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Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Guitar
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Size: 12-5/8" wide, 1-3/4" thick, 36-1/4" long (32.1 cm wide, 4.5 cm thick, 92.0 cm long) -
Weight: 7 lbs, 4 oz (3.29 kg) - varies slightly -
Body Wood: Basswood with bookmatched figured maple or rosewood top -
Body Finish: High gloss polyester -
Body Colors: Back and Sides - Opaque Black -
Body Bindings: Binding - Cream -
Bridge: Music Man? Floyd Rose licensed locking tremolo with fine tuners; lowers pitch only -
Scale Length: 25-1/2" (64.8 cm) -
Neck Radius: 10" (25.4 cm) -
Headstock Size: Only 5-7/8" (14.9 cm) long -
Frets: 22 - High profile, medium width -
Neck Width: 1-5/8" (41.3 mm) at nut, 2-3/16" (55.6 mm) at last fret -
Neck Wood: Select maple neck -
Fingerboard: Select maple and rosewood -
Neck Finish: Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend -
Neck Colors: Standard - Natural; Optional - Matching painted headstock -
Tuning Machines: Schaller M6LA with pearl buttons -
Truss Rod: Adjustable - no component or string removal -
Neck Attachment: 5 bolts - perfect alignment with no shifting; Sculpted neck joint allows smooth access to higher frets -
Electronic Shielding: Graphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and aluminum lined control cover -
Controls: 500kohm volume pot -
Switching: 3-way toggle pickup selector -
Pickups: HH - 2 DiMarzio custom humbucking -
Left Handed: No -
Strings: 9p-11p-16p-24w-32w-42w (RPS 9 Slinkys #2239)
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Searched Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Guitar in Reviews
F*ckin' Awesome! 
| Sound |
Before I started using custom built guitars, the Axis was my main axe for years. I found it to be unparalleled by pretty much every other guitar out there. It wasn't too heavy or too light weight. It could nail just about any tone and had great clarity. I could get gibson tones; fender tones; P90 tones; vintage tones; modern metal tones; detuned stuff, country twang as well as just about any other tone.
Spongy would be a good word to describe the pickups. The bridge wasn't too bright and the neck wasn't muddy at all. The bridge stays tight and has lots of chunk. It works equally well for rhythm and leads. The neck is great for leads as well, but is also great for jazz. If you use the neck pickup with a low gain amp, the tone can be sublime. When I combined both pickups i could dial in a great clean tone.
The floyd rose says in tune like it should and provides great definition. Tone isn't lost. The floyd is mounted on top of the body (dive only), while I prefer a floating trem, the one on the axis had it uses. I wouldn't have to worry about breaking a string and string tension like a floating system. I was also able to add an EVH D-Tuna for quick drop d tuning.
Harmonics are outstanding.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Flawless. The frets didn't hang off the side of the neck. The neck is super comfortable. It has the speed of a San Dimas type guitar, but is also fatter so you can really grip the thing. It feels great during long gigs. I had my tech shave a little bit of wood off the neck heel so I could get super now action and harmonics.
The fretboard and neck is birdseye maple with a tung oil finish. It felt great on my hand. Fret accessibility was effortless.
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| Reliability & Durability |
Over the years, I felt safe gigging the guitar without a backup. I didn't snap my strings too often (Ernie Ball 10'). My axis was heavily gigged and had its fair share of dings around the outside back edges. I also got a ding through the finish near my floyd rose, but covered it up with a RATM sticker.
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| Customer Support |
I never dealt with EBMM directly, but I've heard their customer service is phenomenal.
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| Liked about it |
I liked just about everything on the guitar. The neck/ board, the trem, the PU's. Everything was great. Like I said, this was my main axe for years. Beyond getting a custom guitar made for you, combined with the price, there arent many axes on the same level as the axis.
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| Didn't like |
Towards the end of my time with the axis I had trouble getting the tone I was hearing in my head. I ended up selling it and getting a charvel. I would have liked the EBMM to have a way to set the floyd for floating or dive only. It would have been nice if they included coil taps as well.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
 By The Rossness Feb 04, 2010
Last updated: February 04, 2010
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No-fuss rock axe for grown-ups.
| Sound |
Being a typical H/H design with a 3-way switch (no coil splitting) and a volume pod, one might think the guitar doesn't have a lot of different tonal flavors. Now that's quite a wrong assumption. With it's specially DiMarzio-built pickups and sensitive volume pod, the Axis is a perfect example of a guitar that can help you to master playing dynamics and the tonal spectrum of the instrument (and your fingers, that is). And no, you won't immediately sound like Eddie van Halen (in a good or bad sense).
