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Studiomaster
Fusion Original Mixer
Many people are influenced by price-tags,
often choosing the more expensive option, believing that the
quality will be better. But you can get great quality at lower
prices.
I owned a Studiomaster Series 5 and made hit records on it,
so I can vouch for the quality. First and foremost, the Fusion
Original is more than just a DJ Mixer – it is aimed at
a much broader market. It has a standard 19” rack chassis,
although since the connectors are on the rear panel,
it could also be used free-standing. The unit is almost like
two mixers built into one: PA and DJ. On the left of the unit
are the three mic inputs. Each of these has top- mounted, balanced
XLR connectors with switched 80hz 18db/oct filters. Gain control
and three-way eq offers +/- 15db of adjustment, whilst the midrange
has a frequency sweep control. These inputs would also be suitable
for connecting musical instruments, including guitars. The right
of the unit is the DJ section. Boasting four stereo inputs,
two are selectable between two line sources, while the other
two can be set for either line level or phono by means of switches
on the rear panel. These two inputs also have a MPX facility
for use with karaoke “multiplex” CDs.
You can read more from this review,
and others, in the July issue of TotalMusic
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Hofner Verythin Standard Archtop semi-acoustic guitar
 Despite
being famous for the ‘violin’ bass that will forever
be associated with Paul McCartney, Hofner actually specialise
in deep-bodied jazz guitars; and while this model may be slim
(it’s a mere 3cm deep at the edges), there’s still
a distinctly jazzy thump when you play single notes up the
neck, especially around the 12th-15th frets. The sound is
simply gorgeous. Stick your head in front of a decent amp,
pick a note at random and just play it over and over again
until you fall asleep or need to go to the toilet –
those long summer evenings will whizz by. It’s worth
pointing out, too, that our guitar came direct from the distributors
with perfect intonation and a super-low yet completely buzz-free
action, making it perfect for three-hour blues odysseys straight
out of the case.
There’s always a danger with humbuckered semi-acoustics
like this that things will muddy up as soon as you slam on
a bit of overdrive, but the Hofner doesn’t have that
problem – it rasps up nicely without getting remotely
woolly at the bottom end and can hold its own through the
filthiest fuzz. Even feedback is surprisingly easy to control.
What more is there to say? We tried to get a bad sound out
of it and we couldn’t.
You can read more from this review,
and others, in the July issue of TotalMusic
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