Paiste 505

505

505 Logo

'81 and later German green stamp

Introduction: 1978
Discontinued: 1986

Background: The successor to the long-running Stambul series, Paiste 505s were released to the public in 1978 and slotted in under the 2002. It appears production of the line might of begun in the Swiss factory staring sometime in 1974. There are likely oddball sizes and types out there that were produced during the transition from the Stambul B8 line and cymbals with both a Stambul emboss and a 505 hand stamp logo exist. Early Swiss-made Black Label 505s have a single line hand stamp which was later changed to a double line stamp mirroring the 2002 logo, probably in the latter part of 1978 or early in 1979.
German-made Black Label 505s seem to always have a single line hand stamp. There are German-made Black Label 505s with serial numbers, always starting with a "1" or "2". The German factory used a different serial system than the Swiss factory. The 1x 505s are from 1978 and 1979 and the 2x cymbals are from the early 80s.
The transition to the Green Label silk screened logo begins in 1981. There are a high percentage of Green Label 505s out there with no serial number. At least some German Green Label 505s made in 1983 have a logo variant with a hollow crescent moon and star. The line gains new sizes and types (and weight) during the Green Label phase before it is discontinued in 1985 (with some cymbals being made/sold into 1986) and replaced in price point by the 1000 series and in spirit by the 2000 series. The 505s were one of the best values in the history of cymbals, and fought well-above their weight class.

• Rogers never listed 505's in their catalogs or distributed them in the U.S. from 1978 to 1980
  
• 505's were not available in the U.S until ~1981 when Paiste opened their North American distribution center, by then they had the printed "green stamp" logo along with an expanded selection of models and sizes, see chart below.

Innovation:

Alloy: CuSn8 (Also known as "2002 Bronze")

Quality: A truly affordable pro-quality cymbal at the student or semi-pro level. Paiste experience, craftsmanship and understanding of choice materials give these cymbals many professional features. (1)

Production: Cast cymbals using more mass production (automated) manufacturing methods with some manual hammering

Applications: All types of music, particularly pop and rock

Users:

Sound: 505 cymbals produce a fully resonant, vibrant sound. They are developed to provide the drummer with a good quality cymbal.(1)
All Paiste 505 cymbals give a true professional cymbal sound with clear character definition.
The ride cymbals have strong definite stick-rhythm sound. The multi-purpose medium cymbals can be used for loud, forceful crash or gentle ride effects. Crash cymbals give compact, cutting accents. (2)
1981 model and size additions can be seen in green below:

Rides

• Ride - 16" 18" 20" 22"
  

• Heavy Ride - 18" 20" 22"
  

Crashes

• Crash - 13" 14" 15" 16" 18" 20" 22"
  
• Medium - 16" 18" 20" 22"
  

• Heavy Crash - 16" 18" 20"
  

Hi-Hats

• Medium Hi-Hat - 13" 14" 15"
  

• Heavy Hi-Hat - 13" 14" 15"
  

• Sound Edge Hi-Hat - 14" 15"
  

Chinas

• China Type - 14" 16" 18" 20"
  

Splashes and Bells

• Splash - 8" 10" 12"
  
  

• 13" Ride: 13" Green Label rides are seen for sale on the internet every now and then. The ones we have seen are actually restamped Black Label cymbals. Whether the Black Label was originally type stamped as a Ride is debatable. My guess is these are orphaned hi hats or marching cymbals.
  
  

• 

  1st. appearance of 505's in Paiste's '78 catalog, note sizes are the same as the previous Stambul line.

• 

  '78 European price list showing marching sizes as well.

• 

  1979 European catalog.

• 

  1983 Expanded lineup.

• 

  Black label with "Swiss made" stamp.

• 

  '79 and later double line logo Swiss made 505.

• 

  B8 Stambul restamped as Early 505 note: single line logo.

• 

  Black label German stamp.

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Information from:Paiste catalogs, Todd Little, Dan Garza

1. Modern Drummer Equipment Annual 1986
   
2. Paiste "Six Cymbal Lines" Ad 1981
   

1979 Paiste catalog
1985 Paiste catalog

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