OLP Axis

Made in China. One volume knob, two pickups, basswood body. I think everyone knows all the specs by now. Has everything I need but I gave it a 9 because other people might want a tone knob and other features.

Amazing! I have had an OLP for a year now and just picked up a second one the other day in Trans-Gold. The pickups in this one sounds really good. A little better than the ones I had in my first one. Could be because the bridge is in a slightly different spot and angled a tad. (factory blem or whatever) it works well with this guitar. I might leave this original pickup in it. I swapped out my other OLP's bridge for a Dimarzio ToneZone. Full sound with this one and is nearly as good as my $2,000 Peavey Wolfgang guitar. I love these inexpensive guitars! Can't understand how they can make these and sell them for so cheap.

I had to tweak the action a bit but medium/low works well for me. No buzzing. The photo-finish looks really nice. Love the trans-gold finish!!! The trans-black one I have looks a tad green though.

OLP guitars are built to last. I have toured with my other one over the last 12 months. Played it under the most horrid conditions in 122 degree heat, outdoor shows etc.. This thing stays in tune GREAT!!! unlike my Washburn Idol which went out of tune just by looking at it.
Very dependable guitar. Never breaks strings either!!! I change them at least once a month though.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing 35 years, I have owned tons of guitars, Ed Roman models, Peavey Wolfgang, Washburn Idol, BC Rich's etc. The OLP is right up there with the rest. I love it! I bought this guitar used on craigslist for $100!!!!!!!!!!!! What a steal...

Year 2004, made in China, 22 fret, solid or laminate body unknown but has a photofilm top finish, controls are dead simple; three way toggle and volume, NO TONE POT (frankly doesn't need one!), pickups are MID-OUTPUT stock OLP H/H, Body I think is basswood, neck maple, like I said; photofinish orange "flame maple" repro., Body style is Ernie Ball/Musicman Axis/EVH shape, bridge is fenderesque no-locking tremolo, tuners are stock OLP/gotoh no-locking, Scale "seems" short. This is common in Ernie ball guitars and many players with "small hands" have commented on the easy of playing a neck this size, Haven't a clue about the frets BUT THERE ARE SOME! lol, fingerboard is maple, no accessories included but that didn't worry me.

I play predominantly neo-classical rock alla Herrs Malmsteen and V. Moore and this guitar's sound suits that perfectly. The pickups are supposed to be MID-OUTPUT yet I find no difficulty getting feedback or harmonics and they have a killer tone through my good gear. My "good gear" consists of Marshall JCM 900 stack, Roland BOSS GT 8 floor processor, and Jim Dunlop Crybaby. I've tried this guitar through my "back-up rig" (JCM 900 half stack, GT6, DOD YJM 308, and my wah) and also through my "teaching" practice amps (Marshall MG30DFX and Peavey Studio pro 112) and it sounds great regardless!

It's not noisy at all and the feedback is very controlled and smooth. Tone is tuby and rich on neck pickup and biting on bridge. Variety is great even with no TONE POT. I've produced bluesy tones, great cleans, evil, harmonic-filled distortions, and tuby 70s rock sounds all just by changing my patches and messing about with the toggle switch and volume pot.

The guitar was pretty well setup from the factory and for ages I didn't even lower the action! I have now done so and WOW!! Even better. :) There really doesn't seem to be any manufacturing errors that I can see (a little roughness of finish at the bass of the fingerboard is all I could find). Wood seems good and solid and no rust to report. No lose tuners, noise in the pickup selector or volume pot. HOWEVER, I had one scare early on as the neck was creaking and seemed a tad loose! I tightened the screws at the neck joint plate and the problem has not reoccured. phew!!

I know that this guitar will stand up to live playing as I have friends who gig on them, plus I've maintained a heavy teaching schedule on this very instument, it's solid!

I've checked over every bit of hardware and there doesn't seem to be anything that will fail anytime soon.

As I said, it probably my main teaching instrument so I DO rely on it!

Yes, i'd happily gig on it. :)

I can really comment on Ernie Ball as I've not had to deal with them. I guess they don't get many returns though.

