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DRL Thinline CT09

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

With the help of UK luthier Joe White, Mark Dorsett set about designing an acoustic guitar that would work for his own performance requirements. He then approached the Ayers factory in Vietnam (who produce guitars under the Ayers brand as well as for others, notably Baden) to create what we see here: the DRL Thinline CT09.

The concept of a stage-friendly electro is far from new and here the CT09′s body is cut from a solid, one-piece mahogany slab. It’s completely hollowed out, leaving quite thick sides and a thick back (approx 13mm). The top is more conventional acoustic: centre-joined European spruce with scalloped X-bracing.

“By design and in execution, this is a rather good onstage guitar, provided you have an outboard preamp.”

In basic construction it’s not dissimilar to Taylor’s T5; likewise in size and shape – the CT09 is a little trimmed across its lower bout, with a broader waist and squarer curve to its base.

It’s less contoured in depth too, a pretty much uniform 60mm rim thickness giving it more apparent girth than a T5, albeit with a similar overall weight. The neck is glued to the body (it joins at the 14th fret), although the joint lines are hidden by dark sunbursting in this area. But the heel is well chamfered and it’s not overly bulky, although you will struggle to get to the 24th fret – if indeed you want to.

The neck, however, has a big rounded profile that’s not overly wide but lacks a little finesse in its shaping – slight ‘V’-ing to the shoulders would reduce the apparent bulk. No complaints though from the tidy fingerboard and fretting, not to mention the quite opulent and richly coloured abalone inlays and posh ebony-buttoned Gotoh 510 tuners.

Powering comes from an LR Baggs transducer under the intonated saddle on the well-shaped and comfortable ebony pin bridge. Mounted on the bass side, below the waist, are three rotaries (volume, treble and bass) rather than a preamp panel – there are no extras, but the MiSi active preamp is battery free, simply charged up via the endpin socket.

We’ve left a major feature of the CT09 out: as you can see, it has no soundhole on its top – instead we get three small soundholes on the bass side above the waist.

This, combined with the thin-depth design, creates a bass-light acoustic voice that feels and sounds a little tight, but certainly has more than enough volume. It’s on a par with, for example, a Taylor T5 although to us it sounds, acoustically, a little more strident and pushy in the midrange.

But the CT09 is designed for onstage use, and although the MiSi system provides a fairly low output and might well need a little external lift, the centre-notched rotaries are all smooth in use. The treble control deals with the zingy highs and the bass control boosts or trims quite a low frequency.

While some players might feel they’re short changed on the preamp control front, the actual tone is nicely even and balanced (aside from a slightly forward low E) and the lows we found lacking acoustically, sound full and quite rich.

There’s an appealing dryness and clarity to the tone with little piezo ‘cluck’ and the sound is endearingly natural; the EQs are very usable, especially the treble, which can round out the zing for an even jazzier attack.

Background high-end hiss isn’t excessive; feedback is well-tamed. By design and in execution, this is a rather good onstage guitar, provided you have an outboard preamp and tuner.

Nicely designed and competently made, this DRL Thinline is an attractive proposition for players who need an effective stage instrument without any fuss or over-fancy features.

Acoustically it’s limited, by design, but those limitations work in its favour when plugged in and feedback should be much less of an issue compared to a standard flattop.

Its amp’d tone is more than acceptable – especially if you use an external preamp to bring out its best. However, despite the tidy price the DRL has some heavyweight competition. Yet it holds its own and the battery-free MiSi preamp could well swing it over less green and more expensive, power-hungry electros.

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DRL Thinline CT09

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Decibel Log 3: Murcof, Mount Kimbie, Modeselektor, Teebs and More

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Still from Robert Henke’s set at Optical 1

Despite being the first event after an incredible night, which for many extended well beyond the 2am last call, Pravda Studios is packed early on day three for a full schedule of conference activities. It comes as little surprise though, the first workshop is one most who are involved with the release of music today are concerned with – “Creating a Digital Promotion Plan.” Led by the PR savvy Shilo Urban of DanceFever5000 and head of promotions Decibel Erica Toelle, the workshop details the direct and indirect means of promoting music. Covering issues including social networking, contacting blogs and labels, and building a promotions team, the hour long session is a crash course in self promotions.

