First Music man Guitar: questions

[pallas10]

Hello all!

I've recently bought myself a Music Man guitar. It's a Music Man Axis Super Sport BFR (pictures included )! It has a full rosewood neck which I think is unfinished. Will add a picure of that when I get home.

I had some questions on maintenance and which amp should work good with it.

Maintenance: I wash my hands before I play but over time, it will get a bit dirty anyway. I've heard they put on some lemon oil once a year or so on the fretboard but I wondered what to do with the neck?

Amp: although I now have a great guitar, I'm still playing on one of those starter kit amps! I was wondering what amp to get in the future? I've scanned various forums and a number of people remarked that to really enjoy this guitar, one should have a decent tube amp.
What do you think? A more expensive solid state or a tube? What model do you recommend?
I'm more of a bedroom player but practice a lot. My budget should be 800 max, but I have no problem with second hand.

Cheers,
John

 

[Tollywood]

Welcome to the forum, John.

Wow, that is an incredible guitar. The Axis is such a great model. How do you like those legendary pickups? That’s actually a rhetorical question ...hahaha

The all rosewood neck feels so good. I have one on my Luke III. The only thing I’ve ever done is wipe the back of the neck with the lemon oil on a cloth. Mine still feels as oily as when I got it. I mean oily in the most positive of ways. I cant think of how else to describe it and how wonderful it feels.

Yes, you will want a tube amp, but oh boy, there are so many choices. You may get a different recommendation from each person you ask. Since you are a bedroom player, you should get a lower wattage one. What type of music do you play?

- Bryan

 

[pallas10]

Thanks Bryan!

mmm Hard rock like Bon Jovi or AC/DC that kinda stuff, but I also very much like to play country and blues. It's one of the reasons i chose the super sport because it supports a wide variety of genres. I'd like my amp to be able to do the same.

John

 

[Tollywood]

Thanks Bryan!

mmm Hard rock like Bon Jovi or AC/DC that kinda stuff, but I also very much like to play country and blues. It's one of the reasons i chose the super sport because it supports a wide variety of genres. I'd like my amp to be able to do the same.

John

Ahhhh, yes. The Axis is my main gigging guitar and we cover some Bon Jovi and AC/DC. You chose the perfect model.

One thing I would recommend is to back out the tremolo claw screws a little so that your tremolo lifts slightly off the body. It will then be a floating tremolo. Way more fun.

Well, then an amp with two channels would be nice. One with a beautiful clean sound. So, I’m thinking lower wattage and second hand.

 

[spychocyco]

Nice score. Congrats.

Check out the EB Wonder Wipes. They're great for keeping your neck and fretboard clean and hydrated. That's what a lot of us use on our boards and unfinished necks.

Sorry, I'm not much help with an amp. I've yet to find my perfect match.

 

[LordRiffenstein]

I didn't think I was an Axis guy, but good lord is that killer looking. As for an amp that does those kind of sounds I really dig Friedman stuff, I think a Runt would be a good choice to do that guitar justice. While not a traditional British sound I think a Revv Generator 7-40 would serve you well too. I've had one for about 2 years now, most versatile amp I've ever owned.

 

[edhalen]

Hi John - welcome! Beautiful guitar! Enjoy it!

 

[LordRiffenstein]

I didn't look at the budget in the OP, I'd consider like an Orange tiny terror or root terror with that. You can get a good price on the used market and could probably find a suitable 1x12 to make it work.

 

[Tollywood]

I didn't look at the budget in the OP, I'd consider like an Orange tiny terror or root terror with that. You can get a good price on the used market and could probably find a suitable 1x12 to make it work.

Yeah, I was also thinking of a micro head. With his price range and considering the bedroom volume restrictions. Sooooo many good choices. Time to shop around to see what is within the budget and then watch some videos.

 

[Astrofreq]

I'd get a used Engl Screamer. Plenty of headroom for gorgeous cleans and killer distortion. I have one, as well as an older model Engl.

