Kiesel Guitars, the high-performance electric guitar brand of choice for the likes of Sophie Lloyd and Frank Gambale, has unveiled an all-new design, and it is ridiculously lightweight, and several shades of radical.
The Kyber is a twist on the S-style bolt-on doublecut, available as a six-string or seven-string guitar, but what a twist. The contouring on this model is unbelievable, and for players who like nothing more than a lightweight solidbody, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Kiesel says a standard six-string Kyber will on average weigh in under the 6lb mark. That’s lighter than three bags of sugar.
As per the Californian guitar brand’s MO, you can spec up the Kyber your way using the website’s ‘build your own’ tool. Prices start from just $1,599, which sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
Some spec items come free. You can choose between solid alder or black limba for the body at no extra cost. Mahogany and swamp ash models incur a $100 premium – koa is $500.
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Similarly, left-handed models are available at no extra charge (they are, however, non-returnable). There are so many options. A non-exhaustive list of your fingerboard options includes ziricote, maple, royal ebony, ebony, rosewood, roasted maple, birdseye maple, Richlite Maple Valley, zebrawood, flamed maple, roasted flamed maple. Choose a thicker or thinner neck profile, a multi-scale or regular 25.5” scale instrument.
What comes as standard is a state-of-the-art shape that’s guaranteed to turn heads. That new headstock shape – reversed, with a shallow scoop of wood removed – is a statement. But the most extreme design touches are all in aid of ergonomics and keeping the weight of the instrument down. Or balanced, in the case of the headstock.
The Kyber features Kiesel’s “most extreme” arm contour yet. Much of the bulk of the body has been carved away to, with this shape designed to support you when playing in both standard and classical playing positions – y’know, with the guitar perched on your knee, headstock pointed skywards during a über-solo.
The cutaways are accentuated to expose all the fingerboard, and that neck heel is not going to stand in anyone’s way. The neck is tung-oiled maple that has been reinforced with dual carbon fibre rods.
Kiesel has pared down the electrics here, too, with its direct-mount Thorium humbucker at the bridge, and its Empyrean humbucker at the neck, both of which are controlled by a single volume knob and a three-way selector. Kiesel is betting not too many shredders mess with that tone pot. And the names of these electric guitar pickups should offer a clue as to how they will sound. High-output all the way.
You get 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets (plus some options on the fret-wire), 19:1 ratio locking tuners.
All in all the Kyber is one bold new metal guitar – an invitation to play fast. You can check it out – and workshop your own customised version – over at the Kiesel guitars website.
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