There is little change over between the first and second session, indeed considering the subject matter perhaps the second session of the day should have preceeded the first. The title “Uncertain Future: P2P Streams and Diffusing Works in the New Media World” paints a grim picture, but thankfully the panel is able to reveal some silver linings behind the clouds covering music today. Moderated by Dave Segal of Seattle newspaper The Stranger, the panel features representatives from labels, radio and the press. While it would seem most of the labels attest to following the BBE model (Barely Breaking Even) there does seem to be enthusiasm for this time in music. Fans have become a commodity which both values music and is valuable to it, while labels have become cultural curators through which fans can filter through the deluge of releases to find the music that speaks to them.

As the next changeover happens things shift back to technology and creativity. Where previous workshops on these lines dealt with music in a live setting the next two sessions focus on production in the studio. ”Beat Production in Ableton Live” is hosted by Huston Singletary alongside Take. Some of the tips Singletary provides are rather basic for the intermediate audience, but within them quite a few hidden gems are revealed. Even more, Take seizes the opportunity to ask the hard questions of the in-house Ableton representatives, like why envelope information cannot be placed on clips. At the end the audience takes his lead to probe the Ableton team about other software anomalies including the lack of SysEx support.

The next workshop focuses the new Native Instruments Komplete 7 presented by Dubspot, hosted by Thomas Faulds and featuring Lorn. There isn’t enough time in an hour for Faulds to cover the 90GB package in total, so he focuses in on perhaps the bundles most powerful application Reaktor. Things really get interesting when the focus shifts to Lorn who gives the audience a peak inside of his creative process by breaking down some of his own productions. He turns to the layering of his drums utilizing multiple Battery instances. While layering drums is not necessarily new there is something very special about Lorn’s approach which is most evident when all the layers are put together. His drums are by no means merely stock Battery sounds.

In the heart of Downtown Seattle, the Nordstrom Recital Hall in Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, has been set up for the first of three Optical events at this years Decibel. Decibel founder Sean Horton explains that the Optical events serve to show another side of electronic music. It isn’t all about keeping the dance floor moving; contemplative works of electronic music too deserve their proper place, and the concert hall serves as a perfect setting. Additionally serves another purpose which electronic music is in many ways at the forefront, and that is the integration of music and visuals. Within this setting one must expect that they like their musical counterpart need not be of the rapid fire psychadelic variety, but instead touch the audience at the same depth as the music.

Robert Henke under his birth moniker is first, though he does not actually take the stage. Instead he is positioned behind the projector at the center of the hall with a small mixing desk where he weaves sonic textures around slowly progressive visuals that pair the natural with the industrial. The synergy between the sound and visual works wonderfully as one looks for the subtle changes visually as much they are listening for them. As the volume of change in the visuals increase so too do the aural.

Murcof is next with visuals provided by Scott Sunn and from the first chord it is evident the audience is in for a ride. The chord itself is obviously symphonic, but synthetic in a way which could never be duplicated by the musicians who normally call the hall their home. The sound of it calls back to the workshop with Lorn; it is familiar but treated in such a manner as to become personalized to the artist. It is taken a step further with Sunn’s visuals, which echo each of Murcof’s chords with imagery obviously computer generated, but the fluidity of his smoke like shapes make them seem almost organic. If Sunn were standing in front of the screen with a brush one might think he is painting them, and the beautiful thing is that he actually is.

The final act for the evening Mark Van Hoen unfortunately served to exemplify one of the major setbacks of all electronic music – there will be glitches. Fortunately he is able to work his way through them to complete a performance even if not the one he originally intended. Back on Capital Hill Ill Cosby is warming up the Baltic Room for the Planet Mu showcase, Shlomo is warming up the Neumos crowd for the Red Bull Music Academy On The Floor event and the four is already on the floor courtesy of Mister Leisure in Sole Repair as Seattle’s own Trust crew aims to keep the crowd jumping all night. On the far side of town, the stage at Motor is filled with instruments as the Art of Rhythm event plans to showcase the roots of electronic rhytms through a myriad of global beat influences, laid down by the likes of Phutureprimative and Beats Antique. The selections for the evening are incredible but the distance between them less than desirable, setting up for hard decisions and sacrifice.

