144 SEPTEMBER 2004

Quick Test The best new gear in brief…

HERE’S A SHOCK

for those who thought thatrecording on to tape was a thing of thepast: Korg has introduced a multitrackcassette recorder! The CR-4 is a four-track machine capable of recording upto four tracks simultaneously through

four jack inputs. It has a built-inAmpworks amp simulator and effects

processor that can be applied togive a fully produced sound –courtesy of Korg’s REMS

modelling technology – to anysingle track as it’s being recorded.

For monitoring there are inbuiltspeakers and two headphone

sockets, or you can connect thesingle pair of outputs to a hi-fi or PA.

IN USE: Operating the CR-4 is assimple as it comes. Just plug a guitarinto the input for the track you want torecord, hit the effects button, select anamp and an effect from the two rotarydials, set a recording level and go. Dothe same for the next track whilelistening to the first through the built-in speakers and you can practice a leadline over chords, or build up anarrangement that can be mixed downto a separate stereo machine withcontrol over track levels and panning.

VerdictThe Korg CR-4 may have the vibe ofbeing cobbled together in DrFrankenstein’s laboratory, but it is aunique product that can do a great job.Unlike a digital multitracker, this unit isnot designed to make polished masterrecordings, but instead it’s a practicalplug-in-and-play device for knockingideas together quickly when you needto. Think of it as a practice amplifierwith a built-in four-track recorder andyou won’t be far wrong.

KORG CR-4 TEST RESULTSBuild quality Usability Sound Value for money

■ WE LIKED Very easy to use, minimal setup time, built-in speakers

■ WE DISLIKED Tape hiss, not as versatileas a digital machine

KEY INFO KORG CR-4 PRICE: £199 TYPE: Four-track cassette multitracker with amp sims www.korg.co.uk

RATING

A cassette-based four-track with built-in amp simulations and effects by Trev Curwen

Korg CR-4

Reports of the deathof the cassette four-

track have beengreatly exaggerated

DIAMOND BOTTLENECKS IS

based in the ‘glass-quarter’: theWordsley/Amblecote area ofStourbridge in the UK, knownnationally as the spiritual home ofBritish glassmaking craftsmanship for

over 150 years. Thecompany offers a massiverange of slides and a totalcustom service. You can,for example, choose aready made slide or send ina cherished bottle andthey’ll make a slide for you.

We’ve selected three forreview: a cobalt blueRedhouse, a mid-red heavyUltimate and a plain glassLap-Slide. It must be statedthough that Diamond makeeach of these types and theirother models – including the

Standard, Pill Bottle, Reversibleas well as the 50/50 (blue glass

sleeve bonded to a brass or pewter‘core’) – in an astonishing range ofcolours and sizes.

IN USE: The Redhouse is the mostpopular Diamond slide: a bottleneckwith the lip removed and the ends cutin rounded, bevelled or flat-cut styles –a perfect all-round slide of mid-weight.The heavier Ultimate has a tapered

inner wall (plus numerous options)that adds mass for the thinner topstrings – a beautifully sweet, thick tone.The Lap-Slide is obviously designed forlap steel instruments – this one is againbeautifully smooth sounding, with alittle more openness to the tone than asimilarly sized metal bar.

VerdictWith everything from basic butbeautifully made slides to exoticcoloured glass slides, plus signaturemodels and a lot more, DiamondBottlenecks’ slides are fabulous. Youwon’t know whether to play ’em orcollect ’em – we suggest both!

DIAMOND SLIDES TEST RESULTSBuild quality Playability Sound Value for money

■ WE LIKED Beautifully made, with loads ofsize, type and glass options

■ WE DISLIKED Which one to choose!?