As far as taking care of necks, I've never done anything except maybe dap a few drops of Guitar Honey every other time I change strings. I do surprisingly little and they seem to be fine.

 

[mikeller]

Great Axis!!!! Killer, congrats on that one! Wish I could help you with the amp !!!

 

[johnnyboogie]

Congratulations on the new guitar!!

 

[tbonesullivan]

Oh boy that's nice!!! I would pick up a nice modeller to get going. That'll help keep the volume under control as you get used to that awesome guitar.

As others have said, the rosewood neck is cared for the same as the fretboard. The whole neck is unfinished, except for the headstock, which is gloss. You shouldn't do anything do the gloss part except wipe it down like the guitar body.

 

[xjbebop]

Congrats on a great gittar!
Amp- I -highly- recommend a Blackstar HT5... Google it and read reviews and you'll see why...
It's one you'l likely keep forever.

...pssst... this is an exceptional deal on these as well.... I had to buy one myself a few weeks back...
Blackstar HT-5R Guitar Combo Amplifier | ProAudioStar.com

 

[Gio_Force_One]

Nice looking guitar!!!! Find yourself a used Marshall dsl 20watt or 15 watt and get a boss sd-1 , it recreates the perfect Richie Sambora tone. I always got a tone of compliments when using a similar setup. Only thing my guitar is a music man Steve Morse with the axis pickups in it. I have a few friends that use the Marshall dsl combos on tour and they sound great.

 

[Wahoonc]

Way to jump in! Great guitar and welcome.

Can second the Blackstar HT-5. A lot of fun in a tiny lunchbox and sounds great. However, with your budget, music preferences, and that guitar, I would take a hard look at an Egnater Rebel 20. Should be well within your budget. Variable output from 1 to 20 watts, and the tube blend switch gets you classic to high gain and everything in between. And as you progress and need to get loud in the future, you already have 20 tube watts, which is pretty loud. It covers a lot of ground for the money, in my opinion.

 

[LordRiffenstein]

Way to jump in! Great guitar and welcome.

Can second the Blackstar HT-5. A lot of fun in a tiny lunchbox and sounds great. However, with your budget, music preferences, and that guitar, I would take a hard look at an Egnater Rebel 20. Should be well within your budget. Variable output from 1 to 20 watts, and the tube blend switch gets you classic to high gain and everything in between. And as you progress and need to get loud in the future, you already have 20 tube watts, which is pretty loud. It covers a lot of ground for the money, in my opinion.

Blackstar and Egnater definitely give you a lot of bang for your buck. I've spent tons of money tone chasing and can almost guarantee that no one who hears me play could tell the difference between a $300 and $3000 amp. As my wife says "It sounds like a guitar..."

 

[Wahoonc]

Blackstar and Egnater definitely give you a lot of bang for your buck. I've spent tons of money tone chasing and can almost guarantee that no one who hears me play could tell the difference between a $300 and $3000 amp. As my wife says "It sounds like a guitar..."

Agree. Definitely more in the fingers than in the equipment for 99.9% of guitar players. You can get a lot for your money these days.

I did a challenge with my brother-in-law, who swore he could instantly tell his Fender amp (which he's played for decades) from its counterpart on my AX-8. He brought his combo over, he couldn't. After watching him haul his back-breaking combo to the door, I told him that we could repeat the process with hundreds of other amps if he wasn't convinced--including dozens of the rarest and most expensive amps and cabs ever.

 

[mrmckinney]

Great guitar! I would like to convince you to look at a Line 6 Helix... incredible piece of hardware and you will never play anywhere you cannot use it. If a tube amp is what you must have though, it would be hard to beat an Vox AC15 and a couple pedals for the styles you listed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pallas10]

Thank you for all the repsonses. I will check out the amps you listed!
What do you think of the BOSS Katana amps, yay or nay?