Axis vs Silo special

[Pott]

Argh it's so hard choosing. I'm very much a Strat guy but I do love the neck on my Axis. And there are no Silouhettes in the country to try.

From what I do remember of the only one I ever saw, it had a very well rounded neck that fit in the hand perfectly. But I wouldn't know of the other feel differences with an Axis.

I'm currently hesitating between an Axis HH or a Silo special BFR basically...

Sorry for the very general question there... thanks!

 

[spkirby]

I know where you are going with this Pott

Both guitars are great, of course!

The neck on the silo feels a little flatter in depth than the Axis neck, this may be because the Axis neck is asymmetrical in shape - i.e. fatter on the bass side which is why it is so comfortable!

Obviously a HH guitar is different tonally from an SSS, the Silo being the closest to a Strat in concept but the Axis Super Sport also has split humbucker tones in positions 2 and 4 on the switch so you get some decent single tones on top of the humbucker tones.

Decisions decisions....

 

[ScoobySteve]

I have a 25th and a SSS Silo Spec. They are both roughly the same neck design.

The 25th and the Axis have the same pups. When I split in 2/4 in parallel, I get great clear quack-like tones, but its definitely NOT true single coil territory. I've played a many Axi (plural?) before and the neck is actually to my preference. I'm a long time lester player so the thicker neck is more comfortable to me....

HOWEVER, the 25th and Silo Spec have a great medium C profile that is extremely comfortable. The neck profiles doesn't bother me at all.

As for tones, they're very different. I don't know, but basswood body + maple cap is just the paragon of humbucker tone IMO. So open and resonant. The Silo is a totally different beast. IMO it is intentionally NOT a strat. You get great quack in 2/4 but it has a sharper and more defined "snap" over a typical strat tone. The custom dimarzio singles are punchier in the mids.

The strat's 21fret design puts the neck single coil further up, and most strats have that hard lacquered maple finger board, both of which contribute heavily to that vintage strat vibe. The Silo Spec doesn't have either.

From what people say around here, the AL gets closer to the strat sound and has a beefier neck too, if that's your thing. Wish you could try all three. I've never seen a SSS AL in real life before. So sad. =(

 

[Pott]

Thanks guys made me realise that I love Strats because, well, they're Strat. Trying to replace my CS Strat with a Silo is not the way to go.

However I have no current dual humbucker guitars and hardtail SuperSports are just very, very, VERY cool guitars. There. And those necks..!

 

[Mpcoluv]

I thought the 22 fret Silo SSS has the pickups in the same location (or harmonic nodes) as a strat.
Is this wrong?
Having said , the AL MM90 (w/ trem) does have a lot of the vintage strat tone but fatter to my ears.....
On some of the gamechanger demo videos, there are some good strat tones available.

 

[ksandvik]

Strats are cool but me thinks Silhouettes have a more ergonomical neck/body and more flexibility concerning sounds, especially with HSS configs.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Strats are cool but me thinks Silhouettes have a more ergonomical neck/body and more flexibility concerning sounds, especially with HSS configs.

That's pretty close. I recently decided that since I never owned a Fender, that I should buy some strats to see what they were all about. I bought 5. I liked the HSS the best. Then I made the mistake of going back to my Sub-1 which has silo spec pickups and silent circuit. So here's my comparison. Where the Strat was like a nice, solid, big 57 Chevy, the Sub was a more nimble, good handling and even more powerful Vette.....but with a silent exhaust when I wasn't moving.

I sold all 5 strats....

 

[ScoobySteve]

I thought the 22 fret Silo SSS has the pickups in the same location (or harmonic nodes) as a strat.
Is this wrong?
Having said , the AL MM90 (w/ trem) does have a lot of the vintage strat tone but fatter to my ears.....
On some of the gamechanger demo videos, there are some good strat tones available.

I would REALLY like to get a confirmation on this. This will narrow down aftermarket PUP choices for me considerably.....

 

[Mpcoluv]

The good tones in this video lead me to believe that the pickups are in pretty much the same location as a strat.

YouTube - ‪Ernie Ball Music Man - Silhouette Special - Demo by Brian Kellner‬‏

 

[agt]

Have you considered a SSS Albert Lee?

 

[spkirby]

I love my Fender Custom Shop Strat, Albert Lee SSS and Axis Sport SSS ;-)

All have their own thing going on....all are great, all are different.

 

[Mpcoluv]

I had an AL SSS years ago and it was a lot like a hardtail Strat type.
There are several solutions in the MM family for you.
So a Silo Special, AL SSS, Axis SSS, and likely a Luke will all get you to familiar territory.
With certain brans, you have to sort through several guitars to get one that is great.
EBMM seems to make a great one every time.

 

[straycat113]

I pay attention for some strange reason to what guitar a new EBMM player used before getting their first Ball when they post and for some reason it is not even close- that most played Fenders. Personally I was a Fender die hard myself before catching EB fever. For some reason I find it a very smooth transition and if you enjoy playing Strats and Teles the only Fenders that ever mattered to me, you will like just about every guitar in the EB line. Just my personal opinion but I feel as though Sterling and Dudley took what Leo started and ran with it to produce a great line of instruments that differ from each other, where as Fender is basically today just living off of the same two models that were made 60 years ago. Seriously you can only tweak two guitars so many ways.

 

[Mpcoluv]

I think I agree Straycat.
It is not a big challenge to go from one 25 1/2" scale guitar to another.
BP and Dudley did definitely carry the ball farther as opposed to blindly copying '50s era instruments..
If you look who were big players in the rock guitar marketplace when Sterling and Dudley started, versus now, it is clear that those with the most commitment and vision (plus maybe common sense) survived.