When first learning of Leonardo Custom Cabinets, it may be easy to write them off as a company trying to reproduce what Raezer's Edge has already done. That is to produce a very high level, but compact cabinet that works well with high-powered jazz guitar amplifiers (my personal choice is the Clarus 2R by Acoustic Image).

However, to say that the Leonardo 10 is just a carbon copy of something already on the market would be a mistake. While I am a fan of the cabinets produced by Raezer's Edge, I experienced a completely different voice when I plugged the Clarus 2R into the Leonardo 10. In a side-by-side comparison, I noticed that the Leonardo produced a richer, warmer sound than its Raezer's Edge counterpart. Then I realized that this cabinet was simply giving me a very clean and 'unaffected' reproduction of the tone of my guitar. Isn't that what a jazz guitarist is really looking for…a quality, high powered cabinet (it's rated at 250 watts RMS @ 8ohms) that does not color the tone, but lets the guitar and amp do the work?

Drew Andrews (Marketing Director for Leonardo Cabinets) explained some of the construction principles that are at work in the Leonardo 10 when he dropped off the cabinet with me for a test drive. One of the elements that peaked my interest was the tuned port at the bottom of the cabinet. Drew explained to me that the people at Leonardo go to great lengths to make sure that the port is tuned properly to produce the greatest possible range of low to mid-low frequencies possible.

I decided to put this cabinet to the test. I took it with me on a couple of gigs on two consecutive evenings in substitution for my Raezer's Edge cabinet. These two bookings contrasted greatly in terms of the type of room I was playing and the type of group I was playing with. The first was with a quartet in a 'bar' type atmosphere. I noticed that the Leonardo 10 not only cut through the volume of the rest of the band and general noise of the room, but retained the warmth that I liked when I first heard the cabinet.

The second gig was at a quiet restaurant where I was booked with another guitarist. Obviously, I could not 'crank up' my amplifier like I did the night before. I was surprised by the 'size' of the sound at a low volume. It gave me all of the low end I needed when playing bass accompaniment with chords as well as the high end punch for lead lines.

One of the other benefits of the Leonardo 10 is its versatility. This cabinet allows you to switch gears and play all sorts of other guitars (acoustic or electric), use a variety of amplifiers, and try a number of different tones while maintaining authenticity in your sound. So, if jazz is not your bag and you are still looking for a good light-weight cabinet, look no further.

Aesthetically, the Leonardo 10 is a very attractive cabinet with its solid pine construction, quality black tolex, and tasteful grill covering. Additionally, it's comes in slightly lighter in weight than most other products in its category at 21 lbs.

Cool:
The price; the Leonardo 10 retails at $480, but the folks at Leonardo and their dealers offer a 'Welcome to the Family' discounted price of $400.
Also, try playing this in tandem with the Leonardo 8 for an extra fat sound.

Not So Cool:
Not enough public knowledge of these great cabinets (but give 'em time…their still a young company).

Rating:
Five Stars (out of a possible five)

Leonardo Custom Cabinets: http://www.leonardocabs.com