Does my reasoning to switching to Paiste make good sense?

Paul Blood

Paul Blood

Junior Member
Nothing against Zildjian, or really any other brand at all. All the major manufactures make some great sounding cymbals which I would be very happy to use. But I don't think any other company makes cymbals as consistent as Paiste, and please correct my if that's myth.

In this day and age with the local stores only carrying limited stock, and only budget lines on the floor to try out in person, and the more higher end gear only available as special order, it's really hard to try out cymbals before you buy them. Thankfully Youtube demonstrations give us a good ideas of what products can sound like, but Zildjians and other cymbals can vary greatly in sound even in the same sized models. Agreed? That can be a good thing in that you get a unique sound, and perhaps you could argue that Paiste are more "cookie cutter" or generic, but at least you will know the sound that you will get.

Thoughts?
 
You'll see
Thruout a Cymbalholic Life we'll all go thru/taste/sample most brands..
Will this be your first bite into Paiste?
 
I agree. That is one of many reasons I switched over to Paiste years ago. Actually, it was just a fortunate benefit of playing Paiste.

I could never find the sound I wanted with other brands and always liked the Paistes that I played on in stores. Plus, I think they make the best "multiple use" cymbals out there. One could get themselves set up with some Giant Beats or 2002 Big Beats and theoretically have 90% of gigs covered.
 
jda said:
You'll see
Thruout a Cymbalholic Life we'll all go thru/taste/sample most brands..
Will this be your first bite into Paiste?
Click to expand...
True dat. Actually I had some red stamp 2002 back in the 80’s, but they got “lost“ at a gig …. Ive playing been 70’s-80’s era A and K Zildjians ever since. My rides just don’t crash well, too heavy, so I’m seeking out something new. The Big Beat 22” is speaking to me.
 
I don't have a problem with your reasoning at all

for me, I DON'T want my cymbals to be consistent. They are my colors. I want each individual cymbal to have the different characteristics that the original ingot had....and I want those ingots to also be different. I don't want my K Dark crash to sound exactly like the next guys..
 
I think your reasoning makes complete sense, but it doesn't entirely account for the whole story.

I think the notion that "Paiste's all sound the same" and "Sabian's and Zildjian's all sound different" is a bit overstated. I do agree you'd hear more variation from cymbal to cymbal if you lined up three Zildjian 16" medium thin crashes compared to three Paiste 16" 2002 crashes, but from the way some people talk about the variation you'd expect one of those Zildjians might quack like a duck instead of sound like a crash cymbal.

I buy cymbals online all of the time, sometimes without even hearing a sound sample. I've yet to get anything from Sabian or Meinl that didn't fall exactly into what I'd expect a cymbal of that size, weight, and model to sound like.
 
Paul Blood said:
True dat. Actually I had some red stamp 2002 back in the 80’s, but they got “lost“ at a gig …. Ive playing been 70’s-80’s era A and K Zildjians ever since. My rides just don’t crash well, too heavy, so I’m seeking out something new. The Big Beat 22” is speaking to me.
Click to expand...
I have the 24” but that 22” has been quietly calling my name too.
 
I agree with your reasoning and it 's what got me started playing Paiste cymbals for the past 40 years. I knew Zildjian made some great sounding cymbals but finding a gem was a real process from the limited stock available and going to their factory to choose some was verboten to us mere mortals.
The stores back then primarily had only two brands, the PAS convention focused on legit players and the internet wasn't around.
Zildjian was producing a lot of clangy sounding cymbals during that time so I threw up my hands and went with the expensive imports.
 
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I think all this emphasis on cymbal reproducibility is pretty irrelevant to most drummers. How often do you need to replace a cymbal. I’ve been playing 40 years and have cracked 4 cymbals in that time. So for me being able to get another that’s near identical is low on the list of priorities. it’s a feature that isn't really needed, like heated car seats for vehicles in the tropics.
 
I just made the Paiste jump and I’m happy I did. I love the ones I got and there’s this “shimmer” I never felt when I played Zildjians (but that’s just to me, out in the audience, I don’t think anybody can hear a difference). But I‘ve been lucky all my life by being within driving distance to ProDrum in Hollywood so I could go try high end cymbals to see what they’re all about. So I’ve heard some great cymbals but I still went to Paiste after spending all my life on Zildjians.
 
Knowing what you're going to get is a BIG assistance when buying Paiste.

I recall the time I had a near complete set of Paiste 2000 Sound Reflections.
In the process of amassing this collection, a Signature 17" Full Crash was bundled into one of the deals I snagged.

I still remember hitting the 17" Signature and my mouth dropped open. I VERY quickly sold off all the 2000 Sound Reflections and replaced with Signatures. Other than a decent crashable Ride, I've been a happy chap.
 
If you switch from Zildjian to Paiste (apart from the consistency issue), one thing you'll need to be prepared for is switching out gong for shimmer.

While Paiste lines satisfy all genres (so there's no sacrifice there), no Zildjian will ever give you that magical shimmer that Paiste has in every single cymbal, in every single line. Meanwhile, No Paiste will ever give you the gonginess found in some cymbals marked Zildjian/Bosphorus/Agop/Mehmet.
 
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Paiste is quite consistent if not quite 100%. I have definitely heard differences. But Zildjian's wild inconsistency rep is, to me, well earned and continues to be so. I broke an 18" A Medium-Thin Crash in the 80s, and what Z had in every store I went to for months was gongy, harsh, and unmusical. Then I encountered---what's this, a Sabian? There's the sound again!! Everyone makes good stuff. Paiste is the most reliable though I prefer Sabian, Zildjian also quite good but certainly let a few brake drums out the door.


Dan
 
Paiste produces excellent consistency and their different models provide a really broad range of sounds. My only complaint is that, sometimes they discontinue a model that I didn’t save up for fast enough (ie., Traditional Swish).

Some beautiful sounds here:


 
Paul Blood said:
Nothing against Zildjian, or really any other brand at all. All the major manufactures make some great sounding cymbals which I would be very happy to use. But I don't think any other company makes cymbals as consistent as Paiste, and please correct my if that's myth.

In this day and age with the local stores only carrying limited stock, and only budget lines on the floor to try out in person, and the more higher end gear only available as special order, it's really hard to try out cymbals before you buy them. Thankfully Youtube demonstrations give us a good ideas of what products can sound like, but Zildjians and other cymbals can vary greatly in sound even in the same sized models. Agreed? That can be a good thing in that you get a unique sound, and perhaps you could argue that Paiste are more "cookie cutter" or generic, but at least you will know the sound that you will get.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The consistency starts with the alloy they use and how it is made, that is actually the biggest difference between Paiste and the "N. American" manufacturers:



Paiste's cymbal production process - Cymbal

www.cymbal.wiki www.cymbal.wiki
 
Paiste is a real pragmatic cymbal brand.

You find a series, you buy that series.....the sound will be there if it has to be replaced (unless it's discontinued).

Some other brands maybe not so much.....it's a bit trickier IF you are seeking the same sound.

Paiste does make sense yes.
 
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