December 2007 Jazz Instrument Update

Friday, 30 November 2007 12:10

D’Angelico New Yorker NYL 2

The New Yorker is about as mellow and fruity as it gets. Made in Japan, these instruments are produced in very low numbers – akin to a limited edition, and offer an almost unmatched quality of build. Not to be confused with the Korean-made Excel models made for D’Angelico guitars of America, these instruments are made by a small team of luthiers who clearly know their onions. The New Yorker has a full 17-inch body with a 3-inch depth and delivers a gloriously smooth, well balanced rich tone. The fine grained, solid spruce pressed top is liberally endowed with cross silking, which can just be seen through the strong colouration. Both the back and sides are of matched Flame Maple, with the whole being brought together with a multi-ply black and cream binding.
December 2007 Jazz Instrument Update

The neck is a shallow ‘C’ three piece maple and is topped by an ebony fingerboard set with 22 frets, the ends of which follow into the neck binding for that extra smooth finish. Beyond the 43mm bone nut and the ornate D’Angelico trussrod cover is the standard D’Angelico “crown” headstock and half a dozen Imperial gold plated Grover machine heads. At the tail end, the individually intonated adjustable ebony bridge, carries the strings onto the original New Yorker- engraved brass “stairstep” tailpiece – stepped for optimum string length and less tension on the lower register. The floating “house” humbucker offers a warmth and smoothness that is clearly modelled on the Kent Armstrong products, as fitted to earlier models. This is complemented by the pick guard mounted tone and volume controls, with pots that have plenty of head. Plug this baby in and you’ll be in seventh heaven, this is one of the most responsive instruments
we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. For info: www.ivormairants.co.uk

AKG Elle C Vocal Microphone

There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the Elle C. AKG tell us that they have been out asking the chanteuses what they are looking for in a microphone, trying to build up an accurate picture of their acoustic likes and dislikes. From this, AKG engineers and designers have built up a raft of data that has been integral to the design and production of the Elle C. A condenser microphone, the silver Elle C has a slim and slender profile and features a frequency range of 60-20.000 Hz together with a premium 24-carat gold plated transducer case. In our studio test alongside two other well known branded mikes, we found that the Elle C had a presence peak in the upper register of between 1 and 8 Kh and threw out a massive 6Db more than our two marker mics – ideal if you need to cut through a mix! With a sweet, but biting sonic edge, the Elle C will doubtless find a foothold in the plethora of pop. For jazz divas though, it may be a little roar (raw!). But with some creative EQ – ing it could be the ideal foil for a big band. For info: www.akg.com

The Soundpost Sinfonica String Bass

Affordable quality basses are not easy to come by, so when the Sinfonica turned up – we were intrigued. Made in China out of the highest grade “cold grown” solid spruce, with a beautifully hand carved back and front, the Sinfonica is not a “production line” model, but one that is hand built. Not only is the Sinfonica made from quality tone woods, but there is a staggering attention to detail on this instrument. For example, the rubber foot is screw threaded. The pin is held in place by a nylon insert and brass collar and yacht wire is used to hold the tailpiece to the peg – a true sign of a quality instrument. The use of the French Despiau bridge once again reflects the Sinfonica’s pedigree, while the ebony fingerboard is like a highly polished slab of black marble. The Sinfonica is fitted with German-made machine heads with stainless steel worm gears and brass cogs that offer no resistance and give a smoothness and control that bassists would normally only find on the “high end” electric cousins. In the volume stakes the Sinfonica carries plenty of power, with a rich timbre and full tone.

The quality of sound is remarkably clean – you can clearly hear all the overtones. Harmonics are very pronounced and ring out perfectly with great depth and excellent sustain – Spirocore strings come as standard. The whole comes in a soft padded case with five handles, two face pockets, a bow bag and a large “score” pocket to the rear. The Sinfonica bass is proof if ever it was needed, that with the right quality controls in place, some Chinese factories are now making musical instruments to centuries old European standards. Highly recommended.
For info: www.thesoundpost.co.uk

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