Strymon Deco

132 Guitarist January 2015
QUICK TEST
MISCELLANEOUS
GUITARIST RATING
KickBox III
Auto Stomp Player
Guitarist says: The KickBox is a
modern take on the foot stomp,
while the Auto Stomp provides a
fuller backing. Here’s to the
one-man (or woman) band!
With a decidedly lo-fi heritage,
the humble foot stomp is a great
way of giving the solo player a
bit of bass-drum like kick.
German brand Finhol has
applied some serious ingenuity
to the Mark III KickBox, with
its low-profile walnut box,
superb anti-slip matt base and
choice of two digital samples –
kick drum or cajon.
The small stomp box Auto
Stomp Player is classed as a
“human controlled drum
computer”, and takes an input
from the KickBox, or other foot
stomps. We have a choice of 12
drum ‘patterns’, from lone bass
drum or cajon to bass drum,
snare or rim, plus hi-hats; we
have similar combinations from
the cajon, including a shaker,
and both straight beats and a
couple of shuffles. In manual
mode, as you kick in your
quarter beats the snare and
hi-hat follow in tempo. In auto
mode you set the tempo with
four kicks and the pattern plays
until you kick once to stop it.
Sounds
Both units sound clean and
contemporary. The level
More kit for the one-man band
CONTACT: Thomann PHONE: N/A WEB: www.thomann.de
Finhol Auto Stomp
Player & KickBox
Mark III
£267 & £123
Cordoba Guilele £239
A uke for guitarists? Yes, as long as you have
small hands…
CONTACT: Selectron UK PHONE: N/A WEB: www.cordobaguitars.com
Cordoba makes
primarily
nylon-strings at a variety of
levels, as well as ukes and a
smattering of steel strings. With
its recent acquisition of Guild
and new UK distribution, it’s a
GUITARIST RATING
Guitarist says: Ideal starter for
micro-sized beginners or a neat
electro uke with bass strings
Finhol Auto Stomp
between the different drums on
the Auto Stomp is preset, and in
drum computer territory it’s
basic stuff – there’s no dynamic
range, so the beats can sound a
little relentless, but it’ll certainly
fill out a solo/duo performance.
Verdict
The KickBox III is very neat if
you want a hi-fi kick. The Auto
Stomp Player is ingenious, if a
little relentless in use. But both
will appeal to the increasing
number of us who need to fill
out our performances, but
retain a human element.
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name you’ll be seeing more of.
This diminuative Guilele is
hardly a new concept –
Yamaha’s Guitalele has been
around for ages – but Cordoba’s
take is different, not least in this
solid spruce-topped cutaway
electro format, although both
acoustic and lower-spec pack
versions are available at £199
and £115 respectively.
Essentially a six-string tenor
uke, it’s tidily made with a
50mm string spacing at the
bridge – the same as your Les
Paul – with a 46mm nut width,
slightly wider than your 2015
Les Paul (though narrower than
Yamaha’s Guitalele nut width of
49mm). But these are nylon
strings, so it feels pretty
cramped. Tuned as if you’re
capo’d at the fifth fret, it’s easy
enough to get used to and once,
like any uke or nylon-string,
those strings have settled in, it’s
a lot of fun, adding some well
needed bass to the uke’s high-
pitch plink. The onboard pickup
with two-band EQ and volume
preamp means it’s perfectly
giggable and recordable.
Verdict
If you can’t get on with a
standard four-string uke, or if
you want a very compact six-
string electro-classical, this isn’t
such a daft option, Essential? No
way. Fun? Definitely.
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GIT389.rev_quick.indd 132 26/11/2014 17:23