FanEVH5150
New member
Hello everyone I am new here. I have been a big fan of the Music Man EVH guitar since I was in tenth grade when I saw it on VH Live, Right Here, Right Now. I play them because they are truly superior and not because Eddie does. I do want to start a Sam Halen/Van Hagar tribute band though. I don't bother too much with the value of guitars in terms of how much it will be worth. I customize them to what I like regardless if it's expensive because I want it to be played the way I like it. If I wanted to collect guitars for value I would buy them and hang them on my wall and forget about them. Even that is impssible because I love guitars and Shred guitar playing. A good friend of mine who does his own line of custom guitar scalloped the neck for me on one my Music Man EVH guitars. I even painted a knife-through-heart tatoo design on it representing my girlfriend.
Anyhow, a Music Man Axis guitar can be very expensive for majority of the people who pay big bill and don't have enough money left over. The Music Man OLP MM-1 is way cool but does not cut it for advance musician who want the sound and feel they need. Although they are customizable.
Hence, if you look hard enough you will actually find people who will do amazing work at an amazing price. I bought a Music Man EVH/Axis style body blank off Ebay with a rounded heel for $100.00. It has a Flame maple cap and an alder body. And the reason this being awesome is because Warmoth sells the same thing he sold to me, without the routing for $250.00 either/or. And they alter things according to patents and copyright protections. Warmoth sold "AA" Grade wood for $250. and my friend sold me "AAA" grade wood for $100. Both blanks were EVH/Axis styles with no routings. Bigger companies does not mean better products. I saved $150 bucks on something that was actually better. And my friend's firends actually had buddies that worked at Warmoth. They both left Warmoth because they did not like or approve of they dishonesty they were conducting. Their thrift shop is a big part of it if you want any hints. They now have their own company in guitar building.
I just sent the body back to him and he is doing a routing job for $75. even. He is routing it the exact same way the Music Man EVH model was made with the two custom pot-hole routings on the back. And he is going to route a spot between the neck pocket and the neck pickup for the Pin-wheel on the truss rod. You couldn't even tell the difference.
Now check this. That same person is having a neck designed for me. I asked him to replicate an Axis neck, because the EVH models are too expensive to get and are scarce. He is having a buddy of his who owns a music shop take off the neck of an Axis he was selling and let my friend borrow it so he can use it to build me an exact replica. My replica will have the pin-wheel allen wrench at the bottom of the neck(I think he is going to keep it as a building reference so he can use it in the future for custom work). Same headstock and everything. Including the birdseye/birdseye maple wood all for a whopping $300. And he does this because people who do carry these necks(i.g. Ed Roman) will charge you more than half the guitar is worth because of an EVH label. My friend does not believe in ripping people off with his custom guitar work. He gives them damn good quality, and a price that can support him and pay the bills. Meaning he will make a pofit but not go beyond much more than he needs. That's wrong to rob people. Especially when they know people are out there that will buy due to quick impulsivity.
However, the construction and replication of this guitar was done for me as a favor because we are friends. The neck he is making is being constructed "under the table" and he does not do this normally. Ernie Ball and PRS are the most stict when it comes to replacement parts. Guitar companies would get in trouble with the law though. And for a guitar that would cost thousands to buy and/or have made, I am paying a mere 5-6 hundred dollars minus the Ernie/Ball Music logo at the headstock. I still have the hardware and pickups to buy.....DiMarzio Tone Zone baby!!!
It goes to show you that if you actually talk to people and get to know them, things like this happen. There are guitar builders out there that believe in honesty and actually care about a customer's happiness first over the money making part of the deal. Those are the kind of people who think for others before themselves because they have are naturally kind, caring and generous. It's in their blood. Ebay is a great source for getting to know people in the guitar building trade. A significant amount of the guitar builders on Ebay build guitars as a hobby or side job. If you show them interest with what they are selling you would be suprised on how far they go for you. It's the unknown hobbyist guitar builders who will build anything for you. I was fortunate enough to get this deal because the guy I mentioned above asked me to help get him business. I replied with a phone number he listed on the Ebay receipt for the auction. Usually auctions don't display numbers from seller on account of choice and personal reasons. I called him up and it was amazing how long we talked about the guitar/music industry. And we had many things in common too on a personal level. A great person indeed. When he comes back from his vacation him and I are going to get down to some serious work on selling some really good custom guitar with an amazing amount of options for the customer.
They key thing for a custom guitar(or anything) is not to rush it. If you don't have the money then let it take the time necessary to complete. I waited 6 years for this to happen and I a so happy. Otherwsie I would have had shelled out a lot f money if I was impulsive. But you don't have to worry. It wouldn't be six years for you given the different circumstances. Maybe more or less. Given the time needed, amazing things will happen. My guitar is not made by Ernie Ball but if you take off the EB logo on the real thing you wouldn't be able to see or hear a difference.
I am making the Candy-Stripe, Music Man Edward Van Halen guitar in his "Runaround" music video. Now people like to say that their custom made Van Halen guitars are rare and the whole ordeal. But even with the exact remakes of the Kramer and Peavey creations that show no difference from Eddie's, the Music Man guitar I am making is most notably rare on behalf of it's popularity, exactness, and most of all, the price. My waiting did pay off in the end. I would have replicated the "Poundcake" version of the Striped Music Man EVH, but that was ugly. A good future project though. That one is probably his least seen guitar.
If you have any questions give me a personal reply. I am not giving out my friend's information unless you need information to help build your guitar on a non personal basis, but I can probably help you by contacting him myself if I can't help you.
