Why don't birdseye necks get to the UK??

[The P-Man]

I have been actively looking at Ernie Ball Musicman guitars for about 2 years now and I live in the UK. I would say that out of about 25 or so that i've played I must have seen about 2 with anything resembling the birdseye maple neck that the guitars are famed for.

Admittedly, most of my encounters have been with the lower end models such as Axis Sports and Silhouettes but whenever I look at models on sale in the USA over the internet they all have birdseye necks . Whenever I read the H-C reviews of these guitars nearly all US customers claim to have amazing birdseye necks also. I have also played 2 Petrucci models, an Axis and 2 Axis Super Sports and only one of them had a birdseye neck worth mentioning.

Is there an active selection process at play to keep the best examples in the USA? It wouldn't be the first time a US guitar company would have done this but it would be a shame considering the high prices we pay in this country.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I cant speak for current guitars, but I have a '94 EVH that I bought on Project music in Hounslow that has an amazingly figured neck, but that said I have seen a few that have been almost plain. I suppose its the luck of the draw. Besides, from what I understand plain maple less prone to warp.

 

[Daggo]

P-Man,

Maybe you have already done this, but make sure you check out birdseye necks from different angles and in different lighting.

Sometimes the neck on my Axis looks like it has no figuring, at all. Other times, it's as riddled as a Jackson Pollock painting.

Subtle, lighter spots will be the ones that turn darker as you change the lighting or angle.

Hopefully, there might be some beauties in the UK, afterall!!

Cheers,

Daggo