Hite Premiere
The "Premiere by Hite" is sold as a student mpc. It is molded plastic which keeps the price down. Retail price is only about $33 and street price in the $20s.
A ML 3.5 reed makes the tone slightly thin but still pretty good for a softer reed. A Vandy Traditional 3 really gave this mpc a nice tone. The internal dimensions somewhat mimic that of the early Chedeville - narrow width H frame and a deep baffle. This keeps the mpc material from having a large impact on tone. Design is everything sometimes.
Response was the only issue, and only slightly. I had to play "on top" of the mpc, or articulate very slightly ahead of a faster response mpc. But other than that for the price it's top notch. This will give a student a very nice tone very similar to vintage or much higher priced mpcs. It won't have all the "special" qualities, but you'll find alot to like about the tonal qualities (and the price) .. slighty warm, nice and deep, full and 'round' tone.
If you currently have a student mpc this is definitely a move up. If you have a high quality professional mpc and a good ear you might find that this mpc lacks in certain tonal characteristics and would be a step down, but you'll certainly save alot of money.
For the price it definitely is an A, if it was a higher priced mpc it probably would be an B or B+ mpc. If I had some more time I might try a harder ML reed to see if the response issue was resolved while still maintaining a good tone.
MPC CATEGORY Student
CATEGORY Orchestra, Chamber, General
RATING
LL - A
R13 - A
The "Premiere by Hite" is sold as a student mpc. It is molded plastic which keeps the price down. Retail price is only about $33 and street price in the $20s.
A ML 3.5 reed makes the tone slightly thin but still pretty good for a softer reed. A Vandy Traditional 3 really gave this mpc a nice tone. The internal dimensions somewhat mimic that of the early Chedeville - narrow width H frame and a deep baffle. This keeps the mpc material from having a large impact on tone. Design is everything sometimes.
Response was the only issue, and only slightly. I had to play "on top" of the mpc, or articulate very slightly ahead of a faster response mpc. But other than that for the price it's top notch. This will give a student a very nice tone very similar to vintage or much higher priced mpcs. It won't have all the "special" qualities, but you'll find alot to like about the tonal qualities (and the price) .. slighty warm, nice and deep, full and 'round' tone.
If you currently have a student mpc this is definitely a move up. If you have a high quality professional mpc and a good ear you might find that this mpc lacks in certain tonal characteristics and would be a step down, but you'll certainly save alot of money.
For the price it definitely is an A, if it was a higher priced mpc it probably would be an B or B+ mpc. If I had some more time I might try a harder ML reed to see if the response issue was resolved while still maintaining a good tone.
MPC CATEGORY Student
CATEGORY Orchestra, Chamber, General
RATING
LL - A
R13 - A