[1] In addition to cymbals, Meinl manufactures a very wide range of percussion instruments including bongo drums, cajons, congas, tablas, timbales, djembes, güiros, pandeiros, and tambourines.

[2] Initially the company produced wind instruments,[3] beginning the production of cymbals only in 1952.

[2] The first Meinl cymbals were cut out of large metal sheets, hammered, lathed and drilled by hand by Roland Meinl himself, who subsequently transported them to the Neustadt an der Aisch railstation on the luggage carrier of his bike.

[2][3] In the 1960s about half of the production was exported to the United States together with German-made Tromsa drumsets.

[2] On December 4, 2007 company founder Roland Meinl died at the age of 78.