I've been playing guitar (both electric and classical) for almost 20 years and have a roomfull of gear.

GUITARS; Ibanez RG550L and RG 470L, Fender USA strat (leftie), Epiphone G400L, Yamamha RBX270L Bass, Ramirez 4EZ and Admira Avila classical guitars.

Amp setups; 2 x JCM 900 100 watt heads, 2 x 1960A 4x12 cabs, 1 x 1960B 4x12 cab, Marshall MG30DFX 30 watt practice amp, Peavey Studio Pro 112 40 watt practice amp

Effects; Roland BOSS GT8, GT6 and GT5 effects processors, Jim Dunlop Crybaby Wah, DOD YJM 308 booster pedal

I would hate to have this guitar stolen, but I'd definately replace it if it was. I can honestly say that the only thing I regret about this guitar is it's lack of a Floyd Rose tremolo! I'd REALLY love to get one fitted (complete with locking nut) to this guitar someday, then it would be in danger of being my first instrument! I don't HATE anything about it, and I even enjoy the simplicity of not having a tone pot. I'd just like to say that Ernie Ball have done a fabulous job on this guitar. I've been playing it now for close to a year and it IS incredible, as the black fingermarks on the pale maple board proves!!

A 5 is no insult. It doesn't have any fancy features, just a volume knob. I actually love the simplicity. I don't know why more guitars aren't made like this. I would love this guitar to have more of a body contour, though, because it does hurt my forearm a little after awhile. I wish they had more options, like mahogany bodies and rosewood fretboards

Off the shelf, I had a little trouble getting the tone I wanted with my Marshall JCM800. One day, I tried a Boss GE7 after my OD and nailed it. It's not good enough to be my mail guitar, but it is very good. It plays wonderfully and makes you WANT to pick it up. The best bargain in guitars under $700, definitely. I've owned a lot of more expensive guitars than this, but I play for sound, not the name on the headstock so this is a keeper.

This is probably it's biggest selling point. It plays nicer than most other guitars, in any price range. Some players won't like the cheap nut or unbound fretboard, but this guitar fits my hand just right. I love it. This is the perfect fret size for me. All I did was raise the pickups a little.

I've had it 2 years now with no problems. I live in Ohio, where one month it is 90 degrees and humid, the next month absolutely freezing. I still haven't had to adjust the truss rod. That's good if you ask me.

I've emailed them twice, after searching all over the web for a web site, and got no response either time. They do have a greatly improved website now, so maybe they are just now getting their act together. I might try again.

Purchased this guitar about a week ago. Unsure of the body wood, maple neck with maple finger board. it's a sanded finish, no laquer which seems to cause the fingerboard to pick up dirt easier than usual. Mini inlay fret markers. it's a twin humbucker setup which are replica zebra pickups. It has a transparent red photo-flame finish which is one of the better ones I've seen. An outstandingly beautiful guitar for the price. Bought from McCormacks in Glasgow as usual and got a free gig bag thrown in which is always nice. Hardware is a little on the cheap side but still good for the price. I will replace the bridge, volume pot and p/u switch. I don't trust the stock ones. Seem a little flimsy.

My style is heavy rock and the guitar suits the style easily. The pickups sound wonderful. They have quite a high output but sound just perfect. Pinched harmonics are a breeze with these pick ups. The guitar seems to pick up interference which is very unusual for a humbucker set up. I will get the wiring shielded to see if that improves it. The pickups to tend to be microphonic but I wasn't expecting anything else for the price. Nothing a p/u swap or wax potting wouldn't fix. Otherwise, a wonderful sound both clean and overdriven.

The guitar was well set up. Don't know if McCormacks had a look over it but I doubt it on a guitar for the price. The guitar came set up for .08s and it plays like the strings aren't even there. Just wonderful. The finish and build on the guitar is outstanding. Not one thing to complain about which is more than I can say for guitars I've bought that cost more than twice the amount. I just love the look and feel of this guitar.

As said, I would swap out some of the hardware. I always gig with a few guitars on hand but once the hardware is brought up to standard I would pound this thing night after night with no worries.

