Steve Lukather, John Petrucci, and (at one
time) Eddie Van Halen. These well-regarded
guitar designs have culminated in the 25th
Anniversary model guitar, which turned a lot
of heads at NAMM 2009 in Anaheim, picking up a “Best in Show” award.
Right out of the case, the 25th Anniversary
model is a stunning guitar, with its quilted
maple top (flame maple top is standard)
and matching quilted headstock finished in
a high-gloss polyester Venetian Redburst
finish. The body shape resembles that of
the Tele-esque Music Man Axis model with
some significant differences. The body
is slightly larger than the Axis and has a
proprietary mahogany center tone block
surrounded by a chambered basswood
body that features individual oblong oval
cutouts—instead of large hollow chambers
typically used on chambered guitars. This
unique design provides weight relief and
added resonance to the instrument. The
body is top bound with a strip of flawlessly
applied single-ply cream binding and features both a top arm contour and “tummy
cut” on the back of the guitar, which is finished in black high-gloss polyester. The guitar has an attractive maple neck with ample
birdseye figuring, which is finished with the
ever-so-comfortable gunstock oil, hand-rubbed special wax blend. The neck carve
is borrowed from the Silhouette Special
model, which is best described as a slightly
offset medium C carve. The neck is topped
off with a 12" radius fingerboard—a generous cut of beautiful, dark brown rosewood
(maple also available) that contrasts nicely
with the 22 polished, high-profile, wide
nickel frets and mother of pearl dot fret
markers. The matching finished headstock
features the classic Music Man compact
(only 5-7/8" long) 4+ 2 tuner design, with
the added touch of a high-gloss clear finish
applied to the back. The truss rod can be
easily adjusted at the base of the neck without the need for string removal.
Appointments Aplenty
The appointments and hardware selection
for the Anniversary model represent that
of an experienced design team. The guitar
is voiced with a pair of chrome-covered
DiMarzio pickups and feature Alnico V
magnets. The proprietary pickups are wired
in a clever fashion to a 5-way switch and
chrome 2-way series/parallel toggle that
together offer a total of 10 distinct sounds:
Pos. 5 (Neck Humbucker), Pos. 4 (Inside
coils both pickups), Pos. 3 (Both pickups
full humbucking), Pos. 2 (Outside coils both
pickups), and Pos. 1 (Bridge Humbucker).
All positions can be voiced in series or
parallel. Equally clever is the design of the
3-point leveling black plastic pickup mounts
that allow you to adjust the pickups parallel to the strings. Given the tonal variations
available, it would be interesting to add the
option of blending various dual pickup combinations with another volume knob. The
guitar features well-placed chrome “dome”
style volume and tone knobs wired to a
500k pot and .022μF tone capacitor.
The vintage-style, chrome Music Man, bent-saddle tremolo bridge (fixed bridge available) is a two-post variety that is set flush
to the body with a protective strip attached
under the bridge. This was a smart design
decision, as this guitar’s tremolo will see
heavy use, given its silky feel and its admirable ability to stay in tune. The chrome strap
buttons feature white plastic bushings that
match nicely with the chrome input jack.
The neck is firmly attached to the body at
the 17th fret with the use of a 5-bolt sculpted neck joint with chrome neck plate and
provides easy access to the upper frets. The
1-5/8" white melamine nut is finely cut with
what appears to be the appropriate tuning
offsets with its edges smoothly honed. The
pearl-button, locking Schaller M6-IND locking tuners are well seated and add to the
guitar’s classy appearance. The control cavity is tidy and coated with a graphite acrylic
resin with black aluminum control cover.
Playability Defined
The efforts of the EBMM design team are
also apparent in the playability and tone
of the 25th Anniversary model. The guitar
is lightweight, resonant and balanced in
both standing and sitting positions. The
neck is very comfortable due to its carve
and finish; that along with the excellent
fretwork makes this guitar play very “fast.”
The selection of tonewoods provides the
basis for the guitar’s full tone with a tight
low end. The midrange emphasis from the
mahogany center block is augmented by
the fatness and balanced tonal response
that basswood typically provides, and
blends well with the snap and clarity on
the high end that a maple top can provide. The bolt-on 25. 5" scale maple neck
adds to the guitar’s articulation and, unlike
other chambered guitars, the chambered
body does not soften the attack but rather
adds to its resonance.
Plugged in, you immediately get the sense
of the capabilities of this instrument. Using
a vintage blackface Fender Bandmaster
driving a 2x10 Music Man cab, the guitar
responds with authority: tight, full lows,
strong lower mids with just the right amount
of snap and high-end definition. The bridge
pickup exhibits a strong fundamental tone
across the entire frequency range, with a
slightly compressed voice that responds
very well to pick attack. The neck pickup
is bloomy yet articulate, with just a hint of
overtones. The dual pickup combinations
offered some interesting differentiation,
with Fender-esque quack tones to be found
in positions 2 and 4 and wonderful, full,
clean dual-humbucking tone in position 3.
The series/parallel voicing offered a wider
differentiation in tonal response. The parallel setting produced a softer tone with additional high-end response at a slightly lower
output than the series setting. The substantial sustain and articulation of this guitar
was merely enhanced when put through the
paces with a Carr Mercury at full tilt. Chords
sound huge yet controlled in all positions,
with single notes sounding full and clear.
Even in high-gain settings, the guitar’s articulation was very impressive.
The Final Mojo
The 25th Anniversary Model is a well-designed instrument that succeeds in joining
outstanding playability with an articulate, sustain laden voice in a single offering. Happy
Anniversary to the folks at Ernie Ball/Music
Man and we look forward to seeing what the
next 25 years bring from the team.
Buy If...
You’re a Music Man collector
or seeking a dual-humbucking
guitar that could possibly
define playability.
Skip If...
You’re on a budget (perfection comes
at a price) or seeking true single-coil
tones with your humbucker rig.
Rating...
4. 5
ONTHEWeb
Click the speaker button below
for sound clips of the Ernie Ball
25th Anniversary. For descriptions
of the clips, head to
premierguitar.com
Ernie Ball/Music Man
MSRP $3600
music-man.com
