By Matthew Wig
Published in Guitarist Magazine, September 2003
When it comes to the pursuit of ultimate acoustic sound reproduction Schertler is very much a front runner, and you can find out more about this company in the Santa Cruz Studio review on page 118.
Having developed both external preamps for its existing pickups, as well as powered speaker cabinets (see Spec options) it would seem logical that an all-in-one solution was the next step. The fairly compact and portable Unico is an impressive looking answer, with four channels to cover any combination of inputs and a considerable resource of power.
At first glance you might confuse this amp with an AER, but aside from the similarly textured durable looking charcoal finish it’s quite different. Although more robustly assembled, you’ll recognise this typical bass reflex enclosure’s layout as being similar to a home stereo speaker. Its eight-inch Sica driver comes from the same wellestablished and widely used Italian firm that produces the new Jensens. On the floor of this acoustic woollined cab you’ll find a Belton reverb tank, which is magnetically shielded to reduce noise and is driven by a pure Class A circuit.
Despite creating a sleeker look, the lack of corner protectors may leave the Unico vulnerable to scuffs. But the metal front grille, particularly chunky rubber feet, spring-loaded rubber-grip metal carrying handle and metal stand socket on its base should meet the demands of professional business.
Sitting in the top’s recess, the control panel is refreshingly logical, sectioned like a mixing desk into parallel channels. All inputs, pots and switches are nicely spaced out and the knobs are all non-slip, but the EQ is not centre-notched and the labelling could be brighter.
Schertler is obviously selling this amp on sound quality rather than features, and if you check out this company’s product range you’ll rumble the Unico’s own-brand bias which proves to be both its strength and its weakness.
If you reference across to the spec check you’ll gather the MIC channel is very straightforward. The DYN channel (referencing Schertler’s DYN family of electrodynamic contact transducers) is the only one armed with feedback attenuation, which makes sense considering this is biased for notoriously sensitive low-output sources like mini electret condenser mics. Its Neutrik combi-input covers all the microphone plug, wiring and phantom power options you may encounter. Again the STAT channel is in reference to Schertler’s STAT family of electrostatic bridge-mount transducers for double-basses, cellos, violins, etc, but this is also the input for general active electro-acoustic pickup systems. While the ‘warm’ switch (a low-pass filter) is aimed at the STAT devices, the 10V phantom power can run most typical acoustic guitar preamps and electret mics. As with the MIC channel, the LINE channel has just the three-band EQ.
The low-cut switch allows the Unico to act as a mid-range amp when used with an active bass extension speaker.
Choosing a spring reverb for this unit seems a little at odds, since even the best of them colour your sound to some extent. Digital systems can sound clinical, but are generally more transparent.
This company’s new Bluestick under-saddle transducer may produce a truer tone and be more feedback resistant than comparable piezo devices, but obviously most steelstring electros carry the latter and we presume that you’ll occasionally need to run the Unico at full whack. More general feedback controlling tools and EQ on the STAT channel, as well as input gain controls with clip LEDs, might have made this amp more appealing to players in louder bands, but the features and spec definitely favour the purist.
SOUNDS: We’ve tested the Unico using the Schertler Bluestick equipped Santa Cruz Studio. Of course this new pickup has an unfamiliar tone too, but we always use a consistent counter-reference (DI’d into the desk and monitor through relatively transparent speakers) to gauge the tone of every acoustic amp. Despite prioritising harmonic accuracy with all components, the Unico can’t physically help exerting some subtle influence on your sound. Of all the amps we’ve reviewed, the SWR California Blonde (Sep 2002) gave a similarly punchy performance, while the purist ethics follow AER’s avoidance of non-essential tweaks. You’ve got a potent resource of deep, fully-formed bottom end that, like that SWR, tracks your playing exceptionally tightly, and each EQ pot’s 15dB cut/boost guarantees you ample control if you need it. Most impressive is the smooth, harmonically intact, properly flat midrange body, which offers natural, nonmuffled warmth – a boon for any decent acoustic pickup. The top end is clean and penetrating yet never harsh (on flat EQ), reproducing the pickup’s natural crispness.
All in all the Unico provides the presence and outstanding audibility you need in a monitor, sounding like it’s right next to you when it’s several metres away. Its well-behaved yet emphatic output can fill a room without over-stretching its power resources or losing its composure.
We’re not totally convinced, however, by the reverb, which sounds unnecessarily characterful to us at higher levels.
