Kaizen Guitars: Holes in Top/Body?

[rsm]

Reclaimed wood can have issues, at least they listed it as reclaimed; are Mayonnes reclaimed wood?

They charge $4K (at least $3799.99) for a Kaizen 6 in all finishes usually, unless they're on sale. The Black Limba is on sale at MF new for $3599:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/gui...izen-6-string-electric-guitar/m00816000009000

The Black Limba are limited edition?!

Not into natural wood finishes for guitars, so my Kaizens are just fine. Only 50 worldwide? Guess I'm not the only Kaizen player that doesn't like Black Limba.

"The 2025 limited edition Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen features a black limba body with a satin finish, showcasing bold black streaks and natural imperfections that make each guitar truly unique. A roasted figured maple neck with an oil and wax finish and a smoky ebony fingerboard provides a refined, minimalist aesthetic. The multiscale neck design and 24 stainless steel frets deliver unmatched precision and effortless playability. Equipped with a Music Man HT humbucker, custom offset mini humbucker, Music Man tremolo, and Steinberger gearless tuners, the Kaizen offers exceptional versatility and performance. Each guitar ships in a Mono case. Limited to just 50 six-string and 50 seven-string models worldwide."


https://www.music-man.com/instruments/guitars/kaizen-black-limba

 

[FourT6and2]

Reclaimed wood can have issues, at least they listed it as reclaimed; are Mayonnes reclaimed wood?

They don't list it as being reclaimed, per se. They made a social media post about it after people complained. Any exotic hardwood like black limba can have natural imperfections like mineral streaks, spalting, and so on. Those things are typically desired. That's not the same as "natural" imperfections from rot, fungus, or insect damage after the lumber was harvested or from reclaimed wood. And I don't foresee many people jumping at the chance to pay a premium for dumpster wood being upsold as having, "natural imperfections that make each guitar truly unique..."

What I actually think happened is they bought a bunch of black limba and it arrived with these holes. And instead of tossing it, they decided to use it and their marketing department did their best to upsell it as a "feature" of "natural beauty".

One of the dealers I reached out to hand't even noticed the holes. They had no idea these guitars came like that. But they took a closer look at the guitar after I brought it up and found more than 15 holes. They were kind of shocked and had no idea.

 

[Code001]

I'd be worried they were powderpost beetles or similar wood-boring beetles... See this post from John Suhr about them: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...or-drilled-holes.2621813/page-5#post-40218922

https://valleytermiteandpest.com/pest-control/Powderpost-Beetles

 

[FourT6and2]

I'd be worried they were powderpost beetles or similar wood-boring beetles... See this post from John Suhr about them: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...or-drilled-holes.2621813/page-5#post-40218922

https://valleytermiteandpest.com/pest-control/Powderpost-Beetles

That's exactly what it looks like. Good info!

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

You can have "fancy raw/natural wood" without the reclaimed wood flaws and shoddy craftsmanship. All of my Mayones guitars are natural wood and none of them have insect holes or other flaws—with the understanding that burls are usually filled because they do have naturally occurring holes. But the holes in these Kaizen guitar appear to be from insects. EB chose to source this lumber. They made a statement that they sourced reclaimed wood on purpose. But they shouldn't be charging $4,000 for it...

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6 bolt on a 6 string guitar is awesome!

 

[Music&Chaos]

For 4k, I'd push for a touch more and grab 2 Lacello custom builds. No question for me there.

 

[Exo-metal]

For 4k, I'd push for a touch more and grab 2 Lacello custom builds. No question for me there.

Who exactly is this? Where is he located, if he's not in the USA nevermind.

 

[Music&Chaos]

Who exactly is this? Where is he located, if he's not in the USA nevermind.

Nevermind.

 

[Music&Chaos]

Who exactly is this? Where is he located, if he's not in the USA nevermind.

He is in Canada. I got mine several years ago before the tariff stuff.

Wouldn't even be an issue if the shipment companies didn't seem so confused and adding extra fees. At least that's what I see with the posts I have read.

 

[Exo-metal]

Nevermind