New cymbal set choice paiste v zildjian

Hi looking for advice to help me choose my next cymbal set up. I am currantly using zildjian k crashes a avedis mastersound hi hat and a paiste 3000 22" ride. I am looking to buy a set of new cymbals as a set the idea being that hopefully they will work well and blend together as a set with each other. I play mainly funk, blues and rock and gig fairly regular. I have my choice narrowed down to two sets 1. zildjian avedis regular finish 14" new beat hh and 16" 18" medium thin crashes with a 21" sweet ride. 699 euro. 2. paiste 2002 14" sound edge hh 16" 18" medium crashes 20" medium ride. 849 euro. Any imput would be much appreciated
 
While cymbals which "will work well and blend together as a set with each other" can be determined by people like Leon Chiappini at Zildjian who put together sets, it can also be defined by your own concept and taste. There are not a few here who believe in the latter. Its also not unusual for many star drummers to have cymbals from different lines, and/or in secret, different brands.

Your existing cymbal set seem interesting because of their diversity. I'd just add individual pieces to spice things up even further.
 
While cymbals which "will work well and blend together as a set with each other" can be determined by people like Leon Chiappini at Zildjian who put together sets, it can also be defined by your own concept and taste.

Absolutely. Those Zildjians the OP has already sound like they will work just fine together to me. Why not just buy a new ride according to your taste, maybe add on another cymbal of some kind, and save some money in the process? No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
 
The thing with 2002s is that everybody loves them because Bonzo played them. However, Bonzo's drums were recorded in large rooms, with lots of emphasis on the (pretty distant) room mics. Sort of the exact opposite of the dry, focused sound you hear on, say, an Eagles record. Paiste 2002s have this glassy, hissy quality that is subtle, but gets more noticeable as the cymbal rings out. If you're recording the cymbal from up close (overheads), it's pretty obvious. If you use distant room-micing (a la Zeppelin), then it's not so noticeable.

The regular Zildjian A's don't have very much, if any, of this glassy quality that is so obvious in 2002s, so they might be better in more genres and recording approaches. You might really like the glassy thing, though, who knows? Listen to YT vids with good headphones before you make a choice, and see if you can hear the difference yourself.
 
I don't know if everyone else play 2002 just because Bonzo did, I wouldn't care much though, not that I don't like him, I do, but he's not my main inspiration.
I recently switched from Zildjian K and A cymbals to Paiste 2002's and I couldn't be happier. I love the bright sound they make. And sometimes it's nice with something new also...
 
This is one of those cases where you just have to go with whichever you like better. While that's always true, these two sets are so completely different, I'm not sure that anyone's input here is going to be that useful.

I've had sets of both and really like both so I could make an argument for either set. Also, I can honestly say that Bonham had nothing to do with my liking Paiste. There have been a ton of players who've used them that I admired at least as much.
 
hi guys thanks for your advice. The k crashes I have are very dark and are and in a live situation can lack cut and projection although they record very well but I would like something a little brighter. The avedis mastersound hh are good but are very heavy cymbals and can be too loud and hard too control at times when played open mabye would like something lighter and more crisp. The k ride i have is very dry and lacks volume. The cymbals I have I have a long time and will probably keep for the collection.The avedis regular set attracts me because I know they will be brighter and nice medium weights and would be more versatile than what I'm using the paistes on the other hand I know will be a lot brighter! but I have played some paistes and love them and the 2002 are around for such a long time played by such greats as copeland, ian paice and nick mason some of the cymbal sounds I love, but I worry they could be too bright and shrill and I suppose I'm afraid of going too far in the other direction compare to what I have Money is scarce enough so want to make the right decision.
 
Have you seen the video demonstrations on mycymbal.com? I had a lot of fun listening to them recently when I was in the market for a new ride. They often play two cymbals together and while they only label the main cymbal they are demoing, you can ask about the other one, and check it out as well.

They send you the exact cymbal they are playing, and I think you can return it if you don't like it.
 
Thanks holden will do. I suppose its the age old problem picking cymbals you never really know what their like until you try them in context with a band, so many cymbals sound great in the shop on their own but when you bring them into a band situation they don't quite do what you want them to.
 
I am a massive Paiste fan, and having previously owned 2002 in 16", 18" and 19" I can give you some good feedback.

