Wojtek Deręgowski is one of the brightest and still rising drumming stars in Poland. He is increasingly recognizable in the drumming community through his online actvities. He is also a busy touring and session drummer, specializing mainly in hip-hop, pop, R&B and electronic music. Wojtek has played with many Polish acts, including Monika Lewczuk, Sorry Boys, Marcelina and Rosalie, and is currently touring with Ukrainian singer, actress and TV personality Tina Karol.
Wojtek studied at Berklee College of Music and is also an educator who successfully conducts online lessons, master classes and classes for all levels of drumming on his website https://www.wdrumlessons.com/. He is also very active on social media, including his Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels, where he regularly posts drum videos and lessons.
Wojtek is endorsed by Vic Firth sticks, DW Drums, Remo, Roland, 64 Audio IEMs and, of course, Meinl Cymbals. Who better to test a whole lot of Meinl cymbals?
Meinl 10″ Pure Alloy Custom Splash
1. Test
We conducted the test in our new studio, i.e. in an acoustically adapted room. We used a DW Collector’s Maple 20″ x 18″, 16″ x 13″, 12″ x 9″, 10″ x 8″ drum kit and a DW Collector’s Vintage 14″ x 6.5″ Steel snare. When testing this splash, we also used a set of Meinl Pure Alloy Custom cymbals consisting of: 14″ hats, an 18″ crash, and a 20″ ride.
2. Basic product specification:
- Manufacturer: Meinl
- Series: Pure Alloy Custom
- Cymbal type: Splash
- Diameter: 10″
- Finish: Smoked Bronze / Brilliant
- Character: warm, soft, crisp attack, medium-to-short decay
- Weight: Medium Thin
3. Product and sound
Generally speaking (as we previously mentioned when testing the other cymbals in this line) the Meinl Pure Alloy Custom cymbals are characterized by a very noble and warm sound, as well as an attack that is soft and therefore pleasant to the ear. These features make them a very versatile tool that will work in most music genres. They are not as dry and sandy as one might think judging by their appearance. Compared to their cousins from the Pure Alloy series, you can risk saying that the Customs have even more warmth.
This also applies to the effect cymbals. We have already discussed the Trash China from this series. As for the Meinl 10″ Pure Alloy Custom Splash cymbal, its attack is warm and soft (which isn’t necessarily the norm with effect cymbals of this type), but at the same time crunchy, with a medium dark timbre. The sustain is quite short, but doesn’t decay immediately. This splash responds nicely already at the lowest dynamic levels and is not afraid of stronger bashes either. When hit hard, it sounds very noble. As with the rest of the Pure Alloy Custom cymbals, we will slightly pick on the volume range. We think this cymbal could be slightly louder, but it should be remembered that this is a consistent feature of these cymbals, which means the sound concept of the entire series has been well thought out and all its elements complement each other.
Wojtek Deręgowski‘s impressions from playing the splash:
“Recently, splashes have been an inseparable part of the cymbal configurations I play. Although I usually aim for a slightly lower, mid-frequency sound, this splash will perfectly fit in as a contrast that will allow for an even richer palette of sounds.”
Here’s the score achieved by the Meinl 10″ Pure Alloy Custom Splash:
Appearance: 10
Sound: 10
Innovation: 10
Price: 10
Quality: 10
TOTAL SCORE: 50
Disadvantages – None
In-between: Volume
Advantages – Great craftsmanship, excellent look, universal sound
The total score is: 5
We invite you to watch the test video in which you will hear and see a Meinl 10″ Pure Alloy Custom Splash.
