EBMM Secret: the neck?

[skerwo]

I own a fantastic Fender Thinline Tele, great sound, fantastic playing neck (not vintage, with medium jumbos and 9" radius), a really superb guitar.

BUT:

my Silo Spec is better than this fantastic tele. More sound, more comfort, more playability, and not only a fantastic but incredible neck. Playing MM is like playing something that belongs to your body.

I´m always playing other guitars in the shops when I´m there. But I never had any need to give away my silo spec. My alltime no 1.



Rainer

 

[agt]

A lot of EBMM's calling cards are on the neck.

1. Figured Necks, head stocks, and even fingerboards!
2. Unfinished necks with gunstock oil and wax blend.
3. 4+2 Headstock design.
4. Compensated nut.
5. Insanely refined fretwork.
6. Trussrod adjuster on the opposite end at the pocket.
7. Locking tuners.

Man, there's quality in every EBMM guitar, but man, the NECK is where a lot of their work happens to shine.

There is no better neck. Scooby summed up the numerous neck innovations/advantages perfectly, but there are others too:

The awesome vintage trem, the awesome JP trem
Silent circuit
Ergonomic body designs
5-bolt neck attachment
Innovative switching (25th, Morse, game changer come to mind)
Beautiful tops and finishes
Mahogany tone block (BFRs)
Chambered body (25th)
Rosewood necks (certain models)
Small fretboard dots

 

[mikeller]

I love everything about them. I am hopefully very close to not owning anything but EBMM!

 

[brasco68]

Best necks/guitars in the business....I love the neck on my Super Sport, and my Luke is just as comfortable.

...and yes...they smell good.

 

[JMP100]

Just curious... Is there much of a difference (or any) between the necks of the newer EB Sihouette Special guitar and the original 80s Silhouette?

I was tempted to purchase an older Silhouette over the web, so I wouldn't have the luxury of playing it before buying.

JMP

 

[jamminjim]

JMP100 - take a look through this thread

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/34737-i-want-knuckleheads-volunteer-neck-profile-project-2.html

 

[Tung]

That scares me. My Les Paul has been my #1 for 8 years. But with my Axis coming tomorrow...

I'm gonna miss my other guitars.

Put it this way, I got a 1981 Les Paul loaded with P90s, just a tone machine. It's been collecting dust since I started playing a JP50, and that's only a cheaper Sterling.

 

[bkrumme]

The 25th has a way of making everything else seem wretched and it has extraordinary versatility to boot!

No doubt! Definitely my favorite 6 string. I would have one made in 7 string if I could.

I love everything about them. I am hopefully very close to not owning anything but EBMM!

I don't think I could ever own only EBMM. I've gotta have a good acoustic guitar around.

 

[metalmarty]

It was definitely the neck for me. When I picked my Silo up, I knew it was coming home with me. Pure magic. I can play for hours without ache in my hands. My playing is more secure, faster if it needs to be. It just made me an overall better player. And that's just the neck. The color, the pickups, the amazing Floyd, the shape, all make for a guitar that beats almost anything out there. The only guitar I played that felt as good was a $6000 Rio-rosewood neck Warrior Isabella. But that wasn't as versatile as my Ball. And it's not just me either. Every single one that picked it up instantly said: damn, that feels like coming home.

And almost all models are that way. Axis? Great! Same for the JP6 though completely different. AL: fantastic. The only neck that doesn't really suit me is the Luke, bit too small for me.

Except for that particular Warrior, it's just EBMM from now on. Spend way too many cash on "big brand" guitars that didn't do it for me like EBMM does.

 

[Tung]

it's just EBMM from now on. Spend way too many cash on "big brand" guitars that didn't do it for me like EBMM does.

that's it, man. I own every major brand, including vintage Les Pauls and Strats, none preform like a MM.

 

[Dante]

There's no reason why you can't enjoy the others. EB makes some outstanding guitars, no doubt about it...so do other companies. the cool thing is you're free to enjoy as many guitars as you like.

sticking with one brand is like going to the same restaurant everytime you go out to eat. life's always more fun and interesting with a little variety now and then.

i agree. plus, the more you play other guitars, the more you'll come back to EBMM.

