Your Paiste Cymbal Rig

My current Paiste setup after my purge of many cymbals is :
22” Traditional Light ride
22” 602 Modern Essentials ride
20” Masters Dark Crash ride
15” 602 Modern Essentials hihats
18” PST-X thin
17” Traditional thin crash
18” Giant Beat Multi

Cymbals from Paiste by series I have owned in the past

Traditionals
14” hihats (twice)
17” thin crash
18” thin crash
20” Light ride
20 “ Medium ride
20” Medium Heavy ride (3 times)
22” Medium Light ride
20” Medium Light Swish

Dimensions
17” thin crash
18” Medium thin crash
18” Light ride
20” Light ride
16” thin China

2002
14” and 15” SE hats
15”;17” crashes
19” Wild crash
22” Heavy ride
20” Heavy ride

Signature
13” Dark Crisp hihats (twice)
15”; 17” fast crashes
18” Full crash
20” Mellow ride
20” Dark Full ride
20” Full ride
20” Dry ride
20” Bright ride
A few others I cannot remember the proper name ( Dark Crisp ? )

Sound Formula
14” Medium Heavy hats
20” Heavy ride (twice)

Sound Creation
18” Dark Medium ride

Giant Beats
15” hats
18” and 20” Multi

Dark Energy
14” hats
17”;18” crashes
20” Mk1 ride
21” Mk1 ride
20” Mk 2 ride
21” Mk 2 ride
22” Mk 2 ride

602
20” Heavy

602 reissue
14” SE hats (twice)
16” and 18” thin crashes (twice)
20” Medium Flat ride
20” Medium ride (twice)
22” Medium ride
24” Medium ride

Masters
15” Dark hihats
16” and 18” Dark crashes
22” Dark Crisp ride
20” Dark Crisp ride
20” Medium ride
21” Medium ride

Paiste 900 coloursound (Purple)
14” hats
16” thin crash
18” thin crash
20” ride

These are all I can recall owning since 2001 - might be more . My cymbal purge is complete and I have the Paiste cymbals I really want now . The only cymbals I wish I still owned are :
20” Traditional Medium Heavy ride
20” Traditional Medium Light Swish
 
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I've been blending my new 2002s with the Giant Beats that I already owned in a HH, Ride, 2 Crash config and I really like this set up lately:
15" SE Hats
19" 2002 Crash
20" GB Multi
22" 2002 Ride

Another option, depending on room and mood would be scaling the crashes down and swapping out for:
17" 2002 Crash
18" GB Multi

I guess I've always had crashes in 2" increments, but I'm really digging the new (to my ear) pitches and the response differences between 2002 and Giant Beat in the same setup.
 
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Can’t believe I’m saying this, given the fact that I’ve owned and enjoyed hundreds of cymbals over the 4+ decades I’ve been playing drums, but lately I’ve grown kinda weary of them. My latest rigs over the last couple of months have been hats and one cymbal only, and I don’t see myself caring enough to put any more up anytime soon.

I’m using Giant Beats now for everything. 16” hats and 22” Multi for larger gigs, 15” and 20” Multi for smaller gigs. I’m on a quest to play like the nameless guys on the old country and soul albums, and this minimalist setup I’m using helps me along that path.

53BDE7CB-8788-44F0-8E53-6C5D6CA4F6CF.jpeg
 
Ryan Culberson said:
Can’t believe I’m saying this, given the fact that I’ve owned and enjoyed hundreds of cymbals over the 4+ decades I’ve been playing drums, but lately I’ve grown kinda weary of them. My latest rigs over the last couple of months have been hats and one cymbal only, and I don’t see myself caring enough to put any more up anytime soon.

I’m using Giant Beats now for everything. 16” hats and 22” Multi for larger gigs, 15” and 20” Multi for smaller gigs. I’m on a quest to play like the nameless guys on the old country and soul albums, and this minimalist setup I’m using helps me along that path.

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Love it, Ryan. Is your goal to eliminate the crash effect, or are you crashing just as frequently but only on the 22" multi?

I ask because, though my two 19" Avedis multis, which I use as crashes, are almost always in my setup, I can easily play with just my 15" Avedis hats and my 21" Avedis multi (i.e., my ride). I've steadily reduced the activation of the crash sound from my playing, striving for a more reserved and concise drumming voice overall.
 
