August 2008 Jazz instrument Update
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Sei Single Cuttaway bass guitarA graduate of the London School of Furniture Making, Martin Petersen first started designing basses in the early-1990s. The first of these were exotic looking headless 5-string basses, using a seven-piece neck through design, with stunning burl top wood facings such as thuya, buckeye and lace woods, which were finished in high-gloss, or brushed gloss to create some truly extraordinary instruments. He’s since broadened the range of designs available to include the Flamboyant, ‘Millennium’, ‘Single Cuttaway’, (pictured) as well as the standard Jazz style, which all come with an array of custom shop options, including a suitable mix of pickups and electronics to suit the individual player’s sonic desires. Be it piezo bridge pickups or the eye catching LED fretboard lights, there are numerous possibilities for creating your very own dream instrument.
But for all these ‘cosmetic’ features, Sei basses remain extremely playable, with a full, consistent warm tone, where each note you play has both depth and clarity. Petersen has recently pushed the boundaries of his considerable luthiering skills to produce such extreme basses as an eight string fretless and a guitar bass hybrid for acclaimed session man Pino Palladino. Other names among the jazz fraternity who’ve commissioned Petersen to make them a bass include ‘Level’ Neville Malcolm, Anthony Tidd, Dave Marks and Rufus Philpot. Each of these basses is unique. They may not be cheap, but they’re built to last a lifetime. For more go to www.seibass.com
Trueline 7A Diamond Grip Jazz Model Drumsticks
Vermont-based Trueline make a great play of the fact that their sticks are handcrafted and not mass produced. They don’t churn out sticks by the thousand, but instead make a high quality product in smaller numbers where each stick is individually crafted to exacting standards. Turned on back knife lathes from premium grade select Hickory and Rock Maple, which has been kiln dried to strict moisture levels to achieve an optimum balance between durability and flexibility, each stick is carefully matched for colour, weight and pitch.
My interest was alerted, having noted that the company has just launched a new triplet of 7A Hickory Jazz sticks with the Diamond Grip model being perhaps the most interesting of the three – the others being the Standard Grip and the Power Grip (on which the jury is still out). The Diamond Grip features a patent pending diamond surface pattern that is etched into the wood giving, so the marketing blurb tells us, better grip as sweat is channelled away from the surface of the hand. These sticks are certainly light weight and well balanced and sceptical as I might have been, what at first seemed like a gimmick does actually work!
For more go to www.ev-ms.co.uk
Yamaha Custom EX HG Soprano Saxophone
This is some soprano! The moment you pick it up, you feel instantly at home with the instrument. The balance is good and the keywork (particularly for those of us with larger hands!) is excellent. I readily appreciated the overall ergonomics, especially the positioning of the palm keys and the slightly deeper Bb key to the table, giving more space for that little finger to rest on. Having said that, I wasn’t that keen on the shaping of the top F sharp key, but that’s purely personal and a slight change that I think I could quickly get used to. The crook (the Custom EX is supplied with both straight and curved crooks) fitted snugly into the top post and I was immediately impressed by the action with a particularly smooth octave key – this sax has been set up superbly. It is also immediately apparent that the Custom EX is an extremely responsive instrument, having a good dynamic range and affording effortless playing in both the altissimo and the lower register. Intonation on our sample was almost clinically precise – quite remarkable.
Tonally, the Yamaha isn’t as sweet as a Selmer Series 3, but it has a particular sonic quality that is both rich and warm, is very even across the full range and delivers a well rounded bottom end and a clear, clean and spirited altissimo. I noticed that the instrument carries plastic and not metal reflectors and assume that this has been done to cut back a brightness to the tone. If so, this has certainly had the desired effect. The Custom EX comes in a solidly built rectangular, leatherette, lockable plush lined shaped case, with reinforced corners and grab handles to both the top and side. There are also a couple of small ‘D’ rings if you prefer to use the supplied shoulder strap.
For more go to www.yamaha-music.co.uk