Headway Shire King SK120 and LR Baggs Acoustic Reference Headway Shire King SK120 and LR Baggs Core 1 Acoustic Reference Portability and faithful signal reproduction of your favourite instrument is always of greatest concern to a gigging musician. Sam Wise diecovers how these new models fare eadway Music and LR Baggs have, at least superÞcially, a lot in common; both are relatively small boutique companies, run by innovative product designers who prefer to let their products do the talking for them. Both also produce a range of highend acoustic amps and pickups, highly regarded by players and the media alike, and yet the style and presentation of these two top-quality amps couldnÕt be more different. Looking at the ampliÞers side by side, theyÕre clearly from different worlds; the Acoustic Reference every inch the fancy boutique ampliÞer for the player who has everything, and the Shire King, in its more conventional vinyl-covered cabinet, looking like a piece of pro-audio equipment designed to H do a job, rather than to impress the neighbours. Real thought has gone into the appearance of the Baggs, resulting in a design which has echoes of high-end electric guitar amps, whilst retaining the more restrained, sober appearance which Þts better in the acoustic scene. Rather than reinforced corners on a plywood cabinet, the BaggsÕs enclosure is ringed on both sides with durable plastic, leaving no area vulnerable to damage, but with attractive stained-wood panels on each end. The robust metal speaker grill is topped with an anodized aluminium rolled panel which doubles as a carrying handle. Despite the position of this towards the front of the amp, the balance is near perfect as you lift it. The control panel is mounted on top of the amp, with dual purpose XLR/ jack inputs, unusual oval control knobs and a VU meter for each channel, which cast a warm glow over the amp. Arrayed across the back panel are a number of auxiliary connectors, and the whole effect is of a fully custom amp, tailored to make you feel good about owning it. The Shire King, by comparison, is resolutely conventional in design, with a vinyl-covered plywood cabinet, metal corner protectors and a carrying handle, much as amps have been since ampliÞed music began. The speaker cover is an understated knotted brown fabric, and the comprehensive control panel is printed with white on a black background and Þtted with absolutely standard control knobs and sockets. This new series amp also adds supplementary inputs and outputs, footswitch controls and FX loop connectors on the back panel, an upgrade from the older model SK60 we reviewed last year. The Headway doesnÕt give you the same impression of high-concept visual design as the Baggs; this is not the amp to put on your coffee table and admire. I can imagine, however, that it would be the easier one to repair if you found the need to replace a crackly volume control whilst on tour in some far-ßung place! The Shire King is much more soberlooking, clearly being designed to do a job rather than to look shiny, and would be an unobtrusive stage companion. The top panel controls of the Baggs are simple and straightforward, both channels being identically equipped with gain, VU meter, notch Þlter, 4-band EQ with sweepable mids, reverb, and a volume control. Sweepable tone controls allow you not only to cut 68 Headway Shire King SK120 and LR Baggs Acoustic Reference and boost a particular frequency band, but to choose from a range the band to which you will apply the cut or boost. That means that the ÔHi MidÕ control can be used on anything from Ôquite high midÕ to Ôreally really high mid, almost treble reallyÕ, which gives you great control over your sound. Phantom power is available on each channel, and thereÕs a mute button, though muting can also be achieved with a footswitch connected to the back panel. The back panel is comprehensive, including a DI output which can be switched to be either dry or routed through the reverb, and which also includes a ground lift to eliminate the buzz which can occur in some venues. There are line, headphone, and tuner outs, a separate effects loop for each channel and auxiliary inputs on both ¼ inch jack and phono connectors, making it easy to connect an external music source like a CD player or iPod. ThereÕs also a footswitch connector (the switch would operate the mute function) and the obligatory IEC mains connector and on/off switch. One small criticism is that the on/off switch is small and black rather than the illuminated type which is easier to Þnd on a dark stage. The Shire King by comparison is more complex, the two channels being for distinct purposes. Channel 1 is the primary guitar channel, with four inputs optimised for extra high impedance, high impedance, passive magnetic or active pickup systems, which should let you plug in any guitar with conÞdence. In practice, you can plug any instrument into any of them, but the volume level may not be appropriate, and the input will not be balanced in the way Headway thinks best for the pickup type. This channel also has a 4-band EQ, sadly without the Acoustic ReferenceÕs sweepable mid controls, and also has a presence control, which affects a fairly narrow frequency band between, but overlapping, the Hi Mid and Treble controls. Channel 2 can be used for a second instrument, the second input for a dual pickup system, or a microphone, which might be used on the instrument, or for vocals in a solo situation. The phantom power means you can use condenser mics, which are often considered better for acoustic ampliÞcation, or with it switched out, dynamic mics sound great too. ThereÕs also a stereo input, which directs the two separate signals of a stereo jack into the two channels. The Shire KingÕs notch Þlter doesnÕt have separate controls for each channel, but itÕs a much more ßexible tool than the BaggsÕs. Notch Þlters are most commonly used to cut a frequency which is causing feedback, but are also useful for removing body and handling noise, honky upper mid ranges or The VU meters are a welcome stylish addition which complement the design aethestics background rumble. Whereas the Baggs simply gives you an arbitrary (and unspeciÞed) frequency range which you can cut by rotating the knob from the ÔoffÕ position round until you Þnd the spot you need, the Shire King lets you control how wide the frequency band you cut is. Additionally, the Headway lets you apply it over a much wider range, meaning itÕs useful for anything from a cello to a mandolin, whereas the Baggs is optimized only for the usual problem areas on a guitar. Finally, the Shire King lets you leave the settings as they are and turn the Þlter on and off with a switch, whereas to