SONTRONICS

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EMG JH SET / SONTRONICS HALO

REVIEWS

Say Halo to this retro-looking microphone

SONTRONICS HALO £129

LOOK

at a guitar amp on

a large-ish stage

or in pretty much any studio, and

the chances are it’ll have a dynamic

mic in front of it. They’re rugged

and usually have a less sensitive

capsule than a condenser mic, so

the high sound pressure levels of

your amp are less likely to destroy

it. This also means that the mic can

be placed closer to the speaker,

cutting down on your chances

of bleed from other instruments.

Shure’s SM57 has ruled the

dynamic roost for decades as a

mic for all occasions, but now UK

brand Sontronics has developed

the Halo, a dynamic mic designed

specifically for guitar amps.

The capsule is suspended in

a frame by four springs. As well

as looking cool (it’s inspired by

40s radio mics, apparently), the

mounting system also dampens

any low end rumble when you’re

using it onstage. The frequency

response has been tweaked to

complement the speakers in your

guitar amp; Sontronics reckons

this means there’s no need for any

further EQ, and we’d concur. Once

you’ve set your amp’s sound and

found a good position, it’s fairly

transparent but still bright enough

to close-mic an acoustic guitar

with great results.

The shallow design of the mic

compared to a ‘standard’ mic

means that it won’t stick out as far

in front of your amp, which is great

for working in tight spaces. It’s

very well made, but we’d question

the frame and springs’ longevity

in the melee of post-gig packing

up. With a full price that’s equal to

the industry standard, Sontronics’

biggest challenge will be getting

you to put down the 57, but the

Halo is a worthy competitor.

Stuart Williams

AT A GLANCE

TYPE: Dynamic microphone

POLAR PATTERN: Cardioid

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

50Hz – 15kHz

CONNECTION: XLR

CONTACT: Time and Space

01837 55200 sontronics.com

FEATURES

SOUND QUALITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

BUILD QUALITY

USEABILITY

OVERALL RATING

S U M M A R Y

As Hetﬁ eld’s new EMGs prove, you cannot kill the battery

EMG JH SET £265

THE

most revered right

hand in metal has

consistently sat directly above an

EMG combo since the early 80s.

It makes sense, then, that EMG

and James Hetfield have finally

teamed up to build a set of pickups

to his specifications. Apparently,

pounding out aggression really

does turn into obsession: Hetfield

tried around 20 custom made

EMG pickups before settling on the

magic properties of ‘number 19’.

The JH pickups fit to your

guitar using EMG’s solder-less

connections. If you’re upgrading

from another EMG set, installation

is as easy as undoing a few screws,

and plugging them in with the

onboard connector. If not, you’ll

need space in your guitar for a

battery and EMG’s connector buss,

plus you’ll need to swap your pots

for the included set. Once they’re

in, you’ll get a fat low end from

the neck position. Played clean

with some chorus, it nails the

sound from the intro to One; with

a healthy slice of gain, it’s great for

down-tuned grinding rhythms.

The bridge position sounds almost

lacking in bass in comparison,

particularly on clean sounds, but

it’s when you add gain that you

start to appreciate it. Picking attack

is enhanced, and it gives you a

tight response in the mids.

It makes sense for diehard

Metallica fans who want to move

from passive to active to choose

the JH Set. Compare them side-

by-side with Hetfield’s much loved

81/60 pairing, and the difference

is visually and sonically noticeable.

However, at £265, owners of an

81/60 set will find it more of a

luxury than life-or-death.

Stuart Williams

AT A GLANCE

TYPE: Active humbuckers

POSITION: Neck/bridge

MAGNET: Ceramic, with ceramic poles

(neck) ceramic with steel poles (bridge)

WIRING: EMG solderless system

CONTACT: Selectron UK 01795 419460

emgpickups.com