GEAR ROUNDUP on my instruments, and it soaked right into the rosewood fretboard with virtually no residue left over. All-In-One Cleaner, my personal favorite after I figured out the locking button for the spray trigger, sprayed easily and took off all my grimy fingerprints in one wipe! The String Conditioner has a push down button on the felt swap on top and applied smoothly and wiped off fast too. Besides being great instrument care products Stringjoy has hands down created the best smelling products I have ever cleaned my instruments with. You can buy the Stringjoy Instrument care products individually( All-In- One Cleaner is a must buy) but I recommend you purchase their Stringjoy Ultimate Guitar Care Kit for just $ 54.99. While you are on their website or at your favorite Guitar Shop be sure to check their wide variety of guitar strings that are priced competitively! Although I can’ t guarantee the strings will smell as great as these instrument care products do. www. stringjoy. com
JBL BandBox TRIO
JBL recently released the new BandBox SOLO and TRIO, we received the Trio for this review. JBL has created the BandBox to be an AI powered practice amp, PA system, stream songs and remove any tracks you want to replace with your own. The TRIO features 135 watts of power with a 6.5” woofer and dual tweeters and a rechargeable battery that will last for 10 hours of play on a 3-hour charge. JBL sets this BandBox up with a 4-channel mixer that is adjustable via the LCD screen at top, reverb and delay for vocals, guitar tuner, metronome, looper and pitch shift. I
paired up the Bluetooth with the Trio and my smartphone and ran Mercy Me’ s song Happy Dance through the unit then removed drums, vocals and backing instrumentation. For learning, practice, youth groups or small church gatherings the JBL BandBox TRIO can do it all and serve as a PA system for smaller gatherings and events. The sound quality, bass response and separation surprised me since it only weighs 19.27lbs and measures 16.57” x 12.91” x 10.87”. The JBL BandBox TRIO has built-in drum patterns including Blues, Country and Funk with adjustable tempo and beats per measure. The tuner, looper and metronome all worked great and were easy to adjust and read on the LCD screen on top of the amp. The connectivity on the back of the TRIO allows 3 instruments to be plugged in simultaneously, or 1 instrument and two microphones. It also has onboard effects for instruments and vocals and a USB-C output so you can record direct to a DAW. At a cost of $ 599.95 the JBL BandBox TRIO is a great value in a multi-application amplifier, PA, practice device and it integrates with the JBL App on smartphones & tablets. The only additional option I would like to see JBL offer is a protective padded gig bag to transport it in. JBL really hit a homerun for musicians and vocalists with the BandBox TRIO it can fit the bill for home practice, band practice and live performance as needed! www. jbl. com
Kepma FC Mini Acoustic / Electric Guitar I was first introduced to Kepma Guitars FC Mini models last year as prototypes at the NAMM show, but now these models are available in the US. The model we reviewed is the FCM-SMA- SB model which means it features the solid torrefied spruce top with layered mahogany back / sides, sunburst finish and cutaway. This Kepma FC Mini includes the AcoustiFex K-10 Pro electronics with chorus, delay and reverb built-in and a rechargeable battery. Other features of this fun travel guitar are Kepma’ s bolt-on neck( only visible via the sound hole,
arched back for increased projection and rosewood bracing. This FC Mini has a thin finish, allowing the guitar to vibrate and breath, magnolia inlays on the fretboard and Kepma Mini chrome tuners. My favorite part of the FC mini is that you can Bluetooth your smartphone into it and play backing tracks and jam to them. The USB-C connector, on with the other effects, allows direct computer connectivity for tracking, practice and looping. Plugged into an amplifier the Kepma FC Mini sounds full and much bigger than it’ s ¾ size. Prices range from $ 399.99 to 549.99 depending on your choice of fully acoustic, Elfin sound system( no relation to Lord of the Rings) or as tested with AcoustiFex K-10 Pro. I recommend the AcoustiFex option, and this is a great instrument for youth groups and smaller church functions where a fullsize guitar can be cumbersome! The FC Mini includes a nice gig bag and Kepma kit with extra bridge pins, picks and neck adjustment wrench too. www. kepmausa. com
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