• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

browndog

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
3,468
Location
Toronto, Canada
Everyone on this forum own EBMM guitars.

This is like a second family to everyone here. Why would you want to separate it into “owners clubs”? It makes no sense.

Would you separate your family by their hair colour?

The forum is fine the way it is.
 

Sweat

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
7,340
Location
Texas Finally!
Have to agree with Rob, the clubs are OK hell i started the 25th club and dont even own one now due to injury they dont get much atention, best thing about them are pictures:)
 

PeteDuBaldo

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
10,196
Location
Central Connecticut (Manchester) USA
Have to agree with Rob, the clubs are OK hell i started the 25th club and dont even own one now due to injury they dont get much atention, best thing about them is the sound:)

Fixed!

That Guy, I don't think that no one has thought of it, the social groups were somewhat popular when the forum was updated with them, but now they have fallen by the wayside.

I see in your sig that you are looking for blackfire models. There was only one made in that color and a collector owns it. Your best bet will be to find a Dargie JP or Rosewood neck JP! The Dargies are still shipping.......
 

That Guy

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
148
Location
Arizona
Fixed!

That Guy, I don't think that no one has thought of it, the social groups were somewhat popular when the forum was updated with them, but now they have fallen by the wayside.

I see in your sig that you are looking for blackfire models. There was only one made in that color and a collector owns it. Your best bet will be to find a Dargie JP or Rosewood neck JP! The Dargies are still shipping.......

I should probably make that clearer but when I wrote that I meant ANY type of Blackfire model, not just the Dargie prototype. Do you know who owns it?
 

PeteDuBaldo

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
10,196
Location
Central Connecticut (Manchester) USA
I should probably make that clearer but when I wrote that I meant ANY type of Blackfire model, not just the Dargie prototype. Do you know who owns it?

There is only one Black Fire model, and it is a prototype JP6. It has nothing to do with the Dargie models.

visit http://thepetcollection.net/5943.html for more information about that guitar.
 

ProtoChicken

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
689
I should probably make that clearer but when I wrote that I meant ANY type of Blackfire model, not just the Dargie prototype. Do you know who owns it?

The person who owns it, Ernie, replied to one of your original posts http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/39935-post-pictures-your-music-man.html#post642540 and gave you the details.

Also the the Blackfire model is not a Dargie prototype. There isn't more than one type of Blackfire prototype, only the one that Ernie owns.

Ernie does a great job of documenting it on his website here, http://www.thepetcollection.net/5943.html
 
Last edited:

kissmyaxe

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
530
Location
Seattle
I think he is reffering to the chromalusion paint job such as Black Fire was. Mystic Dream and the Dargie II are the only paint jobs that have been offered to the public.
 

mesavox

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Messages
723
Location
Guymon Oklahoma
Oh I thought Blackfire models were any type of JP Prototype not just a very specific guitar.

The other JP prototypes are still, as far as the public knows, owned by JP and Jordan Rudess was given one (which will likely not ever be sold). The first one was a pearl blue Silhouette variant. Pretty much a quick throw together with the JP pickups at that time and a piezo added with the switch on on the lower horn. This was the guitar he photographed with when he was first put on the artist page on the Music Man webpage. Without seeing a side by side comparison, it's hard to know just how much a true Silo it is, but I suspect it is slightly bigger. It is currently owned by Jordan Rudess and is still the coolest of the prototypes to me.

The Black Fire was next and it pretty much has the standard JP6 shape minus the arm scoop, and the carvings are a bit different. It is just a smidge bigger if memory serves. The trem was different at this time. The piezo switch was now in it's more familiar position.

The Black Sparkle and the Blue Burst were the same basic guitar I think.. the Pearl Redburst Proto 7 string was basically the seven string version of these and these were also VERY close to the final JP6 minus the arm scoop and trem.

So... the owners of these would be Ernie, Jordan, and JP... and I'm sure there are some things floating around at Music Man at this time as they usually double up on prototypes to keep one in house for archival and research pusposes. I'm also figuring that some were built that are in JP's hands that we didn't see for whatever reason, but the last two statements are purely speculation... but the kind of things to consider. It is not likely any of these will be for sale, although the Black Fire was sold because JP gave it to his tech who sold it on ebay... so if he gives any of the others away, they might be sold in a similar manner.. or if he ever does a spring cleaning sale or something... but that's the kind of thing that usually happens when artists are touring less, playing a different brand, or selling for charity.

Those are the pre production run Protos. There is a post arm scoop proto that is unpainted in the videos it is seen in. It looks just like the production run, but it can be speculated that it is different because in the videos BP is seen marking on JP's hand and arm to make some fine tuning adjustments to the trem, and the arm scoop. My assumption is that this guitar is in Music Man's possession and will never be for sale. This is why I think there are more at Music Man. There is a lot of wood to cut and carve on and I figure they had to build more than one to get some requested changes in play.

