Wojtek Deręgowski is one of the brightest and still rising drumming stars in Poland, perhaps even Europe. He is 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 18″ Pure Alloy Custom Trash China
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 Chinese cymbal, we also used a set of Meinl Pure Alloy Custom cymbals consisting of: 14″ hats, an 18″ crash, and a 20″ ride.
2. Basic specification of the product:
- Manufacturer: Meinl
- Series: Pure Alloy Custom
- Cymbal type: Trash China
- Diameter: 18″
- Finish: Smoked Bronze / Brilliant
- Character: warm, soft, fast attack, medium decay
- Weight: Medium Thin
3. Product and sound
In general (as we have already mentioned when testing the cymbal set from this line) the Meinl Pure Alloy Custom cymbals are characterized by a very noble and warm sound, as well as a soft attack, which is therefore pleasant to the ear. These features make them a very versatile tool that will work in most styles of music. They are not as dry and sandy as one might think from the appearance. Compared to their cousins from the Pure Alloy series, one can risk saying that the Customs display even more warmth.
The Meinl 18″ Pure Alloy Custom Trash China is no different. Its attack is very warm and soft (which is not always the norm for effect cymbals of this type), but fast at the same time. The sustain is not extremely short and its length should be described as medium. This Chinese cymbal has quite a nice dynamic range – from quiet and delicate “nudges” to some serious metal lashing. If we were to pick on anything, it could be a bit louder (just like the hi hat + crash + ride pack). However, this is proof that the manufacturer has thought the sound concept of the entire line and all its elements complement each other.
Wojtek Deręgowski‘s impressions from playing the Trash China:
“This cymbal has everything I would expect from a china. It’s got a short, dry and effective sound. It’s hard to stop your hand when a cymbal sounds this nice! It’s also great for stacking.”
Here’s the score achieved by the Meinl 18″ Pure Alloy Custom Trash China:
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 18″ Pure Alloy Custom Trash China.
