My First EBMM Guitar and I have a question

[Ninemile]

Hi all,

After 31 years of playing (I'm 44) I finally bought my first Music Man. It's a Tobacco Burst Axis SS. Needless to say, it's simply a great guitar and from looks, sound and feel it's the best electric I have ever owned. I play through a Yamaha THR100HD amp and it sounds so good.
I blocked the tremelo same as I did with my PRS Custom22 for the past 22 years. I simply prefer it that way. 2 questions. 1. Do I need to do any adjustments to the two hex bolt screws going through the bridge by the bridge pickup? I didn't know if they needed to be screwed in more or if they are fine. 2. I bought this used, it's a 2010 (I think) and there is a thin piece of something under the back of the bridge where it would rest on the body. Almost like a thin cushion or something. Is this something from the factory or something the previous owner would have put on?

I normally play 10's, I think the guy I bought it from has 10's on it. MM sends them out with 9's. I've never played 9's. I'm sure I will buy some and try them but what are the tone differences, if any, with using 9's? 3 ? I guess.

I really can't believe it's taken me this long to get a MM. The Axis is everything I want from the body shape and size, the shortened feel, the 4 over 2 head, the smaller/skinnier neck, the stock pups sound amazing. I play 85% cleanish, kind of reggae style and it sounds perfect for that. I'm as happy as I have ever been with buying a new guitar.

I'm going to try and attach pics.

Thanks and One Love

 

[johnnyboogie]

Congratulations, great looking finish!!

 

[spychocyco]

Congrats. I believe the Axis is the ultimate guitar design all-around (for me at least. )

If you're happy with the action and how it's playing, I wouldn't mess with the trem screws. About the cushioning, I'm guessing it was installed by the previous owner. I've never noticed that on my SS, but it's also probably not something I would notice. I'll take a look when I get home.

You can get a little bit beefier sound on the low end with heavier strings, but between 9s and 10s, it's not going to be drastically different. The main difference, to me, is string tension and the ease of bending the higher strings. I run hybrids (9-46) on a couple of my non-Axis guitars to try to get the best of both.

Pop your serial number in the sticky thread at the top, and customer service can give you the exact date of manufacture.

 

[Wahoonc]

Nice guitar and welcome!

You shouldn't have to do anything to the trem posts if it was set up properly when you received it. It's hard to be certain just by looking at a picture, but it looks fine to me.

The question about strings is totally subjective. I doubt very many (if any) could consistently hear the difference between 10s or 9s, though some claim there will be an obvious tonal difference. Ultimately, I think it is more about what feels best to you. Some prefer 9s (I'm in that group) and some prefer 10s or another gauge.

Happy playing!

 

[Ninemile]

Thank you all, very helpful! Regarding the strings, do we know why MM feels 9's are best with the Axis and 10's with other models? And do we know if you block a vintage trem on an Axis SS would their feelings on using 9's change or stay the same? Kind of silly questions but I'm super jacked about this guitar. We had band practice the other night and after 30 years and countless hours of band practice I can honestly say it was the all around best tone I've personally ever had out of my gear. I was interested in how the pickup selector switch would feel considering where it's located but I actually really like it there and found it super simple to switch while playing. I was also interested/worried about the lack of a bevel or arm rest but no problem what's so ever.

 

[beej]

Congrats! Great guitar.

String gauges are all subjective. There's no 'best', really. I have 9s on all of mine, that's just what I prefer. Artist models tend to have what artists are used to playing, etc. (Fwiw, most of the models probably have 9s from the factory on them.)

As you know, blocking the trem will just prevent it from diving when you bend the strings, so it functions like a hardtail. You could also not block it and put more springs on it, making it really difficult to press down (that'd have a similar effect.)

Welcome to the dark side

 

[Pops]

Congratulations on seeing the light.I have a 2011 Pacific Blue Burst Axis Super Sport and I agree it's a great guitar.
My Xmas letter to Santa is that one day EB will make it with a 24.75" scale length then I can sell the Gibsons.

 

[spychocyco]

Very generally speaking, I think the majority of 25.5-inch scale guitars come with 9s standard and shorter scales come with 10s standard. That's purely based on guitars that I've bought and played in stores and far from a scientific or well-researched fact. As Beej mentioned, artist models are most likely going to feature the artist's preferred gauge.

Tonal differences are probably very slight to negligible between 9s and 10s. Play what feels better to you.

 

[bbjonz]

Beauty!

I have an Axis SS semi-hollow with a trem. I'm not a trem guy but a hardtail SH is hard to find. I blocked it with a piece of poplar, which works just fine. I have .010s on it with no issues.

Joe

 

[click track]

Ninemile / GREAT GUITAR !! my next will be an SS / Welcome and enjoy !

 

[tbonesullivan]

Nice! There are many that prefer blocked trems, sometimes even over a hardtail bridge. Eric Clapton is one such person.

Great looking guitar!

 

[nervous]

I went through this a few months ago. I was a die hard 10s fan, D'Addario EXL110 to be exact. For years, went on everything I ever owned. Then I got the Axis SS and it wasn't old enough for a string change yet apparently. Played a couple practices and a job with those and was noticeably impressed with the feel and playability. Did the research and found the stock strings were 9's, 9-42 RPS 9 Slinkys #2239 I believe. Bah, so what. I went ahead also loaded on my usual XL's because that's what I did. They felt like piano wire. Stiff and painful by comparison. It took a bit to get my head right but a little more experimentation and I landed on the 9-46 EB 2241 Hybrid Slinky RPS set and they are my current faves. Kinda the best of both gauge worlds for me as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DUVWM/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Ninemile]

Interestingly, I am/was kind of in the same boat. I've been a D'Addario 10 guy for 30 years. They just naively went on any electric guitar I have. So on Friday I picked up a set of EB 9's-super slinkys and popped em on. First off, the locking tuner/string change, what a God send! The simplest string change I've ever done. The guy I bought it from had several wraps around each post but I lined the holes up with the neck, put a string through, pulled on it a little and turned the back lock knob. When I went to tune em up no string turned more than maybe a 1/4 way around. So easy, Anyways, since I had just been playing the guitar before the change, the difference in strings was immediately noticeable. I didn't like the change at all, they felt thin in feel and sound. The action of them felt fine though. I went to bed and woke up Sat, grabbed the guitar and they felt much better. My memory of how the 10's felt was already long gone. So I played Sat and Sun and decided I can live with 9's. But what do I do, I ordered a set of 9.5's last night lol. I want to try those and see if I can get the best of both 10's and 9's. That 42 low E is a tad too thin so maybe the 9.4 44 will be better. I can easily see myself going back to 10's too though. Hopefully 9.5 will be nice and I'll just stick with them. Thanks all!

 

[nervous]

...That 42 low E is a tad too thin so maybe the 9.4 44 will be better.

This is exactly the issue I found that the the 9-46 EB 2241 Hybrid Slinky RPS set solves.

 

[coolhandluc]

+1 for the 9-46 set. Feels right on my Silo. I use 9.5-44 for my guitar tuned down a 1/2 step. Feels basically the same tension wise as the 9-46 in standard. I love the feel of the 10s for rhythm stuff, but I play a lot of lead and bends and 9s are where it's at for me on that.