Canadian Musician - September/October 2020 | Page 66

HOT GEAR Gretsch Brooklyn & Brooklyn Micro Drum Kits with Nitron Finishes Gretsch Drums has introduced two new Nitron finishes to its Brooklyn series: blue burst pearl for the original kit and white marine pearl for the Micro Kit. Gretsch’s Brooklyn drums are manufactured in the company’s Ridgeland, SC factory and constructed from six-ply North American maple/poplar. They are finished with the distinctive 3-mm thick, doubleflanged 302 counter hoops, which are reminiscent of the ones used by the company until the mid-1950s. The drums produce a distinctive sound and their specifications create a unique tonal characteristic that is slightly more open and ambient when compared to Gretsch’s classic full, punchy, and warm sound. The Brooklyn Micro Kit is ideal for small venues, studios, rehearsal rooms, and other situations where space is at a premium. The kit is built to the same specifications as the original Brooklyn drums. For more information, contact B&J Music: 800-268-8147, [email protected], www.bjmusiconline.com. Eventide ShimmerVerb Plug-In Eventide Audio has released the ShimmerVerb plug-in, which combines a “lustrous” reverb with parallel pitch shifters to add ethereal layers to make signals “shimmer.” Producers and engineers have previously achieved this effect by using pitch-shifting hardware units in combination with a reverb. This production technique was popularized by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on U2’s The Unforgettable Fire. Now, this well-known sound has been refined and extended with a modern, unified interface that is ideal for adding ambiance to guitars, keys, synths, samples, and vocals. Features have been added such as the ability to infinitely feedback the signal, resulting in cascading reverbs. Feedback can be further fine-tuned by specifying which frequencies are fed back through the low/mid/high crossover network. The “Ribbon” function – one of the playable, performance-based parameters – is an easy-to-program performance macro allowing users to morph ShimmerVerb’s effect between two completely different settings of any combination of controls. Desktop users can plug in a MIDI keyboard and gain tactile command over this function via the modulation wheel. For more information, contact Eventide: 201-641-1200, [email protected], www.eventide.com. Gibson Frank Hannon ‘Love Dove’ Acoustic Guitar Gibson has released the Frank Hannon ‘Love Dove’ acoustic guitar, which marks the first signature guitar for the acclaimed solo artist, guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the multi-platinum band TESLA. Hannon used his ‘70s-era Gibson Dove to write and record numerous songs, including the TESLA hits “What You Give” and “Stir it Up.” The new Love Dove model is highly customized, featuring a thermally aged Sitka spruce top married to a maple back and sides, allowing for enhanced response and resonance. A ‘70s-era Dove bridge with scalloped wings decorated with mother-of-pearl wing inlays adorn the centre, and the Dove pick guard features hand-engraved and painted details. Each Love Dove guitar comes in vintage cherry sunburst and is commemorated with a signed inside label by Frank Hannon and custom Love-engraved truss cover written by Hannon himself. For more information, contact Yorkville Sound: 905-837-8777, [email protected], www.yorkville.com. 66 CANADIAN MUSICIAN