July 2009 Jazz Instrument News

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July 2009 Jazz Instrument News

Friday, 26 June 2009 08:44

Peerless Imperial Carved Series archtop guitar

We have been waiting to get our hands on an Imperial for some time now. Peerless confirmed that the first few consignments had all been on back order, meaning that they were pre-sold and we were in a queue. So was it worth the wait? The Imperial comes with a solid carved spruce top and a solid carved maple back. Both are twopiece and, surprisingly, both are braced, but there is no central post as on the earlier pressed top models. The maple neck is scarf jointed and supports a bound ebony fingerboard with 22 medium/heavy frets, while the tailpiece and pickguard are also in ebony, leaving the adjustable, intonated bridge as the Imperial’s only piece of rosewood. The generic black cased floating mini-humbucker has been voiced well into the “mellow” range and is connected to a volume control mounted on the pickguard with a turned ebony cap. The action on our sample was perfect, but the 42mm nut rather cramped my somewhat hamfisted style. Intonation and articulation was excellent. Soundwise, the Imperial is very well balanced and has a beautifully sweet, warm and rich tone with bags of sustain. Perhaps that extraordinary bracing to the back of the body really does help after all. As I was half expecting, Peerless have upped their game yet again and the Imperial is the undoubted current leader of a very playable pack. For more go to www.peerlessguitars.co.uk

Natal Special Edition Classic Series congas

Natal, one of the classic names in British manufacturing has relaunched, or might it be reintroduced, exact replicas of their 1960s conga line. Like the originals, they are made from fibreglass using the original Natal moulds. Fitted with comfort hoops and hide heads, the set consists of an 11” conga and a 12” tumba and to keep the ring of authenticity, they are finished in a genuine 1960s dribble red on black finish, now renamed Splatter. For more go to www.nataldrums.com

Jupiter JAS-969 Gl alto saxophone

Well known for producing brass and woodwind instruments for the schools and student market, Jupiter’s recent entry into the semi-pro and pro market has raised a few eyebrows and no small amount of interest. Code-named the 900 series, we sampled the alto in gold lacquer. It’s a striking-looking horn with the sort of finish and build quality that you might expect from a company that has had such a long standing association with this section of the market. The JAS 969 “feels” very similar to a Yamaha and we found the configurations of the harmonics similar to that of a Yamaha, as is the front “f” key. It’s a very responsive horn and has a very positive action, particularly in the bottom register. The keywork is good with excellent intonation and articulation and I really liked the octave key action. Soundwise the JAS 969 has an edgy and, in places, almost raw tone and there is very little depth and seemingly no real character. I couldn’t find any true power in the upper register even though I did try and I felt I was looking for something that really wasn’t there and eventually concluded that for all its excellent build qualities, this is a bulk standard instrument that just does not have that extra je ne sais quoi . The JAS 969 comes in it’s very own custom made, zippered semi-hard shell case with a nylon denier cover, leather handles to the side and end, and “D” rings for a non-slip shoulder strap. There is a very useful large expandable pocket to the lower front face that holds another smaller pocket and a multi-pen pouch however, the magnetic stud contact on the leatherette flap proved to be an ineffective seal. To the back of the case is an adjustable harness and a pouch that includes a nylon rain cover which works. For more go to www.korg.co.uk

Wincent 55 Fusion Round Tip and Xl sticks

They may not be as well known as the Vic Firth and Promark brands, but these Wincent sticks certainly take some beating. Not new, but newly launched in the UK market, they are evenly balanced and have that ‘quality’ feel. We tried both the ‘round tip’ model and the standard tip ‘XL’. Clearly sticks are down to the personal preference of the player, but for weight and thickness these 55s were, for me, ideal. The Round Tip model was for me the more interesting of the two, as the tip is slightly larger than a normal round tip and gave added volume but retains the same definition and clarity, comparing well with my usual nylon tip models. For more go to www.wincent.se

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