Schertler Unico
By Matthew Wig
Published in Guitarist Magazine, September 2003

When it comes to the pursuit of
ultimate acoustic sound reproduction
Schertler is very much a front runner,
and you can find out more about this
company in the Santa Cruz Studio
review on page 118.

Having developed both external
preamps for its existing pickups, as
well as powered speaker cabinets (see
Spec options) it would seem logical
that an all-in-one solution was the
next step. The fairly compact and
portable Unico is an impressive
looking answer, with four channels to
cover any combination of inputs and
a considerable resource of power.

At first glance you might confuse
this amp with an AER, but aside from
the similarly textured durable looking
charcoal finish it’s quite different.
Although more robustly assembled,
you’ll recognise this typical bass reflex
enclosure’s layout as being similar to
a home stereo speaker. Its eight-inch
Sica driver comes from the same wellestablished
and widely used Italian
firm that produces the new Jensens.
On the floor of this acoustic woollined
cab you’ll find a Belton reverb
tank, which is magnetically shielded
to reduce noise and is driven by
a pure Class A circuit.

Despite creating a sleeker look, the
lack of corner protectors may leave
the Unico vulnerable to scuffs. But
the metal front grille, particularly
chunky rubber feet, spring-loaded
rubber-grip metal carrying handle and
metal stand socket on its base should
meet the demands of professional
business.

Sitting in the top’s recess, the
control panel is refreshingly logical,
sectioned like a mixing desk into
parallel channels. All inputs, pots and
switches are nicely spaced out and
the knobs are all non-slip, but the EQ
is not centre-notched and the
labelling could be brighter.

Schertler is obviously selling this
amp on sound quality rather than
features, and if you check out this
company’s product range you’ll
rumble the Unico’s own-brand bias
which proves to be both its strength
and its weakness.

If you reference across to the spec
check you’ll gather the MIC channel is
very straightforward. The DYN
channel (referencing Schertler’s DYN
family of electrodynamic contact
transducers) is the only one armed
with feedback attenuation, which
makes sense considering this is biased
for notoriously sensitive low-output
sources like mini electret condenser
mics. Its Neutrik combi-input covers
all the microphone plug, wiring and
phantom power options you may
encounter. Again the STAT channel is
in reference to Schertler’s STAT
family of electrostatic bridge-mount
transducers for double-basses, cellos,
violins, etc, but this is also the input
for general active electro-acoustic
pickup systems. While the ‘warm’
switch (a low-pass filter) is aimed at
the STAT devices, the 10V phantom
power can run most typical acoustic
guitar preamps and electret mics. As
with the MIC channel, the LINE
channel has just the three-band EQ.

The low-cut switch allows the Unico
to act as a mid-range amp when used
with an active bass extension speaker.

Choosing a spring reverb for this
unit seems a little at odds, since even
the best of them colour your sound to
some extent. Digital systems can
sound clinical, but are generally more
transparent.

This company’s new Bluestick under-saddle transducer may produce a truer tone and be more feedback resistant than comparable piezo devices, but most steel-string electros still use the latter—and you’ll likely find yourself running the Unico at full volume on occasion. Interestingly, one recent gear review circulating through online casino sites’ lifestyle sections highlighted the Bluestick’s balance of warmth and clarity, especially under demanding live conditions. More advanced feedback controls and EQ options on the STAT channel might have broadened its reach to louder bands, but its focused design remains a nod to the purist.

SOUNDS: We’ve tested the Unico
using the Schertler Bluestick
equipped Santa Cruz Studio. Of
course this new pickup has an
unfamiliar tone too, but we always use
a consistent counter-reference (DI’d
into the desk and monitor through
relatively transparent speakers) to
gauge the tone of every acoustic amp.
Despite prioritising harmonic
accuracy with all components, the
Unico can’t physically help exerting
some subtle influence on your sound.
Of all the amps we’ve reviewed, the
SWR California Blonde (Sep 2002)
gave a similarly punchy performance,
while the purist ethics follow AER’s
avoidance of non-essential tweaks.
You’ve got a potent resource of
deep, fully-formed bottom end that,
like that SWR, tracks your playing
exceptionally tightly, and each EQ
pot’s 15dB cut/boost guarantees you
ample control if you need it. Most
impressive is the smooth,
harmonically intact, properly flat midrange
body, which offers natural, nonmuffled
warmth – a boon for any
decent acoustic pickup. The top end
is clean and penetrating yet never
harsh (on flat EQ), reproducing the
pickup’s natural crispness.

