{"id":53,"date":"2004-02-05T13:45:45","date_gmt":"2004-02-05T13:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/?p=53"},"modified":"2025-10-20T15:24:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:24:04","slug":"schertler_unico_review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/schertler_unico_review\/","title":{"rendered":"Schertler Unico Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Schertler Unico<\/strong>
\nBy Matthew Wig
\nPublished in Guitarist Magazine, September 2003<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to the pursuit of
\nultimate acoustic sound reproduction
\nSchertler is very much a front runner,
\nand you can find out more about this
\ncompany in the Santa Cruz Studio
\nreview on page 118.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having developed both external
\npreamps for its existing pickups, as
\nwell as powered speaker cabinets (see
\nSpec options) it would seem logical
\nthat an all-in-one solution was the
\nnext step. The fairly compact and
\nportable Unico is an impressive
\nlooking answer, with four channels to
\ncover any combination of inputs and
\na considerable resource of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first glance you might confuse
\nthis amp with an AER, but aside from
\nthe similarly textured durable looking
\ncharcoal finish it’s quite different.
\nAlthough more robustly assembled,
\nyou’ll recognise this typical bass reflex
\nenclosure’s layout as being similar to
\na home stereo speaker. Its eight-inch
\nSica driver comes from the same wellestablished
\nand widely used Italian
\nfirm that produces the new Jensens.
\nOn the floor of this acoustic woollined
\ncab you’ll find a Belton reverb
\ntank, which is magnetically shielded
\nto reduce noise and is driven by
\na pure Class A circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite creating a sleeker look, the
\nlack of corner protectors may leave
\nthe Unico vulnerable to scuffs. But
\nthe metal front grille, particularly
\nchunky rubber feet, spring-loaded
\nrubber-grip metal carrying handle and
\nmetal stand socket on its base should
\nmeet the demands of professional
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting in the top’s recess, the
\ncontrol panel is refreshingly logical,
\nsectioned like a mixing desk into
\nparallel channels. All inputs, pots and
\nswitches are nicely spaced out and
\nthe knobs are all non-slip, but the EQ
\nis not centre-notched and the
\nlabelling could be brighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schertler is obviously selling this
\namp on sound quality rather than
\nfeatures, and if you check out this
\ncompany’s product range you’ll
\nrumble the Unico’s own-brand bias
\nwhich proves to be both its strength
\nand its weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you reference across to the spec
\ncheck you’ll gather the MIC channel is
\nvery straightforward. The DYN
\nchannel (referencing Schertler’s DYN
\nfamily of electrodynamic contact
\ntransducers) is the only one armed
\nwith feedback attenuation, which
\nmakes sense considering this is biased
\nfor notoriously sensitive low-output
\nsources like mini electret condenser
\nmics. Its Neutrik combi-input covers
\nall the microphone plug, wiring and
\nphantom power options you may
\nencounter. Again the STAT channel is
\nin reference to Schertler’s STAT
\nfamily of electrostatic bridge-mount
\ntransducers for double-basses, cellos,
\nviolins, etc, but this is also the input
\nfor general active electro-acoustic
\npickup systems. While the ‘warm’
\nswitch (a low-pass filter) is aimed at
\nthe STAT devices, the 10V phantom
\npower can run most typical acoustic
\nguitar preamps and electret mics. As
\nwith the MIC channel, the LINE
\nchannel has just the three-band EQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The low-cut switch allows the Unico
\nto act as a mid-range amp when used
\nwith an active bass extension speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing a spring reverb for this
\nunit seems a little at odds, since even
\nthe best of them colour your sound to
\nsome extent. Digital systems can
\nsound clinical, but are generally more
\ntransparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This company\u2019s 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\u2014and you\u2019ll likely find yourself running the Unico at full volume on occasion. Interestingly, one recent gear review circulating through online casino sites<\/a>\u2019 lifestyle sections highlighted the Bluestick\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SOUNDS: We’ve tested the Unico
\nusing the Schertler Bluestick
\nequipped Santa Cruz Studio. Of
\ncourse this new pickup has an
\nunfamiliar tone too, but we always use
\na consistent counter-reference (DI’d
\ninto the desk and monitor through
\nrelatively transparent speakers) to
\ngauge the tone of every acoustic amp.
\nDespite prioritising harmonic
\naccuracy with all components, the
\nUnico can’t physically help exerting
\nsome subtle influence on your sound.
\nOf all the amps we’ve reviewed, the
\nSWR California Blonde (Sep 2002)
\ngave a similarly punchy performance,
\nwhile the purist ethics follow AER’s
\navoidance of non-essential tweaks.
\nYou’ve got a potent resource of
\ndeep, fully-formed bottom end that,
\nlike that SWR, tracks your playing
\nexceptionally tightly, and each EQ
\npot’s 15dB cut\/boost guarantees you
\nample control if you need it. Most
\nimpressive is the smooth,
\nharmonically intact, properly flat midrange
\nbody, which offers natural, nonmuffled
\nwarmth – a boon for any
\ndecent acoustic pickup. The top end
\nis clean and penetrating yet never
\nharsh (on flat EQ), reproducing the
\npickup’s natural crispness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all the Unico provides the
\npresence and outstanding audibility
\nyou need in a monitor, sounding like
\nit’s right next to you when it’s several
\nmetres away. Its well-behaved yet
\nemphatic output can fill a room
\nwithout over-stretching its power
\nresources or losing its composure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re not totally convinced,
\nhowever, by the reverb, which sounds
\nunnecessarily characterful to us at
\nhigher levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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 […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-site-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83373,"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions\/83373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}