Never had to deal with them. Seems from the other reviews here that it's hard to get hold of OLP, but I've never tried.

I've been playing for 15 years and have owned more guitars than I would care to think about. I tend to just buy on impulse and play them in. If they don't ring my bell, they just get traded in against something new. I have an epi LP, a mexican strat, a squire fat strat and a squire tele that have lived with me for years. I can definetly say this guitar will be moving in beside them and has found a good home. I would have happily paid twice the amount for this guitar. It's just a wonderful bargain and a joy to play. I would recommend this guitar to ANYONE, be it a beginner or a gigging pro. Everyone should own one of these. They're just SO underrated. If you find a better guitar for the price, you buy it!

This is an update to my review below, from 11/14/2002.

I have since added a tone control, graphite nut, new bridge with graphite saddles and Schaller locking tuners.

BTW, these are NOT "plywood" guitars as someone suggested. They are laminated (mine has a 4 piece back), but most guitars are. Take a look at the back of most Gibson's or PRS for that matter. They usually have 2 or 3 pieces of mahoghany laminated together. Plywood is thin strips of wood glued flatwise and it is not good for guitar making. Guitars are made by laminating slabs of solid wood side by side like you would to make a tabletop. Of course the less pieces used the better, but 3 or 4 are perfectly acceptable.

Photo top is still cheesy, but I've covered it with so many stickers you can't hardly see it anymore. lol Also, look for the ones with a solid color on the headstock (not the photo finish that matches the body) as the necks seem to be nicer.

I still say this is the best budget guitar on the market. Evertime someone asks me what they should get their kid who wants to take up guitar, I suggest the OLP. Best starter guitar for rock&roll, period (even stock).
With the addition of a tone knob, this guitar has become one of my favorite gig guitars. My band plays covers about twice a month, and this little git covers a lot of rock&roll ground. Plus, I never worry about beating the hell out of it or worry if its gonna get scratched etc... I just plug it in and play. For awhile I was going to change the p/u's out, but have grown to love the ones it came with. Since I've shielded everything and changed to shielded wire in the control cavity, the original feedback problem is almost non-existant. Adding the locking tuners and the graphite saddles and nut has virtually eliminated any tuner issues, even when farting around with the tremelo.
I know they are trying to capture the whole EVH thing by not having a tone control, but it makes this guitar so much more usable. Unfortunately, it was not an easy task and some woodworking needs to be done because the control cavity is so small. I had to move the volume knob forward, which took some routing, and had to plug the original hole. Then I drilled the new hole for the tone knob and made small routes so the new pot shafts would come out of the top far enough to put the knobs on. Well worth the effort though!

Out of the box a 5, after alot of work 10. You can't expect a guitar at this price to be setup correctly. But I feel every guitar player should learn how to set their axes up correctly anyway. It's as much a part of learning guitar as learning scales or chords, or changing strings. Not saying everyone should know how to do a feet job or add a tone knob, but intonation, string height and trussrod adjustments can be done by anyone who can turn a screwdriver.

I gig with this guitar twice a month and practice twice a week. It has never let me down. It takes alot of abuse, because thats why I have it in the first place. I don't think stock, this guitar would be a good gigging guitar though. Cheap hardware would have you retuning constantly and not having a tone control kinda sucks live, because you have to control your tone at the amp. Also, the guitar has much better sustain with a good bridge and a graphite nut and saddles.

Good beginner guitar or a good project guitar for more experienced players that aren't afraid to tear into it. Hell, at less than 2 bills, why would you be afraid to f**k with it?

They are slowly building their website and can actually be contacted now! They are also releasing a Petrucci model this year that I wouldn't mind getting to dick around with. I have a real one and will be curious to see how close they make the knock-off. (btw, if you can afford one, there are few guitars that can touch a Petrucci. It is a dream to play)

Still give it a 9 just for the fun factor alone. This guitar is fun to play!

WELL THE FEATURES ARE PRETTY MUCH BASIC, NOTHING FLASHY.

