NAMM 2025: Sterling By Music Man has unveiled three new signature guitars that rework Tosin Abasi, Rabea Massaad and Ryan “Fluff” Bruce’s super high-end Ernie Ball Music Man designs at a more affordable price point.
Abasi’s Kaizen is offered as a six or seven-string guitar, and you would be hard pushed to find a more modern-looking electric guitar for under $1,000.
Massaad’s Sabre looks a chip off the old block in Ashen Burst and Blood Flame Burst, with Massaad’s signature white ring inlays on the fingerboard, Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side markers, and with that generously contoured S-style body that’s all about the ergonomics.
Fluff Bruce’s StingRay has that retro-modern vibe. Retro in that it looks like a bolt-on from the ‘70s, particularly with those Amana Boat Blue and Rula Thumb Red colour options. And modern in the sense that does not ship in standard tuning. Bruce tunes down. The factory setup on this one presents the YouTuber’s signature doublecut with a set of Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky electric guitar strings tuned to Drop C#.
There is no word yet as to when these will officially be available. Sterling By Music Man has yet to release all the specs. But they will be launched at some point this year and we do have some details.
For many players, the Kaizen is the big one. Co-designed with the Animals As Leaders guitarists, this has the familiar body shape and some premium touches. There are Steinberger tuners, a roasted maple neck. It is, however, a standard scale instrument instead of the multi-scale of its EBMM version.
It features a pair of SBMM high-output humbuckers and a three-way control switch, volume and tone, and a vibrato. The finish options are metallic purple and solid black, and expect to pay $849 for the six-string, $899 for the seven-string.
It looks like Massaad’s SBMM Sabre will be similarly versatile as his EBMM. A pair of custom-voiced Alnico V humbuckers are hooked up to a five-way selector switch and there is a push-push coil split. It has locking tuners, an SBMM tremolo, and that figured maple veneer looks pretty classy. It is priced $899.
Finally, Bruce’s StingRay has a Seymour Duncan electric guitar pickup pairing, with a Trembucker at the bridge and a JB Jr at the neck.
These are hooked up to a three-way pickup selector, volume and tone pots, both of which are mounted on a metal plate. It has a roasted maple neck, and you have the choice of fingerboards, with the Rula Thumb Red model with what looks like a rosewood fingerboard, and the Amana Boat Blue with roasted maple.
These are priced $879. For more details on the SBMM range, head over to Sterling By Music Man.
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score an impressive £487 off a Fender Jazzmaster, as well as hundreds off recording gear from Beyerdynamic and Universal Audio
“Your opportunity to own a piece of music history that is directly tied to two of the world’s foremost guitarists”: Gibson unveils Murphy Lab replica of Eric Clapton’s “Disraeli Gears” 1958 Les Paul Custom that he later gifted to Albert Lee
