Kiesel Guitars has never shied away from pushing the envelope — but with the all-new NEO, they’ve launched headfirst into uncharted territory. Developed in collaboration with genre-blending visionary Devin Townsend, the NEO is compact, elegant, and built with obsessive attention to detail.
The NEO arrives in two distinct editions: the Circle and the Om. The Circle is Townsend’s signature all the way—a sleek, 27-fret weapon with a single Fishman active pickup designed to deliver his famously vast tonal palette.
Its namesake inlay and red Kiesel logo scream modern mysticism, and the red-knobbed black hardware reinforces its aesthetic minimalism. A carved Maple or Poplar Burl top meets a Mahogany body, wrapped in a 24.75″ scale length that keeps things tight and aggressive. Every inch feels tuned for precision and performance.
The Om, on the other hand, is an entirely different beast. With 32 stainless steel frets and a 25.5″ scale length, this guitar is made for players who seek infinite reach.
It features three passive Kiesel S60A single coils arranged in a stacked single-single-single configuration, paired with a 5-way super switch and push/pull voicing. Natural woods take center stage with Roasted Flamed Maple necks, a Richlite or Ebony fingerboard, and a warm, earthy vibe that belies its high-tech guts.
Both models pack premium features across the board: Dunlop flush-mounted strap locks, a recessed output jack, a custom-covered Hipshot fixed bridge (or Kiesel’s own tremolo system), and ultra-stable Roasted Maple necks reinforced with carbon rods. The body — 29 inches long, just 11.25 inches wide — is featherlight at 6.6 lbs and perfectly counterbalanced thanks to an internal weight system.
“So, because the NEO is based on being for ambient music and being a very beautiful instrument for that kind of floaty thing that I do, we decided to try what it would be like to make a metal version of the NEO,” said Townsend.
“When I’m actually doing the heavy stuff in the bus, I’ve got this instrument that is perfect for that. And it doesn’t get in the way of people when I’m sitting in the back lounge. And it looks badass.”
The NEO series is available here and starts at $2,799.
