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Ernie Ball Music Man Custom Design Experience

Tuesday's Tourture...

The first completed Silhouette!

Here it is, the first completed prototype of the Silhouette guitar. The name was not attached until about 18 months later, so the headstocks on the early guitars simply said "Ernie Ball / Music Man".

The first batch of four prototypes were debuted at the summer NAMM show in New Orleans, 1985. All had different bridges and pickup combinations, with this one sporting a Floyd Rose locking tremolo- THAT DOES NOT FLOAT! ... and you thought the EVH was the first???

This proto also has a wide neck (an early option, and Ernie's personal favorite) with smaller position markers than the current MM guitars. It's finished in Candy Pink, which now is quite vintage with lots of checking. The original pickup is a Schaller that resembles a DiMarzio Mega-Drive, disguised with a cover, but it's had many combos over the years.

If you come to the open house, you can see it in person, IT ROCKS!!
 
I want that motorcycle. I love those small motorcycles but the wife wont let me have one :( . She did make it up to me and let me have this instead :) .
 
I understand what you said sir. I bet any guitar player in my band would fall in love with that.

Is that the same guitar that my guitar players can get today? Excuse my ignorance please. I do play a bass after all. A wonderfully good bass at that.


tk
 
Guitarburetor said:
Here it is, the first completed prototype of the Silhouette guitar. The name was not attached until about 18 months later, so the headstocks on the early guitars simply said "Ernie Ball / Music Man".

The first batch of four prototypes were debuted at the summer NAMM show in New Orleans, 1985. All had different bridges and pickup combinations, with this one sporting a Floyd Rose locking tremolo- THAT DOES NOT FLOAT! ... and you thought the EVH was the first???

This proto also has a wide neck (an early option, and Ernie's personal favorite) with smaller position markers than the current MM guitars. It's finished in Candy Pink, which now is quite vintage with lots of checking. The original pickup is a Schaller that resembles a DiMarzio Mega-Drive, disguised with a cover, but it's had many combos over the years.

If you come to the open house, you can see it in person, IT ROCKS!!
Click to expand...



Ok we have to have someone write the book about EBMM , I can clearly see it with full sized photos and comments of Dudley and BP on each guitar. :rolleyes:
 
This is beautiful! I've wondered what this guitar looked like for YEARS!!! :)

For future Tuesday Torture reference: Dudley mentions that this one was shown at the Summer 1985 NAMM... Another proto I'd be very interested in seeing pics of is mentioned in a blurb on EBMM from the Inside NAMM article in Guitar Player, September 1986. They mention two unnamed models, "in rounded and angular body shapes"... They go on: "The angular but well-balanced model has a 22-fret fingerboard. With a Schaller locking tremolo, it retails for $595.00 ($495.00 without tremolo). Both instruments are available with maple or rosewood fingerboards." The picture of the "rounded" model accompanying the text is clearly a Silhouette, but I've contended for years that the "angular" model is the first "Albert Lee" (Née Axis) that they're writing about, and I'd love to have my assumptions confirmed (or dispelled)...


Mick said:
Ok we have to have someone write the book about EBMM , I can clearly see it with full sized photos and comments of Dudley and BP on each guitar.
Click to expand...
I'm "collecting" all this stuff (and a lot of other bits and pieces) in the hopes of compiling something coherent from it all eventually... There are certainly piles of cool info to go through now, and so many questions to be answered.
 
Dudley we should post ebs silhouette that was in his office till he passed away. It is the trans red wide neck with just the ernie ball music man....I foind the biff o caster in my attic too....

Its funny how we weren't pompous enough to think that anyone whould care. We have kept a bunch of stuff but not near enough.

Next weeks Tuesday Torture is the first Musc Man Stingray that we buikt and we have no idea where it went or where it is.
 
Hey Guys
I just noticed that the last post was with the KMAKY. That freeloaded Gary Hanser is STILL herre and didnt sign off my laptop last night in his quest for a guitarist.


OR MAYBE I AM GARY HANSER>>>>>>NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPLEAASENOOOO
 
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