Meinl Brann Dailor Signature Ghost Ride review: Mastodon drummer's 21-inch dark ride
Review of the Meinl Classics Custom Brilliant Ghost Ride (CC21GR): Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor's named Meinl signature cymbal. 21-inch B8 bronze, chargrilled dark finish, glassy ping with a cutting raw black bell.
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
The Meinl Brann Dailor Signature Ghost Ride (CC21GR) is Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor's named Meinl signature cymbal: a 21-inch B8 bronze ride developed in direct collaboration with Meinl. A chargrilled dark finish gives it a distinctive cast look, while a raw, unlathed black bell delivers a cutting attack under a glassy ping and warm, shimmering wash. Built for metal and rock drummers who want crash-ability alongside genuine ride definition.
Classics Custom Brilliant Ghost Ride, Brann Dailor Signature (CC21GR)
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What it is, in one paragraph
The Meinl Brann Dailor Signature Ghost Ride (SKU CC21GR) is a 21-inch ride cymbal in Meinl's Classics Custom Brilliant line, developed in direct collaboration with Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor. Meinl's own artist page names it as his sole "Signature Products" entry, not just a general endorsement. B8 bronze, medium weight, with a distinctive chargrilled dark finish and a raw, unlathed black bell built for a cutting attack under a glassy ping and a warm, shimmering wash.
Who Brann Dailor is, briefly
Brann Timothy Dailor, born March 19, 1975, co-founded Mastodon in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000 and drums plus shares lead vocals across the band's eight studio records, Remission (2002) through Hushed and Grim (2021). A Tama Starclassic kit and Vater drumsticks round out his documented setup alongside this Meinl signature ride. Modern Drummer's Drummer of the Year multiple times in the 2010s. Full profile at /drummers/brann-dailor.
Spec sheet
Meinl CC21GR spec
- Alloy
- B8 bronze.
- Size
- 21 inches (53.34cm).
- Weight
- Medium.
- Finish
- Dark, chargrilled "cast" oxidation tinge, with decorative-only lathing rings around the bow.
- Bell
- Raw, unlathed, and black, for a cutting, clear attack.
- Style fit
- Meinl's own listing tags it for metal, rock, pop, fusion, and studio work.
What it sounds like
Meinl's own copy calls it "a very special ride cymbal with a unique look and sound: glassy ping, a warm shimmering body, and a nice sparkling decay," with the raw black bell delivering "a cutting clear sound." MusicRadar's 2012 hands-on review backs that up in more detail: light strikes near the bow center produce a clear glassy ping with a low-level sustain the reviewer compared to "a coiled spring-type chime on a clock." Harder playing builds a solid wash that holds up even under fairly lazy strokes, and the pitch and wash intensity shift noticeably depending on where you strike. Hit the bell with the stick shoulder and the cymbal turns into what the review called "an amazing tool for indelibly imprinting the downbeat." The review's verdict: plenty of muscle for metal players, but versatile enough to hold its own on quieter, more subtle material too.
The Meinl partnership
Direct collaboration · MusicRadar, 2012
The documented partnership
Mastodon's drummer worked directly with Meinl to build the Ghost Ride, and described the result in his own words: "just the right amount of everything." Meinl's own artist page confirms the tie, listing this cymbal as Dailor's sole named Signature Products entry.
Source: MusicRadar; Meinl artist page.
SKU CC21GR · Classics Custom Brilliant
The cymbal itself
21 inches, B8 bronze, medium weight, chargrilled dark finish, raw black bell. Manufacturing starts from pre-cut B8 alloy discs, heated and pressed for shape and hammering, then chargrilled for the cast oxidation look before purely decorative lathing.
Source: Meinl product page; MusicRadar build breakdown.
Where it sits next to Zildjian's A Custom Medium Ride
| Meinl Brann Dailor Signature Ghost Ride (CC21GR) | Zildjian A Custom 20" Medium Ride (A20519) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 21" | 20" |
| Alloy | B8 bronze | B20 bronze |
| Finish | Dark, chargrilled, raw black bell | Brilliant, polished mirror |
| Voice | Glassy ping, warm shimmer, cutting bell, real crash-ability | Bright, glassy ping, controlled wash, cutting stick definition |
| Best for | Metal and hard rock needing a darker ride that doubles as a crash | Modern rock, pop, and country needing a bright, cutting ride |
Both are medium-weight, professional-tier rides built for genuine versatility, but they point in different tonal directions. The Meinl's B8 alloy and chargrilled dark finish push it toward a shadowed, cutting voice with a raw bell and real crash-ability, the kind of ride that can carry a metal set almost on its own. The Zildjian A Custom stays brighter and glassier, built for modern rock and pop sessions where the ride needs to cut through a dense mix without extra EQ. Pick the Meinl for Brann Dailor's documented Mastodon tone; pick the Zildjian for a brighter, more general-purpose rock and pop ride.
What the cymbal is built for
- A darker, more shadowed ride voice than typical bright rock or pop rides, with genuine crash-ability built into a single cymbal.
- Metal and hard-rock drummers who want a cutting raw bell for accents without switching to a dedicated crash mid-song.
- Players chasing Brann Dailor's documented Mastodon tone specifically, not just any dark ride, since Meinl's own page ties this exact model to him.
- Not for players chasing maximum brightness and cut in a pop or country mix. See the Zildjian A Custom Medium Ride for that instead.
Verdict and the affiliate hook
If you want the real, Meinl-confirmed signature cymbal behind Brann Dailor's Mastodon ride sound, the CC21GR is it: a 21-inch B8 bronze ride with a dark chargrilled finish, a raw cutting bell, and genuine crash-ability, developed in direct collaboration with the man himself. For a brighter, more cutting alternative built for rock and pop rather than metal, see the Zildjian A Custom 20" Medium Ride.
Brann Dailor Signature Ghost Ride (CC21GR)
Why this one: Brann Dailor's real namesake Meinl signature ride: dark chargrilled B8 bronze with a raw cutting bell, developed in direct collaboration with Meinl and built for metal-ready crash-ability.
Drummers documented using this cymbal
Each drummer profile cites this product in their stick / head / cymbal / kit frontmatter. Click through for the full editorial profile + sourcing.