---
title: "Choosing a First Gong for a Sound Bath - GongSpace"
description: "What size and type of gong to buy first for sound baths, the mallets and stand it needs, new or used, and what gongs cost, checked October 12, 2026."
url: https://gongspace.com/choosing-a-first-gong/
updated: 2026-10-19
language: en
format: a Markdown copy of the page at the url above
---

# Choosing a First Gong for a Sound Bath

What size and type of gong to buy first, the mallets and stand it needs, and what gongs cost on October 12, 2026.

See gong prices [Read the playing guide](https://gongspace.com/how-to-play-a-gong/)

![Two gongs hanging on a stand by a window, with crystal bowls, a guitar and a harmonium in the room](https://gongspace.com/media/gongs-and-harmonium-in-a-studio.jpg)

## What Size to Start With

Gongs are measured across the face, in inches. Gongs Unlimited, a gong shop, builds its sound bath starter sets around a 26 inch chau gong and 32 inch gongs, and sells an 18 inch gong with a handle as a hand-held set.

The larger the gong, the deeper it sounds and the more room a wash has to grow. The Gong Shop says its larger chau gongs also bring more power and sustain.

The cost is weight and money. Gongs Unlimited lists a Paiste symphonic gong at about 9.4 pounds at 26 inches and 16 pounds at 32, before the stand, and the price rises every two inches.

So think about where the gong will live. One that travels to studios every week has to fit the car, the case and your arms. One that stays put can be as large as the room and the budget allow.

A hand gong is held by its handle and carried around a room, and the Sound Practitioner Training (Hamid's own course) teaches hand gong technique alongside the large gong.

Paiste symphonic gongs from 26 to 32 inches, drawn to scale, with the weights Gongs Unlimited lists for each size on October 12, 2026.

## Types of Gong for a Sound Bath

Gongs Unlimited stocks all four. They differ in how they are made and how they answer a soft mallet.

| Gong | How it is made | How it sounds | For a first sound bath |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Symphonic | Hand-hammered by Paiste from nickel silver in the European tradition, with no boss in the middle and a dark rim that curves back from the face. | A deep fundamental with rich overtones spreading over it. Each size falls within a range of pitch, with no tuning to one note. | Builds slowly into a wide wash under a soft mallet. Paiste makes them from 20 to 80 inches. |
| Planet | Made by Paiste and tuned, each to a named pitch Paiste takes from Hans Cousto's calculations of orbits in the solar system. | Close to a symphonic gong of the same size, by Paiste's own account, with a named fundamental. | Suits a player who wants a gong on a known note, to sound with bowls or a drone in the same key. |
| Chau | Chinese and handmade. The face is lathed between the rim and the center, which leaves a bull's-eye. | A deep, clean tone when tapped gently, building slowly to a contained crash of overtones. | Comes with a traditional Chinese mallet, and a 32 inch chau costs about half the price of a 32 inch Paiste. |
| Wind | Chinese, lathed all over to a bright, shiny finish, and flat to the edge with no rim. | Splashy and bright under a quick stroke. Under gentle taps, a rich note that builds quickly to a crash. | Rises to a roar faster than a chau, so it asks for the lightest hands. |

Gongs with a raised boss in the middle, such as Thai gongs, ring close to a bell on one clear pitch, so in a sound bath the long wash comes from a flat-faced gong.

Whatever the type, judge a gong by ear, under soft strokes, since that is where most of a sound bath is played.

![Mallets of several sizes laid out on a cloth in front of a gong, with singing bowls nearby](https://gongspace.com/media/gong-and-bowls-from-above.jpg)

## The Mallets a First Gong Needs

One striking mallet sized to the gong and one friction mallet are enough to begin.

A striking mallet is a weighted core wrapped in felt or fleece, and a bigger gong wants a heavier one. Paiste makes its mallets in a run of sizes, and Gongs Unlimited recommends the M3 for a 26 inch Paiste symphonic gong and the heavier M5 for the 30 and 32 inch.

A Paiste gong is sold without a mallet, so add one to its price. The chau and wind gongs at Gongs Unlimited come with a traditional Chinese mallet.

A heavy mallet smothers a small gong, and a light one barely wakes a large one. Soft, wide heads bring out the deep wash. Smaller, harder heads give a brighter attack for accents, and can wait.

A friction mallet is a rubber ball on a stick, rubbed across the face instead of struck. They come in sizes, and a larger ball draws lower sounds.

## A Stand That Lets the Gong Swing

A gong hangs by a cord threaded through two holes near its rim. Paiste says it should swing freely forward, back and to the sides without touching the stand, and recommends gut string for the cord, since gut carries less of the vibration into the frame.

A C-shaped floor stand is open on one side and holds one gong, and some are low enough to play sitting on the floor or set on a table. An orchestra stand is a square or round frame around the gong. Paiste also makes a set stand for two gongs side by side.

Each stand fits a range of gong sizes, so buy it for the gong, at a height that puts the center of the gong about level with your chest as you play, sitting or standing.

A gong that travels needs a case as well. Gongs Unlimited sells hard cases for 28 to 32 inch gongs, from $399.

Two kinds of gong stand compared: a square orchestra stand and a C-shaped floor stand. Two and a half minutes.