Apparently overnight Neumos either acquired or fixed a smoke machine, and whoever is operating it is trying to use it at every opportunity possible. The first couple of times it makes for a nice atmospheric choice, but after a while it is just annoying. Not annoying enough to take away from the stellar performance Brainfeeder Teebs is putting down. Considering the heaviness usually associated with the hip-hop beat category he is thrown into, the melodic development of his songs show that there’s far more to the sub-genre than the strict headnod. It compliments perfectly the early bubble in the crowd as he works his Roland 404, building up the energy slowly. By the end he is showing that while he may prefer the more textured approach he can lay it down heavy with the rest of them.

While the line-up for this Red Bull event is indeed spectacular, the set arrangement leaves a lot of room for improvement, evident by the strange transition from Teebs into Addison Groove. He’s billed as Headhunter, but as soon as the first thump from his Roland 808 hits, it’s quite clear this is an Addison Groove set. The crowd takes little notice of the awkward switch into his dub techno floor rockers, but instead just take the cue to start the heavy dancing for the night a little early.

Over at the Baltic Room Falty DL is laying down a rundown of electronic music genres from the 90′s to today that somehow makes a pitstop at Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” before Starkey brings out Ikonika in a time slot an hour early. She brings the bass heavy to the dancefloor, but perhaps has taken the early slot to slip out like others are to catch the first live U.S. appearance by Mount Kimbie back at Neumos, where a longer than expected intermission between sets is doing a good job of prepping the crowd for the second awkward transition of the night.

The UK duo is without a doubt the most anticipated set of the festival. Their buzz precedes in them, and in this case has everyone in the crowd wondering if their live show can live up to the expectations of their recordings. The smoke machine would make for a funny coincidence were they to have a repeat performance of their set the previous night where electrical difficulties left the majority of their rig powered down. But there were no mirrors on the stage as they kicked into their dream like blend of every modern electric music influence imagineable. Their hold of the audience’s attention beyond being well warranted was also quite fulfilling.

For the final awkward transition of the evening the Neumos crowd is released from the downtempo post dubstep of Mount Kimbie into the all out frenzy that is Modeselektor. Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary hit the stage as if it is the cockpit, standing confidently behind their controls, scoping out the air space before turning off the fasten seat belt light so the passengers could enjoy every bump of the ride.

At the witching hour Decibel has the whole city of Seattle jumping, Modeselektor is trying to push past last call to honor their European club rocking heritage. The trust party has hit full stride as Trus’Me mans the DJ booth at Sole Repair. Beats Antique is fusing sounds turning Motor into a tribal dance. At the Baltic Room Starkey is laying it all on the line with his breed of musical but still very heavy dubstep. It stands as a testament to the power and reach of the music through all of its sounds. That is until the bass booming from Baltic blows the subs. Thankfully there are still after parties.

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Decibel Log 3: Murcof, Mount Kimbie, Modeselektor, Teebs and More

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PRS Angelus Custom

Friday, October 1st, 2010

We got our first look at PRS’s new acoustics in prototype form at the company’s annual Experience event back in 2008. Having hired ex-McPherson man Steve Fischer, Smith was – and remains – near evangelical in his quest to prove that more can be done with the humble flat top.

Typically for Smith, we’re not talking slavish vintage reissues – it’s all about learning from the past and evolving. Two years later the guitars are finished, and with some fairly hard-hitting endorsement coming from the likes of Martin Simpson and Tony McManus, the team has obviously made some highly compelling instruments. So, take a look at that price, wipe the sweat from your brow, and let’s see what they’ve come up with.

“The Angelus body uses cocobolo rosewood for the back and sides, a lovely figured selection.”

The Angelus is one of two body styles from PRS acoustics. 394mm (15.5 inches) across the lower bout, cutaway and with a maximum depth of 111mm (4 3/8 inches), it finishes up halfway between Martin’s 000 blueprint and the much-loved Taylor 514CE.

The rounded outline hints at mini jumbo territory, but PRS’s other shape – the Tonare Grand – fits that description more comfortably. The guitar is built on a 641mm (25.25-inch) scale – again, part way between 000 Martin and Taylor-standard lengths – and has a 44.5mm (1.75-inch) nut, which is towards finger-style territory, but still manageable for comfortable chording.

The Angelus body uses cocobolo rosewood for the (ever so slightly arched) back and also the sides. It’s a lovely figured selection that originates from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The sides have strengthening struts – beautifully cut and shaped – while the lining is so fine and precise it could only have been done on a CNC machine.

