Focusrite iTrack Solo

128 Guitari s t February 2013
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Motörheadphönes
£79-£129
Make everything loud
The Bottom Line
We like: Stylish; versatile;
comfortable; well priced;
We dislike: Break-up
sometimes starts before
your ears actually bleed
GUITARIST RATING
Motörheadphönes? What do
they do, make everything
sound like Motörhead? No
entity on this earth should
sound like Motörhead, except
Motörhead themselves. The
concept behind the band’s
badged custom range – three
sets of cans: Bomber, Iron Fist
and Motörizer, plus two in-ear
jobs, Overkill (£49) and Trigger
(£39), both with metal rather
than plastic buds – is that most
modern cans are designed for
dance-music fans who favour
monster bass, thereby short-
changing guitar-based rock’s
need for a strong low-mid.
We’re assured both that
Motörheadphönes redress this
imbalance, and that the entire
range has been tested to
destruction by the band and
their crew.
In Use
Solid and stylish, with black-
crackle finish, comfortable
thanks to velvet ear-cushions
and clever self-adjusting
headband, and fitted with
high-end trimmings like woven
cable and gold-plated right-
angled jack, the top-of-the-
range Motörizer ain’t just for
hard rock, though it certainly
flatters the epic filth of ZZ Top
GUITARIST RATING
In Use
Stronger jaws and more tension
in the pivot for easier one-hand
operation are good updates
from the last model. Even the
bridge-pin puller has been
redesigned to help better
protect your acoustic’s bridge
from marks and dings.
Verdict
Never had a good string
winder/cutter? Do yourself a
favour and get the Pro-Winder.
You’ll soon wonder how you
managed without it. [SB]
The Bottom Line
We like: Works perfectly;
great price
We dislike: Nothing
A string-winder is a vital
accessory when it comes to
restringing your pride and joy
efficiently, perhaps at a
mid-gig interval, and Planet
Waves provides quite a choice.
However, the Pro-Winder adds
functionality with a number of
useful features. There’s a
string snipper built into the
hinge of the hardened steel
handle, as well as a string-pin
puller, and it’s small enough to
fit into your pocket.
The winder head
incorporates a number of slots,
which allow it to be usable
with electric, acoustic and
even some – but not all – bass
tuner buttons of most
denominations. Impressively,
it can even deal with the
notoriously oversized Gretsch
Imperial-style tuner with
consummate ease.
and, indeed, Motörhead… and
the weighty whomp of a
symphony orchestra gets an
equally luxurious ride. There’s
plenty of bass response, as well
as those rich, warm mids, and
a high-end clarity that suits
solo acoustic, cello or piano.
The only disappointment is
that the flaws in some older
recordings can be cruelly
exposed, and distortion – the
wrong kind – can set in before
your brain is reduced to jelly.
Verdict
Killer cans at a sensible price,
fit for purpose across the
entire musical spectrum – use
’em for both pleasure listening
and home/studio recording.
And how cool is it to be seen
wearing Motörheadphönes
when you’re actually listening
to Miles Davis, Martin
Carthy… or Mözart? [CSM]
Wind, snip and remove strings easily
Planet Waves
Pro-Winder
£9.49
CONTACT: D’Addario UK PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.daddario.co.uk
CONTACT: Motörheadphönes PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.motorheadphones.com
GIT364.rev_quick.indd 128 12/21/12 11:02 AM