Categories: Cymbals

Paiste 16″ Signature Fast Crash Cymbal

The Paiste Signatures are a superb line of cymbals. This one is their 16″ Fast Crash. It’s fast, bold, and beautiful.

The pitch of the 16″ vs. the 17″ Signature Fast Crash cymbals is obviously different, but the tonality is similar because they are of the same alloy, lathing, and hammering process. However, they are also somewhat darker than other crashes of the same size, but different model. They don’t have a trashy wash, but, rather, the wash is very clean and bright. In my opinion, the Signature line is one of Paiste’s best.

Specifications

Manufacturer Line: Signature
Type: Fast Crash
Style: Thin
Alloy: B15 – CuSn15 – 85% Copper, 15% Tin
Diameter: 16″
Metal Work: Hand Hammered, High Density Deep Hand Lathed, Buffed Finish
Weight: 2 Pounds
MSRP: $554 USA; Street Price $343
Paiste

The cymbal has a very bright finish, but is not what would be classified as the “Brilliant” finish, because that particular finish involves the use of abrasives, which smoothes out the lathing, and the lathing here definitely stands out. I would classify this more as a “Buffed” finish. This cymbal is made from Paiste’s proprietary B15 bronze, and I have to say that I love the sound.

The frequency response at the initial crash rolls off a bit lower in frequency than the 17″ crash (compare the region between 10 kHz and 20 kHz, and between 90 dB and 100 dB), but decays more slowly.

The peak of the crash occurs at 0.12 seconds and has a moderate sustain.

Click HERE to listen to an audio sample, which will include crash (when appropriate), ride, and bell sounds (these are 24 bit, 176.4 kHz wav files, so be sure your sound card is capable of handling these high resolution sound files).

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John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.