Interesting new instruments

20.02.2025 Tommi Saarela

Tips Artists Musicians New arrivals Producers Sound Technology

Introducing February’s exciting new instruments and peripherals.

Organic workhorse

Paul Reed Smith has released a workhorse guitar for players who seek versatility without compromising on quality. The new CE 24-08 Swamp Ash is built around a swamp ash body, a material prized for its balanced tonal spectrum. The guitar features a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, a bolt-on maple neck, and PRS’s signature 25-inch scale length.

The manufacturer’s in-house pickups are said to deliver clarity and range across both high and low frequencies. The electronics include volume and tone controls, a three-way pickup switch, and two mini-switches for coil-splitting. This combination offers eight different tonal options, blending humbucker and single-coil sounds.

Released as a limited edition, the PRS CE 24-08 Swamp Ash Vintage Natural comes with a gig bag and is available for around €2,300. For those who prefer a less natural-looking finish, alternative versions include Metallic Midnight and Red Apple Metallic.

Seventies Styled Kit

Celebrating its 50th anniversary at the end of last year, Japanese drum manufacturer Tama has released a range of limited-edition anniversary drums and kits. One of the most intriguing is the 50th Anniversary Starclassic Mirage, which pays homage to the acrylic-shell drums of the 1970s.

The kit is built around a 22-inch bass drum and includes four toms (10″, 12″, 14″, and 16″) with stands. The 5.5mm seamless acrylic shells provide a strikingly transparent look, complemented by dark nickel-plated hoops and hardware for a bold yet timeless aesthetic.

According to Tama, the kit offers more than just stunning looks—it delivers a powerful attack and thunderous tone, making it a standout choice for drummers seeking a unique sound.

The acrylic anniversary kit is priced at around €2,500, with a matching snare drum available separately.

The Player’s Workstation

Korg’s Kronos workstation synthesizer is back and better than ever. The Kronos 3 base model features 61 semi-weighted synth-action keys and comes loaded with a vast library of thousands of sounds, along with several new features. A standout addition is the large, highly responsive touchscreen, designed for ease of use both on stage and in the studio.

At the heart of the third-generation Kronos is a set of 128 brand-new sounds, including a rich and resonant Italian piano, alongside a variety of classic mechanical electric pianos and more. Korg claims that Kronos offers a sound palette covering all genres, from timeless classics to modern chart-topping tones.

Users can expand the sound library by purchasing additional sounds from Korg’s website, categorized by instrument type.

The Korg Kronos 3-61 is priced at around €3,200, while the 73-key and 88-key versions with fully weighted hammer-action keys cost approximately €3,600 and €3,900, respectively.

Strings Galore

Schecter’s latest release is not your average bass. The Stargazer-12 takes the brand’s standard 4-string model to the next level by adding a staggering 12 strings—each standard string is paired with two thinner octave strings, delivering a rich and harmonically complex sound that’s impossible to replicate with a regular bass.

To ensure precise tuning, the bridge features individual fine-tuners for both the main strings and their octave pairs.

The bass sports a C-profile set neck made of maple, with a mahogany body and fingerboard. Pickup-wise, it combines a humbucker at the bridge with a single-coil near the neck. The bridge pickup can be switched between parallel, series, or split-coil modes, allowing for a wide range of tonal possibilities. Further tone shaping comes from three control knobs (volume, tone, and blend).

The Stargazer-12 is available in black and white, with left-handed versions also on offer.

Pricing is expected to be around €1,500 in European markets.