Tosin Abasi

Tosin Abasi
Born	(1983-01-07) January 7, 1983 Washington, D.C., United States
Occupation(s)	Musician, guitarist
Known for	Founder and lead guitarist of Animals as Leaders

Tosin Abasi (born January 7, 1983) is an American musician recognized primarily as the founder and lead guitarist of the instrumental progressive metal ensemble Animals as Leaders. With this group, he has produced five albums: the eponymous debut, Weightless, The Joy of Motion, The Madness of Many, and their most recent release, Parrhesia.

Background

Abasi was born in Washington D.C. to parents who immigrated from Nigeria. His brother, Abdul, transitioned from serving as a U.S. military drill sergeant to becoming a fashion designer.

Mostly self-instructed, Abasi's guitar journey began through experimenting with simple licks after initially learning music on the clarinet during elementary school. He further developed his skills by studying hair metal guitarists through instructional videos obtained from local music shops.

While his father encouraged his musical interests by purchasing his first guitar, his mother initially preferred he pursue more conventional academic paths.

Early career

Before forming Animals as Leaders, Abasi played guitar for PSI, a metal band based in Silver Spring, Maryland. He later joined Reflux, a technical metalcore band active in the early to mid-2000s that included members such as Evan Brewer (Fallujah, formerly with The Faceless, Animosity, and Entheos) and Ash Avildsen (founder of Sumerian Records). During a Reflux performance, Prosthetic Records offered Abasi a solo contract. Initially hesitant due to feeling unready to compose an entire record, he later accepted after completing studies at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media. Upon graduation, he contacted Prosthetic Records to confirm the deal. This led to the creation of his solo project, Animals as Leaders, a name inspired loosely by the book Ishmael.

Animals as Leaders

In 2009, Abasi recorded the debut Animals as Leaders album with assistance from Misha Mansoor (of Periphery), who handled production, recording, and drum programming. Afterward, Javier Reyes and Navene Koperweis joined on rhythm guitar and drums respectively, transforming the project into a full touring band.

The band's sophomore album, Weightless, was released on November 8, 2011. Later in 2012, Abasi reportedly collaborated with Mansoor on material for a new album scheduled for 2013.

At NAMM 2013, Abasi’s signature instrument—the Ibanez TAM 100—was introduced. This model is based on the Ibanez RG2228 and features his custom DiMarzio Ionizer pickups.

On March 19, 2014, The Joy of Motion was made available for streaming on YouTube. The album saw staggered releases: Europe on March 24, North America on March 25, and Australia/New Zealand on March 28 through Sumerian Records. It garnered extensive acclaim from critics. In July of that year, Tosin appeared in the inaugural episode of Guitar Power, a web series sponsored by D'Addario String and Rolling Stone Magazine.

In March 2022, Animals as Leaders released their album Parrhesia. Reviews were largely favorable but noted it did not represent the band’s peak effort: Metal Sucks rated it 3 out of 5 stars, commenting on a move toward Abasi’s minimalist approach incorporating ambient textures but fewer memorable highlights; Pitchfork awarded it a 7.3 out of 10 score, emphasizing stylistic refinement; while Guitar.com gave it four out of five stars.

Abasi Concepts

Following his departure from Ibanez Guitars in 2017, Abasi established Abasi Concepts (initially known as Abasi Guitars) to further develop his ergonomic guitar innovations. The brand produces 6-, 7-, and 8-string instruments equipped with locking tuners, signature Fishman pickups, and distinctive wood pairings. Originally collaborating with Frank Falbo, a public dispute over business matters prompted Abasi Concepts to change manufacturers: World Musical Instrument Co. Ltd handled the Legion Series, Dyna Gakki produced the JLarada Series, and Grover Jackson Engineering was responsible for the Master, Spartan, and Space Telecaster (Space T) lines. In 2022, the company broadened its range by introducing the double-cut Emi model.

Other appearances

Abasi briefly filled in as a touring guitarist for Born of Osiris while they searched for a permanent member.

In 2011, he co-founded T.R.A.M., a group featuring Animals As Leaders bandmate Javier Reyes, Suicidal Tendencies drummer Eric Moore, and former The Mars Volta instrumentalist Adrián Terrazas-González. Their debut performance took place at South by Southwest in March 2011. This project gave Abasi the opportunity to pursue musical ideas beyond Animals As Leaders; Moore joined during the recording phase and completed all drum tracks swiftly.

In October 2014, Abasi was announced as part of the 2015 G4 tour lineup alongside Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, and Mike Keneally. He later participated in the Generation Axe tour in 2016 with Nuno Bettencourt, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and Zakk Wylde; this supergroup toured Asia in 2017 and North America in 2018.

