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Toolshed <br />
Yamaha<br />
SLB-200LTD<br />
Silent Bass<br />
Impressive Electric<br />
Upright<br />
Over the years I have played many electric<br />
upright basses (EUBs). I’ve reviewed some<br />
very nice ones, and I’ve owned and toured<br />
with a couple. There are some good choices<br />
out there, but they always seem to be missing<br />
something. The SLB-200LTD Silent Bass<br />
is Yamaha’s third entry into the EUB market<br />
and is the most impressive of any model I<br />
have ever played.<br />
What makes it different Quite simply,<br />
feel and sound. Materials and construction<br />
are the key. The curly maple neck with oil<br />
finish and ebony fingerboard feels<br />
just like the real thing. Ebony is<br />
also used in the clever reverse<br />
tailpiece, nut and saddle.<br />
The string tension is just<br />
right. The easily attachable<br />
frame feels terrific.<br />
A maple adjustable<br />
bridge is top-notch, and<br />
preamp/pickup have<br />
simple but effective bass,<br />
treble and volume controls.<br />
The Silent Bass’ chambered<br />
body is gorgeous, made from<br />
spruce and mahogany. It has been<br />
designed to move some air and give it<br />
a more “woody” tone. Amplified, the<br />
Silent Bass sounds very close to a<br />
double bass equipped with a piezo<br />
pickup. In fact, when compared to<br />
my own double bass with pickup<br />
through the same rig, the Yamaha<br />
compared quite favorably. It sounds<br />
great with a bow as well.<br />
I had the good fortune of getting<br />
to use the test model at a 1,000-seat<br />
theater. The Silent Bass produced plenty<br />
of sound, both pizzicato and arco, cutting<br />
through the mix easily. Fellow musicians<br />
and soundmen alike had nothing but praise<br />
for its sound and good looks. One recommendation:<br />
Get the optional stand.<br />
Many high-quality EUBs seem closer<br />
to a fretless bass guitar than a double bass.<br />
Not the SLB-200LTD. Ten years and continuous<br />
live-tests and tweaking have resulted<br />
in a real winner from Yamaha. At<br />
$3,895 it’s not inexpensive, but if you’re in<br />
the market for an EUB, you owe it to yourself<br />
to check one out. —Jonathan Paul<br />
Ordering info: yamaha.com<br />
Bosphorus Hammer Series<br />
Exceptional Range of Cymbals<br />
Veteran jazz drummer Jeff Hamilton has added four new cymbal<br />
models to the Bosphorus Hammer Series, a line that he developed.<br />
The Hammer Series now includes 21-, 19- and 24-inch rides<br />
and a 20-inch china to complement the company’s existing line of<br />
22- and 20-inch rides, 14-inch hats and 22-inch china. Continuing<br />
the Bosphorus tradition of laboriously casting, shaping, hammering<br />
and lathing each cymbal by hand, the new additions contain characteristics<br />
of complex overtones while retaining a crisp attack.<br />
I play-tested a full set of Hammer cymbals. Up to this point in<br />
my multi-decade drumming career, I have always held an allegiance<br />
to a different major brand of cymbals. Well, after receiving the eight<br />
shiny Bosphorus cymbals and getting the chance to try them out in<br />
various situations, I immediately<br />
knew I had found a new object<br />
of my desire.<br />
While I have played<br />
Bosphorus cymbals<br />
before, this was my<br />
first time having<br />
them exclusively on<br />
every cymbal stand<br />
on my kit. The first<br />
gig that I used them<br />
was my monthly<br />
big band reading<br />
gig, and I was nothing<br />
short of astonished<br />
by the collective sound that<br />
was produced by having only<br />
Bosphorus cymbals within striking<br />
distance. I started the night with the 14-inch hats, 19-inch ride to the<br />
left, 24-inch ride and the 22-inch Hammer china. I fully expected<br />
the 24-inch ride to be a touch on the overbearing side due to its sheer<br />
size, but I found it to have an amazing presence without ever being<br />
overly dominating, even during the quieter passages. In fact, after<br />
getting a chance to play them all in various situations, I decided the<br />
24-inch was actually my favorite. It had more character than a Chuck<br />
Jones/Friz Freleng production but was easy to contain. Throughout<br />
the night, I made my way through the various sizes and combinations.<br />
The 21-inch ride was a bit brighter and sat within the mix very<br />
well. I kept the 19-inch to my left, and it was a nice mix of ride with<br />
enough crash in it when needed.<br />
I used the 20-inch china for a recording session, and it sounded<br />
fantastic in the final mix. The china opens and delays quickly. Most<br />
important with any great china is that it never gets to be “too much.”<br />
I have owned different chinas from many manufacturers, and the<br />
common thread is that you have to be very careful when playing<br />
them so they don’t overpower the music, which makes them difficult<br />
to navigate in a musical setting. With the Bosphorus chinas, they<br />
spoke clearly at low volumes with plenty of character and never overpowered<br />
the band at higher stick velocities.<br />
After getting to play the whole set of cymbals and listening back<br />
to the multiple live and studio recordings I made with them, the thing<br />
that stood out the most was how well they sat in the mix. With their<br />
dark low undertones and sufficient definition in the attacks for the<br />
band to lock onto, the Hammers proved to be perfectly suited for a<br />
diverse range of musical environments. <br />
—Matt Kern<br />
Ordering info: bosphoruscymbals.com<br />
106 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2011
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