I just bought an old 602 20" ride on eBay. Pre-blue label. It is quite nice. I have a set of Zildjians I really like and a set of Istanbul Mehmet that are wonderful. My son plays a Vistalite kit with a set of Paiste's and he had a 24" Giant Beat ride that I didn't love. I replaced it with this 602. It is the only Paiste ride I have liked. I usually find Paistes to be a little sterile sounding. This one is quite warm and complex. I'm a fan.

I found a 20" formula 602 ride in my grandparents attic :)

No serial, think its from the 60s.. It sounds great

I bought a 602 Pre-serial 18" Medium Flat Ride mainly because it's what Roy Haynes used. It's a Black Label, right before they started using serial numbers, which I believe places it around 1969. It sounds JUST like Roy's cymbal on Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny!

[img]http://www.cymbalholic.com/gallery/data/500/flat2.jpg[/img]

What stamp does it have on your 602?

My '69 hi hats and my stambul '65 ride both have no serial but have the Paiste stamp along with the Cresent symbol. I have a later black label 18" ride of some sort which I think does have a serial number and I don't think it has the cresent stamp.

Does anyone else have Paiste cymbals with both the Paiste and Cresent stamps on them?

Is there a way to date 602's based on the serial Number?

From the Paiste-only web site:

< With six number serials, the Paiste stance and the first number tells the year. Serials with no lettering above them are from the '70s, i.e. just 2XXXXX would mean 1972. From 1980-1991 or so, the lettering is in capital letters. PAISTE 3XXXXX would mean 1983.

From 1983 onward, they used the stylized lettering, so pAisTe 4XXXXX would be 1994.

In or around 1995, they changed the system to an eight digit number, where the first two numbers tell the year, and the lettering no longer has anything to do with the decade. 96XXXXXX would then mean 1996, 03XXXXX would be

2003 etc.>