Animals As Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi might have his own Abasi Concepts, but he’s teamed up with Ernie Ball Music Man for possibly the sickest-looking collaboration at NAMM 2022 so far – the Kaizen. The Kaizen, which is a a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices and personal efficiency, isn’t an Abasi signature, but rather a work designed by Abasi for Ernie Ball Music Man.
The Kaizen offers a sculpted Alder body for maximum comfort, a multi-scale Roasted Maple neck and Ebony fretboard that stretches from 24.75″ at the high E to 25.5″ at the low E, and two specifically-designed Kaizen humbuckers. Ernie Ball Music Man points out the humbuckers are still patent-pending and offer both an “excellent touch sensitivity and a more powerful bass response.”
“I chose to collaborate with Music Man because I’ve been a fan of their guitars and artists for a while,” said Abasi. “I see myself as a designer and love the act of creating new guitars. A parallel project looked like a fun and unique opportunity to do something new. I think the result is truly a blend of our ideas.”
Abasi added: “Part of the reason we did this is encapsulated in the name, ‘Kaizen’. I think a lot of the time, people look at the guitar as fixed. That is totally fine, but I am inspired by pushing the instrument further, and I think this was an opportunity to do that.”
Learn more about the Kaizen here.
