooth compared to the MACs.
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