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dibart77

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Welcome to Day 12 of my annual New Year's New Guitar Days (NYNGD)!

Thanks for the kind words and comments on yesterday's NYNGD #2020-12!

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO! OK, we're almost at the finish line. Today's NYNGD is a stunner... the most unique EBMM in my entire collection. This Axis Super Sport Semi Hollow BFR is a very interesting guitar for me. My first EBMM Semi Hollow. My first EBMM hardtail (besides my Silhouette Bass Guitar and my Bongo Basses). My only single-pickup EBMM.

Let's talk about the looks first -- a great flame maple top in a great yellow finish, complete with the Semi Hollow "M". A white bound maple neck with ebony fretboard and amazing inlays. The neck really makes this guitar for me. Just great!

Sonically, this guy is interesting. Acoustically (not plugged in), it sounds warmer and breathier than a normal Axis. Pretty much what you would expect from a Semi Hollow guitar. Plugged in, the custom-wound EBMM humbucking pickup is located in a strange place -- it's not a neck pickup, and it's not a bridge pickup. But it's also not halfway between those two normal pickup locations, nor is it halfway between the bridge and the neck. It's closer to the neck than halfway. And so it delivers a unique sound that isn't bright like a bridge pickup and isn't warm like a neck pickup.

It also seems like this pickup responds differently to different amps. Clean on one amp sounds totally different than clean on another amp. One one amp you think to yourself, "Man this pickup is weak and has no balls" and then on another amp you're like, "Wow, listen to that clean channel breaking up a little! Hot little pickup!"

And the tone knob is interesting. Rolled all the way down, it's like a bass. Super deep and zero treble. But then as you dial the tone knob up, it gets warm but still soft/quiet and not driving the amp too hard; roll it up a little more and it gets brighter AND louder; roll it up more and then it's more bright and EVEN LOUDER. All on the tone knob. Interesting. On clean channels the tone knob almost a second volume.

So this is one of those guitars where I sit and PLAAAAAAYYYYY for an hour just noodling and playing and doing stuff I normally wouldn't think to play because these tones just bring out a different thing in you. And you wouldn't say, "Ah, that'll be my go-to guitar for X..." because it seems to behave very differently depending on the other variables like the amp. Instead, it's more like "Lemme see what I can come up with using the Semi Hollow BFR and my Music Man RD50 head." "I wonder how that fingerpicked lead would sound with the Semi Hollow BFR on the clean channel of a Vai Legacy II?"

I think it would have been interesting to equip this guitar with a piezo pickup and a blend knob between the magnetic pickup and the piezo.

This is definitely a Top 2 guitar and could even be #1, right? Just on the fact that it's so different to all my usual guitars and it evokes new things from these tired old fingers...

Anyway... I'll be back tomorrow with the final NYNGD: New Year's New Guitar Day for 2020 to ring in 2021! Thanks for looking everyone!


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Past Days:
#2020-1 | #2020-2 | #2020-3 | #2020-4 | #2020-5 | #2020-6 | #2020-7 | #2020-8 | #2020-9 | #2020-10 | #2020-11 | #2020-12 | #2020-13 | #2020-14
#2019-1 | #2019-2 | #2019-3 | #2019-4 | #2019-5 | #2019-6 | #2019-7 | #2019-8 | #2019-9 | #2019-10 | #2019-11 | #2019-12 | #2019-13 | #2018-14 | #2018-15 | #2018-18 | #2018-19
#2018-1 | #2018-2 | #2018-3 | #2018-4 | #2018-5 | #2018-6 | #2018-7 | #2018-8 | #2018-9 | #2018-10 | #2018-11 | #2018-12 | #2018-13 | #2018-14 | #2018-15 | #2018-16 | #2018-17
#2017-1 | #2017-2 | #2017-3 | #2017-4 | #2017-5 | #2017-6 | #2017-7 | #2017-8 | #2017-9 | #2017-10 | #2017-11 | #2017-12 | #2017-13 | #2017-14 | #2017-15 | #2017-16 | #2017-17
#2016-1 | #2016-2 | #2016-3 | #2016-4 | #2016-5 | #2016-6 | #2016-7 | #2016-8 | #2016-9 | #2016-10 | #2016-11 | #2016-12 | #2016-13 | #2016-14 | #2016-15 | #2016-16 | #2016-17
#2015-1 | #2015-2 | #2015-3 | #2015-4 | #2015-5 | #2015-6 | #2015-7 | #2015-8 | #2015-9 | #2015-10 | #2015-11 | #2015-12 | #2015-13 | #2015-14 | #2015-15 | #2015-16 | #2015-17
#2014-1 | #2014-2 | #2014-3 | #2014-4 | #2014-5 | #2014-6 | #2014-7 | #2014-8 | #2014-9 | #2014-10
#2013-1 | #2013-2 | #2013-3 | #2013-4 | #2013-5 | #2013-6
#2012-1 | #2012-2 | #2012-3 | #2012-4 | #2012-5 | #2012-6 | #2012-7


