Paris Swing Mandolin:
Unleash the Gypsy Fury
The Paris Swing Co. man- spruce top is well contoured to the flamed
dolin from The Music Link maple sides and back. This natural model is
features designs inspired by bound in classic tortoise-shell; the sunburst
the pre-War era Gypsy jazz
instruments, a time when the
model comes with a grained ivoroid binding.
A flamed maple neck rises to the ebony
Fender Jazzmaster
versatile use of the mando- peghead keenly accentuated with the Paris Ultralight
lin ranged from carrying
melody to fiery fast soloing.
Swing logo in white pearl, gold leaf and
abalone-style “Tour Eiffel” inlay. The bass Guitar Amp:
The Paris Swing Co.
offers three models in
side body of the mandolin swirls up to a dra-
matic curling scroll, and the right angle on the
Portable Pro Sound
either natural or sun- treble side emphasizes its open access for Fender’s latest jazz guitar amp, the Jazzmaster
burst finish includ- flights of Gypsy wailing. Ultralight, is a compact 250-watt solid-state
ing a D-hole shape, For playability, this mandolin shines in its beauty that weighs only 7.6 pounds. Combine
traditional F-hole class. It bears noting that while this is not a it with the 16-pound Ultralight 112 speaker
design and the custom-crafted mandolin (at a list price of enclosure, and you have a versatile and
Oval soundhole $799), the Chinese construction and finish of portable pro rig.
Nuages model re- this instrument pass muster. The body joints The amp head is encased in a rugged alu-
viewed here. The are clean and the fretting is smooth without minum chassis with solid maple side and top
mandolin requires any rough edges or glue marks. panels. The front panel contains a nice selec-
some craftsman assem- Though pessimistic at first sight of the plas- tion of controls without overdoing it. There
bly: An adjustable rosewood tic tuning buttons, I found that the metal string are two inputs, one regular and another with
bridge is left off the instrument out of the box posts allowed smooth and stable movement a lower sensitivity for guitars with built-in
for the option of affixing it permanently or to bring the strings to pitch. This mandolin preamps.
leaving a floating bridge style. held tune nicely. —John LaMantia The Jazzmaster Ultralight has a standard
The mandolin allows a brighter tone from two-channel configuration with normal and
the smaller oval sound cavity. The solid sitka » Ordering info: themusiclink.net drive channels available. The normal channel
features a “voice” switch, which is essentially
a brightness boost, and the drive channel
Hei-D Super Michéle Ramo adds a gain control knob for adjusting the
Mostro Guitars: amount of distortion.
The back of the head provides a locking
8-String Evolution connector for attaching the speaker cabinet,
as well as 1/4-inch jacks for tuner out and the
Fingerstyle guitarist Michéle Ramo has foot switch. An XLR line out is also available
dreamed up an eight-string instrument that for connecting to a sound system or studio
JEFFREY HERZLICH
combines two fretless bass-note strings with equipment.
a standard nylon six-string format. Built by The amp sits securely on top of the speaker
luthier Rich DiCarlo and inspired by the enclosure using magnetic footing. The cabinet
seven-string guitar work of Bucky Pizzarelli, is a perfect match for the head and houses a
Ramo’s new models includes the Hei-D Super of .070. The eighth, tuned to a low D, has a specially voiced 12-inch Jensen speaker in
Mostro IV “Sofisticato” and the Hei-D Super gauge of .080. Since the bass range is fret- closed-back design for increased bass
Mostro V “Sicily.” less, players can approach the comma sys- response.
Both guitars come with two onboard MIDI tem of semitone measurement for more pre- As promised, the amp produces a clean
preamps (Poly Drive IV by RMC), with one cise intonation. and smooth tone using the normal channel.
output that sends the first six strings to a gui- The Mostro “Sofisticato” features a sitka The 12-inch speaker keeps it fat with plenty of
tar amp and another that sends the last two spruce top, birdseye maple back and sides, bass. The built-in DSP effects include a smor-
strings to a bass amp. That way, you never padauk neck and ebony binding. The Mostro gasbord of choices, and effects can be select-
have to compromise the bass EQ or volume “Sicily” has a bearclaw sitka spruce top, pau ed for each channel individually.
to accommodate the instrument’s high-end, ferro back and sides, padauk neck and Switching to the drive channel produced a
or vice versa. Honduran rosewood binding. Both instru- range of overdrive tones, from a bluesy tube-
The guitar bodies are joined to the neck at ments are distinctly appointed and represent like crunch to full-blown distortion. This is
the 17th fret, with a cutaway at the 22nd fret. an evolution in guitar design. especially handy on those jobbing gigs where
The Mostro “Sofisticato” has 22 frets total, giv- Mostro guitars can take the place of a full you play everything from a bossa nova to a
ing it a range of five octaves (fretted) plus ensemble, providing melody, harmony/ rock guitar feature.
another octave-and-a-half (fretless) up to high chords and fretless walking bass lines all at This amp is ideal if you are looking to keep
double A. The Mostro “Sicily” has 34 frets and the same time. When played fingerstyle and your gear light. At a street price of around
covers the same monstrous range, with six used to their full potential, they encourage $650 for the amp and $250 for the cabinet, this
octaves (fretted) plus a half-octave (fretless). the creative use of counterpoint and inside is not an inexpensive option, but a wise one.
The two bass-note strings are actually thick voicings. —Ed Enright —Keith Baumann
guitar strings custom-made by La Bella. The
seventh string, tuned to a low A, has a gauge » Ordering info: 8stringguitar.com » Ordering info: fender.com
July 2006 DOWNBEAT 67