Review: Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport
Cypher
Review: Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport
This is simply one of the coolest guitar I've played in a LONG time.
It is extremely precision built with some very innovative features.
First and foremost, though... I LOVE the sound! The Axis sport uses
custom designed Dimarzio pickup in the cream/black configuration.
These pickups sound similar to PRS dragon pickups except these have
more bite and a lot more sustain (could be from other factors).
I opted for the Axis Sport over the Axis for a couple of reasons.
First, the Axis Sport uses a solid Ash body. They don't say but I'm
pretty sure they use swamp ash. This guitar doesn't weigh very much.
The specs say that it's 7lbs, 13oz but it feels more like six pounds
or so to me. Ernie Ball used a premium piece of swamp ash for this
guitar, and it shows very nicely through the transparent amber finish.
(Ash is my favorite tone wood for guitars, currently. I'm also a big
fan of Mahogany.) The Axis guitar uses a basswood body w/ maple top.
Pretty, but less tone-ful.
Second, this guitar has the same humbucking pickups as the Axis, but
it has five-way switching. This allows for a larger variety of tones,
although strat tones are NOT FOUND HERE! This is a good thing. This
guitar simply sings on every pickup setting. The volume is a 500k pot
and the tone uses a .022uf capacitor. The pots used in this guitar
appear to be very high quality. (I opted for the twin humbucker
version of this guitar, though it's available in a H/S/S and S/S/S
configuration.)
Third, this guitar comes with Schaller locking tuners which are
first-rate tuners. The Axis comes with regular Schallers w/ pearl
buttons. They look nice, but I prefer the lockers for ease of string
changes.
Fourth, the Axis Sport has a tone control. The Axis does not.
Neck:
Whoever designed the neck, knew what they were doing. This neck is the
exact neck used on the EVH and Axis guitars and it's killer! They
finished the back of the neck with a special wax finish that feels
totally natural! I love the feel of unfinished necks. Painted and
finished necks create a lot of drag when your hands start sweating.
These necks are a lot more comfortable. I usually hate fat necks on
guitar.. i.e. vintage Fenders. The Axis sport has a really fat neck
with a very interesting and comfortable feel. Many guitar makers
create comfort by flattening the backs of their necks, but this one
seems more rounded. And it feels nice! I'll have to figure this one
out... The radius is 10", width at nut is 1 5/8" and 2 3/16" at the
last fret. The necks have an interesting truss rod adjustment that is
similar to the Parker Fly guitar. You actually adjust the rod at the
base of the neck, and you don't have to take the strings off or
anything. The neck is birdseye maple and mine came with a rosewood
fretboard. All of the models in the store with a maple fretboard were
figured maple. Some of the necks on the guitars were figured beyond
belief. I'm talking, they almost looked polka dotted. The neck is
Bolt-In and uses a very unique 5-bolt design for a precision fit. The
neck joint is sculpted and allows very comfortable access to upper
frets.
Headstock:
The headstock is the interesting Ernie Ball 4/2 design which looks a
little funny, but is actually very functional. First, they were able
to shorten the headstock by using the 4/2 design. Second, they have a
perfectly straight string pull. This adds to the sustain and overall
tone of the guitar by allowing the strings to vibrate with minimal
restriction.
Body:
The body is very comfortable and easy to hold, play and balance on
your leg. Ernie Ball sculpted the body slightly on the back to make it
more comfortable. As I mentioned before, the body is ash, probably
swamp ash, and is the same shape as the Axis and EVH models. The Axis
Sport uses a minimalist pickguard which is classy looking. The volume
and tone knobs are placed within easy reach near the lower pickup. The
five way switch is positioned just below the vol/tone controls.
Electronics:
This guitar uses some pretty impressive electronics. The five-way
switch produces no clicks or static, and the volume and tone pots feel
very smooth.
Pickups:
The Dimarzio pickups ROCK! I can't begin to tell you how good these
sound. You'll just have to hear for yourself. I gotta warn you,
though. You'll start playing old Van Halen tunes the minute you pick
this guitar up. The tones range from modern Van Halen to classic ZZ
Top. This guitar does humbuckers right. Period. The sustain is simply
incredible, even using clean patches. This guitar sounds great with
both heavy and light distortion. Clean sounds are nice and full,
though NOT STRAT-LIKE!
