Why Are Paiste Cymbals So Expensive

Why Are Paiste Cymbals So Expensive? Expensive Paiste Cymbals

Why are Paiste cymbals so expensive? What is the process of making a Paiste cymbal? Do Paiste cymbals sound good? Are Paiste cymbals durable? If you are curious about Paiste cymbals and why they are a little bit more expensive compared to other cymbals, you are now going to learn a little secret about them and how they make their cymbals, which is the main reason why they can price their products a little bit higher compared to their competitions.

How Paiste Makes Its Cymbals

If you are a fan of Paiste cymbals, you may also know its reputation for having one of the most expensive lines of cymbals in the market. As they are widely respected for their long years of making top-quality cymbals, this also means that making these cymbals is not cheap. With the help of many legendary drummers endorsing the brand, there is also more reason that they are more expensive compared to other cymbals in the market.

For their high-end and professional cymbal series, these cymbals are all crafted by hand exclusively, putting them at the top of the most expensive cymbals on the market. They only use their top-quality mechanical devices sparingly and as an aid to hand manufacture without making any compromise with its sound and quality. The devices that are used are able to help Paiste’s top cymbal makers to have lesser work and be able to concentrate on making top-quality cymbals with consistency.

For their mid-level cymbal lines, Paiste uses automated processes only in the early stages of making these cymbals while refining them after using hand craftsmanship, which Paiste is highly known for, as this allows them to have lower costs for these cymbals. Their entry-level cymbals are made with the help of machines, as this also helps in having a lower manufacturing cost for making every cymbal.

Paiste’s Traditional Hand Craftsmanship

The Master Cymbal

In making top-quality cymbals, you should always have a reference before you can make one, and these so-called master cymbals are created by Paiste’s Sound Development department as a basis for producing their renowned cymbals while also being used as a reference for other departments in improving or developing a new line of Paiste cymbals.

Paiste’s goal for all its departments is for them to be able to contribute to making the exact copies of these reference cymbals, as this is an excellent principle for them to ensure the ultimate consistency and quality for every cymbal that they have produced.

Firing Department

Paiste’s firing department is tasked with preparing the disks of specific alloy and thickness for later stages of production, and these things will be visually inspected to ensure uniformity and if there are any problems with the disks. After the inspection, the center of the disk is then heated so that the metal will soften, allowing for the bell to be pressed into it.

After the process, a hole is then punched through the center of the bell. There will be some cymbals that will be sent through a high-temperature oven, as they will be heated and be allowed to cool slowly, as this will help remove internal stresses, making them easier to work with.

Hammering Department

Paiste’s hammering department is tasked to give the cymbals their shape and to conserve its workers’ energy; they use pneumatic hammering devices, as they are very helpful for the cymbal makers in the initial shaping of the cymbal. The cymbal maker is still responsible for the device to work, as he uses his feet to control the velocity and force of the device, while he also uses his hands for the spacing and pattern of the hammering of the cymbal.

After the process, the cymbal makers are going to use hand craftsmanship to fine-tune the shape of the cymbal with the help of a hammer and anvil. One aspect that is very important in this process is truing, which ensures uniformity in the shape throughout the cymbal.

Lathing Department

The Paiste’s lathing department is tasked with reducing the thickness of the cymbal to the correct parameters and applying the decorative grooves unique to each cymbal series. Paiste’s tolerances are exact to within fractions of a millimeter, and measuring by micrometer is necessary to achieve them. This process helps the cymbals to have that Paiste cymbal sound that many professional and regular drummers longed for.

Finishing Department

The Paiste’s finishing department is tasked with smoothing out the cymbals’ edges, transferring printing brand logos and model designations, and applying a special protective coating to prevent oxidation. This procedure gives the cymbals their identity as made by Paiste, which gives additional value to them. The logos also do not get easily erased, which is excellent. Paiste cymbals are also famous for their beautiful looks, thanks to their impressive finishing.

Quality Control

Quality control is one of the most important things when it comes to producing excellent products such as a cymbal, and with Paiste, they ensure that their quality control procedures are consistently implemented throughout the production process. In ensuring that consumers get the best-quality cymbals possible, Paiste repeatedly checks their produced cymbals against the reference master cymbal, ensuring that they are close enough when it comes to their build quality and the sound they produce.

The final and considered to be the most important step in the production of Paiste cymbals are to hand test each and every finished cymbal against the master cymbals produced by Sound Development. If a cymbal does not conform to the Paiste’s exacting standards, it is destroyed. Only instruments of perfect quality and consistent sound character are allowed to leave the Paiste’s factory.

These procedures and processing steps only ensure that you get the best quality cymbals from Paiste, which also means that the manufacturing also costs more than the typical cymbals out in the market. With this, it is expected that these cymbals will have a more expensive price compared to their other competitors.

Paiste Signature Artists

Vinnie Colaiuta

A renowned American drummer that is known as a session musician in lots of different genres, Vinnie Colaiuta, is considered by many to be one of the best drummers of his time and has been awarded many times from lots of drumming and musical institutions in the world. Vinnie has also been a long-time Paiste artist, as most of the cymbals in his setup are from the Formula 602 Modern and Classic Series.

Chad Smith

Another renowned drummer on our list is the main drummer of the famous rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mr Chad Smith. Chad is also known as a session drummer for many top-notch artists, such as Elton John, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Wu-Tang Clan, Post Malone, and many more. He uses a mix of PSTX and 2002 cymbals in his setup.

So, why are Paiste cymbals so expensive? Paiste cymbals are made using some focused techniques on hand craftsmanship than automated processes, which makes them more expensive due to labor costs. The cymbals also undergo high-quality processing and inspection to get the best sound and build quality, resulting in them being a little bit more expensive compared to other cymbals in the market.