article has multiple issues . please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . march 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message this article s tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on wikipedia . see wikipedia s guide to writing better articles for suggestions . december 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message paiste type corporation private founded 1906 ; 110 years ago 1906 saint petersburg russia headquarters nottwil switzerland number of locations 5 key people erik paiste ceo and president of the supervisory board products cymbals gongs and metal percussion subsidiaries schacht audorf germany german subsidiary subsidiary paiste america since 1981 spain & estonia both 1995 website www.paiste.com a paiste alpha china cymbal paiste pronounced pie stee the original estonian and finnish pronunciation is pie ste p ist is a swiss based estonian manufacturer and designer of cymbals . it is the world s third largest manufacturer of cymbals gongs and metal percussion . paiste is an estonian and finnish word that means shine . their eponymous sunrise can be seen in the logos for their 2002 line and their twenty line discontinued in 2011 . contents 1 history 2 new ideas by paiste 3 cymbal lines 3.1 current series 3.2 discontinued lines 4 history of sound creation line 5 hand held cymbals 6 gongs 7 other instruments 8 influential or long time endorsers 9 see also 10 references 11 external links 11.1 patents history edit the first paiste cymbals were produced in 1906 by estonian musician michail toomas paiste in his instrument repair shop in saint petersburg russia to customer orders . toomas had served in the czarist guard and retired in 1901 to open a music publishing business and music shop . the cymbal making aspect of the business expanded with the passing years despite the disruption of several moves necessitated by war first to tallinn estonia in 1917 where toomas son michail m. paiste decided to concentrate on cymbal production and export . in 1940 the family and the cymbal making operation moved to poland where they continued under extremely difficult conditions and in 1945 to germany . finally in 1957 a new headquarters and production facility was established in switzerland . the business was continued by michail s sons robert and toomas born kurt with both the swiss and german operations as the main manufacturing centres . new ideas by paiste edit paiste has made several innovations to cymbal design and manufacture . among these are the flat ride . a ride cymbal without a cup or bell . originally designated as space sound in the formula 602 line . designed with joe morello . introduced in the 1960s . the sound edge hi hat . to prevent airlock the bottom cymbal of the hi hat pair has ripples along the edge . introduced in 1967 . also applied to hand cymbal sets . the use of b8 bronze as a cymbal alloy . referred to by paiste as cusn8 alloy or 2002 bronze . first introduced with the stambul 65 series in 1965 . gained general acceptance with the giant beat and the 2002 series . paiste was for a time the only major cymbal company to use the b8 alloy for its high end lines ; although meinl has recently when introduced a line of high end cast b8 bronze cymbals as well . zildjian and sabian use this alloy primarily for entry level lines choosing instead to use bell bronze for high end products . flat bells . with the introduction of the sound creation short crash in 1975 paiste was the first to make use of a flattened bell design . used today with the crystal hi hats and crashes of the signature series . unlathed cymbals . introduced in 1980 as the rude series . made from the b8 alloy unlathed cymbals were marketed towards louder music styles as punk and heavy metal . inverted bell on china cymbal introduced in 1983 as the 2002 novo china type . makes it easier to play ride and crash on a china cymbal . colored cymbals introduced in 1984 . proprietary signature bronze . a patented cymbal alloy introduced in 1989 with the signature line . according to the patent this alloy consists of phosphor bronze with a 14.7 % to 15.1 % tin content by weight . it has been claimed by paiste to be the first bronze alloy specifically developed for cymbals . sonic texture formula . introduced in 2001 with the innovations series . a patented lathing technique to get a more complex sounding cymbal . many of these innovations were used by other manufacturers when the applicable patents expired . for example almost all of the larger modern cymbal companies offer a flat ride cymbal and an alternative to the sound edge hi hat . cymbal lines edit current series edit a paiste 2002 sound edge hi hat . paiste makes several cymbal lines from several alloys . these include 101 cymbals made from brass alloy . they are manufactured entirely by computer . introduced in 2005 paiste sound technology pst these cymbals were developed from the phased out 302 402 502 and 802 lines in 2005 . they are known today as paiste s budget cymbals pst 3 brass cymbals ; beginner level . introduced in 2005 . pst 5 b8 cymbals cusn8 ; student intermediate level cymbals . introduced in 2005 and redesigned in 2014 . pst 7 2002 bronze cusn8 ; intermediate level cymbals . introduced in 2014 . pst 8 2002 bronze cusn8 ; intermediate level cymbals . introduced in 2012 . pst x 2002 bronze cusn8 brass and aluminium cymbals ; intermediate level cymbals . affordable effects cymbals focusing on swiss cutting techniques . introduced in 2015 . alpha b8 cymbals cusn8 ; semi professional cymbals . many professionals use these and they are currently paiste s most popular series . introduced in 1991 and redesigned in 2006 . alpha spin offs alpha boomer made from 2002 bronze cymbals cusn8 bronze ; semi professional . composed of mostly alpha s rock cymbals and very similar to the discontinued 2000 series . well suited for rock in honor of nicko mcbrain . each cymbal has a reflector finish with a blue label and nicko mcbrain s powerslave eddie logo . the back side paiste logo is printed in maiden font . introduced in 2012 . 