Ernie Ball Music Man Armada | 2014 | White

Up for grabs is this one-of-a-kind 2014 Ernie Ball Music Man Armada in White. This one comes loaded with P90 pickups. The Armadas went out of production a long time ago, so they're not easy to find. The P90 versions are even harder. If you're reading this listing, odds are, you don't need a history lesson on the Armadas, but just in case, this was Ernie Ball Music Man's attempt at a Les Paul concept. Instead of the traditional EBMM bolt-on neck construction, the Armadas have a neck-through mahogany design. From there, two mahogany wings are added, and the body is carved, like a Les Paul, but in a gloriously unique Armada way that hearkens back to the '50s with that V carve on the top.

This Armada has a factory-installed battery compartment and is powered by a 9-volt to deliver the EBBM Silent Circuit, an active buffer designed to eliminate 60-cycle hum and electromagnetic interference. It results in a quiet single-coil P90 tone without altering the pickups' natural, passive sound.

The original owner, from whom I purchased it, told me this was a custom color from the factory back in 2013. I've owned this guitar for a couple of years. It never left my smoke-free studio, except to get set up. You can find pictures of some off-white/cream variants of the Armada, but not this solid white. The Armadas also have a bound body, neck, and matching headstock, adding to the premium feel of this guitar. The fingerboard is made of rosewood with custom 'wedge' Mother-of-Pearl inlays. And the scale length is 24-3/4" (Gibson style).

Condition-wise, it's in very good shape with only a few light scratches and dings. The neck is straight and the frets are in great shape. I recently had it set up, so it plays smooth as butter with low action. I just love the body shape of the Armadas. It's like a Les Paul, but unique unto its own, and as an owner of several Armadas over the years, I can tell you these guitars are some of the best, nicest-playing guitars I've experienced, and this white P90 unicorn is no exception. This is coming from a major Gibson collector, including vintage and Les Paul Reissues, like the R8, R9, and R0. Armadas are on that level.

I'll be honest. I'm having a really hard time letting myself list this guitar because I love it and I'm a huge Armada fan, and I know how unique it is. It's a kick-ass guitar. But financial demands in my family are kind of forcing my hand, but I could change my mind at a moment's notice and pull this thing off of Reverb, so get it while you can. That's not a sales tactic, I assure you. As I type this, my misgivings are only intensifying. If you buy it before I change my mind, it'll ship in a non-original hardcase. It also has Fender Infinity Locks on it, but I will ship it with its original strap buttons.

Please check my seller reviews. This Armada will be packed with extreme care and made safe for the road.

Specs

• Body: Mahogany
• Top: Carved, bookmatched, and figured maple inset in a distinct "V" wedge shape
• Neck: Mahogany (neckthrough)
• Design: True neck-through body construction with a continuous piece of mahogany from headstock to tail.
• Neck Profile: Modeled after a classic '59 Les Paul, with a relatively thick C-shape
• Finish: Gloss / Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Nut width: 1-11/16"
• Frets: 22 high-profile, wide stainless steel frets.
• Inlays: EBBM Wedge Mother of Pearl
• Scale: 24-3/4"
• Pickups: Custom EBMM MM90 vintage-style single coil pickups w/ the Silent System
• Radius: 12"
• Bridge: Standard Tune-o-matic-style with thumbwheel height adjustment
• Tailpiece: Graph Tech / stop-style tailpiece
• Tuners: Schaller M6-IND locking tuners with pearloid buttons (4x2 layout)
• Controls: One volume, one tone
• Switch: 3-way
• Weight: 8 lbs (exactly)