I PLAY COUNTRY AND ROCK, I TELL YA' THIS LITTLE BOOGER WILL FLAT OUT PIN YOUR EARS BACK. I AM USING A CRATE GLX 212, WHEN YOU PAIR THESE TWO UP YOU COULDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING BETTER. TO TELL YA THE TRUTH IT SOUNDS BETTER THAN ANY LES PAUL I HAVE EVER PLAYED. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO MY BAND WAS IN THE RECORDING STUDIO, WE WERE TAKING A BREAK AND MY LEAD GUITAR PLAYERS SON ASKED IF HE COULD PLAY MY GUITAR WHILE WE WERE TAKING A BREAK, WE ALL WENT UP STAIRS AND HIS SON STAYED BEHIND TO PLAY MY GUITAR WHILE WE WERE UP THERE MY LEAD PLAYER TOLD SOMEONE HIS SON WAS DOWN THERE PLAYING HIS LES PAUL, COME TO FIND OUT HE WAS PLAYING MY GUITAR. LOL

THIS AREA IS THE ONLY PLACE I WAS UNSATISFIED, I HAD TO COMPLETELY RESET EVERYTHING ACTION WISE, BUT FOR 159.00 I GUESS I COULD OVER LOOK THAT. AS FAR AS THE FIT, FINISH, AND HARDWARE, NO COMPLAINTS HERE

THIS BASTARD IS A FREAKIN' WORKHORSE IT HAS NOT LET ME DOWN YET AND I DOUBT THAT IT EVER WILL.

I BOUGHT THIS BEAST AT GUITAR CENTER THAT IS THE ONLY PLACE I KNOW OF FOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT, I DON'T THINK OLP HAS A CUSTOMER SUPPORT CENTER

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 14 YEARS, AND HAVE HAD NUMEROUS GIBSON AND FENDER (F^$%@N JUNK) GUITARS AND THIS BY FAR IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE GUITAR. JUST YESTERDAY I BOUGHT A USED 1997 GIBSON BLUES HAWK AND I GUARANTEE YOU THAT IT WILL BE TAKING A BACK SEAT TO THE OLP.
IF IT WERE STOLEN FIRST THING I WOULD DO WOULD BE CRY LIKE A LITTLE BABY. SECOND THING I WOULD DO WOULD BE FIND THE SON OFA BITCH THAT STOLE IT AND CUT HIS BALLS OFF. AND IF IT COULD NOT BE RECOVERED I WOULD MAKE A BEE LINE TO GUITAR CENTER AND BUY ANOTHER ONE

This has been thoroughly covered by others here. So I'll skip to avoid redundancy, except to say the following: Has decent tuners and hardware. EXCEPT for the bridge. The bridge is pot metal junk, and they COULD put in a nice All Parts bridge without raising the price
more then a few bucks. They REALLY should, as it's an otherwise good instrument.

I play rock, funk\R&B, country and jazz. I find it does well for all of these, even country. The bridge position pick-up reminds me of a tele that has been "fattened" up. All in all, I was surprised that it sounded so good. I could use this guitar on a gig stock, without gritting my teeth at the sound all night. I use the guitar through
my rack rig which is the following: a 65' Fender Tremolux through a Holdsworth load resistor for clean, a Kasha three channel pre-amp for lead, into a Rocktron patchmate which routes through a Boss CS-2, a Boss SE-50, an intellifex (original model)a Marshall overdrive pedal,
into Peavy Classic 50\50 power amp. I also play the guitar straight into the Tremolux as a head and 1X12 cabinet combo. For teaching it goes into a little Johnson Vintage 60 watt 1X12.

The guitar does sound good through all of these, at least to my ear, which is used to my G&L's and Zion strats. The bridge pick-up can sound a bit thin depending on the application.

The real test of an electric guitar is it's acoustic sound. This guitar has plenty of sustain and resonance, which tells me that even if the pick-ups aren't perfect, one could obtain a great sound from this guitar by installing new pick-ups. My only complaint would be that the guitars produce an unuseable and unmusical feedback, and they do seem prone to feeding back quicker then most guitars.