Hardware:
This guitar doesn't use any of the crap hardware that you'll find on
most guitars. Ernie ball has their own-designed bridge, their own neck
plate, their own access covers, their own pickguards, their own knobs,
and even their own strap buttons. The Axis is NOT a "parts bin" guitar
like most other brands out there today. The bridge is a thick chrome
bridge with individual string saddles. (The Axis Sport is available in
a Hardtail model, but the store didn't have any in stock.) The knobs
are thick chrome, as are the Schaller tuners.
Fit and Finish:
I can't find a flaw on this guitar. Tight neck-joint, good fretwork,
etc..
Overall:
This is first and foremost a performance Axe. Other guitar
manufacturers can learn a lot from how Ernie Ball builds guitars. From
the five-bolt neck joint to the unique finished neck, this guitar is
innovative. The sounds are powerful and unique, and the guitar feels
comfortable enough for endless hours of playing.
Comparisons:
I took half a day off work today to shop for a new guitar. I went to
several stores and played a lot of guitars. I had planned on buying
either a PRS or a Hamer, as I was strictly looking for a
twin-humbucker guitar. After playing a few PRS guitars and two Hamer
guitars, I decided to go to Guitar Center and play their PRS
offerings. Being that it was a Wednesday night, the store was
completely dead and quiet. The PERFECT opportunity to check out a
guitar. I got almost an hours worth of "test-driving" done before
Yngwie Jr. sat down behind me for some mindless noodle-playing. In
that hour, I played a couple of PRS CE's and a standard. Honestly, I
wasn't impressed with ANY PRS that I played today. I casually picked
up an Axis Sport and kind of scoffed at the price. I thought that it
was a "low-end" Axis knock off, and they wanted too much for it.
Little did I know that a half an hour later I would be buying it,
having determined that I liked it better than the Axis. For
comparison, the Axis Sport's LIST price is $200 less than the
lowest-end Axis, but Guitar Center wont deal on the Axis guitars. They
said that their best deal was $200 off of list. Anything better needed
manager approval. I laughed.
I'm very happy with the Axis Sport, needless to say. I'm sold on these
Ernie Ball guitars. I can't believe I haven't paid much attention to
them before. They're not cheap, but the prices aren't unreasonable for
what you get. This a truly a performance axe. 'Nuff said!
e-mail me if you have any questions/comments.
-Cypher
Kevin Hamilton
Agree with the assessment! Get the Axis with single coils and you got all
your bases covered. I was looking for a Fender Strat and ended up walking
out with the H/S/S Axis. Amber finish over and ash body with rosewood
finger board. Price with case was $950 at Guitar Center. Kevin
Steve
Does anyone have an opinion regarding the "Silhouette" model??
Steve
Nick V Flor
Damn. I wanted to be the first one from RMMG w/ a Music Man Axis Sport.
Too bad noone here in Pittsburgh carries them (at least none of the
music stores I frequent).
- Nick
Lotsatone
Hi Nick,
>Damn. I wanted to be the first one from RMMG w/ a Music Man Axis Sport.
> Too bad noone here in Pittsburgh carries them (at least none of the
>music stores I frequent).
Go talk to Donny Hollowood. He's a dealer, and he can certainly get one in
for you. (412) 771-3060
Kevin
Frank Rust
I was going to buy either a Strat or a Tele, I bought a "Silhouette"
instead. I absolutely love it! Light as a feather and clear as a bell. No
trem, 3 single coils, and one of the best necks I've ever played (which
was a big motivation in picking it.) It's a well made, solid instrument. I
don't know why these guitars aren't more popular! Maybe after the
absolutely glowing review the Axis got in Guitar Player magazine this
month people will catch on and Guitar Center will start charging even more
for them.
I'm now considering buying a second Music Man with a 2 humbucker
configuration. I've owned Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Hamer, Kramer, etc. This
Music Man has impressed me more then any other guitar I've ever owned. But
don't take it from me... go play some for yourself!!! ;-)
Frank
evil twinŽ
On Thu, 05 Feb 1998 05:34:56 GMT, guit...@geocities.com (Cypher)
wrote:
>Review: Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport
<<snip>>
You left out the single most important characteristic of the guitar -
what's the scale length?
