Amabilia Recordcase S80 Soft Standard

Advantages: I alwys wanted one, and it's lovely
Disadvantages: It cost me a bucketload of money

..., and looks like any other Fender bass until you take a closer peek at the neck, where you would normally expect to see the frets (which guide your fingers into roughly the right positions) Not on this one, though. The neck is as innocent of frets as that of a violin or a double-bass. It’s strung with flat-wound strings, so the surface of the string is smooth. The resultant sound when played well is of a fluid, soft style, with more tonal range and vibrato available to the player. There’s also the glissando, or slidy stuff which can’t really be achieved on a fretted bass. For an example of this, think back to the opening of Paul Young’s 80’s single ‘Wherever I Leave My Hat, that’s My Home’ (If you’re old enough). This is supposed to be an opinion, but it’s really turned out to be little... Read review

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Advantages: Great value for money, LOUD, superb quality and a few effects chucked in
Disadvantages: None I can think of after 3 years!!

...I went halves with my parents for my 18th birthday and got the amplifier head and sloped 4x4 speaker cabinet (top 2 items in the picture). What can I say, its amazing, superb quality in terms of sound, build, look, versatility and effects. It has an fdd feature (forgotten what it standards for) but it basically makes the amp act like a valve amplifier (typically used by bands from the 70's and 80's) in that the louder the guitar/amp is turned up the more distorted the sound gets. This allows a range of sounds just by changing the volume control on your guitar. It works out sooooo much cheaper than a real valve amp but still has a similar sound and looks the business. There are 2 channels but each one has 2 different sounds. The best way to describe a channel in this case is simply a line coming out of the amplifier, each one having its... Read review

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Advantages: Build quality, appearance and tone. Excellent soft case.
Disadvantages: Very minor intonation issues in the upper register.

...For the amazing price of this instrument (I paid around the £150 mark) it is an excellent horn for a player of beginner or intermediate standard. It is beautifully proportioned in the traditional saxhorn style - far more appealing to my eye than the open wrap design of many cheaper models. This horn plays with a lovely tone, perhaps with a few minor intonation issues in the higher register, but the notes can be lipped into shape. The tuning slide set into the leadpipe, before the valve block is a likely contributor to any imperfections. The corrosion-resistant rose brass leadpipe, excellent lacquer finish and robust stays make this horn a must for anyone seeking a real bargain. You can find virtually identical horns made in Taiwan/China and marketed under a number of brand names for £100 or £200 more! Additionally, the mouthpiece... Read review

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