Overall, the surprisingly light guitar rings beautifully, even unplugged, and sustains exceptionally well for a bolt-on with trem. The basswood with maple top combo gives it a punchy low end with well-defined mids and treble. Yet, the treble is not as biting found with many other basswood guitars, the maple top certainly plays into this. There is also a Ball Family Reserve (BFR) version of the Axis, which is more expensive, the only difference being a even higher grade maple top and birdseye maple neck (not that anything is wrong with the ones on the regular Axis! see also below) plus the fabled mahogany tone-block embedded in the basswood body. I can't comment too much on this feature, as I only tested a BFR for a short period of time. It was not striking enough for a screaming difference, however.
The pickups reflect the wood characteristics nicely. With fully open volume pod, the Axis slightly overdrives as expected from the humbuckers. Played clean, the bridge humbucker has a slightly raunchy sound, gently snarling under full cords, yet very good and balanced note definition. It cleans up when you roll back the volume pod. The same is true for the neck humbucker, which for me is the star of the guitar with its particular, warm sound. The Axis rocks the cradle with crunchy overdrive tones, which can be, again, easily controlled via the volume pod and playing dynamics. But it doesn't stop here. The guitar screams under high-gain that would even put Eddie van Halen to shame, yet the humbuckers do maintain their individual sounds very well. It is a joy to pedal-tone punchy metal riffs set to the bridge humbucker, then frantically flip the 3-way selector to the neck pickup (maybe kick in a slight compressor) and sweep into solo parts, which sustain from here to Panama. Don't expect it to be an ultra-high gain/high compressed output, however.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
The technical aspects of an Axis setup are not for beginners. Period.
The guitar features a non-recessed dive-only Floyd Rose bridge. This means once it's sitting right on the body it adds quite a bit of sustain. But sitting right on the body also means there is no way to lower the action any further once neck relief has been dialed in. Besides removing the shim plate under the trem (which might not give enough play to lower the trem sufficiently anway), the only other way to lower the action is by shimming the neck - nothing a good tech couldn't do, but still quite an operation. Most Axis have some shims already from the factory, allowing for quite a good action range however, so fret not. The neck bow can be adjusted very easily with a wheel that is at the base of the neck, I wish more brands would have this feature.
The maple tops on Ernie Ball Music Man guitars are the most consistently beautiful ones in the business. So are the birdseye maple necks. You don't need a BFR to get a great top or neck. The craftsmanship is meticulous, perfect body binding, great fretwork - and the gunstock oil neck finish is certainly the most comfy I ever played. But also, it requires love and care (i. e. refinishing every year), which is not suitable for a beginner's guitar I think.
Pickups are direct-mount, easy to adjust in height, but great out of the box.
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| Reliability & Durability |
I don't own mine ('07 Axis in quilt Pacific Blueburst) since that long, but I've played my share of them and know people who own Axis since years. They are lasting investments and keep their quality without problems. The back of the neck needs occasional re-finishing, which is not difficult to do at home with a few easy-to-get means. The hardware is good quality, and the bridge built like a tank. Oh, and they come with a light yet very sturdy case.
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| Customer Support |
Ernie Ball/Music Man customer service is the best in the guitar business. I had all my e-mail inquiries answered within short time. There is also a great online forum, where Sterling Ball, the boss himself, posts frequently. I've heard crazy stories about how the company goes out of their way to help customers with problems. Just great.
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| Liked about it |
- Classy, to-the-point rock machine with loads of versatility.
- Comfortable neck profile and finish.
- Exceptionally beautiful finish and detail work.
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| Didn't like |
- Setting string action is not very easy - no instrument for a guitar beginner.
- Back of the neck needs refinishing (easy however, but has to be done).
- Too many people still associate the Axis still with EVH, which does not do the axe full justice ;).
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Incredible instrument! A rock classic.
| Sound |
This is one of the nicest dual humbucker, Floyd Rose equipped guitars made today in my opinion. It sounds lush and full, even unplugged. Plugged in it has a clear sweet high end, and thick low end. Mid range is perfect, but has a small emphasis on lower mids.
The basswood body with maple top and maple/maple neck makes for a nice bright sounding guitar, matched with the warm sounding custom Dimarzio's the guitar is all tone.
The pickups in these instruments are fantastic. They have a fairly high amount of output, but are very clear and well defined even with distortion. The neck and bridge pickup sound great in combination with each other as well.
All the hardware is top notch, Gotoh made trem, Schaller tuners, switch craft jack and switch.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Most people got their first look at this guitar as the EVH model from Music Man. The Axis is what the company continued to produce after the EVH model was discontinued. It is pretty much the same guitar with only minor differences. The differences being, the Axis features a cutaway around the belly area for comfort. The Axis neck is slightly wider at its highest end, by about a millimeter. The toggle switch was moved on the Axis, and the pickups were changed from two conductor to 4 conductor. There are also some routing differences for the electronics.