Cypher
On 5 Feb 1998 15:34:05 GMT, "Kevin Hamilton" <kd...@ix.netcom.com>
wrote:
>Agree with the assessment! Get the Axis with single coils and you got all
>your bases covered. I was looking for a Fender Strat and ended up walking
>out with the H/S/S Axis. Amber finish over and ash body with rosewood
>finger board. Price with case was $950 at Guitar Center. Kevin
Good choice, Kevin. I have the same one, only H/H. I chose the twin
humbucker because I was looking for that particular sound. The H/S/S
version sounds really good, though. I'll tell you this, those single
coils DO NOT produce hum. How does Ernie Ball shield against the hum
on the singles? Fender could learn from them.
-Cypher
Cypher
On Thu, 05 Feb 1998 08:06:57 -0800, Steve <qu...@sprintmail.com>
wrote:
>Kevin Hamilton wrote:
>>
>> Agree with the assessment! Get the Axis with single coils and you got all
>> your bases covered. I was looking for a Fender Strat and ended up walking
>> out with the H/S/S Axis. Amber finish over and ash body with rosewood
>> finger board. Price with case was $950 at Guitar Center. Kevin
>
>
>Does anyone have an opinion regarding the "Silhouette" model??
Yeah. These are great guitars. I've been in love with them ever since
I saw Vinnie Moore play one at a Guitar Center guitar clinic. What's
cool about this guitar is the fact that you can swap out the pickups
without soldering. They're modular. Pretty cool, eh? I really like the
Ernie Ball neck, most of all. The Silhouette is a darn nice guitar!
-Cypher
Cypher
On Thu, 5 Feb 1998 11:20:31 -0500, Nick V Flor <fl...@andrew.cmu.edu>
wrote:
>Damn. I wanted to be the first one from RMMG w/ a Music Man Axis Sport.
> Too bad noone here in Pittsburgh carries them (at least none of the
>music stores I frequent).
Ernie Ball Music Man dealers are few and far between. Never fear,
though! Our good friend DougA of Indoor Storm said that they just
bought a store who was an Ernie Ball dealer. If all goes well, he'll
be one of the only EB dealers on the net.
I sure hope he starts ordering them.
-Cypher
Cypher
On Fri, 06 Feb 1998 00:17:26 GMT, ha...@primary.net (evil twin®)
wrote:
>On Thu, 05 Feb 1998 05:34:56 GMT, guit...@geocities.com (Cypher)
>wrote:
>
>>Review: Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport
>
><<snip>>
>
>You left out the single most important characteristic of the guitar -
>what's the scale length?
25.5"
-Cypher
Andrew P. Mullhaupt
Cypher wrote in message <34ec779a...@newshost.cyberramp.net>...
>I'll tell you this, those single
>coils DO NOT produce hum. How does Ernie Ball shield against the hum
>on the singles? Fender could learn from them.
You mean like Lace sensors? And I think this year Fender has come up with a
newer single coil pickup type with low noise.
Later,
Andrew Mullhaupt
Giri
> >You left out the single most important characteristic of the guitar -
> >what's the scale length?
>
> 25.5"
Ah, but a very short 25.5".
BYE!
--
e-mail: giyengar "at" ford "dot" com
Jared G. Donze
>Headstock:
>The headstock is the interesting Ernie Ball 4/2 design which looks a
>little funny, but is actually very functional. First, they were able
>to shorten the headstock by using the 4/2 design. Second, they have a
>perfectly straight string pull. This adds to the sustain and overall
>tone of the guitar by allowing the strings to vibrate with minimal
>restriction.
>
A relevant historical point-- Musicman was started in the early 70s by
Leo Fender (after his R&D deal w/ Fender expired) and former Fender
plant manager Forrest White. In the early 80s Ernie Ball purchased
the Musicman name and trademarks. The 4+2 headstock (and the 3+1 bass
headstock) were designed by White back in the 70s. Great design!
JARED
Cypher
I don't think they're like lace sensors. They look just like regular
pickups. However, when looking at Ernie Ball's website, it looks like
they're active pickups. Ernie Ball calls it some sort of "hum
reducer". It requires a 9v battery, so I think it qualifies them as
active pickups.