Back outside, rosewood bindings are coach-lined with inlaid maple, with more rosewood and a ring of abalone around the soundhole: flawless. The top itself is Adirondack spruce, a highly prized variety thanks to its high strength-to-weight ratio and subsequent vibrational/tonal qualities.

What’s more interesting, however, is what’s going on underneath, which is mixture of ‘standard’ steel-string X-bracing, and the fan bracing you see more commonly in nylon-string classicals.

“The hybrid brace design came about because of an old Torres guitar that was owned by a friend of Paul’s,” explains Steve Fischer. “He and I thought [it] was possibly the most beautiful sounding acoustic instrument we had ever heard. Paul’s friend was kind enough to let me take the guitar back to my shop in Utah, where I measured everything, examined everything inside and out and even had it X-rayed.”

Fischer goes on to explain how the fan bracing seems, on a common sense level, to be a more natural way of bracing a resonating soundboard, though of course it will not stand up to the tension of steel strings. The solution?

“It came to me that if I could leave the X-brace and remove the diagonal tone bars normally found in a Martin X-brace pattern, and replace them with fan braces, it would be strong enough to withstand the pull of steel strings, but allow the top to move in a more natural and efficient way.”

A feel inside the lower bout reveals the result: the X-brace crosses behind the soundhole as usual, then between the X, four fan braces run from just behind the bridge, tapering as they approach the rim.

The Angelus neck is a fairly chunky piece of Peruvian mahogany – one piece for the neck and headstock, with a single extra block for the lower third of the heel. It’s joined to the body with a traditional dovetail – no bolts here, as Fischer believes that the marriage of body and neck is critically important in terms of resonance and that this is simply the right way to do it.

What’s less traditional is the non-adjustable carbon fibre strengthening rod. For context, Martin used non-adjustable rods from the mid-1930s right up until 1985, when it phased in the adjustable rod.

Many players may still find the lack of adjustability a major point of concern, however. “It’s solid and stable and shouldn’t ever move,” says Fischer confidently of his neck design. “Once we explain what we’ve done, it calms a lot of those worries.”

Time will tell of course, but it’s been two years of R&D with no issues yet, and in our month with the guitar, the neck hasn’t moved a jot.

In terms of profile, this is a ‘real’ acoustic guitar. It’s not skinny, but remains manageable with a comfortable ‘C’ section – which PRS calls ‘wide fat’. As another example of the craftsmanship, consider the ebony fingerboard. It’s a single piece of timber, with flawless PRS outline birds.

Then there’s the inlaid maple coachline, which gives the impression of binding, but in fact the fret slots are cut just short of the edge, allowing the tangs to sit completely within the board, but with the – again flawless – fret ends running up to the edge of the board as you’d expect.

The sides of the ebony are then finished in glossy nitro-cellulose lacquer (as is the rest of the instrument) – but the face is left unfinished: truly breathtaking quality.

But it’s not just aesthetics. The Angelus Custom is set up superbly, delivering effortless real-world playability (ie not an electric-style low action) all over the neck. A number of our staff and alumni have also commented how ‘in-tune’ it feels too, which is a testament to build tolerances, the nut and the intonation-compensated bone saddle.

Final appointments include the hand-tooled Keith Robson tuners – high-ratio and super stable in use – and a discreet electronics system comprising a McIntyre acoustic feather pickup that sticks on under the bridge just in front of the pins, and a PRS acoustic preamp. There’s a single mini volume control just inside the soundhole: neat.

Sounds

Pick through some first-position chords and the first thing that hits you is the poise, balance and sheer clarity in the high-end. Those are traits that typify modern, quality American acoustic guitars for a lot of people and something you might associate with mid-body Taylors, for example, rather than classic Martins.

“Pick through some first-position chords and the first thing that hits you is the poise, balance and sheer clarity in the high-end.”

The Angelus’ upper end is more complex, however, suggesting a more European influence, where you don’t have to dig in to the guitar quite so hard to get it singing. The scale might have something to do with that – long enough to keep a piano-like separation, yet not too long to kill the general ‘togetherness’ – but it’s more likely the result of the hybrid-braced top. It doesn’t feel ‘soft’, but for Adirondack spruce, it’s notably touch sensitive and dynamic.

What might come as a surprise is that the impeccable behaviour in the trebles isn’t at the expense of bass or a speaking midrange; moreover no single part of the frequency range dominates. Drop the low E to D and the note remains clear and full, underpinning everything with bags of sustain. With that in mind, the Angelus takes to dropped tunings, especially Eb and DADGAD, with particular aplomb.

