What Paiste Cymbals Are Good?

[superporpoise]

Hello friends! This month Guitar Center is having what seems to be a fantastic sale where you buy one Paiste for 1/2 off MSRP and get another one of equal or lesser value for free (this is only for one-of-a-kinds, closeouts, custom cymbals, and prototypes.) I am looking to pick up a good ride and crash from this deal, if they have anything suitable, but I'm a Sabian guy and don't know much about Paistes.

SO! I was wondering if you had any advice for me as far as what lines of Paistes are good, especially concerning a 16 inch crash and 20 (or maybe 22) inch ride. I will of course be doing research myself and will go check out the cymbals in stores but I'd like to hear what you all think.

[TopCat]

This should help.

http://paiste.com/products/mag/

Basically, stay away from the PST's or 201's, 301's etc.

The Traditional, Signature, New Sig (Dark Energy = drool), Giant Beat, 2002 + RUDE lines are all the 'top end' cymbals from Paiste.

[superporpoise]

This should help.

http://paiste.com/products/mag/

Basically, stay away from the PST's or 201's, 301's etc.

The Traditional, Signature, New Sig (Dark Energy = drool), Giant Beat, 2002 + RUDE lines are all the 'top end' cymbals from Paiste.

Thanks. That is quite useful.

[Ruok]

Hello friends! This month Guitar Center is having what seems to be a fantastic sale where you buy one Paiste for 1/2 off MSRP and get another one of equal or lesser value for free (this is only for one-of-a-kinds, closeouts, custom cymbals, and prototypes.)

Though these are one-of-a-kinds, closeouts, custom cymbals and prototypes, I wouldn't be surprised if there may be a bunch of very good cymbals from some of the other Professional but discontinued lines, such as the Dimensions, Innovations and possibly the 802 (semi-pro) series. Though they have been discontinued, they still are very good sounding cymbals IMO. So, I'd keep my eyes open for some of those as well if I were you.

[tamaboy124]

Are you sure the sale is this month? Also what is MSRP?

[superporpoise]

Are you sure the sale is this month? Also what is MSRP?

It's for the month of December. From what I understand MSRP is higher than what Guitar Center usually charges, but when you divide it by 2 and add in a free cymbal then theoretically it's a good deal.

Also thanks for the help guys. About what kind of sound I want... I'm terrible at describing drum sounds--I always have been. I have a couple HHX Evolutions and really like them. So... I'm down with the thinner cymbal, yet I want the ride to be more pingy than washy, and I want it to have an overstated bell. As far as the crash I'd just like it to be really dynamic like my 18in. HHX crash is... I don't want it to sound like a Z-custom or anything. That probably doesn't help, but I tried.

[ellenvannin105]

MSRP: Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. My local Guitar Centre will be selling cymbals from the Innovations lines as well as Prototypes and stuff from the Dimensions series,although the last batch of Prototypes that Paiste sent out were 2002/Dimensions clones; we'll just have to see if any of these "lab experiments" end up in the Paiste Cymbal Catalogue in the coming year.Personally,I think it's a great deal and I took full advantage of it last year.For many of us,especially younger players who aren't of age to work yet,deals like this are a great way to buy pro cymbals at a price that doesn't break the bank.And we all know how bloody expensive Paistes are.For "gong enthuisiasts" like myself,keep an eye out for any kind of Prototype Gongs,those don't come down the road all that often....

[AronMapex]

I would go for signiture ore rude

[tamaboy124]

Signature, 2002, giant beats.

[nickg]

Signature, 2002, giant beats.

what he said.

but if you are looking to buy Paiste without breaking the bank, the Alpha line is more than up to the task. they are excellent sounding cymbals.

all depends on 1) your budget and 2) what sounds you are looking for

[Fur drummer]

Paiste is my favorite brand. Their cymbals sound sweet and are very lively. I just bought a 17" and 16" Signature fast crash and just love them. Any of their top lines are good. Sigs are expensive but well worth it. 2002s and Rudes are great for rock and heavy metal.

[superporpoise]

Awesome. Thanks for all the help, guys.

