Ernie Ball Music Man AXIS EX (90s MIJ EVH) Translucent Red =\//-/=

Brand

Ernie Ball Music Man

The Ernie Ball Music Man AXIS EX is probably the most obscure production guitar for fellow EVH collectors to hunt simply because they were allocated for the Japanese market and there's so little published information about the model. There is certainly a lot of mystique about the AXIS EX and a number of opinions on the internet, but here are a few notations that I believe to be true and may hopefully be helpful to anyone potentially interested: * Ernie Ball Music Man produced the Edward Van Halen Signature guitar between 1(contact info removed) before Eddie abruptly left for Peavey and introduced the Wolfgang. It's been said that EBMM wasn't able to produce enough guitars to meet the demands of Eddie's fan base and satisfy his accountants so he needed to move to a bigger manufacturer. * Eddie's affiliation with Ernie Ball Music Man was really an unbelievable move at the time simply because he appeared to have evolved overnight and away from his iconic spray painted Frankenstrat guitars to preferring such a meticulously refined instrument. * After Eddie's departure, all of the leftover parts from the EVH Signature guitars that remained were then sent from the Ernie Ball Music Man plant in San Luis Obispo, California to their distributor in Japan (Kanda Shokai) for assembly and final setup. * These guitars continued to be built with the same specifications as the Van Halen Signature model while the AXIS EX name was introduced as its value-priced successor to the Japanese market. * The Eddie Van Halen signature graphic was deleted from the front of the headstock and "Made in San Luis Obispo, California" was deleted from the back. * The AXIS EX does not display any markings of the model name or "Made In Japan" anywhere on the guitar, so even those who are lucky enough to own one may not know exactly what they actually have. * After all of the remaining parts from the EVH Signatures were used to build the initial run of AXIS EX models, the Kanda Shokai plant continued to source the woods and components for production up until about 2003. * The next wave of AXIS EX guitars that were sold in the late 90s featured very subtle differences than the limited initial run, such as the new Ernie Ball Music Man logo on the neckplate and a one-piece quilt maple veneer cap rather than a bookmatched maple top. * Ernie Ball Music Man is no longer working with Kanda Shokai, so unfortunately they are unable to provide any data pertaining to serial numbers and the overall production of these very hard to find guitars.
 What's really cool about the AXIS EX is that it doesn't display the model name anywhere, only the Ernie Ball Music Man logo. So, it looks exactly the same as Eddie's EBMM prototype that he played, and actually even more of a replica than the Van Halen production models with his signature on the headstock. BODY: Translucent Red Quilt Maple Top | Black Basswood Body | Creme Binding NECK: Figured Maple FINGERBOARD: Figured Maple FRETS: 22 SCALE: 25.5" NECK FINISH: Hand-Rubbed Gun Stock Oil and Special Wax Blend NECK JOINT: 5 Bolt Sculpted Neck Joint For Perfect Alignment TUNERS: Schaller M6LA with Pearl Buttons BRIDGE: MUSIC MAN® Licensed Floyd Rose Double Locking Tremolo with 40mm Brass Block (GOTOH® GE1996T) CONTROL: 500kohm Volume Pot SWITCH: 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector PICKUPS: HH - 2 DiMarzio Custom Zebra Humbucking WEIGHT: 8.5 lbs * Modern version of the Ernie Ball Music Man logo on the chrome neck plate cover differs from the original MM style used on the actual Van Halen model and suggests that this guitar was likely built in the late 90s/early 2000s * Original "VOLUME" Knob has been replaced with an EVH Style "TONE" Knob from Music Man * Original Tremolo Cavity Cover was missing and has been replaced with a Music Man factory replacement * EVH D-Tuna has been added to make the guitar complete * Brenden at The Guitar Service Center (located inside The Music Store in Mesa) just put the guitar back together for me after I disassembled it to photograph the components and he did a fantastic setup with Ernie Ball 9s Eb so it's ready to rock! This guitar is a gorgeous work of art and an EVH player's dream, especially for those who have had an EBMM Van Halen Signature model at the top of their wish list but have yet to be able to justify the inve$tment. The AXIS EX is just as rare and collectible to fellow 5150 maniacs so their values have substantially increased as well, but the overall value is incredible because it is essentially the same guitar with the biggest difference being his signature on the headstock. ALSO INCLUDED: * MUSIC MAN® Hard Shell Case * 1991 EBMM Guitar Magazine Ad Introducing the Edward Van Halen Guitar | "I endorsed the guitar I used to play. I designed this one...Big Difference." Eddie Van Halen ** Notice that the guitar that Eddie is holding in this ad is one of the very first EBMM prototypes that were built for him and before his signature graphic was added to the headstock. =\//-/=