B&S Challenger Bb MBX trumpet

This German made horn has to be the lightest horn that I’ve ever laid hands on – and it’s not that I’m used to handling Monettes or Taylors! No, this horn is really light and it’s well balanced. Coming with hand lapped Monel pistons with boxed bronze springs, there is no doubting the quality of the components, although I did find that the spit slide on the second valve was a tad tight. I was also somewhat surprised that there was no tap on the third tuning slide. And if I’m being really picky why doesn’t the curve on the front crook match that of the back pipe?

That said, the Challenger is an extremely easy player with no real change of resistance over 21/2 octaves, and has a tone that is both smooth and even across the full range. The light hand hammered one piece brass bell with its French bead wire gives a sharper bell rim edge and by implication, an improved projection. However, I felt that the overall sound was somewhat on the bright side, so I changed the supplied 3 mouthpiece for one of my own (Taylor) 3’s which is slightly heavier and found a darker tone that I felt had more jazz character.

Although there’s no denying that the build quality and finishing is excellent – our sample came in French gold lacquer (there are silver and gold plated options), I was left feeling that the balance between lightness and strength could prove to be an issue when taking the Challenger “on the road”. Happily however, the instrument is supplied with a heavily padded, rectangular hardcase, with quality catch locks and grab handles.

For more go to www.philparker.co.uk


AAD The Cub Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

This extraordinary little beast (170mm x 300mm x 320mm) weighs in at just over the 5Kg mark and incorporates a PJB 100watt Solid State class AB amplifier. Yes – you did read that right! The marketing blurb tells me that nothing this small, with this performance, has ever been created before. I’m looking at it and thinking what the spread of two five inch speakers might be like – whatever the claims made. The two 5 inch proprietary neo-power extended range drivers sit one atop the other behind a nylon mesh screen within the solid case with its steel reinforced corners. To the back of the cabinet there is a very simple, clean control panel – there are no gimmicks here. Alongside the Level dial and the input jack is a high/low impedance switch, while to the right is a 3 band EQ and FX send and return sockets. Below the grill is the AC power output and accompanying switch, while to the right is a line output for driving a second amplifier and a useful ground lift switch to eliminate hum. Set next to this is a tuner/line out and an XLR balanced line out for use with recording and PA mixing consoles.

Plugged in, I’m offered a very clean, smooth, warm sound – not that dissimilar to those old Polytones. Although the overall sound is good, there is a discernable lack of definition and there is very little head on the treble end. I’m thinking, has this little baby been designed by a bass player – there’s plenty of volume and it’s certainly clean right the way through. But apart from the clean sounds and its straightforward nature, the real beauty of ‘The Cub’ is its size. And to make the most of its portability potential, the guys at AAD have given this amplifier a very snug little padded carrying case with a tough denier cover, that has a large face pocket for mains and jack leads, a grab handle and a tough padded shoulder strap with strong carabiner style clips and ‘D’ rings. Sling it over your shoulder and you’re away.

For more go to www.synergydistribution.co.uk


Puresound Snarewires

Drummers all have their own opinions as to their sonic preferences, but snarewires rarely come up as a topic of conversation. Talk more in depth, and it’s clear how crucial these underslung pieces of hardware are. American company Puresound has recently been taken over by the string giant D’Addario as a way of expanding their percussion brands along with Evans heads and the HQ brand. As they are not only a string manufacturer, but also a wire producer, D’Addario’s experience is arguably second to none. And Puresound does exactly what it says on the tin – this is a quality product. I looked at the Custom 12 strand, the 221 8 strand and the Equalizer. All wires were strung onto a 1960 single shell Radio Artist. Working upwards, the two thick/one thin 8’s gave a very metallic, gravelly dark sound to the drum.

You don’t get a nice snare ripple and they really don’t work that well on intricate patterns. For all that, I reckon they might sound better on a deeper drum playing a dampened down funk sound, or something with a heavy back beat. The 12s are for my money the nearest to “normal” snares, giving a natural tone to the drum, while not buzzing too much. The real revelation is the Equalizer. It gives a natural sound right across the drum, is very lively and because both sets of wires are offset, it doesn’t react to the overtones of other instruments. If you’re lucky enough to own one of those old Ludwig snares, Puresound’s Vintage range does a WFL Ludwig set. Now you’re talking.

For more go to puresoundpercussion.com

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