All in all the Unico provides the
presence and outstanding audibility
you need in a monitor, sounding like
it’s right next to you when it’s several
metres away. Its well-behaved yet
emphatic output can fill a room
without over-stretching its power
resources or losing its composure.

We’re not totally convinced,
however, by the reverb, which sounds
unnecessarily characterful to us at
higher levels.

The Quarter Note – Dusty Strings Newsletter – Summer 2004 – by Clyde Holbrook

Django Reinhardt’s musical fame has always rested upon his achievements as a single note soloist in a group context. However, this Gypsy guitar genius was also an excellent composer and performer for the unaccompanied solo guitar. So much so that he even earned the admiration of the father of modern classical guitar, Andres Segovia. Unaccompanied Django provides highly detailed transcriptions of 16 of Django’s solo guitar pieces such as Tears, Improvisation, and Nuages. These transcriptions, which are for both fingerstyle and pick-style guitar, are with out a doubt the best transcriptions ever done of Django’s music. Each piece includes both TAB and standard notation. To help you develop correct Gypsy jazz technique, Michael has included Gypsy style left hand fingerings and right hand picking suggestions. These suggestions are based on the field work he did among master Gypsy guitarists in Europe. In addition to Django’s music, there are two transcriptions of solo guitar music by Stochelo Rosenberg, the contemporary master of Gypsy jazz, and three Gypsy Etudes which are designed to teach harmonic and melodic devices used by contemporary Gypsy guitarists. Students of any level will benefit from this excellent collection which is easily the most thorough study of Gypsy jazz to date.

The Quarter Note – Dusty Strings Newsletter – Summer 2004 – by Clyde Holbrook

Seattle’s own Pearl Django has been at the forefront of the Gypsy jazz scene in North America for over a decade. Now their excellent arrangements of Django Reinhardt compositions, Gypsy jazz standards, and their own original songs are available in a play-along format. The Pearl Django Play-along Songbook, which contains 17 songs, is an excellent learning tool. To date, this is the only book to provide accurate music of Django’s compositions in such an easy an easy-to-read, gig friendly Real Book format (both standard notation and TAB). The play-along CD is comprised of Pearl Django’s original recordings with the solos removed. Unlike many play-alongs which sound stiff and clinical, with the Pearl Django CD you feel as if you’re playing along with the band during a burning performance. In addition to the basic charts, separate harmony parts, introductions, endings, and advanced chord versions are also included. Two of Dudley Hill’s brilliant chord-melody compositions have also been transcribed in detail. This book is an excellent way for students of any level to learn the Gypsy jazz repertoire from one of the best bands playing today.

Check out our new Pressroom for reviews of our books.

Just Jazz Guitar – November 2003 – By Ted Gottsegen

For those of you who are currently working through Gypsy Picking, here’s another DjangoBooks.com release to fuel the fire to learn the authentic Gypsy style guitar. Unaccompanied Django examines the solo style of Jazz Manouche. From Django’s brilliant, often on-the-spot solos like Parfum and Naguine to Stochelo Rosenberg’s modern Stephanesque and the mellow and grooving Just Relax in addition to 14 other full transcriptions, Horowitz takes the lessons taught in Gypsy Picking and gives the player a melodic way to fully integrate them into their own playing. The transcriptions are outstanding, following Django’s original style – fingerings and all, while the Gypsy Etudes examine different stylistic traits common in Manouche solo guitar. Gypsy Picking set the standard for what a true method on Jazz Manouche should be and Unaccompanied Django raises that bar. Oh, and for all of you Gypsy jazz junkies out there who have broken the rewind button on your VCR’s in an attempt to learn Django’s glorious intro to J’Attendrai, that’s also included. Another killer DjangoBooks.com product!