As well as forming one-third of progressive metal outfit Animals As Leaders, the band’s resident guitar titan Tosin Abasi is also an entrepreneur, having launched his very own line of electric guitars under the Abasi Concepts umbrella.
Producing the type of instruments you’d expect a prominent purveyor of prog metal to champion, Abasi Concepts has released a handful of forward-thinking guitars, most notably in the form of the futuristic Larada family.
It hasn’t, however, shied away from making some more accessible instruments – see the Space T line, for example, played by Gary Clark Jr. – though for its next release, Abasi Concepts looks to be pushing the boundary-breaking boat out even further.
Taking to social media, Abasi teased his next Abasi Concepts creation, a nylon seven-string Larada, and put the prospective prototype through its paces in a series of scintillating fretboard workouts.
Seeing as it’s a Larada model, the classical-inspired axe also adopts a few high-end metal quirks, such as the addition of fanned frets. It’s also got two control knobs – probably volume and tone – which are undoubtedly wired to a piezo-style pickup of some kind.
In a bid to flex the new model’s versatility, Abasi first makes his way through some moody minor musings, making the most of the extra string for some brooding bass notes while tinkering away with silky string-skipping lines.
“Fanned fret, seven string, classical Larada though!” Abasi said in the accompanying caption. “This is a prototype, but man does sound [and] play great.”
A follow-up post saw the nylon Larada host a more jazz-inspired routine, with Abasi showcasing his own instrumental proficiency by employing rapid-fire alternate and hybrid-picking patterns to improvise over a hip-hop sample.
“Messing around a bit on this prototype, trying not to play entirely too many notes. I’ve always wanted a nylon that played like an electric,” admitted Abasi.
And, just to make sure the nylon seven-string Larada was totally up to scratch, a third and final video saw Abasi lock into a galloping metronome and deploy his thump-and-slap technique – which so often is the force behind his Animals As Leaders riffs – for a quasi-classical drill.
According to the official Abasi Concepts Instagram page, the Larada nylon seven-string is still in development at the brand’s research and development lab, meaning it will probably be a while before people can get their hands on it.
To keep up to date with all things Abasi, visit Abasi Concepts, or check out Tosin Abasi’s Instagram page.
In other Abasi news, Animals As Leaders will release their upcoming album, Parrhesia, this Friday (March 25). Three singles – Monomyth, The Problem of Other Minds and Gordian Naught – have been released so far.
The three-piece have also announced a 19-date US tour to support Parrhesia, which will kick off on March 30 at Denver’s Summit Music Hall and conclude on April 22 at Theater At The Ace Hotel in LA.
For more info, visit Animals As Leaders.
