Paiste has been making gongs and cymbals since 1901! They’re a trusted and recognizable brand for percussionists, yoga instructors, and sound bath therapists. They make amazing, high-quality gongs with a consistent, beautiful tonal experience. They use a proprietary alloy that creates a very focused, deep fundamental tone and a rich, but concentrated array of harmonics and overtones that build with increased volume Paiste’s Symphonic Gongs became popular among Kundalini Yoga practitioners in the 1980’s for the range of sounds that could be created. Paiste’s complex harmonic builds and a rich (but focused) crash are perfect for unleashing the Kundalini. Since then, Paiste’s immaculate, meditative sounds have become popular in sound bath and gong meditation, other forms of Yoga, and a range of mindfulness practices. People love their consistency, their high-quality, and the unique tonal qualities of this type of metal.

Paiste gongs are made by hammering a small round metal disc until it is the desired thickness and diameter. The disc is a Bronze alloy called Nickel Silver, which contains Nickel, Copper, and Zinc. This is different from traditional Unlimited Chinese Gongs, which are typically made from a Bronze alloy of Copper and Tin.

This all depends on the taste of the player and the listener. We don’t think they’re better, we just think they’re very different – like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with bananas vs. a deli sandwich (both are delicious). Paiste Gongs have a very refined, focused tonal experience, with a clear fundamental tone and rich, but contained harmonics and overtones building to a controlled crash. Chinese Gongs tend to have a slightly less-focused (but more complex) fundamental tone building to a huge, complex crash that roars, especially with larger sizes. Many sound therapists and gong meditation practitioners prefer the focused and controlled nature of a Paiste Symphonic Gong over a Chinese Gong, but the raw complexity of a Chinese Gong can also add a lot to a sound bath. If you’re lucky enough to buy multiple gongs, we often recommend having one of each because they can provide different functions for different meditative elements of a sound bath.

Symphonic Gongs are the standard style of gong made by Paiste as described above. Paiste’s Brilliant Gongs start out as Symphonic Gongs, but they are repeatedly polished until they have a beautiful, reflective face that looks like chrome. This thorough polishing creates an even cleaner sound. The tones are warm and vibrant with deep calming focus. The overtones and harmonics are rich and complex, but very focused and clean. It is a truly beautiful and peaceful experience to hear these gongs.

Planetary Tuned Gongs are Symphonic Gongs that have had the fundamental note fine-tuned to match the resonant orbital frequencies of each of the planets, according to the calculations of French physicist and philosopher Hans Cousto. These gongs are the perfect sonic totem for approaching sound baths with astrological intention and experimenting with a sonic zodiac in your sound baths, meditations, and healing sessions.

Paiste Sound Creation Gongs are also fine-tuned, but instead of tuning them to a specific note or frequency, each one is tuned to match a certain feeling. Currently, they make a Sound Creation Earth Gong. Earlier Sound Creation series which are no longer manufactured included Water, Fire, “Fight”, and other elemental and archetypal energies and feelings. By listening and meditating with an Earth Gong, the experience may evoke Earthy thoughts and feelings.

For sound bath meditation, sound bath therapy, sound healing, meditation, and yoga, we recommend looking at Paiste Gongs that are 26” and above. Gongs smaller than a 26” diameter tend to crash much faster. They lose a lot of depth, complexity, and range that you are looking for in a meditative sound. Above 26” the gongs start much deeper, they have a much longer build until they reach full volume, and the overtones and harmonics are much more complex. There’s a lot more room for exploration and play with a larger gong. If you’re just getting started and you have limited space, a 26” Symphonic Gong is a good start. We believe 32” is the sweet spot for sound bath meditation and sonic therapy.

Paiste Gongs ONLY come with a hanging rope, which is already tied to the gong for you. We do have Paiste Symphonic Gong Combo packages for beginners and people looking for a Paiste Gong with a Paiste Gong Stand and a Paiste Mallet. These packages come with a free Gong Bag, which is pretty helpful for storing your gong when you’re not using it, or for taking it from home to the studio. Click here to see those combos.