Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

[BennyD]

Hi all,

Just curious for those of you who have had experience with these guitars what you think about them. I'm thinking about getting a Silhouette or an Axis (I need a shredder guitar). I currently own a Hamer Monaco Elite so I'm used to TOP NOTCH quality, craftsmanship and tone.

All of my favorite guitarists, EVH, John Petrucci (!!!), Steve Morse, Vinnie Moore (the guys videos taught me how to solo hehe) play (or in EVH case have played) Music Man guitars, but I know how endorcement and sponsorships work in any industry so I don't know if Ernie Ball is just giving them a killer sponsorship deal or if they play these instruments because they love them.

I'm thinking about the SIlhouette but a lot of people say its got a really small neck. However, the radius is 10", which is .5" bigger than a fender strat which I don't think is that small at all. I've got like alien long fingers, so I don't know whats better for me.

 

[y2stevo]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

well i have a Peavey Wolfgang and i think its the greatest guitar ive ever played/seen..plays just fantastic and IMO the neck is just perfect...

 

[Shnook]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

EBMM makes excellent guitars. The Axis sounds perfect for what your looking for.

 

[Mattt]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Definately try out the John Petrucci signature guitar...

 

[BennyD]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Definately try out the John Petrucci signature guitar...

While im sure John Petrucci's guitar is really nice...I have a problem playing peoples "signature guitars", which presents another problem going with Ernie Ball since 99% of their products are signature products.

 

[theodie]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

the neck radius dosent have that much to do with the size of the neck. You are talking about the profile of the neck. That and width is what determines the size of the neck. I have not played those MM models but I highly reccomend the Peavey wolfgang. Very well made and alot of attention to detail. The neck shape is not thin and it is not small either. I think it is somewhere in between a gibson 59 roundback and a strat neck.

 

[y2stevo]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

the neck radius dosent have that much to do with the size of the neck. You are talking about the profile of the neck. That and width is what determines the size of the neck. I have not played those MM models but I highly reccomend the Peavey wolfgang. Very well made and alot of attention to detail. The neck shape is not thin and it is not small either. I think it is somewhere in between a gibson 59 roundback and a strat neck.

Testify..

although it is kinda strange having a signature guitar it is one of the best who designed it (evh) so you can be assured your not buying a piece of crap...

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

I did my time with the Vinnie Moore videos, too. Luckily I also bought Keith Wyatt and Robben Ford's videos, both of which helped me figure out when to STOP playing. Vinnie was a bit of a 'verbal diarrhea' player back then.

EBMM guitars are fantastic quality. The Axis (EVH) is the best shredder-style guitar I've ever played. The necks are skinny in terms of width across the fretboard, and the profile is similar to many 70s fenders in that they are quite deep and round in the hand. I have medium sized hands and long fingers, and the axis neck is extremely comfortable for a smaller neck.

The EBMMs are superior guitars to the wolfgangs in my opinion.

 

[7th Hell]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

I'm thinking about the SIlhouette but a lot of people say its got a really small neck. However, the radius is 10", which is .5" bigger than a fender strat which I don't think is that small at all. I've got like alien long fingers, so I don't know whats better for me.

Those MM's have baby necks! I recall trying out a EVH MM, and to me, the neck felt like someone split a broomstick in half! I suffer from having super-long monkey fingers too. I find that a wider neck and flatter radius feels better- 1.9" on my 7 stringers feel great! My fingers were almost in a fist with the EVH MM. My advice- go check one out first before you buy. The last thing you want is to get stuck with an axe you don't like.

 

[BennyD]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

I did my time with the Vinnie Moore videos, too. Luckily I also bought Keith Wyatt and Robben Ford's videos, both of which helped me figure out when to STOP playing. Vinnie was a bit of a 'verbal diarrhea' player back then.

EBMM guitars are fantastic quality. The Axis (EVH) is the best shredder-style guitar I've ever played. The necks are skinny in terms of width across the fretboard, and the profile is similar to many 70s fenders in that they are quite deep and round in the hand. I have medium sized hands and long fingers, and the axis neck is extremely comfortable for a smaller neck.

The EBMMs are superior guitars to the wolfgangs in my opinion.