Ryan Culberson said:
Can’t believe I’m saying this, given the fact that I’ve owned and enjoyed hundreds of cymbals over the 4+ decades I’ve been playing drums, but lately I’ve grown kinda weary of them. My latest rigs over the last couple of months have been hats and one cymbal only, and I don’t see myself caring enough to put any more up anytime soon.

I’m using Giant Beats now for everything. 16” hats and 22” Multi for larger gigs, 15” and 20” Multi for smaller gigs. I’m on a quest to play like the nameless guys on the old country and soul albums, and this minimalist setup I’m using helps me along that path.

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Are those Thumb-Breakers on your drumsticks? Or are they Twirl-Masters?
 
15" 2002 SE hihats
19" 602 Heavy
20" 2002 Ride
In addition, an 18" Amati crash/ride that has the Paiste sparkle in spades (albeit with a more focussed sustain).

Been considering snatching up a 20" Signature Symphonic medium heavy. It looks a lot like a Precision ride, the latter of which sounds like a nice, slightly relaxed 2002 ride to me. Should I sell my 2002 for it, or should it replace an A Custom Ping Ride I've been eyeing for?
 
C.M. Jones said:
Love it, Ryan. Is your goal to eliminate the crash effect, or are you crashing just as frequently but only on the 22" multi?

I ask because, though my two 19" Avedis multis, which I use as crashes, are almost always in my setup, I can easily play with just my 15" Avedis hats and my 21" Avedis multi (i.e., my ride). I've steadily reduced the activation of the crash sound from my playing, striving for a more reserved and concise drumming voice overall.
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The goal is to eliminate crash sounds as much as possible. For the music I’m playing, a crash is an exclamation point that should be used very judiciously in the sentences and paragraphs I’m creating. With my GBs (and your Avedis cymbals), I’m able to access an A-level crash sound if I absolutely need it, so a dedicated cymbal for that purpose seems like overkill.

cbphoto said:
Are those Thumb-Breakers on your drumsticks? Or are they Twirl-Masters?
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cb, those are GigGrips. I have arthritis issues in both hands so grip enhancement is a must for me. I use the GigGrips in conjunction with a stick wax to help me achieve a secure yet relaxed grip. The grips are MVP pieces of gear for me.
 
Hi-Hats
  • 15” Signature Dark Energy
  • 14” Signature Sound Edge
  • 15” Big Beat
  • 16” Big Beat

Rides
  • Powerslave
  • 22” 602 ME

Crashes
  • 18” Fast Medium Crash
  • 20” Fast Medium Crash
  • 16” Reflector Heavy Full
  • 19” Reflector Heavy Full
  • 17” Dark Energy Crash
  • 18” Big Beat
  • 20" Big Beat
  • 22” Big Beat
  • 18" 602 ME

Chinas/Splashes
  • 20" Signature Thin China
  • 10” PSTX Swiss Splash
  • 19” 2002 Classic Wild China
  • 10” PST8 Reflector Rock Splash

Want
  • 15" 602 ME Hats
  • 19" Dark Energy Crash
  • 21” Dark Energy Mark 1 Ride
 
Ryan Culberson said:
Can’t believe I’m saying this, given the fact that I’ve owned and enjoyed hundreds of cymbals over the 4+ decades I’ve been playing drums, but lately I’ve grown kinda weary of them. My latest rigs over the last couple of months have been hats and one cymbal only, and I don’t see myself caring enough to put any more up anytime soon.

I’m using Giant Beats now for everything. 16” hats and 22” Multi for larger gigs, 15” and 20” Multi for smaller gigs. I’m on a quest to play like the nameless guys on the old country and soul albums, and this minimalist setup I’m using helps me along that path.

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I didn't realize that "nameless old country drummers" pioneered lavender LEDs in their kicks? :oops::D

I'll show myself out...
 
Neal Pert said:
Things have grown and expanded since I posted this, though I plan to sell all the ones that are in bold. I'm settling on mostly Masters for my jazz gigs and mostly 602 Modern Essentials for my other gigs.