They are great if you are playing loud music, they sound beautiful out front. But what they lack is sensitivity for quieter music. They don't really have a good dynamic range because you need to play them a bit louder to get the most out of them. For what it's worth, I actually discovered the 2002 crashes by accident in a room full of Sabians that I was blindly hitting in the hopes of finding one I liked. Nothing to do with Bonham.

Now, I haven't bothered listening to Zildjian for a number of years simply because their cymbals were sounding mediocre for a very long time, so I can't give you any feedback on that front.

What I can suggest, however, is if you want cymbals that sound like the 2002s but have a better dynamic range and sensitivity - Giant Beat. I just bought a new 18" to go with my 20" yesterday, and I absolutely love it. Out of all the crash cymbals I've ever owned (mainly Paiste, but including Sabian and Zildjian) these are absolutely my favourite crashes ever.

But I actually just re-read your post and noticed that you said the pack has the 2002 Medium crashes. I would absolutely not use these ones if you are looking for versatility - they are heavier weighted and louder than the regular 2002 crashes which I owned.

So in this case, I think the A Zildjian crashes would be a better choice.

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT!!!

Going back to what I said about the quality of the Zildjian cymbals over the last few years:

If you buy Zildjians in a pack, MAKE SURE YOU LISTEN TO THEM BEFORE YOU PAY ANY MONEY.

Make sure you are 100% certain that you are buying cymbals you like the sound of because it is a simple fact that some will sound worse than others. This is the one major problem with the casting manufacturing process for cymbals, in that you cannot guarantee consistent sound between identical models, there will always be subtle differences. This fact is true for Sabian, UFIP and Meinl - not just Zildjian.

But anyway, going back to the Paistes (again, because I am a massive fan), I think you should check out the Giant Beats. If you're a fan of Paiste's glassy sound as well as a 2002-type sound, but want something a little more versatile then these are definitely the way to go.

But you want the advice that I really want to give?

Go to a drum store. Hit cymbals. Buy the ones you like the sound of. Don't buy a package. Don't even look at the brands or model names if you can avoid it. Of course, if money is an issue then this is a lot harder to do, but this is still the best advice for buying cymbals that you can get. I know I've said I'm a massive Paiste fan, but I have 4 UFIP splashes, 2 Meinl Chinas and a Meinl ride cymbal - I only have Paiste in hats and crashes.


By the way, here is the Paiste website where you can listen to the cymbals. The recordings are very good and very accurate compared to hitting the cymbals in person:
(It's already on the Giant Beat page for you :) )
http://paiste.com/e/cymbals.php?category=7&family=7&action=category&menuid=270
 
Thank you iwearnohats exactly the feed back I was looking for. A friend of mine has a 18" giant beat and i absolutely love it. I wonder how safe it would be to order giant beats online I know paiste have far better consistence than cast zildjian as regards the 2002s lacking sensitivity at lower volume was a concern I had, I think the giant beats could be the way to go for me. With the 2002 is the universal set lighter than the medium set
 
Yep - the universal set has the standard crashes - not the mediums.

You won't have any trouble ordering Paiste cymbals online, but be aware that if there is a problem and you need warranty coverage, you don't want to be screwed over - so keep that in mind.

Paiste are definitely consistent enough that you can buy them blind - if you listen to some in a store then you'll get exactly that sound or near enough as makes no difference if you order it from elsewhere.

And for the record, I've fallen absolutely in love with my new 18" Giant Beat. It's definitely my new favourite crash cymbal!
 
Just purchased two new giant beats 18 and 20 multi. I went to a drum centre today and tried a load of cymbals ended up with the two giant beats,I almost bought the hi-hats but I wasn't so sure about them, I could end up going back for them yet! I got the cymbals at a great price as well so very happy. The eighteen is fantastic so is the twenty and it also works as a nice ride sound as well. I'm not used to using a 20 crash so it will be interesting to try it with the band.I am going to stick with the paiste 3000 22" ride that I have for now.
 
Awesome! Personally I love big crashes, but little ones (17" and smaller) do have their place - especially when you don't want so much wash.

Yeah, my advice for hihats and ride cymbals is to be patient and keep trying as many models as you can. If you're not 100% on them, don't buy them.

I'm using a pair of 13" Signature Dark Crisp hats as my mains ever since I heard them on Aenima by Tool. And I still haven't found a set that I'd rather have. On the same note, it took me over 10 years before I found a ride cymbal that really 'sang' to me, and now I've found about 3 haha ;)
 
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