(The back story in case you're new to my NYNGD: For the past couple of years I've done a fun thing that most of you I think enjoyed, and I thought I would do it again this year. Every year, I am a slacker about keeping my Guitar Gallery up to date... So, as a fun holiday thing, let's launch a guitar in the Guitar Gallery each day leading up to New Years Eve! In the past I've received PM's about my collection and whether I play all of these guitars. :) The same question came up during my NYNGD posts a few years ago and my answer was pretty detailed and well thought-out, so please check it out here!)

(Also, in case anybody gets any funny ideas -- these guitars are not at my house. They are all in my very secure and alarmed studio facility. I usually only have two guitars floating around the house...)


 
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JasonT

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Nov 12, 2006
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Appreciate the tone report because I couldn’t get my head around the one pup in that location. Glad you’re finding inspiration in it.
 

GWDavis28

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Jeff, super cool, that is really a great instrument you have there and the pictures are the best I've seen of this yet.

Super congrats, nice write up too. Glenn |B)

P.S. you gonna post some sound clips if you get the chance for us?

P.S.S And it's got solid saddles too!!!!! Love the inlays!!!!
 
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Sweat

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Dec 31, 2006
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Texas Finally!
Wow, just Wow very nice, did not see this one coming but glad you pulled the trigger and great tone report makes me happy. I have one on order just not in my possession yet but glad I went ahead and grabbed one especially since there are only 30 total pieces.

Congrats and what a great 2020 class, looking forward to the NYE guitar!
 

Astrofreq

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What a stunner of a guitar, Jeff! Well done!

I’ve been eyeing these and trying to find a video to hear one. If anyone knows of a vid for this run, please let me know.
 

dibart77

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P.S. you gonna post some sound clips if you get the chance for us?

I would love to hear it in action.

I’ve been eyeing these and trying to find a video to hear one. If anyone knows of a vid for this run, please let me know.

Hmmm... I suppose I can pull something together. I'll probably throw a '57 on a few different amps and just noodle a bit to demonstrate some of the stuff this guitar does. My setup isn't too conducive to recording anything right now (my amps are in the garage/workroom at the new studio while we're building the studio), but I could probably cobble something together. This would more be me just noodling and experimenting with you along for the ride. Lemme see what I can pull together.


 

GWDavis28

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Hmmm... I suppose I can pull something together. I'll probably throw a '57 on a few different amps and just noodle a bit to demonstrate some of the stuff this guitar does. My setup isn't too conducive to recording anything right now (my amps are in the garage/workroom at the new studio while we're building the studio), but I could probably cobble something together. This would more be me just noodling and experimenting with you along for the ride. Lemme see what I can pull together.



Sounds fine with me Jeff, whatever you do will be super I'm sure.

Glenn |B)
 

jones4tone

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Jun 24, 2016
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Very cool guitar! Like others, I'm definitely curious about the tones you get from this one, as I haven't played anything like it.
 

threeminutesboy

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May 11, 2003
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Such a beauty, your picture skills are indeed amazing.

After your explanation I think EBMM can prepare another batch cause we all want one!
 

fbecir

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Interesting beast !
The pickup is more or less where the slanted single coil is on the standard Morse.
I use this pickup a lot (more than the one near the bridge). Lot of sonic exploration for you Jeff !
 

Stevie

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May 28, 2007
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It is indeed a very unique guitar. Looking forward to the sound bites when you can. The fret inlays are another nice addition to this piece. Thanks for sharing.
 

GoKart Mozart

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Awesome Jeff! Like others have mentioned, it would be awesome to hear some sound clips. I was hoping that MM would’ve put out some kind of short demo of that BFR so that we all could hear what it sounds like.


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LesPaul

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Mar 12, 2016
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Very pretty flame top. Love the color. I've never owned a 1 pickup guitar. How versatile is that pickup?

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