Kaizen

Interesting development - Tosin Abasi & Ernie Ball have the Kaizen to offer this NAMM. 7,-string, fan-fretted, Steinberger tuners & heat treated pickups are some of the highlights. 

Abasi cited an admiration for the EBMM players as well as the manufacturer's impressive history as the collaborative reason. Is there something that is preventing his current guitar brand from manifesting something like this? The way I see it, if the Abasi Concept label has a very strong appeal & distribution network, this might not happen. I do not wish to read too much into this development, let's just say if you are a player of calibre, every manufacturer wish to propel your name on their products.

Pic: Musicradar

Pathos

You know Tosin Abasi, yes? This one's from his brand of pedals. After watching the demo, it is quite different from his recording tone (which is largely digital) and nothing a Wampler Pinnacle/ Sovereign couldn't match. Not to belittle the Pathos in any way but if you are looking specifically to re-create the Abasi tone, the AXE-FX would be a better bet. OK, we shouldn't dismiss the fact that the Pathos was created to be free from that association but if a product carries an endorser's label, sounding different is a difficult selling point. 

Own guitars as leaders

Animal As Leaders guitarist, Tosin Abasi, has announced a possible line of his own brand name guitars come 2018. This would mean that Ibanez would be losing one of the most talented 8-string player ever. It's a rather telling sign as Ibanez did not materialize his latest signature single cut model this year. We wish him all the best in his future guitar adventures which we'd be following closely, of course.

Tosin Drive

It keeps getting better for Tosin Abasi, he teamed up with Pro Tone for this OD unit. It's basically a Dead Horse given a selectable EQ preset labelled as FILTER. It's not really a surprise to see this collaboration because we know what the Pro Tone pedals do to high gain guitar tones. This initial release is available on pre-order only & it's already sold out. Gee...

Tosin's proto

This is the current buzz in the Ibanez universe- Tosin Abasi's new proto which is acquired taste in the looks department. Ibanez is actually doing themselves a favour by letting Tosin have what he wants, really. He is often seen with other boutique, non-Ibanez guitars & surely, someone out there doesn't want him to switch camps. That fanned fret feature is currently hype in the Ibanez camp but there's something I'm really happy seeing in this guitar- Seymour Duncans!

Clinics ahead

Here's a summary of the great instrument clinics coming our way this month, all courtesy of the good people at Swee Lee Co (L-R): Matt Garstka, Jeff Berlin, Tosin Abasi. On a personal note, I prefer clinics to performances because of the educational value. Visit Swee Lee Co's homepage for registration instructions- see you there :-)

Abasi in SG

This is good news for many of us- 8-string commander, Tosin Abasi will be holding a clinic here in Singapore on 24th May 2015 (Sunday). Keep the date available for an up close guitar wizardry like no other. More details to come, watch this space :-)

Ibanez 2014: Signatures

Tosin Abasi fans, this is the more affordable make of the 8-string model. It costs significantly lesser than the Prestige version (a good USD2,700 difference!). Summary of the differences:

• Neck is maple/walnut as opposed to the wenge/bubinga of the Prestige. To put it nicely- it's a regular neck, nothing special.
• Rosewood fretboard (Prestige version sports a wenge fretboard)
• Non-locking bridge & nut. Black finish as well, no gold flash here
• Basswood body, no maple cap
• Coil tap switch is under the pickguard unlike the Prestige version which is embedded in the body. Implication- it's a standard basswood body meant for the standard RG, no extra cavities in the body equals less production costs
• Fretboard markers- side dots

Periphery's Jack Bowen gets his signature model based on the RGA with a Lo-Pro Edge bridge (yeah!). Pickups are Bowen's signature Titan humbuckers. Together with the ebony fretboard, it should be a sleek player- available in Summer 2014.

Mick Thompson's MTM100 is still in tact with a preserved Glaive-type body shape but his budget alternative reverts to the RG-type outline as seen here. So the MTM20 is new despite reverting to its initial body design.

Korn's Munky is still with Ibanez this 2014 & he gets a new signature; wondering if his band's current status makes this a worthy inclusion but personal sentiments aside, the APEX200/ 20 are there for the taking. The APEX 20 has a blank fretboard & it should be neutral enough to attract non-Korn fans. 

And if that's not Korn-y enough (no pun intended), Brian Welch gets a new signature as well (it's called the Komrad) & hopefully that's not due to his return to Korn per se. I've talked to people about this, the guitar is Ibanez's appreciation of his brand commitment because during his non-Korn days, Mr. Welch stayed true to Ibanez. Despite its RGD looks, the guitar sports a standard 25.5" scale length but it's factory strung with a set of .011s. Debut: Summer 2014.

Saving the best for last- Ibanez's Paul Gilbert Fireman FRM250M, celebrating his 25 years with the brand name. What's new?

• Humbuckers for neck & bridge
• Flamed maple top
• Bound neck

Let Mr. Gilbert do the talking:

Ibanez signatures @ Swee Lee

The following Ibanez signature models are now available at Swee Lee: Kiko10P (L) & TAM100 (R). Prices are pending announcement, stay tuned :-)

Ibanez: TAM100

Here's an official look at Tosin Abasi's signature 8-string; I am both attracted & repelled by it (honest truth). I know the FX Edge III is a good bridge (em, what's not to like about a bridge that doesn't wobble, he he...) & it deserves to be there. Well, the fact that it's there implies Mr. Abasi's preference for it. Also like the fact the pickups are passives & the body remains to be a basswood make.

However the gold hardware is kinda out of place... The finish is acquired taste as well, I'd rather it sports the natural basswood finish because that's what you'd see on the flip side.

But, hey- it's a signature preference, who are we to argue?

DiMarzio Ionizer 8/ Ibanez Tosin Abasi signature

Here's the amazing Tosin Abasi talking about his DiMarzio Inonizer 8 & of course, his Ibanez signature 8-string. Note the wood used for this guitar.

Octo-ionizer

News: DiMarzio had been working with 8-string maestro, Tosin Abasi, for a passive pickup set.

Yes, 'set', meaning- a single coil model is included. These new passive units are called the Ionizer 8 with a ceramic focus & lots of midrange for clarity; my kinda pickups.

The other implication is, since there's a single coil in the offering, Mr. Abasi's upcoming (2013) 8-string signature will feature a single coil in there :-)

Worthy quote: Tosin Abasi

I simply love this quote:

I own no pedals, and I need maybe two cables. (Tosin Abasi)

It's a respectable reflection; once you have the necessities & they are fulfilling your needs exceptionally, nothing else matters. Tosin Abasi plays his Ibanez 8-string & the Axe FX (fractal Audio), wickedly simple set-up that would put many of us to shame. Of course, it's coupled with his blistering skills. Need proof? Watch this:

The great Tosin Abasi

I have always avoided linking live performance videos here; the sound quality from them is just atrocious BUT this one's exceptional. You'll see Tosin Abasi there wielding his 8-string guitar & making it look very simple to play (& making us feel very stupid because we can't even master our 6...), at the end of the clip, ask yourselves where the bass player is...

Ibanez: 8-string to come...

This is an amazing production by Ibanez- it's an RGA8 custom for guitarist Tosin Abasi.

I love all the features of this model: Maple fretboard, fixed, non-locking bridge, passive pickups & that hollowed body wing. The finish per se is stunning. Ibanez hinted its production come 2011 but chances are, the production model would have some variations from the custom original. Nevertheless, it's something to look forward to.