More pics of these fab cymbals..

Stambul 65 Series

Released:1965

Discontinued: around 1970

Description: 1965 Re-issue of the Stambul series in B8. Later to be followed by the 505 series. Apparently some surplus '65 cymbals were just relabeled as 505, with a Stambul stamp still present.

Material: B8

400 Series

Released: 1987

Discontinued: ?

Description: Meant to be one step beyond 200 series but still entry-level.

Variants: ColorSound in black and red.

Material: B8

Note that the reunificaiton of Germany in 1990 means yours which has "Made in West Germany" would likely be from about 1987-1990 although I don't know how long after reunification Paiste would have changed the ink logo. I've also heard warnings that the serial number dating system (where the first digit is the year) doesn't apply to the German made ones. If it did that would suggest 1996 because it has the mixed case pAisTe above the serial.

Info courtesy of the now extinct RaBe cymbal page, with the exception of the serial number dating rules which come from the now extinct Pasite-Only-Wiki.

Zenstat many thanks for your info. Once again puts me in the picture. Non of the cymbals are of any major value. In cases like this because the paiste stambul sounds incredible its going into my cymbal case plus the 400 I will give to my grandson as a starter cymbal. The other 3 small cymbals might just ebay those for someone wanting the trap type cymbals......Thanks.....sean

I think the Stambul 65 Ride definitely has a value. The regular Stambul in 20' sell for € 70-100 if in good condition, however the 22" and especially the 65s are sought after, at least in Germany. I'd say 120-150

It is quite possible (most likely) due to the stylized pAisTe above the serial that the 400 is from 1996. With Paiste there seems to always be a transitional phase where cymbals from discontinued cymbals lines are made for a year or two after the stop date you see on the various Paiste timelines out there. For instance, the production stop date for the 404 line is 1986 (when all the new B8 lines 400/1000/2000/3000 were introduced) but there are a few cymbals with 1988 serial numbers that have surfaced over the years. As for it still having the Made in West Germany on the bottom, it could very well be Paiste never changed the logo to say Made in Germany post 1990. Will have to look at more 400s to see if any MIG exist. If they do, that would probably mean your cymbal is a little older and the 6xxxxx serial is a case of funky German numbering that is said by some to exist.

The Stambul '65 is a quality cymbal and desirable. Stambul '65s were sold (not saying they were still made) until at least 1970 as I have a Paiste price sheet from July 1970 that shows both Stambul '65 and regular Stambuls being offered from the Swiss factory. I also have a Dallas Arbiter catalog from 1971/2 that offers the Stambul '65s.

I think it might be more correct to say 505 replaced the regular Stambul line. I have yet to see a Stambul '65 stamped as a 505 (not saying they don't exist, just haven't seen one yet) but more than a few of the Stambuls stamped this way (Dixies as well, stamped as 404s).

I am of the opinion that they (Stambul (now mid-line) and Stambul '65 (top-line B8 series until intro of Giant Beat)) were always two completely different lines as they had completely different emboss logos and the '65s were more expensive. But is entirely possible that at some point post-1967 Paiste simply stopped producing cymbals with the '65 name and the '65s sort of morphed back into a better version of the "Stambul" line using the old logo if that makes sense.

What exactly happened with the '65 and regular Stambul lines during this time period is a little unclear. It's either Stambul replaced by Stambul '65 and then back to the Stambul name prior to the change to 505 OR it's Stambul and STambul '65 coexisting as two different lines with '65 getting discontinued first and then Stambul being replaced by 505. If anyone has some more insight on this I'd love to hear it. I did come across a very nice Stambul with a 1973 serial number the other day. First one I've seen with a serial.

I had a pair of Stambul Hihats, definitely later than the 65s but in B8, one had a serial number - so I think the Stambuls replaced the Stambul 65 in the early 70s prior the change to 505

Well ill put the cymbal through its paces tonight got a 5 hr rehearsal. Everything I buy and sell/renovate gets put through its paces in the rehearsal room.

Just updating as I've done some more Paiste research since posting last year. The 400 was made between 1986 and 1992 or 93 which is when the 400 line ended. The German factory was still numbering sequentially at this point not first digit equals year of production like the Swiss factory. Due to the stylized pAisTe (instead of all caps PAISTE) above the serial the cymbal was made between 1990 and 1993.