Kurzweil MARK 5

Advantages: Great feel, Tips are perfect, Good Weight
Disadvantages: Get cut up by cymbals.

...I've been playing drums for about 9 months now, and ive had a variety of sticks, ranging in wieght and size. Ive invested in the Ahead Joey Jordison Signiature Sticks, but found them very heavy, and robust. The next pair of sticks i bought were the Pro Mark 5A sticks, and i soon realised i'd made the right decision. The Tips are perfect for double strokes, and the stick effortlessly fits in your hand, offering great control, allowing you to maintain fast beats for alot longer. The only critisism of this product that I have so far found, is their duribility. After about 50 cymbal hits, I certaintly noticed the massive chunks dented around the stick, a problem i did not have for awile with the Ahead Sticks. All things considerd though, these are great sticks for practice, as they offer a great feel, and a beautiful bounce, allowing... Read review

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Advantages: excellent effect range
Disadvantages: expensive new/you will need a power supply

...I had been searching for the right delay pedal for a few years and i had read a lot of good press about the Boss DD5. My Friend had an earlier version (DD2 or 3) and as i liked the range of effects on that peddle i took a gamble and purchased a DD5. I managed to purchase a second hand DD5 (this cost me £95). I believe that new they are around £150 mark, so they aint cheap that's for sure. The good news is that it is an absolute beauty. Firstly, the sheer amount of variations of delay is incredible. From straight forward delay variations to backwards loops to an ability to press and hold the footpedal and record a phrase which is then repeated for`ever whilst you play something neat over the top of it. You can achieve the most amazing effects simply by tweeking the various dials a few degrees here and there. The quality... Read review

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Advantages: An amzing vintage instrument, with that classic sound which most saxophone manufacturers strive to achieve.
Disadvantages: Its hard to find these saxes in good condition for sale, and if you manage to find one it'll probably cost you near to £3000!

...I have been lucky enough to play two Mark VI saxophones, 1 with its original lacquer, and one which had been relacquered, and I must say that they were both absolutely fantastic saxes! The Mark VI's were handmade and engraved by Selmer (Paris) in the late 1950's and early 1960's. They are reckoned to be the best saxophones in existence, and almost all of the major jazz saxophonists played on them (john coltrane, wayne shorter, stan getz, michael brecker, sonny rollins played one at one stage and the list goes on.) The main feature of these saxophones is their incredible tone, which is deep and rich, and these saxes are also easy to play. Intonation on these horns is also surprisingly good for horns of this era, but it is obviously not as good as modern saxes. They also have an exquisite hand engraved pattern on them, which has... Read review

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