The set neck 22 fret prototypes... well, at least one was never finished and is at Music Man in it's unfinished form. At least one finished one was sent to JP and he didn't like it. I suspect he still has it, and even though it didn't suite him, I don't see him selling such a unique piece. These have bigger headstocks, and different woods. I THINK these were the first tone block concepts, or at least early enough that they are certainly probably first generation tone block concepts. I seem to have a vague memory of maybe an Axis being the first tone block guitar ever built, but it's faint enough that I may have dreamed that for all I know. lol

I don't know if during the initial years of the JPs if they protyped like they do now for him, but if they did... there could be a few of his guitars that are different than the shelf JPs in various subtle ways. My guess is that these subtle ways are mostly electronics and things like nut material or maybe slight neck shape adjustments.

From the set neck protos, the idea of taking the 20th silo and putting it in JP form was born. This is the honeyburst guitar seen on Score. JP has it and again... you're going to be waiting a good amount of time before it ever goes on sale.. and I seriously doubt it ever will unless it's for charity or something like that.

An unknown number of variants on this were built culminating on the current BFR shape. The one everyone has seen is bascially the previous one with the new body shape and the neck binding. However many there are in this evolution is unknown to the average joe, but again, it makes sense that some are in JP's hands, and some in Music Man's hands. My thought is that JP probably has the one that he used as a home base of sorts, and MM made changes from there, he played them, sent them back, and they made more changes... ala the unpainted standard JP6 in the videos. When they sent the version he liked the best, they took it back and built the first BFRs from its specs. Again, you won't get a hold of this one, or these, in your lifetime. lol

Various pickup changes... probably done in one or two guitars that JP has... you wouldn't know it's a prototype unless someone told you. However, there are the Dargie I BFR, Stealth BFR, and the silver bursts(which is part of the NAMM run so really doesn't count.)

DISCLAIMER: this is a very unscientific trek through my sketchy memory and nothing about what I just said is official. I could have gotten things out of order here or there, and I certainly did a LOT of speculating... The point is to describe how things tend to work a lot of the time and to demystify a bit of the prototype idea. A lot of the prototypes could very well be modified guitars that he had used as stock previously. Also, in that instance, the use of the word prototype is wrong, but I didn't know if you were referring to a lot of mentionings of various things done and thinking of them as prototypes. I mean... I doubt that there are 50 some odd prototypes out there, but there are probably 50 some odd modified JPs or more. I say that because I would think that the point of saying... "lets cut this out and build it" comes after numerous chiselings, shavings, fillings, etc. etc.

I think it's also important to note that the prototypes are just that... The only proto I can think of that I think is really cool enough that I want it even though it's missing some of the improvements made after it was built is the first Blue one that Jordan has. Maybe the Black Fire one because it is a cool color, but I like the more silo shaped body of the first prototype, and I'd like to see what it's like to have the piezo knob on the lower horn. In any case, the production runs are for all intents and purposes the better guitars... the failures have been fixed and that's why they are the ones for sale, and not the prototypes... that's why JP plays what he plays, and gave Jordan the blue one I like. As a JP fan, it would be cool to have one of those early protos, but as a player, I probably wouldn't play them so I'd rather spend the money on another BFR or standard JP.
 

Dizzy

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
2,948
Location
Perth, Western Australia
I joined the Facebook group. It doesn't seem to get alot of action though. Who is running it?

Assuming you mean Facebook PAGE, That would be me Slingy.

Not much happening / new news at the moment, but recently posted the info regarding discontinued colours etc. :)

"Fans" can still comment, add pics, discussions etc etc any time they like.

But most of the forumite fans to all that stuff here ............ :)
 
Last edited:

Big Poppa

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
18,598
Location
Coachella & SLO, California
DIZZY where you been?

WE are always prototyping for John. WE are doing it now. THere are probably 75 prototypes mostly in our possesion or JP's...

woeking together with JP is very rewarding for both of us as we both see this as a design journey and enjoy the ride
 

lumberjack

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2006
Messages
2,987
Location
Toronto, Canada
DIZZY where you been?

WE are always prototyping for John. WE are doing it now. THere are probably 75 prototypes mostly in our possesion or JP's...

woeking together with JP is very rewarding for both of us as we both see this as a design journey and enjoy the ride

Any hints as to what might be coming up in the future with John's guitar.
 

lumberjack

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2006
Messages
2,987
Location
Toronto, Canada
Just like all the rest of the new EBMM & SBMM guitars, we will have to wait till NAMM 2010 before we get any nibbles. I’m just guessing

That's where you are wrong my fellow canucklehead. Poppa and the folks at EBMM are very good about giving little tidbits and inside info to the forumites before anyone else gets it. I'm sure there will be some nibbles about what is coming up before NAMM:)
 

browndog

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
3,468
Location
Toronto, Canada
That's where you are wrong my fellow canucklehead. Poppa and the folks at EBMM are very good about giving little tidbits and inside info to the forumites before anyone else gets it. I'm sure there will be some nibbles about what is coming up before NAMM:)

Thanks for the heads-up. I look forward to the teasers.
 
Top Bottom