SBMM Silo 3 and AX 3 thoughts

[Rockman]

Hi,

I know many of the people here on this board have a lot of experience and are pro players. Therefore I would like to ask if anybody of you have tried out the cheaper Sterling Sub Silo 3 or AX 3 models? Mostly I'm not interested in guitars in this price range, but it strikes me that it would be cool to have a "working-horse" for around $200. That price is crazy! I think these guitars were given a Gold Award by Guitar World Magazine, so they can't be that bad?

Have anyone here on this board checked them out? How would they compare to other brands and even to the "real" Musicman guitars?

Thanks fellow forumites!

 

[peterd79]

My experiences as a seasoned player allow me to speak freely and with an unbiased opinion to the quality and tone available through the Sterling by MusicMan line. I have been playing guitar seriously for the better part of 20 years. I have had guitars one way or another in my hand for the last 33 years and have through life situations found myself playing various makes and models of guitars through the years.
My very first guitar (which I still have but do not play) was a 1956 Gibson LesPaul jr (double cut version), and I have owned many custom shop Strats and Teles as well. One day I was searching eBay and saw a Tobacco Burst OLP MM1F and the price was quite good and so I purchased the guitar and it came in and was fun to play; however, it wasn’t the best. Knowing it was a licensed copy of Ernie Ball MusicMan I came to the forum to find out more. The knowledge and family experience displayed on the forum lead me to purchase my very first EBMM and as they say the rest was history. The only guitars I play now are MusicMan.
A few years ago it was introduced to the forum that a new line would be making its appearance in the lower priced point market to fill the need for a superior instrument in that range. Sterling by MusicMan came out with the cylinders all firing and provided a very nice quality product for the mid price point. These guitars were (and still are) quite remarkable in the quality of the build and the tone provided compared to the price point.
This last year SBMM hit us again with the news that they were going to hit the market with the SUB series which promised an even lower price point on the shelves and provided a good product. What Sterling by MusicMan did with the SUB series is phenomenal. Not only did they bring to the table an unsurpassable quality of build and deliverance of tone they did it in a price range that is almost impossible to provide quality in.
What guitarist should expect from the SUB line is a guitar and tool that is not only fun to play but inspiring in the hands of any musician. These guitars provide quality tone and stability that you simply do not find in any other instrument in this price range. Simply put these guitars stay in Tune and you don’t have to constantly check tuning. The necks are nicely done and the frets are dressed properly and setup ready to go.
I had the opportunity to play a few of the SUB series guitars a month or so back at my local GC and then compared them to other guitars in the similar price range.
Hands down in every instance the SBMM guitars outperformed the respective competitor’s guitars and left an impression in my mind that you don’t have to sacrifice quality and tone to be able to afford a nice guitar.
Do not be mistaken that these guitars are similar to in appearance of the EBMM guitars; however, the EBMM guitars are indeed different and offer a superior product which you would expect given the wide range in price difference.
What SBMM did was open the door to young players and players with a limited budget to get their hands on a quality guitar without spending the top dollar. I believe like any progression in a player’s skill they will naturally gravitate towards the EBMM line as they improve and desire the crème dela crème. I strongly encourage anyone looking for a first guitar, or a travel guitar to pickup an SBMM guitar because you will not be disappointed. Just all around great value for the money.

 

[meanMRmustard]

I was wondering this as well. Thanks peterd79 for your insight

 

[PugNinjas]

I recently picked up a Silo3 and couldn't be happier. There was one at the local GC and after playing a slew of MIM guitars I picked up the Silo3 just for a comparison and in my opinion it was just that more lively than what I considered to be "dead" sounding guitars. For me, the price tag makes it a cool guitar to mod and use for the more superstrat stuff my band does now. It also does work on the platform of an introductory guitar to the world of EBMM, especially for my students.
As for more of guitar review, everything seems excellent with it. Comfortable neck, nice fretwork and the black finish was nicely done as well. I swapped out the bridge HB but that is because I like to experiment and have found pickups that are suitable to my style of play. I let my students who are still in the world of acoustic check it out and they all seem to enjoy it. I'll be using it for a few tracks at our next gig so I'll let you know how that works out but I can't foresee any problems so....

 

[edhalen]

I'm the proud owner of a SBMM Silo30 (avatar pic) that I bought in 2010 and I couldn't be happier. I have since bought my first American made guitar (unfortunately not an EBMM as I just couldn't swing it out of pocket at the time) and still find myself picking up my Silo just as much as I did before because it's just fun to play. The neck feels amazing for a guitar at the price I paid for it. Amazingly enough I tried out a Silo 3 recently and I think I like it's asymetrical neck even better than the Silo 30's!

I also switched out the HB pickup last night and now it SCREAMS! I put in a Dimarzio dual sounds pickup I had in an old Hondo Strat Copy I bought back in the 80's but never play anymore.

You will NOT find a better instrument for the $$ whether you buy a SUB or the standard SBMM guitar. If you have enough money you should check out the 2013 Silo30D ($599 street I'm told) as it now comes stock with Dimarzio pickups. I venture a guess those things will ROCK!

 

[Warg Master]

I purchased an AX3 January of this year as I wanted an axis, but last time I had one, I didn't play it as much. So I thought I'd get one hand have an axis, but not feel bad about not playing it as much as I feel I should for a $1000+ instrument. I was blown away by the the AX3. I play it a lot more than I thought I would! There is nothing at that price point that even compares. I'd say it beats out many other brands at 3X the price point. These are fantastic instruments that are very solid. Beginner or seasoned pro, there's no reason why you wouldn't want to use one of these just because it's not an Ernie Ball.

 

[Rockman]

Wow great insight guys! I'm sure many people are going to read this and get some of their questions answered. These line of guitars sounds like something I would love to have as a "backup" or call it whatever. A good guitar that's decent priced! Decent? Cheap I mean...

So how would these guitars compare to let's say... a Fender USA? An Ibanez RG550 type... In that price range? What should be "worked on/modded" to make it a "pro-instrument"?

 

[Jack FFR1846]

My GC has a silo 30 and AX 3 side by side. From memory, $199 and $230? I play both everytime I go in. Unbelievable guitars. I did not say "unbelievable guitars for the price"......an unqualified, unbelievable guitars. If you are looking at Fender guitars, I would place the Silo 30 squarely on top of the American Special. The AX 3. Hmmm.....nothing is like it. I'd maybe put it on par with a Korean PRS. Look at the prices of those 2. They're double or more.

With the 4 Music Man guitars that I own, I would feel like either of these would be right at home with me.

 

[edhalen]

A bit more info about trying these out - it is obviously best if you can try them right after they get in from the factory OR ask them to get one for you from the back if they have any. Too often I see them in rough shape after being used and abused - not in tune, necks dirty, strings dull, etc. It is hard to give them a fair shake if they are in that condition. Just a thought.