NEW GEAR 12/24: PRS SE CE 24 SS, Mooer Modellers, Tama Snare and Circa 74 Combo Amp

SE CE 24 Standard Satin: the most affordable model from PRS

With an official price tag of just 575 euros, the most affordable electric guitar from PRS should soon be available on the European market. The SE CE 24 Standard Satin version will be offered in three transparent shades covered in a thin layer of matt nitro lacquer. A maple neck with a comfortable Wide Thin profile is bolted to a mahogany body and a 10-inch radius rosewood fingerboard carries 24 medium jumbo frets. The nickel-plated hardware features the company's classic tremolo and tuners, and the sound is carried by two 85/15 "S" humbuckers controlled by a three-position switch, a common volume and a push/pull tone knob.

Charvel Pro-Mod Relic SD S1 HH: nitro, relic and Floyd Rose

Charvel superstrats from the San Dimas edition, whose golden era was in the 1980s, come in black, red or white lacquer with a relic finish, which surprisingly suits them. A nitrocellulose lacquer allows the wood to breathe and improve its resonant properties over time. The traditional alder/maple combination is complemented by a pau ferro fingerboard with variable radius and 22 jumbo frets, while the neck is finished with a hand-applied urethane gel. It is fitted with a Floyd Rose 1000 tremolo, Seymour Duncan JB TB4 / '59 SH-1N humbuckers, a three-position switch, a volume potentiometer and a tone knob. Prices including a gig bag start at approx. 1280 euros.

Drive OCD V 1.4 Reissue: the Fulltone brand is back

Less than two years after the demise of Fulltone, engineer Mike Fuller's boutique brand is making a comeback, thanks to Brad Jackson, founder and head of Jackson Audio, who gave Fuller a helping hand and came up with the idea to continue producing the legendary OCD drive/distortion. It's now available through the Fulltone Custom Shop program as an exact reissue of the original model in version 1.4, handcrafted in Jackson Audio's Texas headquarters. More pedals, including all-new effects, are expected to follow.

Modellers Mooer GE1000 and GE1000Li: AI EQ and touchscreen

Mooer's latest range of modelling preamp/multi-effects includes two versions called GE1000 and GE1000 Li (with colour expression pedal), the latter also featuring a rechargeable Li-Ion battery with a 4750 mAh capacity. The manufacturer has equipped both models with a 5" colour touchscreen display, a bank of 255 presets and IR files with up to 2048 sample points. Up to 14 effect blocks can be activated simultaneously, some of which can be repeated in the series, and a Stomp mode is integrated for individual switching on/off of 4 selected effects. A notable modification is a feature that Mooer refers to as an "AI-driven automatic equaliser," analysing the sound based on your playing and style, then adjusting the equalisation curve accordingly. Of course, there's stereo ef. loop, MIDI, USB-C, etc.

Stereo combo amps Blackstar ID:Core V4

Blackstar's small guitar combos from the ID:Core series have long been among the best-selling amps designed for home practice or recording. Despite the worldwide success of this edition, the British brand is constantly trying to improve it, both in terms of sound and operation. For now, the newest series is the fourth generation ID:Core V4, featuring three combo amps with 10W (2x5W, 2x3" speaker), 20W (2x10W / 2x5") and 40W (2x20W / 2x6.5") with Super Wide Stereo technology, 6 modes from Clean Warm to OD 2, ISF function, 12 digital effects and the ability to store 6 presets. There's a built-in CabRig speaker emulator and combos can serve as a four-channel USB-C sound card for recording and re-amping, there's a tuner, Aux In, max power reduction to 1W, and the Architect mobile editing app.

Circa 74: the new Taylor brand and acoustic combo amps

At this year's NAMM, Taylor Guitars introduced its new brand Circa 74, which also produces a transistor combo for acoustic guitar and vocals. Identically equipped microphone (XLR) and guitar (jack) channels with volume, room reverb and three-band EQ controls are complemented by a 150W RMS power amp connected to a single 10-inch full-range speaker. Other features include a Bluetooth module, a mini-jack Aux In, a similarly designed headphone jack and a pair of outputs – DI/XLR and line/jack. The body of the combo, with the product label AV150-10, is made of solid mahogany, which contributes to the quality of the resulting sound, the design emulates a timeless vintage aesthetic. Official price including mahogany stand: approx. 1200 dollars.

Strings Stringjoy Mark Morton Artist Series

The Nashville-based string manufacturer has announced a collaboration with the guitarist of Lamb of God and added to its product portfolio a Mark Morton Artist Series 9.5/50 six-string set with gauges in sizes .0095 – .0125 – .016 – .028 – .038 – .050 inches. According to the manufacturer, the nickel-wound set covers the sonic spectrum from mellow blues solos to aggressive metal riffs, and the greater thickness of the E string ensures a stable tone during Drop tuning. In addition to the extended life, the manufacturer has also kept the environmental aspect in mind and sealed the set in only one plastic case, with a silver and gold ball-end system for better orientation when choosing a particular string. Price: 13.90 dollars, with a 10% discount when buying 6 sets.

Bass pickups Fender Cobalt Chrome

Fender Cobalt Chrome single-coil pickups for Precision, Jazz Bass and their more modern counterparts help eliminate the classic single-coil hum thanks to new technology. Renowned engineer Tim Shaw used patented iron-chrome-cobalt alloy magnets, which also give the resulting tone more punch, clarity and a wider dynamic range. Both models retain the sonic character of their time-honoured predecessors – the traditional soft attack of the Precision and the transparent expression with assertive mids of the Jazz Bass. The pickups are available both individually and as a set.

Four-string bass Kiesel Dustin Davidson DDM4

The bassist of American metalcore band August Burns Red has received his second signature instrument from California boutique company Kiesel Guitars. The modern version of the DDM4 adopts the design of the popular A2 series but retains only two Tritium humbuckers, which according to Davidson deliver a fuller, brighter tone when paired with the built-in Darkglass active preamp. Similar to the predecessor, there's a dual 34" – 35.5" scale, a bolt-on carbon-reinforced maple neck and 24 stainless steel frets. The alder base of the body is covered by an exotic-looking slab of maple, the strings are anchored in a Hipshot Triple Locking Solo Saddle bridge and the tuners are provided by the same manufacturer.

Anniversary snare Tama Mastercraft Artwood and Mastercraft Steel Reissue

Other drums in this year's limited Tama 50th Anniversary series include reissues of the Mastercraft Artwood Snare AW-455 14 "x5" and AW-456 14 "x6.5" models with six-ply, nine-millimeter-thick birch shells and typical wood inlay. Both snares provide clear projection with an emphasis on the lower midrange, and feature the company's innovative Roller Action Strainer system with a single lever and a pair of guide rollers for detailed and sensitive response. The series is complemented by Tama Mastercraft 50th Limited Steel Reissue 14" x 6.5" variant, with a steel body with 1.2mm thick shells, equipped with 10 tuning screws, inside muffler One Touch, cast hoops, distinctive bottom handles and similar hardware to the Artwood version. The 8056 model, with its chrome finish and distinctive fast-attack sound, is again fitted with a REMO Ambassador Coated head.