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Help! Axis vs Reflex

J

Jorge ven

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Sep 26, 2011
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Texas United States
So it's that time when you "need" a new guitar and there is no doubt in my mind im getting another MusicMan, and I've consider the Reflex and Axis... I own two Lukes and wanna try something different but I don't know what to expect, I can't go to a close music store and play em both cause there in no GOOD music stores in my area.. So can y'all tell me and help me differ em both... Thanks...
 
beej

beej

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Well ... if you need the Floyd, Axis it is. Otherwise they're both on the table.

Necks and bodies are different, so I'd start there. Some folks just prefer the Axis neck, or the Reflex (which is similar to a Silo Special, which I prefer).

Beyond that- they sound similar (same pickups), but there are some real differences. The Reflex just sounds huge to me, plus it has the extra versatility of being able to get the neck and bridge pickup in parallel. The chambering really ads something to the mix- it's very resonant. If you decide to go Reflex- you might want to see if you can find a 25th Anniversary in stock somewhere. It's the same guitar but with a killer top/finish, and they can still be found new (though, for the life of me, I can't understand why).

Bottom line- you can't go wrong with either.
 
mikeller

mikeller

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I will say this - if you are used to Luke's - the Reflex/25th neck will take some getting used too...the Axis will be closer in size to the Luke

Actually - if you want to stay in familiar territory I'd recommend also looking at the Luke 3 with HH...
 
J

Jorge ven

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Texas United States
Yeah I had consider the 25th, but I can't seem to find it anywhere(online) that's why I just thought of a regular one...
I barely saw some videos of our own Dean Wells on YouTube when he plays his white Reflex, and "Oh My" I dunno if he is just so good or you can actually get such amazing sounds, I know he has effects on but still... There is one part where it almost sounds like a single coil, is that possible with the reflex??
 
T

TSHOW

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Covington, Louisiana, United States
It wouldn't be fair for me to tell you my choice, since I bought 5 New Axis guitars and one Axis Supersport since November....I do think the 25th Anniversary and the Reflex are amazing too...., I just personally don't like the size of the neck and the body of the guitar as much, since I am smaller guy and have small hands......I am attaching a clip I did yesterday with 2 of my Axis guitars......the first lead is clean on the neck pu...and the lead at the end is on the bridge with distortion.....I personally love their sound......Good Luck!!!!! Sassy Walkin by Tim Chauvin on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
 
ScoobySteve

ScoobySteve

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I'd say Reflex, but I'm a little bias. =D

It's definitely the most versatile (not saying the Axis isnt versatile, because it most certainly is) but I think you can better range with the chamber design and the mahog block + bigger body size. 5 more pup configs don't hurt either.

Remember, Deano only plays Lukes and Reflexs. =D
 
dwells

dwells

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melbourne , Australia
Reflex all the way..... i jump from my Lukes to reflexs its not that big of a change.. u kinda cant lose with any Music man guitar...u really cant:)
 
J

Jorge ven

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Sep 26, 2011
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Texas United States
im not really a Floyd Rose big fan, and man,im not leaving with out pointing out that these MusicMan bridges are AWESOME... i mean "AWESOME"... best bridge ive ever had/used.. EVER.. and i own several brands of guitars and nothing beats MusicMan..
So another question.. which one of these two has a bigger body and neck??
 
B

BUC

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Phoenix, Arizona
The 25th has many single-coil-ish tones in it. I think it almost never sounds like a Strat though. It's just too full.

I don't have an Axis so I can't do a straight across comparison. REALLY wish I could.

The 25th is a pretty amazing axe though. You can definitely hear and feel the chambering. I have no other guitar that has the sustain or plays as loud acoustically as my 25th. It has a cool low growl to it even when played clean. It has a bewildering array of tones when you start getting smart on the way it reacts to the volume and tone knob. It's so acoustically strong that the volume knob is more of a tone knob at times. Great Axe that I'm sure you'd be happy with.
 
kimonostereo

kimonostereo

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Jul 26, 2009
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Honolulu, HI
Jorge ven said:
Yeah I had consider the 25th, but I can't seem to find it anywhere(online) that's why I just thought of a regular one...
I barely saw some videos of our own Dean Wells on YouTube when he plays his white Reflex, and "Oh My" I dunno if he is just so good or you can actually get such amazing sounds, I know he has effects on but still... There is one part where it almost sounds like a single coil, is that possible with the reflex??
Click to expand...

If you're looking for a NOS 25th, Dan's Guitar might still have one available. I haven't had a chance to stop by in a while but last I heard, he still had it.

Contact:
[email protected]
or call 808-942-2900
 
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