Finish is good, at least in terms of the lacquer job.
The fake flame finish is what it is.
The truss rod and action needed adjustment right out of the box, but the it's a 200.00 guitar and I didn't expect much there. I like my action a tad on the high side, and always anticipate setting a guitar to my liking. The nut really needs to be set so that it can accommodate both nine and ten guage strings. I use nine's and they move around and rattle a bit, and I've lost my nut files! And again, there is no excuse for such a cheesy bridge. A few dollars more and they could have put a milled steel bridge block in there.

Seems sturdy, although it is very light in weight, which throws me off a bit. I'm used to feeling the weight of a guitar all night long.
I replaced the strap buttons with strap locks. The buttons that came stock would not have been sufficient. Finish seem good, and yes, I could take this guitar to a gig without a back-up. Although I would replace the switch and volume pot before hand, as these seem a bit cheap.

Not applicable

I've been playing 24 years, and have owned all manner of high-end guitars, but the only guitars I have liked enough to keep are my G&L's. I like this guitar, and am hanging on to it as it's the only double humbucking guitar I have. It sounds and plays well enough that I don't intend to part with it, although I have put in an All Parts bridge (made a substantial difference in play and tone- I recommend this) and am getting two DiMarzio's in the near future to replace
the stock pick-ups with. I really like this guitar for it's playability, and it's responsiveness to touch. If lost or stolen, I might get another one, at least I'd seriously consider it. But I chose this guitar for something different than my strats, and the fact that it was so inexpensive. It's a serious bargain for the price.
This guitar could fairly sell for a higher price, and be worth it.

This is you basic guitar, 2 humbuckers, one volume and a switch.
Like the guy before this review, I went to Guitar Center to check out an Axis Sport. Played both and ended up buying this. Not that this is better, It just played a little more to my liking. The flame type quilt finish looks pretty good and you would think its an axis from about 10 feet away. One problem was the fret edges needed to be filed a bit to get rid of some sharpness. The neck was straight & I set the action to my pref. Intonation was right on. I dont have any problems with it going out of tune. Other guitars I have, Gibson LP Standard, Custom shop Gibson DC Pro, Gibson Nighthawk & Taylor acoustic.

Sounds very good, Kinda Les Paul'ish. I play out of a Engl 530 preamp, into a Lexicon MPX g2, into a bbe maximizer, into a VHT 2-90-2. Not much noisier than anything else when you push it thru that rig. I gate the rack.

Except for that fret thing it was in Really Great shape for the price.

Seems ok, I've played more expensive guitars that were worse. This is a great jam night gig guitar, If this were stolen I wouldn't nearly feel as bad as having a one of my others ripped. and this is fun to play. I was wailing the shit out of it one night, folks couldnt believe it was a $199. guitar. The amp helps.

Put it this way, the only thing in the box was a cord (Very cheap one at that) the arm, an allen wrench for string height and a truss rod tool. No warantee card. Although I don't think a $199 guitar really is enough to need an 800 line.

I've been playing for 25 years. Owned around 15 guitars, mostly Gibson. I work on guitars and bought this on impulse after playing it. I went to buy the Sport & had the cash. I am a little brand concious but bought it anyway. I would try out several and pick the best one. It is a lot of guitar for the price, and well worth it. Even if you have to tweak it yourself a little to get it just right.

Solid bound body (EVH/Axis knock-off), with foto-flame top* 2 humbuckers* 1 volume control* 1 3-way switch* maple on maple neck with satin finish* plastic nut* knock-off gotoh tuners* standard Fender style tremelo with newer styled bridge saddles*

Pretty basic stuff, all cheap hardware but the body and neck feel and sound great. Hardware is relatively inexpensive to replace. I have already replaced the volume pot and 3 way switch, and replaced the wiring with shielded wire. I shielded the control cavity with foil, and replaced the strap buttons with "grippers". I plan on replacing all the hardware eventually and add a tone knob. Bridge should be replaced because it doesn't like to be "used" without going out of tune (in combination with cheap tuners and plastic nut).

Gets a 5 because there are no "extras" and no tone knob. As basic as they come.

