Paiste Signature Series Cymbals
GEARREVIEWS
108 RHYTHM NOVEMBER 2006
general purpose work. The 20" Dark
Metal ride is the most distinctive. It has a
lathed bell and a 1" outer perimeter. The
rest is black and unlathed with leopard
spot circles. It’s a real clanger – the thick
stick response jumps out, and sounds
rather one-dimensional and rowdy.
Finally, two real heavyweights. The 22"
Power ride is hard, abrupt and imposing.
It also has the loudest, ringiest bell of
the lot. Crash it and walls fall down – be
warned! It’s also drier than the 22" Dry
ride which is lower pitched, has more
spread and, for me, is more amenable.
Hats off
Starting with the biggest, the 15" hi-hats
are fi rmly in the John Bonham tradition,
raising absolute hell when played half-
open. They have Paiste’s original Sound
Edge wavy edged bottom cymbal, which
expels the air when you stamp on the
pedal, dramatically amplifying the ‘chick’
sound. These big hats are sparklingly
ferocious. At the opposite end, the 10"
Micro hats are very nifty. They have a full
sound for such small cymbals, with more
KEY FEATURES
O
riginally revealed in 1989, Paiste’s
Signatures caused a major ruckus
in the cymbal world. Paiste made
a big thing of their new patented bronze
formulation, Paiste Sound Alloy. However
close this was (or is) to the traditional
cymbalsmith’s B20 bronze, Signatures
impressed everyone who played them.
Drummers such as Jeff Porcaro raved
about their sparkling clarity.
Revisiting many of the models now,
they still dazzle. Paistes have a lively,
articulate response, different to that of
others. To some this makes Paistes a
little transparent, to others it’s the main
reason for buying them.
New additions
Today we’re looking at a cross-section of
the range. They’re mostly established
models but Paiste is still adding to the
series. The latest is a 21" Dark Full ride.
Paiste says it is “earthy and meaty”.
There’s plenty of wash and body, but it’s
controlled, and the stick sound is a clean
ping providing the Signature brightness.
The darkness follows from beneath.
Paiste
Signature Series
Cymbals
From £129 | Are the top-line Signatures as revolutionary
as when they were introduced? Geoff Nicholls fi nds out.
ESSENTIALS
PRICES
Paiste Signatures
Splashes £129-£136
Chinas £247-£285
Crashes £175-£308
Rides £308-£367
Hi-hats £272-£435
Mega Cup Chime £156
CONTACT
Korg UK
9 Newmarket Court
Kingston
Milton Keynes
MK10 0AU
Tel ephone
01908 857100
Website
www.paiste.com
There are two other 21" rides.
The 21" Silver Mellow ride is
indeed silvery sounding. It has a
tingling, high pitch over a warm
background. The stick sound is
uncannily clear but quite soft,
not a million miles from a fl at
ride. It has a relatively narrow
frequency range that won’t
clutter the overall sound of
your band. By contrast,
the 21" Dry Heavy ride,
being weightier, has a
higher pitch and thicker
sound. Stick response is
dry, but there’s a massive,
groundswelling after-
sound underpinning it.
There are also two standard
20" rides, which couldn’t be
more different. The 20" Full
ride is probably the best all-
rounder here. The ‘Full’ of the title
describes the way the stick response is
immediately suffused with a buzzing
atmosphere of wash. There’s a musical,
balanced feel to it that lends itself to
Hand-hammered and lathed,
Signatures have a golden satin
colour and thickish, wavy tone
grooves. They’re identifi ed by
their black silk-screened logo.
RHY131.gear_paiste 108 6/10/06 06:57:15