-Cypher
Cypher
>A relevant historical point-- Musicman was started in the early 70s by
>Leo Fender (after his R&D deal w/ Fender expired) and former Fender
>plant manager Forrest White. In the early 80s Ernie Ball purchased
>the Musicman name and trademarks. The 4+2 headstock (and the 3+1 bass
>headstock) were designed by White back in the 70s. Great design!
You can read more about their history at www.ernieball.com
From what I gather, they only crank out a few guitars a day. This
would explain why many dealers have guitars backordered from them.
I've seen some older Music Man basses that are selling for ridiculous
prices. Are they a collectors item or something?
-Cypher
Cypher
On Thu, 05 Feb 1998 22:57:49 -0700, ru...@sirius.com (Frank Rust)
wrote:
>Maybe after the
>absolutely glowing review the Axis got in Guitar Player magazine this
>month people will catch on and Guitar Center will start charging even more
>for them.
Yeah... A Guitar Center salesman told me that they wont come more than
$200 off list for ANY Axis guitar - excluding the Axis Sport.
Apparently, the Axis is still in pretty high demand because it's a
close cousin to the MusicMan EVH guitar. When Eddie left them, I think
they were required to change a few things. They moved the three-way
switch and I think they changed the headstock slightly. The pickups
should be the same, though.
>I'm now considering buying a second Music Man with a 2 humbucker
>configuration. I've owned Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Hamer, Kramer, etc. This
>Music Man has impressed me more then any other guitar I've ever owned. But
>don't take it from me... go play some for yourself!!! ;-)
I feel the same way! This guitar seems to almost "play itself". It's
definitely one of the smoothest and best sounding guitars I've ever
owned, and I've owned a LOT of them. It's biggest strength is the feel
of the neck, though.
-Cypher
Matthew Ivaliotes
guit...@geocities.com (Cypher) writes:
>I've seen some older Music Man basses that are selling for ridiculous
>prices. Are they a collectors item or something?
Old Music Man Stingrays are among the Holy Grails of basses for some
players. More punch than Evander Holyfield. My next bass will likely be
either a G&L or a Music Man.
Matt I.
JerseyN
What is the list price on the Axis Sport? How much did it cost you?
Cypher
On 7 Feb 1998 18:38:47 GMT, lo...@staff.uiuc.edu (Matthew Ivaliotes)
wrote:
That's cool to know. I heard this band one time (www.blanchefury.com)
and the bass player played a MusicMan w/ an Eden amp. It sounded
REALLY nice. That's really the only time I've ever encountered them.
Are the new ones considered as good as the vintage ones? You never see
these things in stores. Maybe Ernie Ball is backlogged on these, too.
They look cool.
-Cypher
Lotsatone
>Old Music Man Stingrays are among the Holy Grails of basses for >some players.
More punch than Evander Holyfield.
I'll certainly be sure to keep an ear out for one.
Hardy, har, har. <G>
Kevin
Matthew Ivaliotes
guit...@geocities.com (Cypher) writes:
>Are the new ones considered as good as the vintage ones?
Much like with guitars, that's a subject of much debate among bassists. I
happen the think the new ones are quite fine indeed. Until he got his
Modulus Graphite signature model (which is largely a Modulus Stingray,
really), Flea played a lot of Music Man basses. Other players have as
well, and for a variety of tones, but their known for their hard kicking
output and punch.
>You never see
>these things in stores. Maybe Ernie Ball is backlogged on these, too.
>They look cool.
They do indeed. Again, either a Stingray or a G&L L2000 (both hard tom
come by around here) will be the bass in my future. I think they look
good and play wonderfully, and have an immense set of balls.
Matt I.
evil twinŽ
On 8 Feb 1998 00:06:47 GMT, lo...@staff.uiuc.edu (Matthew Ivaliotes)
wrote:
>They do indeed. Again, either a Stingray or a G&L L2000 (both hard tom
>come by around here) will be the bass in my future. I think they look
>good and play wonderfully, and have an immense set of balls.
The second most important thing (after scale length) - ball size.
Carlginger
>Subject: Re: Review: Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport
>From: ha...@primary.net (evil twin®)
>Date: Sat, Feb 7, 1998 19:41 EST
>Message-id: <34e3fee9....@news.primary.net>
Ball size.... Does it matter? Matt? Liz? Stratqueen?
Carl
Lotsatone
>Ball size.... Does it matter? Matt? Liz? Stratqueen?