Open strings against fretted notes, harmonics and complex chords are presented with however much finesse you can muster from your hands. It doesn’t bark in the mids, like a smaller bodied folk instrument would, but neither does it lack midrange colour as some dreads and jumbos can.

In many guitars, the trade-off for heightened dynamism in finger-style is often less confidence with heavier flatpicking and strumming, but surprisingly the Angelus holds it all together. It doesn’t struggle with speedy flatpicked passages, and there’s no undue compression when you hit it harder.

It’s worth noting that this guitar has surprised – in a good way – every experienced acoustic player who’s played it. Plugging this guitar in almost feels like sacrilege, such is the purity of its natural voice.

The McIntyre contact pickup is more ‘realistic’ sounding than an under-saddle piezo, because it senses top vibration, though we had to roll off a lot of bottom-end to reduce handling noise and boomy feedback.

Coupled with a high quality preamp it presents a perfectly usable version of the guitar’s tone, certainly better than your run-of-the-mill piezo. That said, there’s still work to do in this whole area, and not just where PRS is concerned.

First and foremost, PRS should be applauded for not going down the pre-war-style Martin route – that market is already saturated. Instead, with its new bracing pattern and impeccable build, the Angelus Custom undoubtedly has a unique sound and feel.

It’s an utterly exceptional instrument, an all-rounder that melds vintage and modern style and build, elements of classic American and European tonal hallmarks, plus playability traits that suit flatpicking, finger-style and strumming. That’s rare, and it’s a significant achievement on the part of Fischer and Smith. But…

Look at the price again. Bluntly, if Bill Collings can do what he does for a little over half that amount, this guitar is too expensive. Yes, there are plenty of small makers out there charging more than this for their guitars, but that doesn’t mean they’re good value as player’s instruments either.

Without question the love is all here, but how deep is your pocket?

Sabian Xs20 Brilliant Finish Cymbals

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Most good quality budget cymbals are made from B8 bronze alloy, and European companies have made superb pro ranges using it. But Sabian always seemed a bit embarrassed by its own B8 ranges and in 2003 made the bold step of introducing a range made from pro-level B20 bronze at an intermediate price.

The Xs20s have been a great success, and due to consumer demand Sabian now offers you the choice of Xs20s in a brilliant finish, as well as the original natural finish.

“The thing that will appeal most to a drummer trading up to these Xs20s will be the refinement in tone.”

Build

The difference between Sabian’s B8 budget cymbals and its professional B20 cymbals lies not just in the higher tin content of the B20 alloy – it’s equally in the mode of manufacture. The Xs20s go through the same sort of processes as Sabian’s more expensive top lines.

Sabian’s B20 cymbals are said to be ‘cast’, referring to the fact that each cymbal is crafted from a single blob of B20 alloy rather than sliced out of a B8 sheet. A lot of skilled effort is then put into shaping, tempering and hand-lathing the cymbals.

Sabian originally spent 10 years figuring out how to minimise this labour in order to bring in the Xs20s at an intermediate price.

For those trading up from budget B8 cymbals, the look of the Xs20s should also be a big plus. They really do look like top professional cymbals. They have the golden colour of B20 and wide-blade, AA-style lathing, though there is no obvious evidence of hammering. And they are polished to a shining gleam, top and bottom.

Hands On

We reviewed the earlier version of the Xs20s back in 2007 and were somewhat disappointed. The tone of the cymbals was fine, but they lacked projection, particularly the heavier Rock versions.

We risked them on a gig and had to change them in the break when the crashes failed to sustain and cut through. We were therefore keen to see if things had improved with this new lot.

Well, in short, yes they have. Either we had a duff set last time or these are noticeably better. The refinement of tone which leads to a perceived softness remains. But somehow the overall sustain and projection have improved.

There is a delightful warmth to these cymbals. The Medium Thin 18″ crash and even the 18″ china have a soft whoosh and depth – quite spongey, as though you are squidging into the cymbals rather than glancing off hard metal.

The fact the china type is not harsh is a plus for us because it means it’s not as aggressive as many other chinas. If you’re looking for a raucous, barking china-type, this is not the one. It makes a useful alternative ride too – clear but not too coarse with its relatively mellow sound and modicum of trash.

