Mystery EBMM EVH: Need help IDing.

[guitarzinc10]

Hello everyone, new guy here with a new to me EBMM guitar.
I aquired this guitar last week from a local shop. The previous owner(s) had replaced the bridge pup with a Seymour Duncan pup that has yet to be identified.
The first thing I did was remove the strings and remove the SD pup, there is no id on the pup only the SD embossed logo on the base plate, dc reading is 9.13.
I noticed the trem posts had pulled forward so I drilled the body and installed bushings and studs.
I also removed the neck and found a hand written date of 3/18/1997 with the initials SAM. The neck pocket has a stamped date of 9/97 and BLUE with hand written initials of JO.Obviously a 1997 model.
Whats got me tripped is the headstock color is black with the EVH signature.
How could a 97 model guitar have a signature neck when those were discontinued? I know the neck could have been replaced although unlikely.
If someone repainted the headstock they did a great job although I haven't found proof of a repaint yet.
I found this while searching the forum http://forums.ernieball.com/music-man-guitars/51686-relicd.html and it is scary identical to mine.
Any help would be great!
Here's some pics after I removed the black SD pup and installed the neck pup in the bridge position.

 

[Tollywood]

Welcome to the forum...

Allow me to address this one: you have a nice Axis with a repainted headstock and fake decals. Still, a nice Axis though.

 

[bsteff666]

This guitar has been for sale a couple of times over the past year or so...both on Ebay & over at The Gear Page. I actually spoke about this guitar at length with one of the previous owners. I considered buying it...but ended up passing on it.

Here's what he told me: It is an Axis with the stock neck. The headstock was professionally refinished to resemble an EVH model. He didn't tell me who did the refinish work....but I agree...It looked very well done.

The bridge pickup was replaced with a Seymour Duncan custom shop EVH pickup with double black coils.

(These were originally called the "Evenly Voiced Harmonics" (EVH) model...to avoid being sued by EVH's lawyers...but I think they started calling it the "78 model" at some point. I own a couple of these & mine all have a decal on the base plate that says "Evenly Voiced Harmonics"...but this could have been easily removed. A DC reading of 9.13 is right on for one of these pickups. They are a relatively lower output pickup with an alnico II magnet. They sound great...kind of vintagey. I wouldn't be surprised if the stock Axis neck humbucker over powered it a little bit.)

The original mini toggle pickup selector switch had been replaced by the bigger Gibson type toggle switch.

The other thing that I remember from the pics that I had at the time was the bridge posts. The stock bridge posts had been replaced by what looked like old style Original Floyd Rose posts...the kind that had a wood screw type tip & were screwed directly into the wood with no bushing. The ones that I remember seeing on it were black with a slot screw head.

When I asked about this modification...I didn't get a real clear answer of why it was done....so I think this contributed to me passing on it.

 

[Tollywood]

Have I told you lately that I love your seafoam axis???

 

[ozzyrules]

Have I told you lately that I love your seafoam axis???

Bryan, that sounds like a "love song".....

 

[bsteff666]

Have I told you lately that I love your seafoam axis???

Haaa... I'm not sure if you have lately... maybe its been a while... But thank you.

I've got the wheels turning to do up another interesting one again here soon.

 

[Tollywood]

Bryan, that sounds like a "love song".....

I was thinking of Rod Stewart when I wrote that...

Haaa... I'm not sure if you have lately... maybe its been a while... But thank you.

I've got the wheels turning to do up another interesting one again here soon.

I can't wait to see your next project! I love when someone does something to their guitar.

 

[sballow]

I had this guitar! It was pretty awesome and I have yet to find another axis with as comfortably thin of a neck. I miss that old gal.

 

[guitarzinc10]

Hey sballow, I was very shocked to have found your "relic" post and then see the guitar you were describing, kinda eerie!
I glad you liked the guitar. Now that I have it and it's no longer original, I'll probaly make it my own with new pickups and other needed repairs.