FAD GADGETS

Rhodri Marsden on three of the latest must-have gizmos currently putting the prog in progress.

RHODES MK8

The first Rhodes pianos were devised as instruments that could be played by convalescing WW2 soldiers while sitting in a hospital bed. By the 1970s Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock had helped them become a mainstay of jazzy rock and pop. The piano’s rich, chorused sound and shimmering tones can be found on all kinds of records, partly due to the countless computerised emulations available. The new model, the Mark 8, looks and sounds beautiful, and can be all yours for between £7,000 and £10,000, depending on how souped up you want it. I’ll be sticking to the computerised version, but I can dream. www.rhodesmusic.com

GREENAXE

In recent years, 3D printing has reached a level of sophistication where buildings, food and even body parts can be printed out. But 3D printed wood – real wood that is – hasn’t yet become a thing… yet. This guitar, devised by a New Zealand professor named Olaf Diegel, might begin to change all that. Not only is it an ingenious way of deploying modern technology, its main raw material – sawdust – is a waste product that costs virtually nothing and would normally be thrown away or burned. You won’t find a guitar with more impeccable green credentials. www.forust.com

303 CLONE

The Roland TB-303, also known as the ‘acid dream machine’ or ‘silverbox’, was the defining sound of acid house music in the late 1980s. It was hilariously unpopular at the time, but the likes of Fatboy Slim found its swoops and squelches irresistible, and the little box became almost fetishised. Behringer, who seem to specialise in producing cheap versions of classic audio technology and worrying about court cases later, now make this lovely little version – more powerful than the original – for under £100. www.behringer.com