[gmrakich]

Those Paiste that GC is having the sale on are seconds. They say Paiste on them, but are flawed in some way. They still sound great but usually the weight is off a few grams.

[f4phantom2500]

Ha, unless there's a "one per customer" deal, I just had an idea. What if you went in there, found all of the cymbals you wanted, and then bought 2 of each (one for 50% of MSRP and the other as the freebie)? Think about it, after the sale is over, or whenever, you could sell the duplicates on ebay or wherever for the street price and end up getting a complete nice cymbal set for relatively cheap (depending on how much off of MSRP the street price is).

Example: let's say the street price for a cymbal you want is 35% of MSRP, so you buy one for 50% of MSRP and get a duplicate for free. Then, you turn around and sell one of them for 35% of MSRP (or maybe 30 to have a better chance of selling it). If someone buys it, you end up getting a cymbal for 15~20% of MSRP, or roughly half of the street price. What do you guys think?

[philiprst]

I checked out my local GC today and was surprised to find that they had quite a few Paiste cymbals being offered through this deal. Most of what they had were Dimensions and Alphas so I tried quite a lot of them out in their little acoustic booth. I was not as impressed with the Alphas as the Dimensions, but I think that is just reflective of there relative place in the price line.

I am not that familiar with Paiste but I have to say that all the Dimensions I tried were right up there with the 2002 and Signature series that had (not on sale). Particularly impressive were a Dimensions reflector 18" full crash, a Dimensions medium full ride and a pair of Dimensions light/heavy hi-hats. With all the deals done they wanted $370 for the whole lot. I didn't get them but I was really tempted. That struck me as a really good deal in the B8/ZBT territory pricewise but for pro-level cymbals.(They also had a 16" short crash which was nice and a 22" wild ride that was too wild for me),

I inspected the cymbals and could find no obvious defects or damage. They sounded really good. They looked completely brand new. The salesguy did mention that some of them were prototypes, custom orders or just leftover stock when Paiste discontinued the line and rolled many of the models into the 2002 line. I am not sure I believe anything that GC says but I can't deny that this seemed like a good deal whatever the story.

[superporpoise]

Well I went to GC today and wasn't impressed with the Paiste cymbals that they had that qualified for the deal (mostly Alpha's; I was however very impressed with the Signature Paiste stuff... they had a 20in. ride and 17in. fast crash that sounded very nice. But they were spendy and on not on sale.) Fortuately though all Zildjian and Sabian cymbals were 1/2 off MSRP, so I ended up picking up a 16in. HHX Evolution crash for $160 and a 20in. Zildjian K Custom Dark ride for $230. I really wanted to stay all Sabian (and even HHX if I could--I love the HHX line) but I could not deny how amazing that ride sounded and I caved in.

[philiprst]

Congrats :)

What you said was really interesting. I did think most of the Paiste signature line was great, especially the signature reflectors but, like you said, they were all regular price. I was very tempted by the 16" and 17" crash. I agree with you about the Alphas, they struck me as a budget cymbal and there wasn't one that I liked. Did they have any Dimensions? I am curious because, overall, they really impressed me. They didn't have many but most of what they had was very good, in particular the Dimensions reflectors were very close to the current signature reflectors at less than half the price. I didn't mention it before but they also had a 16" short crash which very much tempted me.

[superporpoise]

They had one Dimensions Dark Wild Ride (or something like that.) It sounded fine, but it wasn't really the sound that I was looking for, and the free cymbal that I would have got with it would have been an Alpha crash, which I didn't really want. The guy said they had more Dimension stuff earlier in the day but a lot of it sold :(.

[KzSgDrummer]

Just curious, you said that you wanted a ride with a strong ping and an overstated bell, and you ended up with a K Custom Dark, which pretty much has the exact opposite characteristics.. was it just so good sounding that you HAD to have it?

[superporpoise]

Basically. They actually had a ton of pingy rides there, and I tried them with the rest of my cymbals and really was not super impressed. They seemed really... one dimensional I guess... playing in a jazzier style with them just wasn't working for me. Although the K Dark Custom is a washier, jazzier ride cymbal, it still worked pretty darn well with some of the rock grooves I hammered out. It has good stick definition and all of that. Although I would like a pingier ride eventually, the K seemed to do a much better job of being a main/versatile ride. And I actually quite enjoy the bell sound.