turn the BaggsÕs Þlter off you lose your setting by rotating the knob. The Shire King offers a wider range of effects too, with the Baggs having only a highquality spring reverb, whereas the Headway offers a range of digital reverbs, delays, ßange, chorus and even a rotary speaker simulation. The Shire King also has a different array of connections on the back panel, offering separate DI outs for each channel (once again with ground lift), but only a single FX loop, tuner, phones and line outs. The Headway also has footswitch connections, one per channel, but rather than muting the amp these switch the multi FX in or out. Overall, the Headway gives the player more comprehensive control over the sound, and whilst itÕs more complex it also comes with far and away the best manual IÕve ever seen for an amp. Far from just a list of features and specs, this manual gives the reader an introduction to what each control does, and how to get the best out of it. Not only will it tell you how to operate the amp, itÕll make you a better sound engineer while youÕre at it! Of course, the real proof of the pudding is not the looks, or the features, but how the amps sound, and both of them are excellent. Starting with the EQ set ßat, the Baggs sounded a little muted and lacking sparkle, and switching the phase (so that the soundwaves in the air donÕt cancel out the vibrations in the top) only improved that marginally. I was then very surprised to Þnd how little difference turning up the treble made; it seems to be a very limited range of control, and I needed it turned up all the way to get a nice sound. I found, however, that sweeping the Hi Mid up most of the way allowed me to boost the top end as I wished to. The manual “Real thought has gone into the appearance of the Baggs, resulting in a design which has echoes of high-end electric guitar amps...” A clear and simple lay-out enhances the ease of accessing your wide range of modulations 69 Headway Shire King SK120 and LR Baggs Acoustic Reference Headway Shire King SK120 – £649 What we think Pros: Wide range of inputs, flexible EQ, multi FX, great sound. Cons: Workmanlike appearance, no sweepable mid, complexity could confuse some. Overall: A wonderful little amp designed by people who understand what musicians need . ACOUSTIC RATING OUT OF FIVE suggests that the VU meters be used to set the gain control appropriately, just as you would on a mixing desk, so I turned it up until my hardest strums were reaching the 0db mark. But I was surprised to Þnd that, set up like this, the amp produced clipping distortion as the levels put the circuitry into overdrive. I tried a different guitar and suffered the same problem, making me wonder whether the meters were miscalibrated. Whatever the case, I had to ignore them from then on and set the gain and volume by ear. From there it was easy to get a range of nice tones, though I was constantly surprised by the limited range of the EQ controls. IÕm all in favour of EQ that doesnÕt take you into the Ôsilly soundÕ realm at the extremes of each knob, but this one, for me, was too conservative. Nevertheless, with a bit of tweaking, I was able to get lovely sparkling highs, rich complex mids, and well-balanced bass. It wasnÕt too hard, either, to get a clunking, ringing country blues tone, though this required me to push the EQ to its limits. The spring reverb, which Baggs considers much better than a digital FX unit, sounded nice but was somewhat limited. The Baggs has one more innovative feature tucked away, however. Rather than a traditional cone shape, the loudspeaker in the Acoustic Reference is completely ßat. LR Baggs claim that this leads to a much wider and more even dispersion of sound, and though this was difÞcult to prove in the limited space available to me, the acoustics make sense. With the Shire King I once again started with the EQ ßat, this time Þnding that the sound was a little scooped, lacking in richness in the middle, which was easily remedied. In order to gain a comparison, I tested how far I could push the gain before clipping distortion set in, and found that it started to occur at a similar position; this suggests that the Baggs has just as able a preamp, but that the VU meter was causing some confusion. Once again, it was really easy to dial in great tones, but the Shire KingÕs EQ, whilst it doesnÕt push into the ÔsillyÕ range, gives more scope and ßexibility than the Baggs. I found it easy to get a full range of useful tones; from lovely, rich Þngerstyle tones with crystalline highs to honking blues, it was a match for whatever I wanted, taking my tone to places my guitar alone could not take it. The multi FX is a nice touch, allowing much more ßexibility than the BaggsÕs spring reverb. The BaggsÕs reverb is arguably warmer, but the Headway gives you much more choice of reverb types with halls, rooms and plates all replicated, which I ultimately found more helpful. In summary, I found these both to be excellent amps, and any acoustic guitarist ought to be able to plug into either and get a great tone. The Baggs deÞnitely scores on appearance, and if you want an amp which you can admire from the sofa, as well as enjoying the sound, then this is the one for you. It is, of course, somewhat louder than the Headway, and with itÕs wider and more even sound dispersion, perhaps itÕs a better choice for those who play regularly in bigger venues. The more workmanlike Headway, however, edges it for me, with its greater ßexibility and more attention to detail. Some players might Þnd it overcomplex, but a few minutes with the excellent manual are quickly repaid, making the amp easier to use in tricky live situations, and rendering it much more useful for amplifying acoustic instruments other than guitar. If that wasnÕt enough to win me over to the Shire King, the fact that itÕs over £500 cheaper would deÞnitely be enough to make me discount the Acoustic ReferenceÕs drop-dead-gorgeous looks. Sam Wise Contact Details Headway Music Audio Tel: 01869 338 393 Email: JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING LR Baggs Core 1 Acoustic Reference – £1179 What we think Pros: Fantastic looks, innovative speaker, simple uncluttered controls. Cons: Inaccurate meters, limited EQ range. Overall: A great-looking, greatsounding amp, but is it enough to justify the price? ACOUSTIC RATING OUT OF FIVE Contact Details Strings and Things Ltd. Tel: 01273 440 442 Email: JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING www.stringsandthings.co.uk “The Shire King is much more sober-looking, clearly being designed to do a job rather than to look shiny, and would be an unobtrusive stage companion” Acoustic Ratings Exceptional Excellent Good Average Poor 70