Haha yeah Vinnie Moore has always been somewhat of an egomaniac, while hes not one of the greats, I think hes a damn good guitar player and thats fairly indesputable heh. What do you all think of the Silhouette? For an alder strat type guitar any idea what types of sounds it goes for? I guess I should just hit up a Guitar Center and find out myself.

 

[BennyD]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

My advice- go check one out first before you buy. The last thing you want is to get stuck with an axe you don't like.

And that's exactly what happened with my Hamer Monaco Elite...I convinced myself I wanted a Les Paul style guitar, and don't get me wrong, the Hamer craftsmanship and tone is absolutely top notch and it blows most Gibsons way out of the water, I just really don't like Les Paul style guitars...

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Haha yeah Vinnie Moore has always been somewhat of an egomaniac, while hes not one of the greats, I think hes a damn good guitar player and thats fairly indesputable heh. What do you all think of the Silhouette? For an alder strat type guitar any idea what types of sounds it goes for? I guess I should just hit up a Guitar Center and find out myself.

I'm not such a fan of the silhouettes. There's something about the look of them that doesn't do it for me, and the ones I've tried have been 24 fret, knocking the neck pickup out of position. I love the axis range, though. I really like the Albert Lees, too.

The only downside to EBMMs for me is they can look a little 'small' strapped on. An exception to this is the Morse model, which electronics-wise isn't my thing.

 

[BennyD]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

The only downside to EBMMs for me is they can look a little 'small' strapped on. An exception to this is the Morse model, which electronics-wise isn't my thing.

Eddie Van Halen is a small guy, and if I recall he designed the Axis or the Axis was designed for him? I'm 6'3" with longggg fingers so maybe music man isn't the way to go for me.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Ed is small. Those cardboard cutouts that peavey distribute to stores are 'larger than life', so to speak. At 6'3", an axis may look a little weird n you. I'd suggest you check out a secondhand Tom Anderson pro am or drop top classic. The floyd equipped models sell for less than the vintage trem ones, so you could get a deal.

 

[BennyD]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Ed is small. Those cardboard cutouts that peavey distribute to stores are 'larger than life', so to speak. At 6'3", an axis may look a little weird n you. I'd suggest you check out a secondhand Tom Anderson pro am or drop top classic. The floyd equipped models sell for less than the vintage trem ones, so you could get a deal.

Yeah...I'm starting to look at G&L now...I would love to have both a strat and a shredder with the money im gonna get from selling my Hamer lol.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Look at the Silhouette Special. I got one and love it...22 frets, and I changed the pickups to HH: a CC and APH2...oh yeah, it has a scallpoed neck too..its shredtabulous.
There is a pic at my page (link below).

 

[boze]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

just to keep with MM theme here, I too feel that the WOLFGANG does look small on some players and that throws me a bit. But I have tried both Petrucci models, the high grade one & the less expensive one. The higher grade Petrucci model is an incredible guitar. Lots of shredding power with lots of versitility in tones. The color is really alive in that it changes as you look at it from different angles. The neck, while not being finish-free, is as quick as 90% of the neck out there, with only the raw-finish necks pulling ahead IMHO. The tremelo sys it has is just down-right GREAT! I believe that it's the same as the "LUKE" guitar trem sys. and that's saying alot since Steve Lukather switched to it from his Floyd Rose equiped guitars! I tell you, I TRIED to knock it out of tune and it kept coming back!! Only after about a hour of really going at it and NOT re-tuning it along the way did I notice it was slight out and that was just the 1st string and a bit on the g-string. Also, it's NOT a small guitar at all. It's very comperable to a strat, maybe even a bit more "bulky-er" because of the contour.

Chk it out of course, but i was sold on it hands down.

Boze.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

i think you people should worry less about how guitars look on you

...i'm gonna make an ugly as hell tele, and post pictures

IMO, if it plays like a dream, that's all that matters, and ernie balls play liek a dream, bottom line

 

[7th Hell]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

Sorry, but do I have to pull this pic out again? Would you play this if it played like a dream?

 

[Jonny R]

Re: Ernie Ball Music Man: requesting feedback

One of the better guitarists I've seen live, David Holmes from Australia, was using a MM Silhouette.

He had awesome tone from it. Didn't look odd on him at all...