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

So, after giving it some thought, I'm going to upgrade sooner than later. Like, immediately.

The PST7's are nice, but I think I'll be happier with 602's or one of the other lines from Paiste. I checked with my supplier and he'll give me full credit for what I've bought so I should act while the offer still stands.

At least I have a better idea of what to look out for, and a taste for that Paiste sound. More to come...
 
yammyfan said:
So, after giving it some thought, I'm going to upgrade sooner than later. Like, immediately.

The PST7's are nice, but I think I'll be happier with 602's or one of the other lines from Paiste. I checked with my supplier and he'll give me full credit for what I've bought so I should act while the offer still stands.

At least I have a better idea of what to look out for, and a taste for that Paiste sound. More to come...
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Cool, I hope those used PST7's get discounted, I'm sure there's many dying to get those cheaper than list price!

Personally im not impressed with the 900's, 602s' , signatures or the Masters, they are way too quiet for the type of music I like and play, but would definitely consider those if I played Jazz or wanted a more sophisticated sound playing right behind the kit. Its nice Paiste have so many lines one could choose from.
 
theseer2 said:
Cool, I hope those used PST7's get discounted, I'm sure there's many dying to get those cheaper than list price!

Personally im not impressed with the 900's, 602s' , signatures or the Masters, they are way too quiet for the type of music I like and play, but would definitely consider those if I played Jazz or wanted a more sophisticated sound playing right behind the kit. Its nice Paiste have so many lines one could choose from.
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I'm sure my guy will knock a few bucks off the PST7's after I exchange them. They've only got an hour or two of playing on them and are essentially mint. They're a little hard to get around here too so I doubt he'll have trouble selling them. I had to wait a month for the last bunch to come in.

I went back to the Paiste Vault and listened to a few YouTube videos as well and I'm pretty sure that it's the Giant Beats that I want. They seem to have everything that I'm looking for and kind of bridge that Zildjian/Paiste divide. Can't wait to try them out.
 
A change of direction. I picked up an 18" 2002 crash on the way home from work today.

Now THAT'S the sound I was looking for!

I compared the PST7 and the 2002 side-by-side and while it's true that PST7's are close to 2002's tonally, they sound unfinished to me. That's not to say that PST7's sound bad because they aren't bad at all. If I was moving from say, a set of Zildjian Zbt's to the PST7's I would be blown away by the Paistes. It's only when you do a side-by-side comparison that the difference becomes obvious.

I compared the 2002 to the same size Zildjian K Dark Thin while I was at it and the difference was huge. They're both great cymbals but the Zildjian is so much darker than the Paiste. If I was a Jazz/Blues guy, I think the Zildjians would be perfect for me. The 2002's suit me better for what I need, however.

I might grab a 24" 2002 ride tomorrow but the rest of the set will have to wait as they'll have to be ordered. I'll go with 14 or 15 inch hi-hats and a 20" crash, to start. I'm not sold on the ride but it's in stock so I can audition it at home.

Thanks again for all of the input. It has been fascinating to explore a different brand and style of cymbals.
 
The 24" Big Al ride (not to be confused with the big beats) is almost identical to the 24" Giant Beat in sound but it is and has the 2002 looks that you are looking for. There is the regular 24" 2002 ride with is a lot heavier.

For me the Giant Beats multis do not pair well with the 2002's "crashes", I have both sets and my son plays the PST7's.

The 2002's thins, (I have 2 of those too!) are closer sounding to the Giant Beats if you want to pair them. If you are looking for Giant Beat like sound but looks of the 2002's, I recommend the thins.

We compared the 2002 thins against the pst7's 16" and 18", I like the 2002's, my son liked the PST's way better, im thinking theres some high frequency stuff there he hears and likes that im not hearing and im just hearing the mid-range harshness.

Oh and to add the confusion, theres 2002 "crashes" and "medium" crashes, they are different and the mediums are actually heavier, im not sure which 18" you got.

SO- light<crash's<meduims<power
 
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I believe that the 24" ride I'm looking at is just the regular ride. It might be overkill but I'll give it a try. It's also second-hand and full of stick marks which is a huge turn-off for me. I like my cymbals to be completely blemish free, especially at $400 - $500 a pop. I'll bring it home, clean it up and play it for a few days. It's good to know that I can exchange it if need be.