 

[walleye]

Without the great necks, would MM be as relevant and popular?

hell no

 

[conan02919]

for me it's the neck, I don't have large hands and long fingers. EBMM necks just fit my hands better then any other guitar I have owned

 

[metalmarty]

for me it's the neck, I don't have large hands and long fingers. EBMM necks just fit my hands better then any other guitar I have owned

That's funny, 'cause my hands are like shovels and for me they fit equally well

 

[nobozos]

The neck is, I think, a major selling point of any guitar. The thing about an EBMM neck is that it is not only very well crafted and easy to play, but it is also very well designed. The neck adjustment wheel at the neck heel is a Godsend. An un-finished neck is going to require more frequent adjustment since it is more sensitive to temperature and environmental conditions. The design of the adjusment for the neck is so easy, and so well thought out, that literally anyone can make a neck relief correction in mere seconds. It is also a durable adjusment mechanism. You don't have to worry about stripping out the head of a hex adjuster, or stripping the edges off of a nut style adjuster that is recessed into the neck at the headstock. You don't have to take the neck off of the body like the old style neck heel adjusters.

The other thing that I like about the neck is the 4x2 headstock. This headstock design creates a direct pull from the nut to the tuners. I believe that the direct pull is the main ingredient to the tuning stability that you experience on a guitar like the Petrucci.

All by itself, the neck sets the EBMM stuff apart from all other brands, but it's so much more than that. The craftsmanship, and quality control of each and every instrument is incredible. The resonance and sustain of EBMM instruments is absolutely incredible on every fret. I would put any EBMM up against any set neck or neck through design for sustain. It must be the design of the neck heel of the EBMM, along with the tight tolerances and fit of the neck into the pocket. You also have to consider the selection of the proper tone woods and electronics to achieve the desired tone.

Also, there is no skimping on the hardware. Nothing but the best on every instument.

All of these things add up to EBMM's relevance and popularity, but if you want to know what the secret is, I mean the real secret to EBMMs relevance and popularity, I'll tell you what I think it is:

It's EBMMs approach to manufacturing. While other manufacturers in the same, and higher price ranges are cranking guitars off of an assembly line, and shipping them to music stores like crazy, EBMM still builds guitars order-by-order. I believe that to be the most signifigant contribution to the overall mystique of EBMM. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that you place an order, and skilled craftsmen go to work to produce a beautiful musical instrument just for you, and it's not going to cost you extra.

 

[kimonostereo]

When the EVH came out, I recall trying it out for the first time at a local guitar shop called "Hot Licks". They had 3 of them on display. I knew EBMM made guitars but I had never seriously wanted to try any of them.

The first thing that struck me was the neck had a totally different feel than any other neck I've played. I believe it was during this time that other companies were experimenting with flat finished necks instead of glossy, but the EVH neck felt totally different! I had never played a guitar with an unfinished neck, so the EVH was my first. I was in love.

Then next thing that caught my attention was how EBMM did the binding on the EVH. There were no ridges at all. It was almost as if the binding was melted into the body. Most of the les pauls I've had in the past had ridges you could feel between the binding and the body wood. Even my Yamaha SBG 2000 had this as well. The EVH was built so well and finished even nicer!

Last it was the overall feel of the guitar. The short headstock with straight string pull, didn't really matter on a locked down floyd rose guitar, but it made the guitar feel smaller than a strat and almost like a cross between a les paul and a strat scale. I had to have one.

It took a while for me to save up the dough as a poor college student to get one, but I finally did and I still have it. That guitar started the EBMM addiction for me and introduced me to the innovations of EBMM guitars.

 

[Tung]

The design of the adjusment for the neck is so easy, and so well thought out, that literally anyone can make a neck relief correction in mere seconds. It is also a durable adjusment mechanism. You don't have to worry about stripping out the head of a hex adjuster, or stripping the edges off of a nut style adjuster that is recessed into the neck at the headstock. You don't have to take the neck off of the body like the old style neck heel adjusters.

It is a Godsend. I used to hate adjusting the truss rod, dread it! But the MM wheel is just so user friendly and way more efective