RATING

★★★★★

CHOICEDiamond Bottlenecks

KEY INFO DIAMOND SLIDES PRICE: £11.95-£17.95 TYPE: UK-made glass slides slides@diamondbottlenecks.com

UK-made glass slides in all shapes and sizes by Dave Burrluck

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SEPTEMBER 2004 145

TELECASTER CUSTOM AND

Thinline models have long been staplesof Fender’s Classic Series, but it hastaken until now for the Deluxe to getthe reissue treatment. A long-timealternative favourite, this Telecaster isdistinctive because of its seventiesStrat-style headstock and Wide Rangehumbuckers, originally designed bySeth Lover. The Deluxe also features a Strat-style ribcage contour thatcontributes to a sleeker strapped-onfeel than the traditional Tele’s slabbody. Small quantities of the seventiesoriginals were equipped with vibratos,but Fender has chosen the stability,sustain and classic look afforded by a string-through-body hardtail bridge.

SOUNDS: Arguably an attempt byFender to combat Gibson back in therock halcyon days of the earlyseventies, the Deluxe offers Les Paul-style switching options and more tonalgirth than its single-coil powered

brethren. Not as meaty as PAF-stylehumbuckers, the reissue Wide Rangeunits are bright, articulate andreminiscent of mini-humbuckers intheir overall voicing. A versatile guitar,the Deluxe handles bold, overdrivenchords and blues-rock lead linescomfortably while retaining a fairamount of that trademark Tele twangand spank. Metal players will lookelsewhere but for virtually anythingelse, the Deluxe performs with aplomb.

VerdictThe quality of Fender Mexico’s production has never been higher and

this instrument is testimony to that. Anideal guitar to bridge the gap betweenFender and Gibson tones, it wouldmake an incredibly versatile giggingtool for a wide variety of genres. Thirtyyears on, the Telecaster Deluxe stillfeels contemporary and this reissuehas finally made the model affordableoutside of the vintage market.

RATING

Award-Session JD10 MkIIThe popular Jerry Donahue-endorsed preamp gets a makeover by Dave Burrluck

THE JD10 IS basically a guitarpreamp with on-board crunch anddistortion. Rotary controls varydistortion amount (from clean topretty filthy), three-band EQ andoutput level. The rugged metal-casedunit has an effect on/bypass footswitchfor live ‘stompbox’ use, although thelayout, with its front-mountedcontrols, means it’ll happily sit in ‘desk-top’ mode for recording, or on top ofyour amp. Two red push-switches onthe front panel affect drive type –Classic (lower gain) and Rock (highergain) – and whether or not you want toengage the G12T speaker simulator.The rear panel has input, output andtuner output jack sockets, and XLR

output and a power input. You can useany AC adaptor giving a positive ornegative output of between 9-16volts; alternatively, a 9Vbattery can be installed.

SOUNDS: The2004 upgradecentres onimproveddistortion toneand bettercompatibilitywhen pluggedinto a combo.Certainly the range of soundsfrom clean through to heavily gainedmake the JD10 highly versatile as adirect recording device, an ampexpander or a solo booster – especiallyfor weaker single coils. The speakeremulator is convincing and the three-band EQ broad but musical; the newversion sounds even more realistic.

VerdictThis reviewer has used an originalJD10 for all sorts of jobs over the years

withgreat success:adding crunch toelectros, as an amp expander, adirect-to-tape ‘amp’, solo boost andeven direct to the PA when thebackline failed. The JD10 is a must-have Mr Fix-it tone generator thatyou’ll be happy to have in your arsenal.

KEY INFO AWARD-SESSION JD10 PRICE: £99 TYPE: Multi-use guitar preamp www.award-session.com

RATING

JD10 TEST RESULTSBuild quality Usability Sound Value for money

■ PROS Highly versatile sounds andapplications

■ CONS Shame there aren’t control knobnumbers to ‘remember’ different tones

Fender Classic Series ’72 Telecaster DeluxeSought-after alt-rock electric gets a long overdue reissue by Chris Vinnicombe

’72 TELE DELUXE TEST RESULTSBuild quality Playability Sound Value for money

■ PROS Great neck, huge versatility,immensely playable

■ CONS Telecaster purists may not approve

KEY INFO FENDER ’72 TELECASTER DELUXE PRICE: £649 (inc gig bag) TYPE: Single cutaway solidbody, bolt-on neck www.fendereurope.com

If Jim can’t fix it foryou, try the JD10 MkII

MISCELLANEOUS GUITARIST INTERACTIVE

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