Help! Axis or Axis Sport????

[NickPB]

I am currently looking into buying a new guitar, and at the top of the list is a music man axis. However, im abit stuck as to which guitar i should look at...

At the minute i have a customed strat, (modded by Jim Cairnes- guy who made all of chris rhea's pick ups, and was his tech). The reason i say this, is because i want a contrasting guitar so i decided i wanted a floyd rose, and a maple neck. This would lead me to the Axis right? HOWEVER i didnt realise (being a noob to music man guitars) there was no tone control, which put me off a little bit, as i play alot of different styles, and a tone pot gives more versitility.

Anyways, then i looked at the Axis Sport and saw that there was a tone control, yet no floyd rose! argh!

Can anyone give me any advice?!

Does the axis need a tone control for versitility?! or is it an all out rock guitar?

Does the Axis sports trem bridge stay in tune well? is it versitile?!

And whats the businiess with the Piezo pickup?

Advice for a music man noob please

 

[GWDavis28]

Welcome man. The Music Man Vintage trem stays in tune just fine. If you are digging the Axis Sports, they are great discontniued guitars. You can pick them up here and there, mostly on EvilBay. They did make Axis Sports with Floyds for a short period of time, check the Ebay Sticky Thread, I'm pretty sure there was one in there just a little while ago.

The Piezo is acoustic/electric pickups. Played there a PA or acoustic amp, sound pretty darn close to the real thing and a very cool thing. A lot of guys here like to blend the 2 different pups giving you a very cool sound.

If you are playing Strats, are you sure an Axis is the guitar for you?? I'd recommend checking out either the Albert Lee, Silo Special or the Silo, more Strat'ish.

Hope this helps some. Glenn |B)

 

[threeminutesboy]

So if you like the Axis and the Floyd you can add a tone control and that with a minor modification as you can take a 2in one knob with volume and tone on a concentric pot.

That being said, I love the Axis Super Sport better because it's just far more versatile (5 way switch and tone knob, Axis is 3 way switch and no tone control)

And as for Axis Sport, those are as Glenn mentionned discontinued but if you can grab one, then do it
cause the tone is just tremendous

 

[spkirby]

I'm pretty certain he meant Axis Super Sport guys The "super" part is kind of small on the headstock...

Nick, I think you'll prefer the super sport version. They are great guitars that maybe give 10% less of all-out rock tone compared to the straight Axis but then you do get a lot more tonal options to fiddle with and the vintage trem is a winner.

Get one of each (I did!)

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Nick....I'd agree with Steve.

I've toyed with getting either an Axis or an old Peavey Wolfgang EVH (avoids the rotten tomato throwing) to augment my Axis Supersport and replace my Jackson with a floyd.

The Axis (no words after it) is the decendent of the EVH guitar and is left just like Eddie spec'd it. The floyd is not floating, so you can only drop the tone. For me, that's the only advantage the floyd on my Jackson has over my Axis Super Sport. The Floyd is otherwise more of a pain in my opinion....but I know people have their own opinions and some love them.

If you have to have the floyd, then new...you're talking an Axis. If you can live without it, the Super Sport has far more options.

jack

 

[Jimmyb]

I'd recommend the Super Sport as well.

I've never played an Axis, so this is a little biased, but the Super Sport can cover a wide variety of tones and plying styles. The trem has never gone out of tune for me and I'm not the most subtle of players.....

The piezo option gives you more tonal variety to play with as well and is a very worthwhile addition in my opinion.

 

[beej]

If you *need* the Floyd and use it a lot, get the Axis. If, later, you find you need a tone control you can install a dual concentric pot (two pots, one stacked control). Easy to do.

But if you don't really need the Floyd I'd say Super Sport. The MM trem is pretty great, stays in tune. You also get split coil positions and the optional piezo. So that's a lot of versatility.

Either way you slice it, it's a great guitar.

 

[Jimmyb]

Welcome man. The Music Man Vintage trem stays in tune just fine. If you are digging the Axis Sports, they are great discontniued guitars. You can pick them up here and there, mostly on EvilBay. They did make Axis Sports with Floyds for a short period of time, check the Ebay Sticky Thread, I'm pretty sure there was one in there just a little while ago.

I don't think that the Sport's were made with the Floyd, although I could be wrong on that one, as there was a time when a lot of different variants of the Axis, Sport and Super Sport were being made.

 

[phatduckk]

Also note:

Trying to avoid some confusion here: There USED TO be a model called the Axis Sport which is no longer available.

However the Axis IS available and so is the Axis SUPER Sport. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get confused by reading the phrase "discontinued". The Super Sport models are still available and have a vintage trem option... the non-super Sports are discontinued.

Hope that helps

 

[GWDavis28]

I don't think that the Sport's were made with the Floyd, although I could be wrong on that one, as there was a time when a lot of different variants of the Axis, Sport and Super Sport were being made.

JimmyB, they were made in the late 90's - Early 2000 and it was an available option.

Glenn |B)

 

[NickPB]

cheers for this guys! Just to clarify, i did mean the SUPER sport, i wasnt even aware that there was a sport.

As for the floyd rose im beggining to think it may be more trouble than its worth.... if the vintage trem stays in tune well then i cant see why that wont do me well. After all its what im used to on my strat.

GWdavis28 i see what your saying about the silo being more stratish, but one of the reasons im looking for a second instrument is to compliment my strat, and i think that the axis would do that.

I think i really need to get to a shop and try out the two guitars, but from this the super sport is deffinately winning.

What is the neck like on them? is it rounded like a strat or flatter?

and finally how much would i expect to pay for a Super Sport with all the trimmings (ie. the piezo ect...)

Thanks Alot!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

JimmyB, they were made in the late 90's - Early 2000 and it was an available option.

Glenn |B)

Foggy - do you have a picture of one?

 

[Sweat]

Axis Super Sport, more versitle and I hate flord rose bridge, pain in the ASS
Get it ASS

 

[Astrofreq]

Hardtail Axis.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Hardtail Axis.

That is the holy grail!

 

[douglasspears]

I'm pretty certain he meant Axis Super Sport guys I think you'll prefer the super sport version. They are great guitars that maybe give 10% less of all-out rock tone compared to the straight Axis

why do you say this? Aren't the (humbucker option) pickups the same in the EVH, Axis, and Axis Super Sport?

I have an EVH and a Super Sport, and they sound the same to me (aside from the two single coil split options the SS offers)

 

[jamminjim]

A person could also consider a Sub 1 HH w/tremolo; and have enough cash left over to try out all the different humbuckers you want. Could even go with several different loaded pickguards.

 

[fogman]

Foggy - do you have a picture of one?

i just did a quick check of the files.
i didn't see any Sport pics with Floyds

 

[spkirby]

why do you say this? Aren't the (humbucker option) pickups the same in the EVH, Axis, and Axis Super Sport?

I have an EVH and a Super Sport, and they sound the same to me (aside from the two single coil split options the SS offers)

The pickups are the same but the addition of the tone control cools things down slightly, which is why some here remove it from the circuit altogether. Maybe you can't tell the difference in "hotness" of sound but I certainly can

I'm not saying its detrimental tonewise, just a little less pokey thats all!

 

[douglasspears]

The pickups are the same but the addition of the tone control cools things down slightly, which is why some here remove it from the circuit altogether. Maybe you can't tell the difference in "hotness" of sound but I certainly can

I'm not saying its detrimental tonewise, just a little less pokey thats all!

ah, right...good point. I think I recall reading years ago that EVH said that's why he never used a tone knob. However, I would be curious how many could really tell the difference in a blind side by side comparison. Any thoughts from anyone on this?