“Scoring especially highly for its superb ergonomics”: Sterling By Music Man Kaizen 7 review

Guitar World Verdict

It might not have the full complement of features that define the USA Kaizen, but this Sterling model takes the basic design ethos and morphs it into a very well-executed mid-range model. Scoring especially highly for its superb ergonomics, it ought to appeal to those seeking a highly playable seven-string.

Pros

+Fantastic neck and overall playability.

+Lightweight, high-quality build.

+Keenly priced for something with these ergonomics and features.

Cons

-The color options are limited and don’t really complement the bold shape.

-The sounds are all perfectly competent, but none are exceptional.

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What is it?It’s safe to say Tosin Abasi is already one of this century’s key progressive players. This is someone who has made his name through pushing the boundaries of the electric guitar. Thumping, tapping, performing impossibly dextrous clean fingerstyle passages, shredding like a man possessed, and churning out brain-breaking low-register metal riffs, Abasi has spent the last two decades rightly hailed as one of the geniuses of modern guitar.

Such a player requires a special instrument, and Abasi’s latest weapon of choice is the Kaizen, developed with American legends Music Man.

A bold offset design, all angles and points; with fanned frets for balanced tension, plus proprietary pickups and custom shop build quality, in a range of vivid colors. As you can imagine, it’s not a cheap electric guitar – but can those principles be adapted into an instrument that more of us can afford?

That’s the question today, with the new Sterling by Music Man adaptation of the Kaizen. Music Man’s sub-brand needs no introduction, having a lengthy track record of high-quality mid-range guitars and basses; this latest addition to the range will be welcomed by Abasi fans, as well as anyone else exploring the forms that a modern electric guitar can take.

In particular, I’ve got my hands on the seven-string variant, likely to be of particular interest to the target audience.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)Specs

(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man)Price: $899/£1,099/€1,229Made: IndonesiaType: Seven-string electric guitarBody: NyatohNeck: Roasted mapleFingerboard/radius: Rosewood, 15.75″Scale length: 25.5″/648mmNut/width: Plastic/49.5mmFrets: 24Hardware: Steinberger Gearless tuners, Sterling two-point vibrato, black finishString spacing at bridge: 10.8mmElectrics: 2x Sterling by Music Man uncovered ceramic humbuckers, volume, tone, 3-way toggleWeight: 6lb/2.7kgOptions: Kaizen 6-string, $849/£999Left-handed: NoFinishes: Firemist Purple Satin (as reviewed), Stealth BlackCases: None includedContact: Sterling By Music Man Build quality

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)Build quality rating: ★★★★☆

Only two colors are offered – it’s this Firemist Purple Satin, Stealth Black, or nothing; even the purple is a subdued shade that rather downplays the Kaizen’s dramatic shape.

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Some glossier, more unapologetic finishes might do wonders for the aesthetics, as it could be argued that this model looks a little undercooked as is. There were a couple of small finish flaws on our review example, too.

The build underneath is not to be sniffed at, though; a smooth, attractively-grained roasted maple neck and well-fretted rosewood fingerboard mated to a lightweight nyatoh body.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)The Sterling Kaizen ditches the fanned frets of the USA model, but it’s a comfortable and ergonomic experience that should cater even to those unfamiliar with seven-string guitars.

The USA-built Kaizen’s Steinberger gearless tuners do make their way over here – a plus from functional and aesthetic perspectives alike. It gives the headstock a streamlined, futuristic aesthetic with no buttons poking out from the sides, while the machines themselves are silky-smooth in action. At the other end sits Sterling’s tried-and-tested two-point vibrato.

Playability

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)Playability rating: ★★★★½

Overall, the Kaizen plays superbly and encourages you to put your best foot forward technically; it’s Tosin Abasi’s guitar, after all

The body might look strange, but the shape sits comfortably and balances well thanks to the long top horn. The neck is slim and subtly rounded, feeling hardly bigger than the average six-string neck despite actually having a slightly above-average seven-string nut width. The vibrato is smooth and expressive, holding tuning well.

On a seven-string guitar, the standard 25.5″ scale length can feel like a compromise, not allowing the low B string the tightness it truly needs, but engineering in fanned frets would add hundreds to this guitar’s price tag.

Overall, the Kaizen plays superbly and encourages you to put your best foot forward technically; it’s Tosin Abasi’s guitar, after all.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)Sounds

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)Sounds rating: ★★★★☆

Tonally, we’ve two unbranded ceramic humbuckers described as “focused, with an aggressive midrange bite”.

In theory then, ideal for modern metal guitar sounds – especially with extended range, where low frequencies must be tightly controlled. No doubt Sterling by Music Man suspects many buyers will swap straight over to their own choice of esoteric seven-string pickup, maybe even Abasi’s own signature Fishman Fluence set – but let’s give these stock units a fair shake.

Encouragingly, the humbuckers immediately make good on their ‘focused’ brief – there’s decent attenuation of boomy lows, and plenty of punchy midrange to cut through a mix.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker) It also doesn’t push a cleaner signal into undue breakup

Some extreme tone-chasers will still wish for a sharper and more cutting sound, but there’s no lack of good qualities here. It also doesn’t push a cleaner signal into undue breakup, important for those seeking to emulate the frequently clean-toned Abasi on a budget.

Not the most inspiring lower-gain voice, but perfectly usable. Tonally, it certainly stands up to other comparable seven-strings, and the slinky playing experience only enhances the enjoyment.

Verdict

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)Sterling’s take on the Kaizen, necessarily, has to dispense with such niceties as the fanned frets and the custom pickups, but what’s left is still distinctive and bears the hallmarks of a guitar that has been thought through very well.

You might want new pickups, and the aesthetics aren’t up there with the show-stopping USA model, but the playability and ergonomics of this entry point to the Kaizen model leave many rivals in the dust.

Guitar World verdict: It might not have the full complement of features that define the USA Kaizen, but this Sterling model takes the basic design ethos and morphs it into a very well-executed mid-range model. Scoring especially highly for its superb ergonomics, it ought to appeal to those seeking a highly playable seven-string.

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Ratings scorecardTest

Results

Score

Build quality

Fundamentally well-executed, but a couple of minor finish flaws on this test model – and the finishes themselves – don’t give the best aesthetic impression.

★★★★☆

Playability

A seriously well-sorted seven-string with a unique shape that enhances playing comfort.

★★★★½

Sounds

Covers all the bases well, but the pickups may not be quite finely-honed enough for surgical tech-metal precision.

★★★★☆

Overall

It’s a Kaizen that’s priced for the masses – and it is a supremely playable extended-range electric. You might want to upgrade the pickups over time

★★★★☆

Also try

Sterling by Music Man John Petrucci Majesty 170 – $1,149|£1,279|€1,199

Same brand, different ethos – this slippery customer is even more visually polarising, but equally player-focused and distinctive.

Ibanez ICTB721 Iron Label Iceman 7-string – $1,499|£1,099|€1,279

A re-imagining of a classic six-string model from the brand that would later pioneer the seven-string. Nothing looks like an Iceman, and no one knows sevens like Ibanez.

Hands-on videosErnie Ball

Sterling by Music Man: Kaizen 7 Demo (ft. Ben Lechuga) – YouTube

Watch On
SevenstringTV

The New Sterling Kaizen Guitar Is REALLY Disappointing – YouTube

Watch On
“A must-try for fans of guitars that push the boundaries of instrument design”: Sterling by Music Man St. Vincent Goldie review

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