> “The instruments that do the most are often the plain ones.”
>
> Hamid Jabbar

## New or Used

A well-kept gong lasts. A faded logo or a light scratch on the finish changes how it looks without changing how it sounds. Gongs Unlimited says the logo makes no difference to the sound of its Paiste gongs.

A crack is the end of a gong. Before buying a used one, look closely at the rim and the two cord holes, and ask to hear it played, in person or in a recording. A buzz or rattle under the sound is a warning.

A new gong takes time to open up with regular playing, and a used gong that was played well has had some of that time already.

Good gongs hold their value. On October 12, 2026, Gongs Unlimited listed a used 32 inch Paiste symphonic gong with cosmetic marks at $1,900, against $2,000 new.

### What Gongs Cost

| Gong or set | Price |
| --- | --- |
| Paiste 26 inch symphonic gong, no mallet Gongs Unlimited | [$1,315](https://gongs-unlimited.com/collections/paiste-gongs/products/paiste-26-symphonic-gongs) |
| Paiste 28 inch symphonic gong, no mallet Gongs Unlimited | [$1,470](https://gongs-unlimited.com/collections/paiste-gongs/products/paiste-28-symphonic-gongs) |
| Paiste 30 inch symphonic gong, no mallet Gongs Unlimited | [$1,735](https://gongs-unlimited.com/collections/paiste-gongs/products/paiste-30-symphonic-gongs) |
| Paiste 32 inch symphonic gong, no mallet Gongs Unlimited | [$2,000](https://gongs-unlimited.com/collections/paiste-gongs/products/paiste-32-symphonic-gongs-1) |
| Paiste 32 inch symphonic gong, used, with cosmetic marks, no mallet Gongs Unlimited | [$1,900](https://gongs-unlimited.com/collections/paiste-gongs/products/paiste-gently-used-32-symphonic-no-logo-gong) |
| 32 inch chau gong with a traditional mallet The Gong Shop | [$998.99](https://thegongshop.com/products/chau-gong-32-inch) |
| 26 inch chau gong with its stand, mallets and a singing bowl Gongs Unlimited | [$938.98](https://gongs-unlimited.com/products/home-studio-sound-healing-set) |
| 32 inch wind gong or one of two other gongs, on a wooden stand with a mallet Gongs Unlimited | [$1,273](https://gongs-unlimited.com/products/32-beginner-sound-healing-combos) |
| Hard case for a 28 to 32 inch gong Gongs Unlimited | [from $399](https://gongs-unlimited.com/products/unlimited-black-sage-hard-cases-for-gongs-28-to-32) |

## Where to Buy a First Gong

Buy where you can hear the gong played, on video or in person, and where the listing says exactly what comes with it: the mallet, the stand, the cord.

[Gongs Unlimited](https://gongs-unlimited.com/) sells all four types above, with mallets and stands to match, and many of its listings carry a video of the gong being played.

[Soundtopia](https://www.soundtopia.com/?ref=hamid) carries Chinese chau and wind gongs as well as Paiste's, and gong stands and mallets, friction mallets included.

The Soundtopia link is an affiliate link. Hamid earns a commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you.

Hamid helps people source instruments that are hard to find, such as a gong of a particular size or type, or one to pair with a gong you already have.

[Contact Hamid](https://www.hamidjabbar.com/contact/)

## Questions People Ask About a First Gong

**What size gong is best for a first sound bath?**

Gongs Unlimited builds its sound bath starter sets around 26 and 32 inch gongs. A 32 inch gives a deeper wash and more room to build, and a 26 inch weighs and costs less. Choose by where you will play and how often the gong travels.

**What is the difference between a chau gong and a wind gong?**

A chau gong has a rim and a lathed bull's-eye, and builds slowly from a clean tone to a contained crash. A wind gong is lathed all over with no rim, and builds quickly to a splashy crash.

**Does a gong come with a mallet?**

Paiste gongs are sold without one, so a mallet is an extra cost. The Chinese chau and wind gongs at Gongs Unlimited come with a traditional Chinese mallet.

**How much does a first gong cost?**

On October 12, 2026, Gongs Unlimited listed new Paiste symphonic gongs at $1,315 for 26 inches and $2,000 for 32 inches, without a mallet, and The Gong Shop listed a 32 inch chau gong with its mallet at $998.99.

**Should a first gong be new or used?**

Either can serve: a used gong costs a little less and may already be played in, and a new one carries nobody else's wear. Check a used one for cracks at the rim and cord holes, and hear it played before paying.

## Once the Gong Arrives

The [guide to playing a gong for a sound bath](https://gongspace.com/how-to-play-a-gong/) goes from the first soft taps to a long wash without a crash, and the [guide to sound bath instruments](https://gongspace.com/sound-bath-instruments/) sets out what else a first sound bath needs.

The Sound Practitioner Training (Hamid's own course) gives the gong five video lessons, from the types of gongs and their history to the strokes and the friction mallet.

[Read the playing guide](https://gongspace.com/how-to-play-a-gong/) [See the instruments](https://gongspace.com/sound-bath-instruments/)

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Guides to sound bath and gong practice, and a comparison of the trainings, by Hamid Jabbar. One of the trainings is his own course.

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