Ernie Ball Music Man has launched a run of Tosin Abasi’s Kaizen signature guitar in a limited edition Gallium finish that ages over time to give each guitar its own unique look – and what a look it is.
Seriously, when the Animals As Leaders guitarist first teased this Gallium-finished Kaizen in February, we couldn’t quite believe if. It looked like it was a one-off, a distant ancestor of Joe Satriani’s Chrome Boy recovered from an alien spacecraft.
But in truth this was something completely different to the metal and metallic finishes we have seen on electric guitars before.
It was all-new to Abasi, too. “I’ve never seen anything like it on a guitar and I can’t wait to get mine,” wrote Abasi.
Well, it is here now, available from Ernie Ball Music Man and its dealers, priced $3,799 for the six-string variant, $3,999 if you want this sci-fi awesomeness translated to an extended-range 7-string guitar. And it is not a one-off. EBMM is making 66 of the six-strings, 33 of the sevens. Maybe they’ll make more; they will certainly sell out of these in no time.
For the progressive metal guitar player – for any metal player who wants a high-performance electric with a super gnarly profile and finish – this is a no-brainer.
We’ll remind you of the Kaizen’s vital statistics in a moment – the Heat Treated humbuckers, Infinity Radius neck, that body shape! – but first that finish. Just what goes into it? Silver, is the answer. But it is how the silver is applied that makes the difference.
“This finish uses real silver in the paint, giving it a shiny, metallic appearance that reflects light and stands out onstage,” says EBMM. “What sets this process apart is that before the final clear coat is applied, the silver oxidises naturally, allowing the finish to change over time and develop a distinct pattern unique to each guitar”
Those guitars have a solid alder body, multi-scale necks that run from 24.75” to 25.5” on the six-strings, 24.75” to 25.65” on the seven-strings. Necks are bolted to the body, carved from roasted figured maple and given the customary high-end gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax TLC from EBMM. The necks on this guitar will feel out of this world.
The multi-scale tremolo has string-dampeners to put the squeeze on unwanted noise. Similarly, you’ve got graphite acrylic resin coated body cavities and aluminium control covers to keep hum at a minimum even when using unearthly amounts of gain.
Abasi has gone for a future-forward set of Steinberger tuners, which are locking and have a neat gearless. design. And we should have a final word about this Infinity Radius on the neck.
This, says EBMM, involves a fingerboard radius that “peaks along the treble-side edge of the fretboard and folds towards the player” making for a fully unobstructed view of the entire fretboard as you are playing. Neat. And there are dot markers on the ebony ‘board to further aid navigation.
The Kaizen Gallium is available now and, as unlikely as it seemed at the time, it has eclipsed the Kryptonite green as a our favourite colour. For more details, head over to Ernie Ball Music Man.
“My playing has always sucked, but it sells!”: The guitarist who co-wrote two of the most famous songs of all time admits he is no virtuoso
“I was sort of hot in those days!”: The guitarist who had the cojones to replace Gary Moore in Thin Lizzy - and the chops to play alongside David Gilmour in Pink Floyd.