I have some experience with Music Man guitars having owned more than a couple over the years. Music Man delivers them to dealers setup to play like butter. However, some dealers change the setup and it may not be perfect.
The Axis has direct mounted pickups, so adjustment isn't necessary, they sound great where they are.
The quilt maple and flame maple tops are usually amazing on these guitars, much nicer than you find on some other companies guitars.
One thing you will notice about this and some other Music Man guitars is the neck. Music Man finishes the necks with a gunstock oil and wax combination that is a dream to play on. The Axis' asymmetrical feels like a well broken in neck that fits your hand like a glove from day one. Flawless fretwork as well.
I have never noticed any flaws on any Music Man guitar I've owned, other than scratches or dings from use.
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| Reliability & Durability |
The guitar is constructed to high tolerances and I've gigged with an Axis regularly without a single problem. I would not hesitate to take a Music Man guitar on a world tour.
The guitar is tough as nails, and should last forever as long as you look after it.
One thing to be mindful of is that the neck, being unfinished (oil/wax seal), is sensitive to humidity changes, and truss rod adjustments are something you need to be comfortable doing once or twice a year; depending on your climate of course.
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| Customer Support |
THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE INDUSTRY. Enough said. You will never be left hanging by Ernie Ball/Music Man. They will bend over backwards to ensure the customer is happy.
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| Liked about it |
Tone is amazing. Overall feel of the guitar is fantastic. Playability is fantastic. It looks a little unique, it is edgy and classy at the same time.
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| Didn't like |
As much as I like the neck and fretboard, I do find it a bit too thick for me. The fretboard radius was a little rounder than I like. I tend to prefer thinner, flatter necks (Ibanez). I would absolutely love an Axis with a JP model neck or something similar.
I didn't find the guitar to be really versatile. No real cleans, and switching options are very basic. Of course, you could swap out the pickups and rewire it to make it more versatile, you'd be altering the thing that makes it great, its tone. It is a rock machine, period.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
By blackspy Oct 08, 2009
Last updated: January 15, 2010
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Its a really good guitar! Can't go wrong with it!
| Sound |
I had the guitar for over 12 years. Mine was verified by EBMM based on serial number as manufactured in Sept 98. I recently sold it as I had developed a preference for slightly boarder necks - but I will miss it. Nice brown sound - warm and kinda spongy. More of a tendency towards the blues and rock based music. Not a metal guitar. Cleans are decent. Sometimes I wished it had a tone knob.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Out of the box, it was set up fairly decently. But with some tweaking, it was one of the best playing guitars I had. String action and neck feel was excellent. Not what you'd call a fast neck. but the rounded profile offers good leverage and was fairly comfortable.
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| Reliability & Durability |
No issues at all. Though mine eventually suffered from the typical EBMM neck joint finish crack. The chrome was outstanding and still shines like day one. Especially notable as I took a hiatus from guitar playing for several years and it just sat in its case but when I took it out again years later, the chrome stilled shined like new with very minimal tarnish. This is one guitar that ages really well. After 12 years, the birdeyes on the maple neck was absolutely killer and better than when I had it.
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| Customer Support |
No issues and did not have to deal with them. They were quick to reply when I asked about the manufacture date.
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| Liked about it |
Good looks. Nice flames. Sounds very good. Can't really go wrong with it.
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| Didn't like |
Not much really.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.5 |
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Definately Worth the Money
| Sound |
Sounds great - very similar to the EVH signature model which costs double or triple what the Axis costs.
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| Reliability & Durability |
Absolutely a tank. Ernie Ball does it right and every Axis I've owned is very, very consistent.
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| Customer Support |
Excellent customer support. You can even go to the EBMM forum and ask questions about their products and members of the company will answer.
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| Liked about it |
Great neck and fretwork, excellent tone, perfect functioning licensed Floyd.
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| Didn't like |
The only draw back is the lack of a forearm cut on the top. Standing and playing can get uncomfortable until you get used to it.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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top guitar, almost flawless build quality
| Sound |
really nice `brown` sound from both humbuckers, no doubt helped by the quality woods used. mine has coil taps on both `buckers by push/push pot on the vol control. evryone loves the bridge pup but i`d also single out the neck `bucker as particularly excellent sounding
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
fit and finish were both top drawer when new, factory/shop set-up was fine
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| Reliability & Durability |
owned 8yrs and no probs other than fret re-dress
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| Customer Support |
no contact
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| Liked about it |
pickups, neck feel, general good looks
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| Didn't like |
slightly expensive compared to others of similar quality
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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internal use: spec98 spec491 spec554
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