Designed in conjunction with Animals As Leaders virtuoso Tosin Abasi, the new Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen is quite likely like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Given its design team, it’s not surprising that Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario calls it “one of the coolest and most compelling guitars I’ve had the pleasure to come across.”
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00:00 (guitar playing)
00:02 What's up, Paul here from Guitar World,
00:16 and today we're gonna be checking out
00:17 one of the coolest and most compelling guitars
00:20 I've had the pleasure to come across.
00:22 The Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen.
00:24 Let's check it out.
00:25 (guitar playing)
00:28 (guitar playing)
00:30 Kaizen is a guitar built in collaboration
00:36 between the Ernie Ball Music Man design team
00:38 and world-renowned guitarist, innovator, and designer,
00:41 Tosin Abasi from Animals as Leaders.
00:44 Because of Tosin Abasi's unique specifications
00:46 and radical playing style, the Kaizen model
00:49 has a wealth of forward-thinking design concepts
00:51 that I wanna point out.
00:52 So let's get right to it.
00:54 (guitar playing)
00:57 (guitar playing)
00:59 Ernie Ball Music Man has remarked
01:05 that the Kaizen is decidedly contoured.
01:08 And sure, the first thing you'll notice
01:10 once you pick up the Kaizen is its angular body carves
01:13 with no flat surfaces lends itself to extreme comfort
01:17 and balance along with unrestricted fret access.
01:21 Of note, the Kaizen is a multi-scale guitar
01:24 from 24 and 3/4 to 25 and a half inches,
01:27 E to B or first to seventh string.
01:30 This multi-scale design provides a supportive string tension
01:33 for heavier and chunky rhythms on the bass strings
01:36 along with a more elastic feel on the treble strings
01:40 for smoother bending and solo playing.
01:42 (guitar playing)
01:51 (guitar playing)
01:54 The guitar also features what Ernie Ball Music Man calls
01:58 an infinity radius neck.
02:00 If you look closely, the guitar's conical radius
02:03 is strategically positioned, which increases comfort
02:06 while allowing for clearer visibility of the fretboard
02:09 and the fret markers.
02:11 Up top, we have Steinberger gearless locking tuners
02:13 that are not only aesthetically hidden behind the headstock
02:17 but are also super accurate, lightweight tuners
02:19 that have a smooth rotation and allow
02:21 for a straight string pull.
02:23 (guitar playing)
02:26 Guitar also features new Music Man pickups
02:30 with a custom HT heat treated humbucker
02:33 in the bridge position and a slanted mini humbucker
02:36 in the neck position that has been specifically designed
02:39 for the Kaizen.
02:40 These are articulate high output pickups.
02:43 And since we're talking about multi-scale,
02:45 the Kaizen features a multi-scale modern tremolo
02:47 that's got a super smooth throw and features string dampeners
02:51 to diminish any unwanted overtones and ring.
02:54 (guitar playing)
02:57 The ultra lightweight Kaizen is offered with an alder body,
03:13 flame figured roasted maple neck, and ebony fingerboard
03:16 and comes in Apollo black seen here
03:19 or spectra flare finishes.
03:21 The Kaizen is available as a seven string
03:24 with a six string model coming later in 2023.
03:27 (guitar playing)
03:29 The Kaizen is without a doubt,
03:36 one of the most eye-catching
03:37 and cutting edge signature guitars I've seen
03:40 from Ernie Ball Music Man
03:41 since they introduced the revolutionary St. Vincent guitar.
03:45 The Kaizen is truly a visionary instrument
03:47 with an inspiring design, extraordinary ergonomics
03:50 and absolutely killer tone and playability.
03:53 Once you pick it up, I can say it's difficult to put down.
03:57 There's frankly nothing quite like it.
03:59 And I believe it's meant for modern players
04:01 who are willing to eschew the traditional
04:03 and focus on pushing the boundaries of technique and sound.
04:07 Definitely check it out.
04:08 (guitar playing)
04:11 (rock music)
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04:16 (guitar playing)
04:19 (rock music)
04:22 (upbeat music)
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