2002 introduced in 1971 . made of b8 cusn8 and is regarded by many as the first fully professional series made from this alloy . available models were discontinued in late 1986 to early 1987 but reintroduced in 1988 due to popular demand . over the years the model line has changed significantly . many types were introduced and discontinued . from 1994 to 1999 it also incorporated the rude series 2002 rude . from 2005 to 2006 the 2002 line included many models from the defunct dimensions series of cymbals but most of the dimensions models have since been discontinued from the series . rude the first unlathed cymbals in the series featuring a raw finish . they are made for loud and aggressive playing and the answer to genres like punk and metal . crafted entirely by hand from unlathed b8 cusn8 . introduced in 1980 . incorporated from 1994 to 1999 in the 2002 line as 2002 rude . reintroduced as rude in 1999 . paiste calls them the original punk and metal sound giant beat originally introduced in 1967 and discontinued in 1971 this series was reintroduced in 2005 as 18 20 and 24 multi purpose cymbals with 14 and 15 hi hats . they share the same cusn8 b8 bronze as the 2002 series . in 2012 paiste introduced 18 and 20 thin crashes for the series . in 2016 a 26 multi purpose was introduced . formula 602 as of 2010 paiste has relaunched the formula 602 line of cymbals that was originally released in 1959 . a prominent user of these is vinnie colaiuta . formula 602 modern essentials introduced in january 2013 and developed in collaboration with vinnie colaiuta . forged from the legendary 602 bronze cusn20 offering a complete new wide and dynamic sound dimension . available in 20 & 22 rides 16 18 & 20 crashes 14 & 15 hi hats 18 & 22 chinas 8 & 10 splashes . formula 602 modern essentials cymbals combine the essence of the formula 602 classic sounds models transparency and stick definition with the richness warmth darkness and a bit of complexity of the signature traditionals series besides providing slightly more pizzazz than its classic sounds siblings . signature introduced in 1989 . first cymbals created with paiste s signature bronze featuring an array of different sounds and looks suitable for any playing style . signature dark energy introduced in 2004 . made of paiste signature bronze alloy . paiste calls this line an elitist concept . mostly dark sounding cymbals . signature traditionals introduced in 1996 . recreate lost cymbal sounds from the blues swing cool jazz bebop and hard bop era of the 1940s to the 1960s . they are crafted from paiste s proprietary signature bronze alloy . masters collection only ride cymbals were originally available . a series dedicated to jazz players with signature models andr ceccarelli john robinson and others made of traditional bronze alloy . production started in 2010 . in 2014 hats and crashes were added to the series . at about the time of this change the signature model of andr ceccarelli was dropped . 1 discontinued lines edit classic paiste lines include noise works an experimental line containing cymbal stacks for trashy sounds and mini hats . produced from 2002 to 2009 . 302 402 502 802 popular budget level cymbals from 1993 to 2003 . were enhanced sonically in 1997 and received the plus labeling and the addition of the 802 . discontinued in 2003 to make way for the new paiste sound technology or pst series . 101 series different from current 101 beginner level cymbals made of nickel silver produced from 1974 to 1979 . then another brass version . discontinued in 2005 for a newer version 201 cymbals made from b8 . introductory level cymbals . they are manufactured entirely by computer . introduced in 2005 and discontinued in 2009 . 404 series beginner level cusn8 cymbals produced from 1978 to 1986 . 505 series advanced student cusn8 cymbals produced from 1974 to 1986 . 200 series advanced level cymbals made of brass produced from 1985 to 1991 . 400 series advanced student cymbals made of cusn8 bronze produced from 1986 to 1991 . were also available with colorsound finishes . 500 series orchestral marching cymbals made of cusn8 bronze produced from 1986 to 1990 . were also available with colorsound finishes . 900 series orchestral marching cymbals made of cusn8 bronze produced from 1986 to 1990 . were also available with colorsound finishes . 1000 series 1 semi professional line of cymbals made of cusn8 bronze produced from 1986 to 1991 . were also available in rude finish . 2 series of orchestra marching cymbals also available in colorsound finishes . 2000 professional series made of cusn8 bronze produced from 1986 to 1995 . were also available with colorsound and sound reflection finishes . 3000 professional series made of cusn8 bronze produced from 1986 to 1995 . were also available with rude and reflector finishes . black alpha hyper b8 cymbals cusn8 ; semi professional cymbals made in collaboration with slipknot s joey jordison . they have 9