I heard that it's not the size of the balls, but how you pop and slap it
that counts. No wait...that was something else. My apologies. :)
Kevin
Greg Peterson
It's all in the fingers.
--
Greg
Greg Peterson
Matthew Ivaliotes wrote:
> They do indeed. Again, either a Stingray or a G&L L2000 (both hard tom
> come by around here) will be the bass in my future. I think they look
> good and play wonderfully, and have an immense set of balls.
>
> Matt I.
The Sterlings are good too....
--
Greg
Matthew Ivaliotes
Greg Peterson <gsp...@concentric.net> writes:
>The Sterlings are good too....
Oh, certainly. I don't think they make a bad bass over there at MM.
Matt I.
Cypher
>guit...@geocities.com (Cypher) writes:
>
>>Are the new ones considered as good as the vintage ones?
>
>Much like with guitars, that's a subject of much debate among bassists. I
>happen the think the new ones are quite fine indeed. Until he got his
>Modulus Graphite signature model (which is largely a Modulus Stingray,
>really), Flea played a lot of Music Man basses. Other players have as
>well, and for a variety of tones, but their known for their hard kicking
>output and punch.
I hadn't thought about that, but I've always been impressed with
Flea's tone. Probably the majority of his classic tunes were tone with
that Stingray Bass.
>They do indeed. Again, either a Stingray or a G&L L2000 (both hard tom
>come by around here) will be the bass in my future. I think they look
>good and play wonderfully, and have an immense set of balls.
Whatever, Ernie Ball is asking for these, It's probably a worthwhile
investment. I don't think Ernie Ball ever meant for their instruments
to be "boutique-type" instruments. These things strike me as true
"players" instruments. They're very functional, yet simple.
-Cypher
Matthew Ivaliotes
guit...@geocities.com (Cypher) writes:
>I hadn't thought about that, but I've always been impressed with
>Flea's tone. Probably the majority of his classic tunes were tone with
>that Stingray Bass.
Yup. A Stingray (and I think once in a while an Alembic), usually through
a GK amp.
>Whatever, Ernie Ball is asking for these, It's probably a worthwhile
>investment.
Agreed. I think they can be had around 1100, but I honestly haven't
researched that part enough. All I know is I want one. :)
>I don't think Ernie Ball ever meant for their instruments
>to be "boutique-type" instruments. These things strike me as true
>"players" instruments. They're very functional, yet simple.
Definitely. They are true workhorse basses. I'm of the opinion that
they're not the most versatile bass around (others would disagree), but
what they do they do exceptionally well.
Matt I.
Mic Cullen
guit...@geocities.com (Cypher), far, far away from here, appears to have
written:
[snips]
>Review: Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport
Mate, *I'm* the one who's supposed to post the reviews here that make
people want to go out and buy stuff, not you!! I'll have to get the rmmg
lawyer pack onto you :-)
>This is simply one of the coolest guitar I've played in a LONG time.
>It is extremely precision built with some very innovative features.
And it's not a Godin!! Woah!! :-)
>Neck:
>Whoever designed the neck, knew what they were doing. This neck is the
>exact neck used on the EVH and Axis guitars and it's killer! They
It's one of the best necks around, no doubt about it. I *loved* it on the
EVH I once played.
I'm trekking of to a store in town tomorrow that has a couple of Axis
Sports on the wall....... I saw them there last week, but didn't get the
chance to play them then. I will tomorrow though!!
Great review, BTW. Thanks, I think :-)
cheers,
Stevie Mic (The return address will work as is...)
The "Stevie" Page is found at
http://www.cross.com.au/stevies/
Cypher
On Mon, 09 Feb 1998 23:16:11 +0800, nos...@cross.com.au (Mic Cullen)
wrote:
>And it's not a Godin!! Woah!! :-)
I'm never gonna shake my Godin reputation, am I? hehehe
>I'm trekking of to a store in town tomorrow that has a couple of Axis
>Sports on the wall....... I saw them there last week, but didn't get the
>chance to play them then. I will tomorrow though!!
>
>Great review, BTW. Thanks, I think :-)
No Prob! Let us know what you think of the Axis Sport after you play
it. I'm real anxious to hear your comments!
-Cypher
TIMOTHY GUEGUEN
: >I've seen some older Music Man basses that are selling for ridiculous
: >prices. Are they a collectors item or something?