Here is the exact guitar he and I are replicating:
http://www.vhvault.com/~maya/pictures/cared2.jpg
A future EB MM EVH project:
http://www.vhvault.com/~maya/pictures/oceaned.jpg
**This thread post is not meant to belittle or take away business from Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and their products, but to help people who can't afford the money that is required to buy an instrument of such superiorism.
Anyhow, a Music Man Axis guitar can be very expensive for majority of the people who pay big bill and don't have enough money left over. The Music Man OLP MM-1 is way cool but does not cut it for advance musician who want the sound and feel they need. Although they are customizable.
Hence, if you look hard enough you will actually find people who will do amazing work at an amazing price. I bought a Music Man EVH/Axis style body blank off Ebay with a rounded heel for $100.00. It has a Flame maple cap and an alder body. And the reason this being awesome is because Warmoth sells the same thing he sold to me, without the routing for $250.00 either/or. And they alter things according to patents and copyright protections. Warmoth sold "AA" Grade wood for $250. and my friend sold me "AAA" grade wood for $100. Both blanks were EVH/Axis styles with no routings. Bigger companies does not mean better products. I saved $150 bucks on something that was actually better. And my friend's firends actually had buddies that worked at Warmoth. They both left Warmoth because they did not like or approve of they dishonesty they were conducting. Their thrift shop is a big part of it if you want any hints. They now have their own company in guitar building.
I just sent the body back to him and he is doing a routing job for $75. even. He is routing it the exact same way the Music Man EVH model was made with the two custom pot-hole routings on the back. And he is going to route a spot between the neck pocket and the neck pickup for the Pin-wheel on the truss rod. You couldn't even tell the difference.
Now check this. That same person is having a neck designed for me. I asked him to replicate an Axis neck, because the EVH models are too expensive to get and are scarce. He is having a buddy of his who owns a music shop take off the neck of an Axis he was selling and let my friend borrow it so he can use it to build me an exact replica. My replica will have the pin-wheel allen wrench at the bottom of the neck(I think he is going to keep it as a building reference so he can use it in the future for custom work). Same headstock and everything. Including the birdseye/birdseye maple wood all for a whopping $300. And he does this because people who do carry these necks(i.g. Ed Roman) will charge you more than half the guitar is worth because of an EVH label. My friend does not believe in ripping people off with his custom guitar work. He gives them damn good quality, and a price that can support him and pay the bills. Meaning he will make a pofit but not go beyond much more than he needs. That's wrong to rob people. Especially when they know people are out there that will buy due to quick impulsivity.
However, the construction and replication of this guitar was done for me as a favor because we are friends. The neck he is making is being constructed "under the table" and he does not do this normally. Ernie Ball and PRS are the most stict when it comes to replacement parts. Guitar companies would get in trouble with the law though. And for a guitar that would cost thousands to buy and/or have made, I am paying a mere 5-6 hundred dollars minus the Ernie/Ball Music logo at the headstock. I still have the hardware and pickups to buy.....DiMarzio Tone Zone baby!!!
It goes to show you that if you actually talk to people and get to know them, things like this happen. There are guitar builders out there that believe in honesty and actually care about a customer's happiness first over the money making part of the deal. Those are the kind of people who think for others before themselves because they have are naturally kind, caring and generous. It's in their blood. Ebay is a great source for getting to know people in the guitar building trade. A significant amount of the guitar builders on Ebay build guitars as a hobby or side job. If you show them interest with what they are selling you would be suprised on how far they go for you. It's the unknown hobbyist guitar builders who will build anything for you. I was fortunate enough to get this deal because the guy I mentioned above asked me to help get him business. I replied with a phone number he listed on the Ebay receipt for the auction. Usually auctions don't display numbers from seller on account of choice and personal reasons. I called him up and it was amazing how long we talked about the guitar/music industry. And we had many things in common too on a personal level. A great person indeed. When he comes back from his vacation him and I are going to get down to some serious work on selling some really good custom guitar with an amazing amount of options for the customer.
They key thing for a custom guitar(or anything) is not to rush it. If you don't have the money then let it take the time necessary to complete. I waited 6 years for this to happen and I a so happy. Otherwsie I would have had shelled out a lot f money if I was impulsive. But you don't have to worry. It wouldn't be six years for you given the different circumstances. Maybe more or less. Given the time needed, amazing things will happen. My guitar is not made by Ernie Ball but if you take off the EB logo on the real thing you wouldn't be able to see or hear a difference.
I am making the Candy-Stripe, Music Man Edward Van Halen guitar in his "Runaround" music video. Now people like to say that their custom made Van Halen guitars are rare and the whole ordeal. But even with the exact remakes of the Kramer and Peavey creations that show no difference from Eddie's, the Music Man guitar I am making is most notably rare on behalf of it's popularity, exactness, and most of all, the price. My waiting did pay off in the end. I would have replicated the "Poundcake" version of the Striped Music Man EVH, but that was ugly. A good future project though. That one is probably his least seen guitar.
If you have any questions give me a personal reply. I am not giving out my friend's information unless you need information to help build your guitar on a non personal basis, but I can probably help you by contacting him myself if I can't help you.
Here is the exact guitar he and I are replicating:
http://www.vhvault.com/~maya/pictures/cared2.jpg
A future EB MM EVH project:
http://www.vhvault.com/~maya/pictures/oceaned.jpg
**This thread post is not meant to belittle or take away business from Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and their products, but to help people who can't afford the money that is required to buy an instrument of such superiorism.
