Paiste 2002 Power Ride 22": the louder, heavier 2002 ride

Paiste 2002 Power Ride 22" (catalog #1062922) is the loud, heavy sibling inside the same 2002 line that anchors CYS's already-reviewed 2002 Ride 22" and 2002 Classic 18" Crash. Where the standard 2002 Ride is voiced Medium volume for a warm, versatile, general-purpose sound, the Power Ride is voiced Loud, built specifically for rock and metal drummers who need the ride to cut through a heavier mix rather than sit underneath it.

One documented player anchors this page. Larry Mullen Jr. of U2 has been a Paiste artist since April 1983, over four decades. His personal setup, per Paiste's own artist page, runs a 14-inch Signature Heavy Hi-Hat, Signature Power Crashes at 16, 17, and 18 inches, a 22-inch 2002 Power Ride, and an 18-inch Signature Full Crash. The Power Ride credit is doubly confirmed: it shows up both on Paiste's artist page for Mullen and, independently, on the Power Ride's own product page under "Artists using this cymbal."

Paiste's own copy calls this "the classic power ride sound for mainly Rock and Metal applications," and the spec supports it: Heavy weight paired with Loud volume (rather than the standard Ride's Medium volume) means the stick-tip ping stays big and glassy even when it's fighting distorted guitars and a hard-hitting kick and snare. The wash underneath reads drier and darker than the standard 2002 Ride, more contained, less prone to building into an unmanageable roar at stage volume.

That's the whole design brief: a ride you can play through a loud verse and chorus without it disappearing, and without needing to switch to a crash-ride for extra cut. It's a louder, more aggressive cousin of the warmer, more versatile standard 2002 Ride, not a replacement for it.

Hard rock, stadium rock, metal, and any louder rock context where a standard-volume ride gets buried under distorted guitars. Drummers who play large rooms or arenas and need the ride to project without digital reinforcement doing all the work. A natural single-ride choice for a Mullen-style stadium-rock kit, or paired with a lighter ride for drummers who want one cymbal for verses and one for choruses.

Jazz, acoustic, and low-volume settings, where the Power Ride's Heavy-Loud build reads too big and too bright even played softly; the standard 2002 Ride or a lighter Paiste Formula 602 sits better there. Drummers chasing a warmer, more traditional classic-rock wash rather than a modern power-ride cut should also default to the standard Ride first.

If your band is loud enough that a standard ride disappears under the guitars, this is the fix: same Swiss-hammered 2002 bronze, built heavier and louder to survive it. One of rock's most durable drummers, over 40 years into a single cymbal-brand relationship, settled on the 22-inch as his size. That's a reasonable starting point for anyone building a similar hard-rock or stadium-rock kit.

Paiste

2002 Power Ride 22" (1062922)

Price tier: $$$

View on AmazonFull review →