A Paiste 24" black lettered 2002!!Bowing

Depends on my mood.

I currently have rides that span 18 to 21 inches. I've got several of each size. Most are in the thin to medium thin range. All are hand hammered. I say that, but I'm not sure about one of them. Jaye's sending me a 20 S ride and I honestly don't know if it's hammered via machine or by hand. Oh well. The heaviest ride is a Sabian 21 HH Vintage ride. That one pushes the medium thin to medium weight, though it does have a nice build and crash. The thinnest is a Meinl 20 Byz Thin Jazz. That one is a very light ride with an excellent dark crash. The most versatile is a 20 inch Paiste Twenty Light Ride. That cymbal is flat out amazing. It can rock; it can handle jazz; I can lay into it; the bell is strong and even toned; I can slice it for one of the most beautiful crashes I've ever heard. It is simply amazing. It is without a doubt the best ride cymbal I've ever owned......and I've owned a bunch.

This thread prompted me to think about rides I've owned in the past. Most were in the 20 range. I've had some 22's that were very nice. The 18's were always very sweet and used for very light and quiet gigs. My favorite rides seem to have been 18's or 20's. Interesting. I would have thought that the larger sized 21 or 22 ride would have been my favorites. They tend to open up better. Maybe I'll pick up a 21 or 22 Paiste Twenty Light Ride and see if that holds true.

For most of what I do (electric blues and classic rock), I've got to have a 22" as my primary. I choose between a Sabian HH Leopard Ride that I bought new in 1987 and a Paiste 2002 Medium that I acquired in 2007.

I've been favoring the Paiste lately because it can be crashed, responds more quickly to mallets, and has a better bell sound.

I would use the Sabian more often if all I needed was a sweet ping. It's a little clangy from the throne, but it cuts through stage noise and records beautifully.

My secondary is an 18" Zildjian K (medium thin?) crash. I acquired it in 2004 ... it's ugly as sin (the previous owner did something funky when he cleaned it and repainted the K logo). But it sounds phenomenal and is really versatile. I mainly crash it, but it offers a great ping and bell that blends well with both of my 22s. It's also my go-to cymbal for Keith Moon white-noise riding.

My two faves: 24" K Light Ride and 20" K Constantinople "Light" ride. It doesn't matter to me what the size is, as long as the sound isn't overly pingy and I can draw lots of different timbres from it.