Wanting to give Paiste cymbals a try. Where should I start?

[yammyfan]

As the title states, I'm thinking about trying Paiste cymbals on for size. I play Pop, Rock and Country covers in a number of local bands. Typical wedding/party band stuff.

I'm playing Zildjian K Dark Thin crashes at the moment along with a 20" K Ride and 14" K Hi Hats. Nothing wrong with any of them - they sound great. Like, really great.

That said, I find the crashes a bit dark for my taste. I was using A Custom crashes before the K's and found them a bit glassy sounding. I do like bright, cutting cymbals, though. The A Customs were close to ideal; definitely more to my taste than the regular Zildjian A's I owned before.

I don't know much about Paiste cymbals other than that they are made differently than some others and that they can be expensive. I'm looking for recommendations for a good middle-of-the-road set that's neither too bright nor too dark. A set of cymbals that works well with the genres named above. The Zildjian A or Sabian AA equivalent from Paiste, I suppose.

I'll probably be buying new, for what it's worth. At least the first couple of crashes, anyway.

What should I be looking for? Thanks for any and all suggestions!

 

[jdavis]

Man, Paiste have so many lines. Maybe check out the 602, Giant Beat, Signature and 2002 lines and see what jumps out at you. Also, Youtube has tons of comparison videos and the Paiste site has lots of sound examples. Good luck!

 

[Stroker]

Start in a cymbal vault, you won't be disappointed.

 

[wildbill]

It sounds like you're looking for 2002's.

I like Giant Beats, but I don't think they meet your requirements.

 

[Winston_Wolf]

I find that 2002 is THE classic Paiste sound in my mind. They are bright, but I think they'd make a good contrast to the Zildjian K's you're using now.

If you want to try that sound but save money the Paiste PST7 line has most of the same qualities of the 2002 line at a lower cost.

 

[Ruok]

I think you want 602's, although 2002s are great too! I think the 602s are closest to A Zildjians and AA Sabians that you mentioned. Same alloy.

I would recommend 14" or 15" 602 Medium hats. Although I love the Sound Edges too, they are more prone to cracking than the Mediums.

A 20" or 22" 602 Medium Ride and an 18" Thin Crash would be very versatile, IMO.

Definitely check out Paiste's website and use the cymbal sound room.

 

[Row]

Man, Paiste have so many lines. Maybe check out the 602, Giant Beat, Signature and 2002 lines and see what jumps out at you. Also, Youtube has tons of comparison videos and the Paiste site has lots of sound examples. Good luck!

Good advice because there really is so many to choose from, even the Paiste website has listings of genres and cymbal set proposals for that genre. I would be looking at Signatures and 602 modern essentials. Maybe the 2002 also.

 

[yammyfan]

Cool. 602's and 2002's - that helps to narrow it down. I've heard mostly good things about the PST7's too so I'll check them out. These will be gigging cymbals so the 7's might get the job done.

I'll head over to Paiste's website to give them a listen. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm anxious to learn more.

 

[Bo Eder]

the gongs. Start with the gongs. At least a 36"

 

[roncadillac]

the gongs. Start with the gongs. At least a 36"

Pshh, 36"? Childs play.

On the real though, the classic video of The Mother's playing the BBC studio shows one of the drummers using a gong with a hold drilled in the middle as a ride cymbal and I am obsessed with it. I just can't seem to find a 16-22" gong for cheap. (Fully understand gongs aren't cheap, I'm not looking for a pro symphonic model... I'll take a knock off if need be)

 

[mikyok]

Another thumbs up for 2002/Giant Beat/Big Beats.

I did the opposite, used Paiste for years and then went to Zildjian. Personally I'd go for Giant Beats, they're clean but have a little bit of warmth. Not unlike A Thin Crashes at all.

One thing's for sure it gets expensive when your ears start telling your brain it's time for a change!

 

[jdavis]

Another thumbs up for 2002/Giant Beat/Big Beats.

I did the opposite, used Paiste for years and then went to Zildjian. Personally I'd go for Giant Beats, they're clean but have a little bit of warmth. Not unlike A Thin Crashes at all.

One thing's for sure it gets expensive when your ears start telling your brain it's time for a change!

That's for sure. Similarly, I started on 2002's, then moved to Sabians, then Zildjians, then some of the Turkish brands and now back to Paiste. Only took 40 years to come full circle, LOL.

Coming from mostly Zildjian A's, I tend to like the Giant Beats. They're warmer sounding and have sweeter overtones, IMO. I just don't feel comfortable beating the snot out of them, though. Big Beats seem interesting, too.

 

[yammyfan]

Another thumbs up for 2002/Giant Beat/Big Beats.

I did the opposite, used Paiste for years and then went to Zildjian. Personally I'd go for Giant Beats, they're clean but have a little bit of warmth. Not unlike A Thin Crashes at all.

One thing's for sure it gets expensive when your ears start telling your brain it's time for a change!

I'm leaning towards the Giant Beats. I did a lot of listening last night and kept coming back to them. They're all great but if I had to pick one today it would be those.

 

[theseer2]

If you dont have the money for Giant Beats or 2002's:

Start with a 20" PST 7 Light Ride as a ride/crash and a 19" Medium PST7- this sounds much like a harsher 18" giant beat

If you have the money, get want ever sizes Giant Beat Multi's you prefer - you probably wont ever need anything else they are that good!

 

[The Edge]

Dark Energy, 602 Classic/Modern Essentials, Masters ride cymbals. Maybe some Giant Beats, too. You're welcome.

 

[Woolwich]

I don’t understand the idea of wanting to try a brand of cymbals and publicly making the commitment of spending many hundreds of pounds but not knowing which line of cymbals you want. It’s like putting the cart before the horse. If you haven’t had something jump out at you because you haven’t heard or played it then my recommendation would be to play as many as you can of all brands and see which floats your boat.

 

[yammyfan]

I don’t understand the idea of wanting to try a brand of cymbals and publicly making the commitment of spending many hundreds of pounds but not knowing which line of cymbals you want. It’s like putting the cart before the horse. If you haven’t had something jump out at you because you haven’t heard or played it then my recommendation would be to play as many as you can of all brands and see which floats your boat.

You'll notice that I was somewhat specific, asking which Paiste's are the approximate equal to the Zildjian A and/or Sabian AA line. You may also notice that I described my history with Zildjian A, A Custom and K cymbals for a bit of context.

I'm happy with the quality of feedback given here and having been rewarded for taking DW members' advice in the past (hence my purchase of a Ludwig Acrolite a few weeks ago) I think that they've given me plenty to work with.

 

[jdavis]

Start with a 20" PST 7 Light Ride as a ride/crash and a 19" Medium PST7- this sounds much like a harsher 18" giant beat

If you have the money, get want ever sizes Giant Beat Multi's you prefer - you probably wont ever need anything else they are that good!

I've never listened to PST 7's but I'm curious now. How is their durability? Might be good for a bash-around set of cymbals so I don't have to worry about stressing out my GB's, LOL!

 

[theseer2]

I've never listened to PST 7's but I'm curious now. How is their durability? Might be good for a bash-around set of cymbals so I don't have to worry about stressing out my GB's, LOL!

You hit it right on the nail. The 7 Mediums are pretty durable, not too thin to break and not sewer caps either. Do a search on YouTube on pst 7 vs 2002. you'd be surprised. I have a mix of 2002's and pst 7's and 18, 20, 24 Giant Beat Multis.

 

[Mustion]

RUDE