Paiste Masters Thin Cymbals

Paiste Masters Thin Cymbals

These are, in short, really nice cymbals. I thought I’d just get that out of the way first. Paiste’s Masters Thin cymbals are, as the name suggests, thin models but in [largely] bigger sizes, and that thin aspect is very apparent when you play them; even in the hihats. These cymbals tell you they’re thin when you play them.

Paiste says that these multifunctional models offer a dark, soft, warm and deep sound. And, they do. The company also says that the cymbals offer a medium wide range of sound, with a complex mix, a buttery feel and are very responsive. That’s an accurate description having played them.

I loved trying these cymbals. They’ve great looking – a largely irrelevant feature with cymbals to my mind – but it doesn’t hurt, they’re dynamic and they feel wonderful under the stick. These are gentle, dynamic and colourful cymbals. I’ll go as far to say, possibly for the more ‘arty’ types of player (i.e generally not me…), someone who can get light and shade from a cymbal; basically, someone with a decent touch. That’s not to say us more regular folks can’t also use them too, as I found them to be a great fit in terms of vibe and feel for some more traditional rock & roll tunes.

In relation to the 20, 22 & 24” models, I can’t remember the last time I played a cymbal that pretty much tells you when it’s had enough stick pressure (as in hitting it too hard), but these do. Basically, they top out and stop responding both physically and sonically at a certain point. Unsurprisingly, this does mean that the corresponding volume is limited, but in this case that’s what these models are supposed to do; i.e. they’re designed to be subtle, articulate and quiet. And they do that well.

The Masters Thin hihats are all quite similar when playing them, meaning they all have a thin vintage-esque sound and feel (to me they did anyway). In that respect they reminded me of some older mismatched Ks I have; plenty of articulation but with that warm fuzzy sound to them. They’re easy to use because of the lighter weight and sonically have the same features as the aforementioned multifunctional models. 

Even though they are thin – and that’s both cymbals, plus they’re pretty lightweight as well – I found you can still lay into them and get a nice solid, driving sound should you want to which didn’t seem to lose anything due to their design. I’ve found that sometimes thinner hihats can lose something in both sound and feel but I didn’t feel that with these, particularly with the 15 and 16” models.

As I’ve mentioned, these are quieter cymbals intended for lower volume situations. They’re not loud and don’t really project all that much. However, using them for what they are designed for, these are wonderful cymbals, full of character and dynamics and they’re great fun to play too.

More info over at https://www.paiste.com/en/products/models/99-thin
David Bateman

January 2022

By | 2022-01-14T11:23:04+00:00 January 14th, 2022|Categories: Reviews|Comments Off on Paiste Masters Thin Cymbals
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