Meinl Cymbals CC4680-TRB Review: Nine Piece Classics Custom Brilliant Set

Who Should Buy It

Key Specifications

Overview

The Meinl Cymbals CC4680-TRB is the Classics Custom Brilliant Triple Bonus box set, a nine piece pack that bundles a full core setup with three bonus effects cymbals. The listing itemizes 14 inch hi-hats, a 16 inch crash, a 16 inch trash crash, an 18 inch crash, an 18 inch china and a 20 inch ride, then adds a 12 inch trash splash, a 10 inch splash and an 8 inch bell at no extra charge. It sits in the upper mid-range tier.

Meinl positions the Classics Custom Brilliant line as a loud, bright, professional looking series made at its factory in Gutenstetten, Germany. The listing is unusually complete, stating the B12 bronze alloy, medium weight, fully lathed brilliant finish and precision hammering, along with a clear genre recommendation of rock, metal, fusion and worship with pop, R&B and funk as secondary fits.

This editorial research review works from that published specification and from general knowledge of how B12 and brilliant finish cymbals behave. It compares the set with Sabian XSR, Zildjian A Custom, Paiste PST 7 and Meinl HCS, and it is candid about the one real limitation, which is that this is a bright, powerful set with little interest in subtlety.

Sound and Tone

The listing describes clean tone, bright attack and controlled sustain, and it says the cymbals are weighted and shaped for loud volume. In practice that combination means crashes that speak quickly with a glassy, polished edge and then settle rather than ringing endlessly, which is what a drummer playing next to distorted guitar amplifiers needs. The brilliant finish contributes to that polished top end.

Precision hammering, according to the listing, dials in musical frequencies, which is a way of saying the hammering pattern is designed to tame the harsher overtones that a bright sheet alloy can produce. Fully lathed surfaces support a clean, even wash. Buyers should expect a consistent, matched voice across all nine pieces rather than nine individual personalities.

The effects cymbals add the color. A trash crash and a trash splash deliver short, raw, explosive accents, the china provides the trashy, aggressive wash associated with metal and fusion, the 10 inch splash gives quick high accents, and the 8 inch bell produces a piercing, pure ping for cutting through dense arrangements. Together they let a drummer build a far more varied vocabulary than a standard four piece pack allows.

Alloy, Weight and Build

B12 bronze is stated in the listing, and it is worth understanding what that means. B12 refers to a bronze with a higher tin content than the B8 used in most entry level cymbals, which gives it a slightly richer, less brash tone, while still being a rolled sheet alloy rather than the cast B20 used in the top professional lines. It sits in a middle tier of alloys, and the scoring here reflects that.

All nine cymbals are medium weight according to the listing, which it credits with a wide dynamic range. Medium weight is a sensible choice for a set aimed at loud styles, because it provides enough mass to project without the sluggish response of a heavy cymbal, though it also means there is no thin crash in the box for delicate work.

The cymbals are made at the Meinl factory in Gutenstetten, Germany, and the listing attributes consistent tone, powerful feel and durability to that German engineering. Fully lathed surfaces with a brilliant finish and precision hammering complete the build description. Thickness figures and individual weights in grams are not published in the listing.

Versatility Across Styles

The listing names rock, metal, fusion and worship as the best fits, with high energy pop, R&B and funk as secondary uses. That is an honest map of where a bright, loud, controlled sustain set belongs: anywhere the drummer competes with amplification or plays in a large room and needs a cut that does not turn into a blur.

Fusion gets a specific mention, and the effects pieces support it, since fusion drummers rely on splashes, chinas and bells for accents around busy kick and snare patterns. The medium weight ride should offer defined stick on the bow and a strong bell, which are both central to that style.

Jazz, folk, chamber pop and quiet acoustic settings are not good matches. A brilliant B12 set at medium weight will sound bright and forward in those contexts, and the trash and china pieces will mostly sit unused. Drummers in those styles are better served by darker, thinner cymbals.

• Rock and hard rock with loud guitar amplification
• Metal and progressive metal using the china and bell for accents
• Fusion playing that leans on splashes and effects
• Worship bands in large rooms that need clean cut
• High energy pop, R&B and funk as secondary fits

Durability and Care

Durability is a stated design goal in the listing, which describes the cymbals as built to last and credits the German engineering with consistency. Medium weight sheet bronze is generally robust, and these cymbals are shaped for loud playing, which suggests they are intended to take a heavy stroke. A warranty term is not published in the listing.

Brilliant finish cymbals show fingerprints and stick marks more readily than traditional finishes, so a soft cloth after each session and an occasional application of a cleaner intended for brilliant finishes will keep them looking the way they do in the box. Avoid abrasive pads, which will scratch the polished surface.

