Instrument Update

October 2006 Jazz Instrument Update

Meinl percussion workstation
This has got to be a percussionist’s dream, a workstation designed to be customised to the individual player’s demand. Whether you’re working in a small club or an arena, it can be reduced or expanded to suit the occasion. Made out of black powder coated steel, it is strong enough to hold up even when fully loaded. Strong mounting clamps ensure a stable set up, while there is height adjustability at all points, padded fibreglass percussion tables and a useful "angle adjustable" top bar.

Take it away interest free loans for instruments
Musicians and would-be musicians in the south east can take advantage of a new scheme to enable the interest free purchase of instruments up to a value of £2,000. Pioneered by the Arts Council in association with the Music Industries Association, the scheme Take it Away provides an interest free loan to be paid back over 10 months. Take it Away is open to professional musicians, amateurs and beginners alike. Fourteen major instrument retailers throughout the South East are taking part in this beneficial pilot scheme, which runs until 31 January 2007. For details of retailers and further information visit www.artscouncil.org.uk/takeitaway or phone 0845 300 6200.

Headway SK120 And SK60 acoustic amps
Getting a true, uncompromising acoustic sound has always been a challenge for the amplified acoustic musician. For the last 12 years, Headway Music Audio has been conducting field trials and listening tests alongside musicians, instrument builders and creative engineers. Using the latest CAD design technology, they have developed two 120 dual channel combos that simply have to be heard. With sweet soft highs and solid lows, the SK120 and SK60 utilise the class ‘A’ and Next generation IC pre-amps, designed to give warmth, high gain and low noise, even at high volumes. While the SK120 uses a 10" speaker with an oversized magnet, the SK60 uses a high efficiency 8". In case you were wondering, the SK60 is a higher specification, yet simplified version of the SK120.

Jose Ramirez concert guitar strings
There are plenty of jazz players who have used, or are using nylon strung instruments. So, it’s interesting to note that one of the premier manufacturers of the traditional instrument has decided to put their name to a set of both high and medium tension sonic nylon.

David Gallant

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Instrument Updates

May 2008 Jazz Instrument Update

Wisemann FGL550 flugelhorn

If there were marks for quality of finish, this flugelhorn would be up there with the best of them. It also handles well and has a good balance. But although it’s good to see a well turned-out instrument, needless to say, I’m really more interested in the sound it produces and the quality of the various parts and fittings.
The supplied generic 7 mouthpiece is clean with a standard cup and no surprises. Playing the instrument produces a straightahead, brassy sound that is easy to control, but at the same time, not very subtle. There is no smokiness here. I even tried an alternative mouthpiece, but the 550 still produced the same sonic characteristics. Interestingly enough, driving the bottom end proved to be a real pleasure, as the 550 sailed through the lower register.

April 2008 Jazz Instrument Update

Peerless Monarch KA guitar

The Peerless brand has been going from strength to strength since its instruments came on to the UK market just over a year ago. The Monarch, which is just one of the models in the jazz range, is a full 17-inch single cutaway and comes in all solid tonewoods with a rosewood fretboard, tailpiece and pick guard plus quality Grover machine heads. Originally available with just the standard Peerless floating pick up, it can now be purchased with a mellow voiced Kent Armstrong unit, hence the KA, which adds a whole new dimension to the dynamics of the instrument.

March 2008 Jazz Instrument Update

Akai EW1 - 4000S

The Akai EW1 4000S (pictured right) is an extraordinary piece of kit. An electric wind controller sound module, its fingering system incorporates touch sensitive note keys based on the same fingerings as those for the saxophone or clarinet, alongside its own idiosyncratic collection of plates, buttons and shift rollers. For instance, the octave shift rollers allow a player to shift pitch through an incredible eight octave range, while the adjacent glide plate gives a portamento effect, smoothly and continuously sliding the pitch up and down.