Masters Series:
22” Dark Ride 2566g
22” Swish 1958g
21” Dry Ride 2294g
20” Medium Ride
20” Dark Crash Ride 1770g
20” Dark Crash
20” Dark Crisp Ride 2380g
18” Dark Crash 1304g
16” Dark Crash 938g
16” Thin Hi Hats 926/1188g
14” Dark Hi Hats 734/1166g

2002 Big Beat Series:
24” 2002 Big Beat Multi 2804g
20” 2002 Big Beat Multi 1772g
18” 2002 Big Beat Multi 1332g
15” 2002 Big Beat Hi Hat 804g/949g

Formula 602:
22” 602 Modern Essentials Ride
20” 602 Modern Essentials Ride
20” 602 Modern Essentials Crash
20” 602 Classic Medium Flatride 2284g
14” 602 Modern Essentials Hi Hats

Other:
21” Dark Energy Mark I Ride
10” PSTX Swiss Splash 248g
8” Signature Splash 144g
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Holy shnikies!
Pretty sure your cymbals cost more than my car.
 
Hard to choose favorites. They're all great. Really loving the Masters right now.

Band #1 (Bad Co tribute):
15" 2002 heavy hats
17" 2002 crash
18" 2002 crash or medium crash
18" 2002 ride or 24" 2002 ride for fun/more volume

Band #2 (acoustic "grass-rock"):
15" 602 medium top/15" 602 heavy bottom hats, or 15" Masters dark hats
18" Masters dark crash
19" Masters dark crash
22" Sig Dark Energy Mark 1 ride

Band #3 (White Stripes tribute):
15" Sig Dark Energy hats (this may change)
19" Signature full crash
22" 2002 ride

Band #4 (Stevie Nicks tribute):
15" 2002 heavy hats or 15" DE hats
19" 602 Modern Essentials crash
20" Giant Beat
22" Sig DE Mark 1 ride or 22" 2002 ride

Typical recording setup:
15" 602 medium top/15" 602 heavy bottom hats, or sometimes 15" Giant Beat hats
18" 602 thin crash or 18" Giant Beat
20" 602 thin crash or 20" Giant Beat
22" 602 medium ride, or 22" 2002 ride, or 20" 2002 ride

Classic rock setup:
15" 2002 SE hats
18" 2002 medium crash
20" 2002 crash
24" 2002 ride

Paistes_2022_sm_sm.jpg
 
heartbeat said:
Hard to choose favorites. They're all great. Really loving the Masters right now.

Band #1 (Bad Co tribute):
15" 2002 heavy hats
17" 2002 crash
18" 2002 crash or medium crash
18" 2002 ride or 24" 2002 ride for fun/more volume

Band #2 (acoustic "grass-rock"):
15" 602 medium top/15" 602 heavy bottom hats, or 15" Masters dark hats
18" Masters dark crash
19" Masters dark crash
22" Sig Dark Energy Mark 1 ride

Band #3 (White Stripes tribute):
15" Sig Dark Energy hats (this may change)
19" Signature full crash
22" 2002 ride

Band #4 (Stevie Nicks tribute):
15" 2002 heavy hats or 15" DE hats
19" 602 Modern Essentials crash
20" Giant Beat
22" Sig DE Mark 1 ride or 22" 2002 ride

Typical recording setup:
15" 602 medium top/15" 602 heavy bottom hats, or sometimes 15" Giant Beat hats
18" 602 thin crash or 18" Giant Beat
20" 602 thin crash or 20" Giant Beat
22" 602 medium ride, or 22" 2002 ride, or 20" 2002 ride

Classic rock setup:
15" 2002 SE hats
18" 2002 medium crash
20" 2002 crash
24" 2002 ride

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Some collection good to see you use them all noticed no china you don't like them?.
 
Chunkaway said:
How do you like that swish?
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Love the swish, just haven't been using it (or anything else) since I've been running one cymbal and hats only for the last couple of months. The swish is a very pretty sounding cymbal. I wish it had 200-300g more weight to it, though. Stick articulation gets lost at anything faster than medium tempo playing.
 
Ryan Culberson said:
It’s Bakersfield, man. We’re a different breed out here. 🤪😁
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Alas, one of my latest regrets is never having gone to the Crystal Palace when my wife and I lived in Castaic. I have developed an interest in Country music only recently and have discovered much about Bakersfield that I never knew.

Also, we should have made a pilgrimage to Hodel's. :cry:

Lastly (so that I am contributing something Paiste-related, I have the PST7 Medium Universal set consisting of:

20" Ride
18" & 16" Crashes
14" Highs

to which I added the 10" splash.

The PST7s do not seem to get a lot of love here, and I am thinking I should have bitten the bullet and gone for 2002s.
 
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