With nine cymbals in play, hardware discipline matters more than usual. Every stand needs a sleeve and felts, chinas and trash crashes should be mounted so the stick does not catch an edge, and smaller pieces like the 8 inch bell and 10 inch splash should be checked for secure mounting because they are easy to overtighten.

What Is in the Pack

The box holds six core cymbals and three bonus pieces. The core set is a pair of 14 inch hi-hats, a 16 inch crash, a 16 inch trash crash, an 18 inch crash, an 18 inch china and a 20 inch ride, which is already more than a conventional four piece pack. The bonus pieces are a 12 inch trash splash, a 10 inch splash and an 8 inch bell.

That totals nine cymbals, or ten individual discs counting the hi-hat top and bottom separately, all sharing the same Classics Custom Brilliant voice. The listing frames the bonus items as free additions, which is why the pack score here is at the maximum: there is simply nothing comparable in piece count at this tier.

No bag, stands, boom arms or mounting hardware are mentioned. Given the number of cymbals, a buyer should plan for at least two extra boom arms or a multi clamp solution, and a large padded bag or case if the set will ever leave the practice room.

Daily Use and Setup

Mounting nine cymbals takes some thought. A common approach places the 16 inch crash on the left over the hats, the 18 inch crash on the right, the china far right above the floor tom, the trash crash behind the left crash, and the splash, trash splash and bell on short boom arms or stacking posts close to the snare so they are reachable with a quick flick.

Because every piece is medium weight and bright, position matters for balance. Angle the crashes toward you so the stick glances across the edge, keep the china flat or inverted according to taste, and set the ride at a slight tilt so both the bow and the bell are easy to reach. The bell and splash sound best when struck cleanly near the edge with the tip or shoulder.

For recording, the bright cut that helps on stage can dominate overheads in a small room. Engineers often back the overheads off slightly or use dynamic microphones on the effects pieces, and drummers can soften the splash and trash splash by mounting them on felts with the wing nut loose enough for free movement.

Who Should Buy It

The Meinl Cymbals CC4680-TRB is aimed at drummers who want a complete, professional looking setup in a single purchase and who play music loud enough to use it. Rock, metal, fusion and worship players are the core audience, and the listing says so directly.

It also suits someone upgrading from a starter kit who would otherwise buy a four piece pack and then spend months adding a china, a splash and a bell one at a time. Buying them matched from the start avoids clashing voices and usually costs less overall.

Players who already own a strong core set should think twice, because much of the value here is in the sheer number of pieces. Jazz drummers, acoustic players and anyone chasing a dark, dry sound should look at a different series altogether.

Alternatives Worth Considering

Sabian XSR is the most direct competitor in price and intent, offering bright, modern cymbals in packs aimed at working drummers, though a nine piece bundle with this many effects is rare in that line. Paiste PST 7 and Meinl HCS sit below this tier and are reasonable for players who want a bright sound at a lower outlay with fewer pieces.

Moving up, the Zildjian A Custom line delivers a brilliant finish on cast bronze with a more complex wash, and Sabian AAX occupies similar ground. Those lines cost considerably more per cymbal, so a drummer choosing between a nine piece B12 set and a four piece cast set is really deciding between breadth and depth.

For drummers who like the Meinl house sound but want more warmth, the Classics Custom Dark and Dual versions trade the brilliant top end for a darker, smoother response. Meinl Byzance is the brand's cast, hand hammered line for those with a larger budget.

Verdict

The Meinl Cymbals CC4680-TRB earns its place through completeness and candor. Nine German made cymbals with the alloy, weight, finish, origin and genre fit all published is a strong proposition, and the free trash splash, splash and bell turn a solid core set into a full expressive setup.

The limits are inherent to the design: B12 sheet bronze at medium weight in a brilliant finish is bright and loud, not subtle or dark. For rock, metal, fusion and worship drummers in the upper mid-range tier, it is one of the most sensible single purchases available.

Strengths and Limitations

Alternatives to Consider

Zildjian A0801R A

Rock, hard rock, punk and loud country drummers who want a matched A Zildjian set that projects without turning harsh.

Read the Zildjian A0801R A review →

Zildjian Avedis Company K

Fusion, pop, worship and modern jazz drummers who want a K that stays dark underneath but cuts on stage, in a compact three piece set.

Read the Zildjian Avedis Company K review →

Meinl Percussion Meinl Cymbals BV-480+B16TRC Byzance

Singer songwriter, soul, indie, jazz and studio drummers who want a mellow, vintage cymbal sound from a fully documented premium pack.

Read the Meinl Percussion Meinl Cymbals BV-480+B16TRC Byzance review →

Questions Buyers Ask