1997 Ernie Ball Music Man AXIS EX [EARLY Production MIJ Van Halen] Translucent GOLD Relic EVH D-Tuna

1997 Ernie Ball Music Man AXIS EX [EARLY Production MIJ Van Halen] | Translucent GOLD RELIC!

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 1991-1995 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 Corporation) 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 for 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 through 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 Signature models with his autograph on the headstock.

BODY: Basswood Body with Bookmatched Figured Maple Top & Cream 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® GE1988T) CONTROL: 500K Ohm Volume Pot SWITCH: 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector PICKUPS: HH - 2 DiMarzio Custom Zebra Humbucking APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 8 lbs

I've been fortunate enough to own a number of AXIS EXs in my EBMM collection and can tell you that this particular one has all of the features that hunters for the early ones are looking for such as:

• VINTAGE MUSIC MAN® LOGO NECK PLATE (PRE 1998) WITH 5 DIGIT SERIAL NUMBER! (89902) 5 digit serial numbers are very hard to find and are exactly the same as the Van Halen Signature neck plates.  Other early production AXIS EXs have the same vintage logo neck plates, but the serial numbers begin with the letter "A" (just like the '97 USA Axis).
  
• 2-PIECE BOOKMATCHED FIGURED MAPLE TOP 7903-8Y Handwritten in Neck Pocket (7903 = September 3, 1997 | 8Y = The pairing number of the neck and body from that day.)
  
• BIRDSEYE MAPLE NECK - 7 Stamped | 7903-8Y Handwritten (7903 = September 3, 1997 | 8Y = The pairing number of the neck and body from that day.)
  
• MUSIC MAN® LICENSED FLOYD ROSE WITH OFFSET SADDLES and GOTOH 40mm Brass Block - Many of the later EXs no longer came with the offset saddles like the EVH because the initial supply of the GOTOH GE1988T were depleted and discontinued in 1998, so the EX eventually also went with the same revision of the bridge that was being installed on the USA AXIS (GOTOH GE1996T)
• Original Custom DIMARZIO PICKUPS - MADE IN USA - B1 & N1 (U.S. Pat 5,399,802 Sticker)
• Original 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector
• Original 500K Ohm Volume Pot
  
• Original SCHALLER M6LA TUNERS with Pearl Buttons

Naturally Aged Relic From the Coast of Japan and a Fantastic Player!

• Quilt Maple Top has a couple small chips in the finish along with some typical dings and pick marks (See Photos)
• Back of the Body has a few chips along with some buckle rash (See Photos)
• Neck is broken-in beautifully like a well oiled old baseball glove, and still has plenty of fret life (See Photos)
  
• Cloth Pickup Coil Tape has faded (See Photos)
• Chrome Tremolo Arm has flaked, rusted, and naturally relic'd over the years (See Photos)
  
• WD MUSIC F1C Push-In Tremolo Arm is included (It doesn't have quite the same bend as the original, but it's a nice new replacement if you prefer)
  
• STEALTH BLACK EVH D-Tuna has been added to preserve the original look and still allow you to drop-down when you're feeling a little "Unchained"! (It's a little sneaky but See Photos)
• Original "VOLUME" Knob has been replaced with an EVH Style "TONE" Knob from Music Man (Original is Included)
• Tremolo Cavity Cover is included (Not Pictured on the Guitar)
  
• (2) Relic'd Screw-Eyes and Fender Washers are included (I was going to install the EVH Style Strap Locks, but decided to leave the option up to you)
  
• Professional Eb setup with Ernie Ball 9s performed by Brendan Dezember at The Music Store in Mesa, AZ (November 2021)

  

ALSO INCLUDED

• ORIGINAL HARD SHELL CASE or Ernie Ball Music Man Premium Gig Bag
  
• 1996-97 Japanese Advertisement Introducing the AXIS EX (Laminated Copy)
• 1992 ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN Van Halen Signature Guitar Ad - "Flying Eddies" (Laminated Copy)
• 1991 ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN Van Halen Signature Guitar Ad (Introducing the Edward Van Halen Guitar) "I endorsed the guitar I used to play. I designed this one...Big Difference". (Laminated Copy) * 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 ever applied to the headstock on the production models.
  
• AUGUST 1991 GUITAR FOR THE PRACTICING MUSICIAN Magazine Cover Featuring Eddie Van Halen & Introducing His New Ernie Ball Music Man Guitar! (Laminated Copy)
  

* The last photo features this guitar along with a handful of other EBMMs from my collection. The Trans Gold (on the bottom right) is the only guitar included in this listing, but you're welcome to inquire about the others.

** I currently have up to a $795 allowance allocated for shipping, handling, and insurance for outside of the US because the Reverb protection only covers up to $2500 for international shipping and I will have to purchase shipping with full insurance directly from UPS. If you are interested in purchasing this guitar and are outside of the US then please contact me first so we can get an actual estimate of what the international shipping fees may be and then I can adjust the listing.

Thanks For Looking,
BYE SEE YA LATER !!

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