In August 2020, it was revealed that Abasi performed the "air guitar" shredding featured in Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Guitars

Abasi is prominently linked with his own brand Abasi Concepts, Ernie Ball Music Man—featuring the signature Kaizen model—and Ibanez, with whom he had a signature guitar from 2013 until 2017. Additionally, he has utilized guitars from Strandberg, Kiesel, and Rick Toone. Although his collection once numbered in the hundreds, many instruments were sold off in 2020; this overview highlights key guitars regularly seen during workshops, tours, or studio sessions.

Primary electrics

• Abasi Concepts Larada along with other production models
• Ernie Ball Kaizen
• Ibanez RG series fitted with EMG 808X pickups
• Ibanez TAM10 and TAM100 signature models
• Ibanez Signature Prototype (early Larada design)
• Strandberg Made to Measure #17
• Abasi Guitars prototypes
• Rick Toone Sketch 7-string
• Abasi Guitars Emi

The Larada model—designed by Abasi—emphasizes ergonomic principles through an unconventional body shape. Early prototypes made for Ibanez showcased a "teardrop" neck profile that deviated from traditional C- or D-shaped profiles and incorporated fanned frets/multi-scale necks to improve playability, tonal balance, and string spacing.

In collaboration with Ernie Ball Music Man in 2022, Abasi introduced the Kaizen model—a multi-scale guitar available in 6- or 7-string configurations featuring an “infinity radius” fingerboard, heat-treated humbuckers, and a sharply contoured body engineered for ergonomic ease.

Nylon acoustic-electric guitars

• Godin Multiac Nylon SA 6- and Encore 7-string models
• Kiesel NS1
• Abasi Guitars Prototype Nylon Acoustic-Electric

Nylon acoustic-electric guitars combine classical guitar construction with ergonomic elements and body designs inspired by electric guitars. They closely replicate traditional classical acoustic tones while often including MIDI output or conventional audio jacks for amplification—usually through acoustic amplifiers favored for steel-string acoustic-electrics across diverse musical styles.

Customized Instruments

Particularly, two 8-string guitars featured on "Physical Education" from The Joy of Motion and segments of Weightless possess altered necks incorporating two "negative frets" on the lowest strings. This modification increases their fret count to 26, whereas the upper six strings have 24 frets. The tuning for these lowest strings is set to C#1; the Blur model includes a capo specifically for these strings to restore standard tuning. Additionally, a similar Made to Measure Strandberg guitar was crafted for Javier Reyes and remains in use during live performances of "Physical Education."

• Rick Toone's Blur
• Strandberg Made to Measure #8
• Ibanez RG9 9-string guitar

Pickup Systems

Tosin Abasi has introduced signature pickups initially with DiMarzio and subsequently with Fishman, after moving away from an intended partnership with Seymour Duncan. DiMarzio pickups were incorporated into the TAM10 and TAM100 models; following several prototype iterations, Abasi Guitars now exclusively utilize Tosin Abasi Fishman Fluence pickups. The exception is the Space T Larada, which is equipped with Fishman's Greg Koch pickups designed to replicate a Fender Telecaster sound.

Amplification

Abasi’s setup integrates both digital and analog effects alongside amplifiers. For much of the 2010s, his primary unit was Fractal Audio's AXE-FX II; however, by the end of the decade, he shifted preference toward analog amps and effects.

• Port City Amps
• Fractal Audio AXE-FX II, III
• Morgan Amplifiers

Inspirations

Among Abasi’s key influences are guitarists and groups such as Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Greg Howe, Allan Holdsworth, Fredrik Thordendal (Meshuggah), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Kurt Rosenwinkel, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Mike Einziger (Incubus), and Dream Theater.

He practices Transcendental Meditation and has a strong enthusiasm for automobiles, a passion he frequently shares with Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor.

PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch)

• Virus (2001)

Reflux

• The Illusion of Democracy (2004)

Animals as Leaders

• Animals as Leaders (2009)
• "Wave of Babies" (Digital Single, 2010)
• Weightless (2011)
• The Joy of Motion (2014)
• Animals as Leaders Encore Edition (2015)
• The Madness of Many (2016)
• Parrhesia (2022)

T.R.A.M.

• Lingua Franca (Sumerian, 2012)

Tigran Hamasyan

• Guitar contributions on "Vortex" from The Call Within (Nonesuch Records, 2020)

External links

• Interview with Tosin Abasi at the NAMM Oral History Collection (2020)