Value of EVH? (With pics)

[NorM]

Axisboldaslove:

Hey, I'm dissing anyone who's point that it's in the eye of the beholder!
.. maybe I'm just a cheap bastard!

Who called my name?

No really. Get what you want and want what you've got

 

[Colin]

Q: What are the differences between the old Edward Van Halen signature guitar and the model that took its place, the Axis?
A: When Eddie left Ernie Ball/Music Man in 1995, the decision was made to keep the guitar in production pretty much the same as when it was the Eddie Van Halen guitar. All of the design, including the neck, pickups, and woods used are the same, but we made a few improvements:

1. The neck was widened slightly (1/32") at the body end. This was to correct problems for players who were having trouble with the high E string slipping off the neck on the 12th fret and up.

2. The switch was moved near the volume knob. This was done to help prevent accidental hitting of the switch, especially while strumming.

3. The "tone" knob was replaced by a volume knob (NOTE: it was always a volume pot - the "tone" knob was a sort of joke).

4. We added a comfort contour (a belly cut) to the top and back of the body.

 

[beej]

Yeah, I'd probably boil it down to "mojo".

My Axis SS (Jon's old one) has mojo. I've played others and they don't have "it" like mine does

 

[lwk]

4. We added a comfort contour (a belly cut) to the top and back of the body.

My guess is this is why they sound slightly different - take a decent amount of wood off a body and the tone will change.... Same pickups and electronics but the Axis body is a little bit lighter and has less wood than the EVH.

 

[Devnor]

The Axis does not have the same pickups as the EVH. The fretboard radius of the EVH is flatter than the Axis (12" vs. 10").

The location of the pickup selector on the Axis makes it very difficult to switch positions when playing. That is my #1 gripe about my Axis and a huge motivator in acquiring an EVH. But at a $2200 price point on a used instrument, there are much better options when you're talking about that kind of $$$.

 

[Colin]

I've owned my EVH for about 10 years now (maybe more?) and it does feel different to the Axis. It feels like the neck is different and I do like the position of the switch. The Morse is my main guitar these days and I'm tellin ya, anything with Music Man on the headstock is gonna do the job. I've got the Y2D on order and the 20th anniversary will the next after that.

Colin

 

[beej]

The Axis does not have the same pickups as the EVH.

Last I heard they were the same pickups.

 

[blackspy]

The Axis does not have the same pickups as the EVH. The fretboard radius of the EVH is flatter than the Axis (12" vs. 10").

The location of the pickup selector on the Axis makes it very difficult to switch positions when playing. That is my #1 gripe about my Axis and a huge motivator in acquiring an EVH. But at a $2200 price point on a used instrument, there are much better options when you're talking about that kind of $$$.

I thought the radius was identical? The pickups, I thought, were identical, only four wire, vs. the thick single wire style.

 

[Guitarexplosion]

Thanks for all the inputs so far,

Just saw a similar purple EVH up on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ERNIE-BALL-MUSIC-MAN-EVH-PURPLE-QUILTED_W0QQitemZ7374827790QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So I think I am up a pretty good deal, considering the prices some of you have mentioned

Now I just have to convince my bank that I simply cannot live without this instrument

 

[hbucker]

The radius on the EVH is 10". The only difference is the width of the neck. The difference is very slight but I notice it since I'm use to my EVH.

Everything I've heard is that the pickups are the same with the exception of the wiring as blackspy indicated.

Between the rear contour and the larger route for the pot cavity there is less wood in the Axis body. Perhaps that does account for a difference in tone.

 

[Devnor]

The pups arent the same. Axis pups do sound excellent for what I'm doing; I wish they were in my petrucci.

I was wrong about the radius; it's 10"

 

[beej]

The pups arent the same.

It's been said many times here by experts that they are, in fact, the same pickups.

Also it's been said that the early Axis pickups were of the same two-wire variety as the EVH p'ups, before the 4-wire version was offered for the Super Sport.

 

[jongitarz]

The pups arent the same. Axis pups do sound excellent for what I'm doing; I wish they were in my petrucci.

I was wrong about the radius; it's 10"

The pickups are the same. The only difference is now they are 4 wire so they can be used with the 5 way switch on the SSPT.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

The pickups are the same. The only difference is now they are 4 wire so they can be used with the 5 way switch on the SSPT.

There you have it! The final answer is that they are the same, yet different

Now that everyone is right we can be happy

 

[Guitarexplosion]

Anybody have a picture of the original case for a EVH model? The seller is dropping by tomorrow with the guitar - so would like to know if it's the right one. Also someone pointed out that the switch wasn't original - is it possible to buy this anywhere?

Thanks

 

[hbucker]

The case photographed in your original post looks like the original: black tolex, gold hardware, black leather trim, black fur lining. Guitar sits at an angle inside the case.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

My EVH came in a case like this.

 

[axisboldaslove]

I truly don't understand how they can sound overly different? They're same wood, construction, pickups, size, etc... As for feel what could be different, slightly thinner neck width, and no belly cut? Maybe the perceived better sound/feel is because you like the guitar alot more for whatever reason.

i did not understand it either until i noticed that the pups on my EVH are set lower than the two axis guitars i own?
this would at least explain the TONE difference
and as for the "feel" difference this is because the EVH has a worn neck
what i mean is that it is made to the EXACT spec's as eddies old kramer that had wear spots on the 1,2,3,4, fret area
if you are sitting down playing it you can see a small dent in the neck there

I still prefer the EVH even though i think the axis is a great guitar
let me put it this way if the EVH never exsited and EBMM made the axis with no eddie
connection i would still play a axis over ANYTHING else out there!

 

[nobozos]

Maybe Jon can verify some of this information in case I'm wrong. I seem to recall hearing that the EVH trans colors were a dye that was hand rubbed onto the wood before finishing, accounting for the color fading that some colors experienced. I could be wrong about this, but think that the Axis color is sprayed on with the finish.

Is it possible that there is a difference between the topcoat used between the Axis and the EBMM/EVH? I know the Axis is a high gloss polyester. Was the EVH the same, or whas it a lacquer?

Besides the affects of aging of the wood, the type of finish used could also account for the percieved tone differences.

Oh yeah, there is one other thing that could contribute to a tone difference. When EBMM moved the switch from the lower horn to below the volume, a body cavity was eliminated. The body cavity for the switch may have acted as a "tone chamber". Now that I think about it, that is probably the most substantial structural difference between the two models, and may account for the majority of the percieved tone difference.

 

[hbucker]

Maybe Jon can verify some of this information in case I'm wrong. I seem to recall hearing that the EVH trans colors were a dye that was hand rubbed onto the wood before finishing, accounting for the color fading that some colors experienced. I could be wrong about this, but think that the Axis color is sprayed on with the finish.

Is it possible that there is a difference between the topcoat used between the Axis and the EBMM/EVH? I know the Axis is a high gloss polyester. Was the EVH the same, or whas it a lacquer?

Besides the affects of aging of the wood, the type of finish used could also account for the percieved tone differences.

Oh yeah, there is one other thing that could contribute to a tone difference. When EBMM moved the switch from the lower horn to below the volume, a body cavity was eliminated. The body cavity for the switch may have acted as a "tone chamber". Now that I think about it, that is probably the most substantial structural difference between the two models, and may account for the majority of the percieved tone difference.

Yes. And the cavity routed for the pots and switch on the Axis is MUCH larger on the Axis than it was on the EVH. On the EVH it is only large enough for one pot. On the Axis it's large enough for a pot a switch and at least one more pot.

I'm not so sure about the "tone chamber" theory regarding the switch location on the EVH. But it sounds as good as anything I suppose.