cymbal$$$

Meinl Byzance Brilliant 20" Medium Ride: hand-hammered Turkish B20

Meinl Byzance Brilliant 20-inch Medium Ride cymbal (B20MR-B). Hand-hammered B20 bronze, made in Turkey. The premium boutique alternative to Zildjian and Sabian, with a darker, more vintage-leaning tone profile.

Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-30

Meinl Byzance Brilliant 20" Medium Ride (B20MR-B) is the boutique Turkish-made hand-hammered alternative to mainstream Zildjian and Sabian rides. B20 bronze, brilliant finish, made in Turkey at Meinl's hand-hammering facility. Tonally darker and more vintage-leaning than Zildjian A Custom, brighter and more cutting than traditional jazz cymbals. The working set for indie, jazz-fusion, and modern session drummers who want the boutique character without the Istanbul-tier price tag.

Meinl

Byzance Brilliant 20" Medium Ride (B20MR-B)

Price tier: $$$

JazzRockIndie

View on Amazon Full review →

Affiliate links: we earn commission on qualifying Amazon purchases. See our full disclosure.

What this cymbal is

Meinl Byzance Brilliant 20" Medium Ride (B20MR-B) is the hand-hammered Turkish-made alternative to mainstream Zildjian and Sabian premium rides. The Byzance line, launched in the 2000s, was Meinl's response to the demand for boutique-character cymbals at a slightly more accessible price point than Istanbul Agop or Bosphorus.

B20 bronze (80% copper, 20% tin) — the same premium alloy used by Zildjian and Sabian flagship lines. Hand-hammered in Turkey using traditional Turkish cymbal-smithing methods. Brilliant finish polished to a mirror surface adds high-frequency presence. Medium weight produces a balanced ride feel suitable for general-purpose session work.

Anatomy

Best for

Indie, jazz-fusion, alternative rock, and modern session work where the ride needs character and complexity over maximum cut. Drummers building a setup with vintage-leaning voicing without going to Istanbul Agop or K Constantinople price tiers. Studio sessions where the drummer wants a ride that records with character at low dynamics, where less hand-hammered cymbals can sound flat.

Worst for

Heavy metal where maximum cut matters more than character (Zildjian A Custom Ping Ride or Sabian AAX Stage Ride read brighter). Players who specifically want bright, modern, glassy stick definition (A Custom is the better fit). Beginners on a tight budget — the Byzance line carries a real price premium vs. Zildjian A or Sabian XS20 entry-level rides.

Verdict

Boutique Turkish hand-hammered character at a price tier just below Istanbul Agop and Bosphorus. The Byzance Brilliant Medium Ride is the right pick when you want vintage-leaning tonal complexity without sacrificing the brilliant finish that fits modern mixes. Premium price, real boutique voicing, broad working-pro adoption in indie and fusion.

Meinl

Price tier: $$$

View on Amazon Full review →

Frequently asked questions

What's special about hand-hammered Turkish cymbals?

Hand-hammering produces tonal complexity that machine-hammering can't match. Each strike of the hammer creates a slightly irregular surface that adds harmonic content, making the cymbal sing with overtone richness instead of a single dominant frequency. The Byzance line is hand-hammered in Turkey at Meinl's facility there — the same broader Turkish bronze tradition that produces Istanbul Agop and Bosphorus cymbals, just at Meinl's slightly more accessible price point. Made in Turkey, finished and quality-tested by Meinl.

How does Byzance compare to Zildjian A Custom?

Both are premium B20 brilliant-finish 20-inch rides. Tonally Byzance is darker, drier, and more vintage-leaning; A Custom is brighter, more glassy, and more modern. The hand-hammering on Byzance produces more tonal complexity at low dynamics; A Custom's rotary pattern gives cleaner stick definition at high dynamics. Pick Byzance for jazz-fusion and indie session work where character matters; pick A Custom for rock and pop where cut-through-the-mix matters.

Is Brilliant finish or Traditional finish better?

Different tools, not better/worse. Brilliant finish (this set, B20MR-B) is polished mirror, brighter top end, more high-frequency content. Traditional finish (B20MR, the lathed/unpolished variant) is darker, drier, more vintage. Working sessions favor Brilliant when the cymbal needs to read in modern bright mixes; Traditional reads better in vintage and jazz contexts where dryness is the design goal.

Does the brilliant finish wear off over time?

Yes, slowly. The polished mirror surface develops microscopic scratches from sticks, dulling some of the highest-frequency content over years of play. Most working drummers find this aging adds character rather than reducing the cymbal's musicality — the cymbal warms slightly as the brilliant finish patinas. Cleaning with cymbal-specific polish can restore some of the original brilliance. Avoid abrasive cleaners; they'll permanently dull the surface.

Where is it made?

Made in Turkey, finished by Meinl. Meinl's broader catalog is German-headquartered (Gutenstetten, Bavaria), but the Byzance hand-hammered cymbals come from Meinl's Turkish facility where the traditional cymbal-smithing methods are practiced. Each cymbal is hand-hammered, lathed, polished, and weight-tested before shipping. The 'Made in Turkey' status is on the cymbal itself.

How long does it last?

Decades with proper care. B20 bronze is durable; the failure mode is impact damage from poor stick technique, not material wear. A working pro playing this cymbal nightly typically gets 10-20 years before any cracking. Recreational players get 30+ years. The brilliant finish dulls over time but the underlying B20 tone stays consistent.