: Old Music Man Stingrays are among the Holy Grails of basses for some
: players. More punch than Evander Holyfield. My next bass will likely be
: either a G&L or a Music Man.
: Matt I.
If you have anything with bass playing by Tony Levin in your album
collection you've heard some model of Music Man Stingray in action. He's
played them from what I can tell pretty much from the day they came out.
He even has a special 3 string model they custom built for him a few
years back.
On the other hand I don't think the old Music Man guitars like the Sabre are
particularily pricey. No hugely popular player uses one as a main ax,
which obviously would boost the price, and I suspect some people are
leery of them because of their active electronics.
tim gueguen 101867
Mic Cullen
[snips]
>First, the Axis Sport uses a solid Ash body. They don't say but I'm
>pretty sure they use swamp ash. This guitar doesn't weigh very much.
Well, ain't *that* a good get!! While poking around their site a couple of
minutes ago, I found th following in the "press releases" section. Why
there's not a link from the Axis Sport page is beyond me.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA (April XX, 1997) -- Ernie Ball Music Man's new Axis
Sport offers players the classic styling and performance of the Axis with a
variety of options.
The 25 1/2" scale, 10" radius neck has the same profile as the Axis
with a choice of a maple or rosewood fretboard.
The solid lightweight swamp ash body is available in translucent
gold, red, purple, blue and green, opaque ivory and black. A vintage
three-tone sunburst is also available for an additional charge.
A choice of two humbuckings, three single-coils, or one humbucking
with two single-coils makes the Axis Sport a versatile instrument for rock,
blues, or country. Single-coil configurations come with Music Man's
patented "silent- circuit" that reduces single-coil hum without altering
the sound. A five-way pickup selector switch plus volume and tone controls
complete the electronics. Pickups are custom wound by DiMarzio's.
The new vintage style tremolo, designed and built by Music Man,
incorporates bent-steel bridge saddles with a modern, two-pivot design. The
top plate is made from stamped steel and the tremolo block is machined out
of solid steel. The combination of precision bushings, locking detent, and
a tension adjustment keeps the tremolo arm from coming out and offers
players the option of setting the arm to rotate freely or place it in a
fixed position. With SchallerŽ M6-IND locking tuners and the new tremolo,
players do not need any tools to change strings. The new tremolo and
locking tuners are also available on Music Man Silhouette Special and
Albert Lee guitars. The standard Music Man string-thru-the-body bridge is
also available.
The Axis Sport has a suggested retail of $1,300 with standard bridge
and $1,400 with tremolo.
elizabeth & chris
TIMOTHY GUEGUEN wrote:
> He even has a special 3 string model they custom built for him a few
> years back.
>
Not any more. :( It was destroyed in a fire a few years ago, along
with all kinds of other special stuff.
ESB
Vicki & David Eastwood
lots...@aol.com (Lotsatone) wrote:
>>Old Music Man Stingrays are among the Holy Grails of basses for >some players.
> More punch than Evander Holyfield.
>
> I'll certainly be sure to keep an ear out for one.
>
> Hardy, har, har. <G>
>
More bit than.....?
-------------------------------------------------
Vicki and David Eastwood - dj...@worldnet.att.net
Cypher
On Wed, 11 Feb 1998 21:35:22 +0800, nos...@cross.com.au (Mic Cullen)
wrote:
>guit...@geocities.com (Cypher), far, far away from here, appears to have
>written:
>
>[snips]
>
>>First, the Axis Sport uses a solid Ash body. They don't say but I'm
>>pretty sure they use swamp ash. This guitar doesn't weigh very much.
>
>Well, ain't *that* a good get!! While poking around their site a couple of
>minutes ago, I found th following in the "press releases" section. Why
>there's not a link from the Axis Sport page is beyond me.....
Hey! I know my wood! hehehe
-Cypher
digit...@talktalk.net
> Agree with the assessment! Get the Axis with single coils and you got all
> your bases covered. I was looking for a Fender Strat and ended up walking
> out with the H/S/S Axis. Amber finish over and ash body with rosewood
> finger board. Price with case was $950 at Guitar Center. Kevin
I think one of the best "strats" is the Music Man Albert Lee. It almost put me off overdrive! Fab guitar.