This understated quality didn’t work quite so well with the smaller Medium Thin 16″ crash which still suffers the most, projection-wise.

Conversely, the subtle feel suits the 10″ splash which is smooth and crisp, lacking the tinny brashness of some cheaper splashes. It also has quite a healthy sustain.

Also coming out well is the 20″ ride, which is a good all-rounder. The pitch is dark at the edges and rises to a warm, buttery, medium tone nearer the centre. Ride patterns enunciate clearly with a thickness to the stroke giving the depth and quality you associate with a more expensive cymbal.

There’s a feeling of gliding along on this smooth playing platter. The bell is balanced with the rest of the cymbal, having a distinct, clean jingle that doesn’t jump out awkwardly.

At medium weight the crash properties are well balanced too – the cymbal builds up a good roar, stopping short of washing out. The 14″ hi-hats also have the warm sound which means that the closed ‘tick’ may be too muted and not edgy enough for some styles.

Correspondingly the half-open splash sound is again not all that harsh or colourful. It is, though, quite deep and refined, with some subtlety and versatility.

We witnessed these Xs20s used for a performance and from the audience the crashes and the hats cut through well. And for musicality the contrast with an old set of Sabian B8s was chalk and cheese.

Cheaper cymbals can be shrill and unpleasant, so the thing that will appeal most to a drummer trading up to these Xs20s will be the refinement in tone. In fact it should come as a revelation: “Wow, these are so smooth, so easy on the ear.”

The downside of that is the slight lessening of cutting edge and projection so that the cymbals could appear almost bland to some.

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Sabian Xs20 Brilliant Finish Cymbals

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Crafter GLXE-6000/RSB

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Crafter was once a predominately budget acoustic name and there are still models, such as the Lite and Silver Series, that occupy these lower price points.

Inexorably, however, the brand has been moving upmarket, exemplified not least in recent years by the all-solid-wood TV Series and the thin-line Slim Arch hybrid electros.

The most significant jump towards the pro sector came in 2007 with the launch of the GLXE cutaway grand auditorium electros, where high-grade all-solid timbers and specs were the order of the day, and whose ongoing 3000 and 4000 models nowadays retail over £1,000.

“Powered performance is something of a mixed bag, though it should be stressed that our guitar is a very early production sample.”

Upward evolution continues with the flagship GLXE-6000/ RSB, carrying a price tag just shy of £1,499. An appreciable sum of money, then, but the presentation is appropriately in the luxury mould, strikingly conveyed by the guitar’s back and sides.

Rather than simply the rosewood of its cheaper stable-mates, the 6000 adds a centre portion of lighter-hued bubinga to the back and across the end-block, the two timbers separated by coach-lined fillets of maple: very tasty, as is the quality of the body’s gloss livery and the instrument’s overall standard of build and detailing.

Decoration on our sample’s super-clean, reassuringly cross-silked German spruce top includes rosewood-bound abalone purfling, a sound-hole rosette of similar shell surrounding a central ring of back-matching bubinga, and a wing-style ebony bridge carrying a small bird-in-flight inlay at either end.

This theme is continued for the position markers along the ebony fingerboard, which is smartly edged in two-ply black/white binding. Up on the ebony overlaid headstock sit a set of gold Gotoh 510 deluxe tuners.

Gearing is 18:1, which provides very smooth adjustment; although some players may feel they’re a little low-geared. They do look the part, though.

Quite a few Crafters come with semi-wide finger-style necks, and this is what we find on the 6000. Kicking off at 44.5mm across the nut, the satin-finish one-piece mahogany affair broadens a fair bit further up, but thanks to a reasonably moderate-depth ‘C’ profile and a gentle fretboard camber, it’s a comfortable, fast playing handful, fulfilling the requirements for both accessible strummage and spacious, well-defined picking.

There are, however, a couple of aspects on our sample that merit a bit more attention: the fret ends feel a tad sharp, even if the fretting is otherwise nicely fitted and dressed; similarly, the front corners of the bone nut need rounding off to eliminate slightly painful contact against the side of your hand when moving back to open-position playing.

Arguably, and despite a speedy, lowish overall action, the nut slots would benefit from being cut lower to reduce the risk of finger-pressure intonation wobbles, which occur occasionally at low positions on the A and bottom E strings. These, though, are all things that can be easily sorted as part of a final pre-buy set-up.