I thought that the Giant Beats would be more my sound but they're darker than the 2002's. So are the Big Beats, from what I can tell. I want that classic kind of Phil Rudd AC/DC sound so I think that 2002's are what I need. I love the 18" I picked up last night. It just says "18" Crash" on it so I assume it's a medium. It sounds just like the medium PST7 only more complex.

Interesting that your son liked the PST7's better. They are indeed more harsh than the 2002's.
 
YES! AC/DC is 2002 crashes all day long ! Either the regular or meduims are perfect. Not Giant Beats nor 2002 thins. I've heard drum covers with Zildjian A's, and myself used to play Custom A's- NO DICE, you have to play AC/DC with 2002's.

Thats exactly what I was looking for too. So my big Bonham set has the Giant beats and my Big Country/AC-DC/ Rush/Phil Collins/Pat Benatar/ ect ect multi purpose kit is all 2002's.
 
yammyfan said:
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!
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Just grab a set of 2002's, GBeats, or BBeats and lay to waste the hordes of unwashed non-believers.
 
theseer2 said:
YES! AC/DC is 2002 crashes all day long ! Either the regular or meduims are perfect. Not Giant Beats nor 2002 thins. I've heard drum covers with Zildjian A's, and myself used to play Custom A's- NO DICE, you have to play AC/DC with 2002's.

Thats exactly what I was looking for too. So my big Bonham set has the Giant beats and my Big Country/AC-DC/ Rush/Phil Collins/Pat Benatar/ ect ect multi purpose kit is all 2002's.
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I took an expensive detour to get here ($1800 in Zildjian K's) but the 2002's are the right tools for the job. The vast majority of the stuff I play is pop and rock covers so it will be good to have the right sound for that at last.

KamaK said:
Just grab a set of 2002's, GBeats, or BBeats and lay to waste the hordes of unwashed non-believers.
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I'm on it. This is gonna be expensive!! ?
 
Here’s a nice sounding mix using almost all 2002 (and an x-hat):

 
Winston_Wolf said:
Just for a little more clarity: In the 2002 line a "CRASH" is comparatively a medium-thin weight. The cymbals marked "MEDIUM" are heavier.
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The regular, and medium crashes, regardless of brand, or, line, offer an alternate voice, which to me is ideal. I was at a Paiste- sponsored clinic years ago, and their manufacturers rep suggested to pick cymbals that are distinctly different from one another, to achieve that alternate voice to cover more of the tonal spectrum. I've never forgotten that when picking cymbals.
 
Supraman5x14 said:
The regular, and medium crashes, regardless of brand, or, line, offer an alternate voice, which to me is ideal. I was at a Paiste- sponsored clinic years ago, and their manufacturers rep suggested to pick cymbals that are distinctly different from one another, to achieve that alternate voice to cover more of the tonal spectrum. I've never forgotten that when picking cymbals.
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I go back and forth on this idea. In theory I like the notion of crashes that sound distinctly different from one another, but in reality I find I prefer a little more consistency in general tone in my crashes. If I want an alternative sound I'd rather mix in a China or splash but I tend to prefer my crashes to blend together. Today anyway.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I go back and forth on this idea. In theory I like the notion of crashes that sound distinctly different from one another, but in reality I find I prefer a little more consistency in general tone in my crashes. If I want an alternative sound I'd rather mix in a China or splash but I tend to prefer my crashes to blend together. Today anyway.
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I'm in the same camp. I don't mix brands or lines if I can avoid it. I use effects cymbals for the same reason that you do.
 
Mmmm, I'm all over the place on brands (right now I'm using Sabian, Zildjian, Meinl and a couple Wuhan splashes) but I don't often mix alloys. Right now I'm back to using my B20 stuff, but I just came off a B8/B12 kick. Overall I think the B20 sound is what I prefer, but when I was playing a lot more loud rock and needed more cut I really liked my B8 cymbals for that.
 
I haven't played it yet but I bought the 24" 2002 Ride and ordered a set of 15" Sound Edge Hi-Hats and a 20" Crash to go with it. Those, along with the 18" Crash I already own, should give me a good, "essential" 2002 setup to start.

I'm playing a punk/hard rock gig for NYE this year. I hope I take delivery of the cymbals by then. I think they'll be perfect for the job.
 
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