[Goody602]

They haven't been in production for about 15 years, but in my opinion formula 602's and Sound Creations are the best cymbals Paiste has ever made--just fantastic shimmer and wash, quintessential Paiste tone. They pop up on eBay from time to time. Giant Beats, 2oo2's and Signatures are all good too.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

I just heard about this sale at GC. I'm very curious myself since I've never tried any Paiste cymbals before. I'd like to get a couple splashes. I was gonna call the local GC to see which ones they'd have for sale.

[drummer625]

Yeah I heard about this deal. I'm deffinately gonna get some cymbals. I'm planning on getting 2 16" Paiste Rudes Crashes.
It depends on what type of music you play. If you play harder stuff [Metal, Punk, Hardcore, ect.] I would go for Rudes. If you play Jazz, Fusion, ect. go for Signatures. I'm not sure about all of they're other cymbals. I was also thinking about 2002s but I'm not sure what kind of music they're for. I'm not sure if this helped at all but I tried.

[philiprst]

Just a heads up. At my GC I was told that the signature and 2002 range are not included in this deal. As someone said earlier the deal does include Alphas, PBTs and also some of the Dimensions series which was discontinued and the most popular ones were rolled into the signature/2002 line. The Dimensions Reflectors I tried were very close to the current Signature Reflectors in terms of both sound and quality so this makes sense. The problem is that you will not find a lot of choice. My GC had 5 or 6 different Dimensions cymbals but a lot of Alphas. I am very happy with the ones that I picked up.

[gmrakich]

last year at this event I picked up a 17 two 18's and a 19 crash. They were all dimentions. The only "defect" was that the weight was off by a few grams per cymbal.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Does the Dimension line have any splashes or cool effect cymbals I should look out for? I've already got my ears set on a pair of crashes from Saluda, and my 3rd ride down the road is coming from Bosphorus (drool). I figured if I can get a couple little splashes or effects for real cheap I'll make the hour and a half trip to my local GC. I'm looking to spend less than $100 though, or about that. Whatever it is, I'm gonna have to match it in shoes for my wife. hah!

[drummerboy147]

its a pity that the 2002 range was fully price as its 24in ride sounds great! it has an ENORMOUS bell and is very pingy!

[philiprst]

I didn't see any splashes at my GC but others may have them. They did have a really great deal on A custom splashes a couple of weeks ago. Maybe that sale will come around again if you don't find Paiste ones.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

I called GC today and they didn't have anything I was interested in with the Paiste sale. I will have to wait for my splashes.

[tamadrummer132]

the innovations series is back up and going, and they sound good.

HOWEVER! the deal at GC with the half off MSRP and a free cymbal means u get a free alpha paiste cymbal, which btw sounds like CRAP! sooo... your choice

[philiprst]

You can get any of the Paiste blowout cymbals as your free cymbal, not just Alphas. I bought two Dimensions at 50% MSRP and got two Dimension cymbals "free".

[oiboiluis]

My buddy down at Gc said that 50% off msrp is only about 6-10 bucks less than what you would pay if one of the guys gave you a "deal", but then you are getting one for free anything free is better than nothing. And im sure someone on ebay will buy it for regular going price specially since you can list as new.

[KzSgDrummer]

They seemed really... one dimensional I guess...

And that's why they are given the labels "ping" or "rock" or whatever.. they are pretty much one trick ponies.

Although I would like a pingier ride eventually, the K seemed to do a much better job of being a main/versatile ride. And I actually quite enjoy the bell sound.

Also keep this in mind.. if you don't think you'll sell it and you want to make it just a weee bit pingier, just throw up a piece of tape on it. I have an old washy-as-heck Zildjian A 20" and a little bit of tape reigned it into exactly where I wanted it.

[jjolddahgoo]

I got my 16" and 18" crashes the last time they had this sale. I got them for dirt cheap and they sound awesome. I'm going to be going to my local GC soon to see what they have this time.