Is this an EBMM?

[neckhumbucker]

Hello,

I am considering buying the Axis in the belwo link:
Ernie Ball Axis SuperSport w Piezo - Custom Made (Pre BFR) | guitars | City of Toronto | Kijiji

A few questions:

How can I make sure it is a genuine EBMM? but not a knockoff, or OLP with EBMM decal?
(P.S. I don't care about the custom made story, that actually makes me question the genuinity)

Can I replace hard-tail bridge with vintage tremolo? (where can I find aftermarket vintage tremolo?)

Thanks,

Nick.

 

[beej]

Nick- I moved this from the CL thread, as you'll get more answers by making it a new thread.

That looks real to me (and just a few blocks away from my office ...). "Custom Made" referred to an upgrade you could purchase on the maple top for a while; the guitar itself looks standard. If you post the serial number in the "Serial Numbers" thread, you can get an official answer. Cool if that was Kim Mitchell's guitar.

 

[kestrou]

NH,

That's a beauty - and I'm not up on the market in Toronto for ASS guitars, but the price looks good to me - jump on that thing before somebody else does!

kestrou

 

[DrKev]

You can't put a tremolo on there without routing a large hole in the body. OLP never offered piezo.

Difficult to say from the pictures but the nut looks standard (i.e. not a compensated nut), so my guess is that this was made before 2005.

...and indeed a quick web search reveals it may have been a guitar made for Kim Mitchell. He was a Music Man artist, and had a few guitars made for him. There is mention on the forum back in 2004 of a trans red flame top ASS for him. As an artist order, it would have had a "custom made" neck plate but could have otherwise been a standard instrument.

The "custom made" plate was used on regular orders where somebody paid extra for a more figured top (used to be an ordering option, and often came with a more figured neck too). The neck plate would also have been used if the instrument was part of special run for a particular chain of stores, e.g. particular color not available in other stores at that particular time. So, the "Custom Made" doesn't mean very much in the grand scheme of things. Certainly it does not necessarily mean a somehow unique or non-standard guitar. If there is anything unusual about this particular guitar Customer Service will be able tell from the serial number.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

It does look pretty standard to me, which is much of what everyone else has said.

I hope that you get it - The ASS is an awesome axe!