Crafter has developed various preamp systems over the years, and the GLXE-6000′s is the new LR-T DX paired with an LR Baggs Element under-saddle pickup. Like the company’s Stage Pro Tuner system the DX offers four-band EQ and phase, but goes on to add a notch filter (0-300Hz) and a more sophisticated tuner that can be switched between auto-chromatic and preset string modes.

Underneath an LED arrows-cum-dot arrangement to indicate pitch status, the LCD depicts a virtual needle and the display’s backlight changes from amber to green as additional confirmation that a string has hit pitch. It’s fast, accurate, bright and very easy to read. The tuner also usefully mutes the system when activated while powered up (something the Stage Pro doesn’t do). It can also be used acoustically.

Another upgrade – which allows simultaneous running to backline and PA – is the provision of jack and XLR outputs on a panel adjacent to the endpin. The panel also houses the quick-release battery holder, where previous systems have had theirs incorporated in the preamp.

This GLXE is a physically quite heavy instrument (tipping the scales at 5.5lb), which in theory could militate against resonance. In reality, although there’s a faint element of compression to the dynamics, the acoustic delivery is good, combining decent clarity, note definition and sustain with a tonal blend of warmish lows and bright-ish highs.

Powered performance is something of a mixed bag, though it should be stressed that our guitar is a very early production sample (that also did duty at the Frankfurt MusikMesse for the model’s European launch), which might explain why the preamp doesn’t seem to be fully fettled.

In what way? Well, the bass EQ is decidedly odd. When notching is off, the band actually seems to work in reverse, producing subtly greater low-end at full cut than full boost! This sorts itself when notching is brought into play, but low-frequency tonal variation remains very, very modest – hugely less than the quoted +/-12dB range ought to achieve.

Our sample also isn’t helped by slightly dominant top and bottom E outputs, but that’s presumably down to the under-saddle set-up.

Fortunately the system performs well in all other respects. There’s a decent amount of gain; the tonal scope of treble and presence is sensibly considered, with the anticipated interactivity depending on the bands’ relative settings; phase and notch filter are effective in their own right, and the midrange EQ is very sympathetically judged. It duly scoops when cut, and when boosted introduces a pleasant, creamy jazzy timbre, not the honky stridency that’s sadly often the case with mid boosts.

It’s a shame that an aspect of the preamp’s behaviour isn’t what it should be, but one assumes that will get sorted for future shipments and shouldn’t cloud the fact that, even as things stand, the GLXE-6000/RSB is a very desirable instrument capable of delivering a convincing palette of unplugged and electro sounds, along with good, picker-friendly handling.

The instrument’s plush, though happily not tackily flash, and presentation counts in its favour too, justifying its status as Crafter’s top-range grand auditorium.

Italia Mondial Classic Bass

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Despite being some of the earliest bass guitars ever made (you’ll find that Hofner and Framus models from the fifties are still highly collectable today), semi-hollow body basses have never really enjoyed the same level of success or popularity as their all-solid counterparts.

However, if you want something that looks different from the mainstream, and also operates in a unique manner, then this Trevor Wilkinson designed Mondial from Italia could well be the answer. With its cool fifties styling and colour options, this is a bold retro look that you’ll either fall in love with or absolutely hate.

The body of the bass is assembled from two sections: the back and the top. The back is agathis, to which a plastic ‘Acousti-Glas’ moulded top is fitted by means of a joint that runs all around the body edge with a seal to hold it all in place.

The top is formed into the scratchplate, pickup surround and f-hole and the fittings – bridge, tailpiece, electronics and nameplate – are attached to it. The final assembly leaves a chambered area around the f-hole and the neck bolts to the wooden back.

It’s a regular maple neck but with a painted finish and, like the rosewood fingerboard, it’s smooth and silky to the touch; the fretting is very tidy and the fret ends are well bevelled and dressed. Having a combination of blocks and dots as inlays works well and certainly adds to the visual interest here.

The same can be said of the sealed gear tuners with their large oval grips, reminding us of that brief phase in the sixties when Fender tried something similar.

The bridge is a wooden structure using fret wire as saddles (in Hofner fashion), which adds further to that European vibe: a neat addition is the sliding thumb rest, making it easier for finger players to pluck nearer the bridge for a harder-edged sound.

The chromed tailpiece offers good visual balance to the humbucker and has an anchor block that fully houses the string ball ends.