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Summer NAMM 2021: Ernie Ball Music Man updates its Axis collection for 2021 with new colours

The guitars are the successors to Eddie Van Halen’s Ernie Ball Music Man signature.

Ernie Ball Music Man Axis 2021

Image: Ernie Ball Music Man

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Summer NAMM 2021: Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled the 2021 edition of its Axis range of electric guitars, offering new finishes and some tweaked specifications. The range has two core models: the Axis and the Axis Super Sport. The body shape may look familiar, too, for good reason: the Axis is the successor to Eddie Van Halen’s signature Music Man from the 1990s, and hence has a similar design to the EVH Wolfgang.

2021 Axis

The 2021 Axis now comes with a roasted, figured maple neck, fitted with 22 stainless steel frets. Body construction is basswood with a bookmatched maple top, either quilted or flamed depending on your choice of finish. The neck and body come together at a carved five-bolt joint, balancing stability and upper-fret access.

Hardware includes an Ernie Ball Music Man two-point vibrato, paired with a locking nut for some extreme whammy-bar action. Electronics are somewhat stripped-back – there’s a pair of custom-wound DiMarzio humbuckers, as well as a single volume pot and a three-way toggle switch. Two new finishes are also introduced this year: Yucatan Blue and Roasted Amber. Both are available with a flamed or quilted maple top.

Lists for $3,199 (quilt maple) or $2,999 (flame maple).

2021 Axis Super Sport

This guitar is available in the same two new finishes as the regular Axis, again with a choice of quilted or flamed maple for the top. Again, there’s a basswood body and a roasted, figured maple neck, fitted with 22 stainless steel frets.

The differences come in the form of the hardware and electronics. Instead of the regular Axis’ two-point locking vibrato, there’s a vintage-style vibrato. The pickups are again a pair of DiMarzio humbuckers, but there’s the addition of a tone knob to the control set. A five-way blade switch also allows for two extra positions, with either the inner or outer coils of both humbuckers engaged in parallel.

Lists for $3,149 (quilt maple) or $2,949 (flame maple).

See both models up close with Ernie Ball Music Man’s introductory video below.

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