Tosin Abasi & Blur | "New Eden" (Live)

VIDEO: Tosin Abasi plays 'New Eden' live for the first time: Roseland Ballroom, New York City (2/15/2013).

One of the things I noticed right away about Blur 8-String Extended Range Guitar is all of the technologies integrate, synthesizing into a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Neck, bridges, tuner, electronics, body resonance.

When I tested Blur in the shop, my ears were excited...a reaction Tosin had as well, when the instrument arrived. The playing experience is very different from a conventional guitar. 'Hyper-real' is how he described the sound, and I love that description.

Notes blossom with immediacy and intimacy, spreading sound ripples throughout the playing space. Highs are sweet, distinct, chiming, beautiful. Lows are powerful, quick, deep, clear. Lows and highs are balanced. When he emailed me early this morning, sharing the first live performance clip with the guitar, I was awestruck by the tonality. Gorgeous.

Hey Rick,
Hope that you are well!
This is a video of me playing 'blur' on stage for the first time. I am happy to own such a unique and inspiring instrument. It really has such personality. Evocative.
Hope you like the clip.

Cheers,
Tosin

Listening to the video I realized, with this instrument, it is possible to finally hear the full extent of Tosin's astonishing playing technique. He has such mastery over dynamics. In this live performance of New Eden I feel the emotion in his playing. He and the guitar are truly working together as one — the highest objective to strive for as a luthier. So honored.

Tosin was playing his Ibanez all night, clean/distorted and so on....but when he pulled out Blur for that one tune....WoW....I was immediately struck with clarity. The low notes were so round and even, the high notes rang like a bell.

Keep doing what you're doing, because it's way ahead of the rest!

Harvey Valdez

I was sorry to have missed Tosin, Javier, and Matt when Animals As Leaders played Philadelphia last week. It would have been so exciting to have seen them do this live. But it was Valentine's Day, plans with Masi, and I am in love.

Comments

[Chris Buono]

Damn. First time I got to hear that work of art plugged in. Incredible.