Questions about the AX-40?

[edhalen]

I fit this EXACTLY and is why I bought my SILO 30. No better guitar out there for what I paid for mine brand new.

we're not for everyone, but we fill a needed part of the guitar buying public.

Most of the guys here are willing to spend $1500+ for the right guitar. But remember, there is a huge market for guys who won't or can't spend more than $500-$600 for a guitar. We fill that gap. Maybe even groom some of them to be future Music Man buyers.

Thanks for the input guys and we appreciate everyone's opinion!

 

[Bryan]

I feel the same way.

I love my AX40.

While I could have paid more (I had an EVH Special at the time) I couldn't justify paying almost 3 times more when the AX40 did just as good of a job. While there were slight differences, none of them justified the price increase. I returned the EVH and haven't missed it.

Now I might get an Axis later. But then again I might not.

I could own at least 3 AX40s for the price of an Axis.

Especially if Pat gets a pink or purple AX40 next year.......

 

[Evh_axis_eric]

I fit this EXACTLY and is why I bought my SILO 30. No better guitar out there for what I paid for mine brand new.

I own a older axis and now a AX40,i wanted to get another axis but my funds are limited at this time,i gotta say that after i did the mods to my ax 40 it is definitely more than a great second axis. I swapped out the trem for a gotoh(i had this from a bc rich gunslinger),added the axis dimarzio's i got from a classified a while back($150 for the set GREAT DEAL!) and now my AX 40 is killer not that is was bad stock but why not use the parts you have laying around anyway right?

 

[nobozos]

I currently have an AX40, and have owned the EVH and the Axis. If the goal is to turn the AX40 into a guitar that is indistinguishable from an Axis, you're never going to be able to do it. The neck is similar, but different enough that you couldn't really turn an AX40 neck into an Axis neck, at least not without having a professional do it. The body of the AX40 does not have a true maple cap like the axis, which would completely change the tone characteristics of the body. Even if you used all EBMM original hardware and electronics, the construction of the body wouldn't allow the instrument to sound the same. Pat did a great job of engineering the tone of the pickups to compensate for this, and sound similar to an Axis without the maple cap on the body. That is not to say that you couldn't improve the tone and playability of the instrument with upgraded hardware and electronics, but as others have pointed out, you could find a nice Axis for the amount you would spend upgrading, and you would never get the money out of the AX40 that you put into it.

I've been through a few guitars in my life, and learned a few things. I firmly believe now in the motto, "Buy once, cry once." Basically, don't buy the AX40 if you really love an Axis, just because it's cheaper. Save your money and hold out for what you really want. If you play an AX40, and decide that you like the guitar, buy it. Something else I've learned is not to have a "gear snob" mentality. Just because a guitar doesn't cost a pile of money doesn't make it a P.O.S. I have a guitar from another manufacturer that lists new for $400, and it is one of my all time favorite guitars for tone and playability. I did upgrade the pickups, but I wouldn't trade that guitar for anything.

AX40s are great guitars on their own, but nobody should make the mistake that they are the same guitar as the Axis.

 

[aleclee]

Quoted for truth. I went through a similar exercise about ten years ago. The results weren't really worth the investment and I lost my shirt on resale. Having been through that, I now try to avoid irreversible mods and would replace the more expensive upgraded parts prior to resale. About the closest I get to irreversible mods is getting stainless frets. I can at least justify that as enhancing the guitar's playability long-term due to minimizing fret wear.

I currently have an AX40, and have owned the EVH and the Axis. If the goal is to turn the AX40 into a guitar that is indistinguishable from an Axis, you're never going to be able to do it. The neck is similar, but different enough that you couldn't really turn an AX40 neck into an Axis neck, at least not without having a professional do it. The body of the AX40 does not have a true maple cap like the axis, which would completely change the tone characteristics of the body. Even if you used all EBMM original hardware and electronics, the construction of the body wouldn't allow the instrument to sound the same. Pat did a great job of engineering the tone of the pickups to compensate for this, and sound similar to an Axis without the maple cap on the body. That is not to say that you couldn't improve the tone and playability of the instrument with upgraded hardware and electronics, but as others have pointed out, you could find a nice Axis for the amount you would spend upgrading, and you would never get the money out of the AX40 that you put into it.

I've been through a few guitars in my life, and learned a few things. I firmly believe now in the motto, "Buy once, cry once." Basically, don't buy the AX40 if you really love an Axis, just because it's cheaper. Save your money and hold out for what you really want. If you play an AX40, and decide that you like the guitar, buy it. Something else I've learned is not to have a "gear snob" mentality. Just because a guitar doesn't cost a pile of money doesn't make it a P.O.S. I have a guitar from another manufacturer that lists new for $400, and it is one of my all time favorite guitars for tone and playability. I did upgrade the pickups, but I wouldn't trade that guitar for anything.

AX40s are great guitars on their own, but nobody should make the mistake that they are the same guitar as the Axis.

 

[Cale Sahl]

Dude... OLP don't exist anymore and I bet they are much better because OLP were garbage anyway.

Totally different guitars.

I owned both an OLP MM1FR and a Sterling AX40. After a few months I sold my OLP and haven't looked back. The bodies are quite similar in feel and weight, but the OLP neck is thinner, and I didn't care too much for the recessed Floyd in the OLP. Stock AX-40 is great out of the box, but I outfitted mine with a Peavey Wolfgang bridge pickup and a Gotoh knockoff trem. Night and day difference. Still no Axis, though. Next project is finishing the frets and it'll be done for me.

 

[jmbdesigns82]

It terms of locking Floyds, the original German made Floyd Rose definitely owns that market, hands down. And yes, there is a difference. I had a nice 2009 Sterling Ax40 when it first came out. I experimented with a licensed Floyd Rose ping with brass sustain block and noticed a difference/improvement in tonal sustain. Just make sure the studds and anchor are properly adjusted because original Floyds have different anchor positions than the licensed-by which comes stock on Sterling and USA Music Man guitars. The original Floyd Rose bridges are made from high-quality stainless steel which also plays a factor in tonal-quality.

From what I was told a while back, Eddie Van Halen swapped his stock Music Man Floyds for original Floyd Rose trems when he was with Ernie Ball. I don't know for sure.... EVH's were USA models anyway tailored to his needs via custom. I will agree that if you're spending the money to upgrade it and it's close the price of a used Axis or more, then it's not worth it in my opinion. If you can't do the work yourself and correctly it will mess the instrument up. Mods and repairs are costly as luthier shops as it is.

Keep in mind, it's your money and if you want to upgrade a Sterling Ax40 with 10g worth of hardware (for arguments sake), then who are we to say or judge. Do what makes you happy - through curiosity we experiment and find answers.

Also: Whoever thinks that OLPS suck are mistaken. They aren't a USA quality guitar, but they were the BEST value in a budget import guitar hands down along with those OLP Basses. I found them to play and sound better than $450 LTD imports. OLPs took well to hardware mods and upgrades. Lets not forget that successful mods require knowledge of the instrument as well as tools to get the job done like routers if need be and most certainly accurate measurements. There's this BIG misconception that's very common where people/hobbyists swap parts to guitars and can't understand why it didn't work out well.

OLPs aren't high-end, but you got a lot for $200? I used to recommend those to new students over Squires when I would give guitars lessons, they loves it and my setups on them were great.

Will an original Floyd Rose help improve the Sterling Ax40 tone? YES. Will it give it a complete makeover in tone and feel? Absolutely not. You can only bring out the best for that instrument's potential to a certain point. Every guitar is different.