Axis vs. Axis Super Sport

[dmsill]

Greetings everyone!

My name is Dave and I'm new to the Ernie Ball forum. I've played guitar since I was 16, I'm now 45 years old. I guess it's been 29 years (I should play better after so much time). Anyway, my house was burglarized a few months ago, lost all the guitars, still have an amp & effects proc.. I am seriously considering purchasing an Axis guitar. I tried one at Guitar Center once and it felt fantastic! My question is, what is the difference between the Axis & the Axis Super Sport? Which is the better guitar? The weight of each model is different, and I'm trying to account for that. My last guitar was a Fender Am. Strat.

Your input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SPI]

Axis have Floyd Rose tremolo, SS standard or hardtail. Also Axis have 3 way pickup switch, SS - 5 way, and tone control...

 

[brasco68]

Hi...welcome to the forum!

This particular question has been covered a few times on here.

For additional insight...click on the following link: http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/26898-axis-super-sport.html

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Dave,

Check out some of the answers in my post:

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/32389-help-me-figure-out-axis.html

I'm looking at one of each today......so you can ask me tomorrow what differences I notice.

jack

 

[hbucker]

Neither is "better" just different. If you an live without a Floyd, the SS will probably be more versatile for you. It gets a pretty wide variety of tones. But if you need a Floyd, the Axis would be the way to go.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Back from doing a relatively back to back try. Not a really fair test as the Axis was horribly set up with the strings waaaay too high. I believe the floyd was a tone drop only model, so I didn't see any advantage of it over the MM myself (my sub1 has a MM which I'm happy with) and there's no dTuna on the floyd, so that's not in the equation.

I can't speak for the tone differences really. They set me up with a tube amp with the axis (sorry guys.....I'm an engineer....have been to Peavey.....I'm not a tube fan) so the sound was all foreign to what I usually set things to. I ended up leaving my name and number and asking them to call if they set it up.

The MM90 super sport has an active noise cancelling circuit. So, you have straight pickups but they don't sound like a Squier Strat because the circuit quiets it down (it was quieter when I let go of the strings and let it sit there than my sub1 with humbuckers). The neck was the same on both. It's an asymetrical design that is only found in the Axis, SS and the Peavey Wolfgang EVH. I could not really tell the difference in the body....although they could be different woods. The MM90 was actually setup very close to what I do my own setups as.....get it perfect, then lower the strings just a bit more to where they are about to buzz. I was also able to play this through a Line 6 spider amp (I have one at home, so know exactly what all the settings are).

I'm picking up the MM90 tomorrow. I understand it's been around this forum a bit.....



I still would recommend you try to play both. If you're lucky enough to find a shop with both, you'll get a far better comparison than I did with an hour drive between the 2 and big setup and amp issues with one.

jack

 

[GWDavis28]

Jack nice you got the Blue one, good job man. Where'd you try out the Axes?

Glenn |B)

 

[rocksalt]

Dave,

I just recently made the Str@t to ASS switch. I PM'd you my at-length review. Just so Poppa doesn't think I'm torpedoing his handiwork...my review is very positive.

-Dave

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Jack nice you got the Blue one, good job man. Where'd you try out the Axes?

Glenn |B)

The Axis is at Boston Guitar Works in Brockton. They have the guitar on their website in the used area. On their site, do a search on Axis and it'll pop up.

I tried out the blue one at the Music Nook in Milford. Nick works there and was nice enough to bring it in for me to try.

The experience just re-enforced my requirement that I'll only buy guitars that I try first. The pictures told me nothing. My wife liked the looks of the Axis better than the SS. I'm far more interested in how it plays than what it looks like (I own a sub1, afterall). I pick it up today.

jack

 

[GWDavis28]

Hahahahaha, excellent man. No see I've bought all of mine unplayed except for my AL and that needed a ton of work.

Can't wait to see it when you get it man.

Glenn |B)