Paiste Mellow, Swish and Giant Beat Ride Cymbals
94
| NOVEMBER 2016 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
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t’s been a busy year for the Swiss
cymbal and gong company Paiste, what
with the new Big Beat series and
reinvigorated Formula 602 and 2002
ranges. Now we have three contrasting ride
cymbals – two signature models and a
whopping great Giant Beat.
Build
We’re getting used to seeing gigantic cymbals
recently and the Giant Beat Multi-Functional
ride, coming in at 26", is decidedly bigger than
most. Apart from its size it’s an unusual looker
on account of its vintage, darkly citrus lemony
colour. The other two cymbals fall into the
Artist Inspiration camp, refl ecting Paiste
artists’ ideas both sonically and visually.
Session great John ‘JR’ Robinson’s 24" Swish
ride befi ts his larger-than-life musical
character. It has the upturned edge of a China
type with the conventional small rounded bell
of a Swish. JR is represented on the cymbal by
the label ‘Signature Groove’ and the musical
notation of his famous drum intro to Michael
Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’. The cymbal is a
2002, so it has the familiar striking red logo
on the brightly burnished CuSn8 2002 bronze.
Next to these two, French jazz drummer
Andre Ceccarelli’s 20" B20 alloy Masters
Series Mellow ‘Blue Bird’ ride has the subtle
and timeless look of a vintage Turkish,
heavily- beaten jazz ride with wide blade
lathing. This cymbal is also part of the Artist
Inspiration series and Ceccarelli personally
supplied the Blue Bird graphic label.
Hands On
We reviewed the new Big Beat series back in
May’s
Rhythm
[issue 254] and it’s easy to
From £408 Three hugely contrasting new rides from
Paiste include two signature models and a monster
26" addition to the Giant Beat range
PAISTE MELLOW,
SWISH AND
GIANT BEAT
RIDE CYMBALS
WORDS: GEOFF NICHOLLS
confuse them with the Giant Beats, which is
a line that goes back to the 1960s. This
pioneering professional B8 alloy series
was played by John Bonham until it was
replaced in 1971 by the rather edgier 2002s.
The Giant Beat series was resurrected and
faithfully reproduced from the originals by
Paiste in 2005.
They have a slightly softer sound than the
more modern and aggressive Big Beat/2002s.
Still, the stick feel of this 26" is pingy and
penetrating, setting off an imposing ride that
is not so much dark, but I’d say more broad
and deep. With such a big surface area it pays
BLUE BIRD
Paiste’s Artist
Signature series
combines sonic and
graphic ideas, as with
Andre Ceccarelli’s
Blue-Bird logo
to explore different regions, thus the edge is
noticeably softer and darker, although stick
defi nition stays clear so long as you don’t
over-hit. And being such a big cymbal, if you
crash the edge there is a measure of oriental
gong-style tone in the voluminous wash.
Played in the middle it is harder and ting-ier,
while the large bell is particularly impressive.
This is where you can really stoke up some
volume if needs be. Overall the cymbal comes
across as warm and mellow, but commanding
with a stately Pink Floyd-ballad sort of vibe.
Where the Giant Beat is regal, JR’s 2002
Swish is fearsome. It was developed to
1
ZILDJIAN
CONSTANTINOPLE
RENAISSANCE
RIDE
We say: “20" K
Constantinople ride is at
the summit of the
cymbal-maker’s craft.
Soft and sweet with a
smooth dark and
dry tone. ”
1
ZILDJIAN
RHY261.gear_paiste.indd 94 30/09/2016 16:02