“At this point, we’re even being emulated by other companies”: Tosin Abasi never planned to be a guitar designer – he explains how Abasi Concepts became one of the biggest names in progressive guitars

Tosin Abasi with the Cordoba Abasi Stage 7 during a Q&A at NAMM 2026.

Not content with merely reinventing technical guitar playing with Animals as Leaders, Tosin Abasi has also ended up changing the face of the instrument itself.

His own brand, Abasi Concepts, has staked new territory with its bold reimaginings of extended-range electric guitars via its Larada and Emi outlines. But the virtuoso has also collaborated with Ernie Ball Music Man on the angular chic of the Kaizen, and now with Cordoba for the Abasi Stage 7 – his long-awaited, groundbreaking ergonomic nylon-string design.