I had been shopping for an Axis for awhile, and have tried dozens of them (and Wolfgangs as well), and almost every store that had the real Axis, had the OLP's too. I hadn't even picked one up, because I figured for $199 its gotta be a piece of crap. Then one day at Guitar Center, I was trying an Axis sport and sitting right next to it was the OLP, so I gave it a try. Felt better in my hands than the real one! The neck is almost identical and is even slightly thinner the the real Axis. The body reverberates nicely so I plugged it in. I was blown away, how did they pack so much sound in this thing for that price?? I build guitars as a hobby and do setup work for various players around town, I know guitars. I used to recomend Mexi-Strats to new players for a cheap way in, but no more. The OLP is a better bargain for some one trying to learn rock and roll.

The hardware is cheap, but can be replaced, so I talked the sales guy down to $179 and walked out the door. I figured it would make a nice project guitar.

I took it to band practice 2 nights later and the rest of the band could not believe it was a $179 guitar I was playing. Sounded as good as anything in my 10 guitar line up (LP's, Strats, Ibanez RG, Custom built Tele, LP junior, handmade semi-hollow, etc...). I was blown away as well. It is a little bright with the bridge p/u (needs a tone knob) and at really high gain, the cheap p/u's will squeal on you, but those are things that can be easily remedied. Has a good, fat sound overall and you can easily get everything from early Blackmore, neck p/u tones, to EVH harmonic squeally tone. Not a real good axe for cleaner stuff (although I do do some SRV with the gain backed off), but thats not what it's designed for anyway.

I'd rate the sound at about an 8. Would be a 9 with a tone knob and better potted p/u's.

No guitar under $1000 will be setup properly when you buy it, and some that cost more are guilty as well. The action was too high, strings to old and not intonated. Didn't expect it to be for $179. Frets were not polished, swirl marks from an obviously quick buffing, etc....

I changed strings and set the action and intonation and the only problem I found was the 22nd fret was too high, causing the 20th and 21st fretted notes to buzz slightly. I filed down the fret and it plays fine now. I hate the foto-finish top. They would have been better off just painting them (which I plan to do). Soooo, I just started covering it with stickers *lol*

I rate fit and finish a 5, but what can you expect from a cheap, chinese made guitar?

I imagine it will hold up like any guitar, although I have noticed the neck is susceptible to weather change more than most of my other guitars. I have to tweek the truss rod as the weather warms or cools.

They don't have any. The store that sold it to you is your only outlet.

I have been playing guitar for 28 years and building them for about 10. I always look for bargain guitars that might just need some hardware changes to make them great players. I have a real LP and an Epiphone LP and after a lot of hardware changes and tweeking, I prefer my Epi. That's the kind of player I am. I don't care what name is on the headstock or how much it cost you, CAN YOU PLAY IT??

This guitar would be a bargain at twice its price, and with some work and new p/u's, you have a great guitar at a great price. I've played this guitar out and everyone thinks its an Axis until they get close to it, then they are shocked that it's an OLP!

Cheap as it was and as much work as it might need, I love this guitar and plan on buying another as backup. Well worth the asking price for a beginner or someone playing longer looking for a bargain.

Give it a 9 just for the fun factor!

This OLP MM1 Axis Guitar is a 2002 model with an alder body, figured maple "photo-finish" top, bound body, 22-fret maple neck with jumbo frets, 2 zebra, Seymour Duncan-style pickups, and a transparent amber finish. It has a standard Fender-style tremelo, one volume knob, and one three-way switch. Hardware is chrome.
The MM1 is "crafted" in China by the same people who probably make several other big name guitar lines as well. Fit and finish is, however, above the norm for an import guitar.

I am playing this guitar through and Yngwie Malmsteen YJM-308 preamp set for a clean boost with treble attenuation going to a Behringer V-AMP set for the Marshall High Gain setting, out to a Randall RG-100 half stack. The clean sound is the Jazz Chorus emulation of the V-AMP. I use a really open voiced, high gain setting similar to John Petrucci or Eric Johnson for my lead tone and this guitar sounds REALLY good. The pickups are high output with a midrange boost that makes them similar to a good PAF Pro or a George Lynch Screamin' Demon. They do feedback profusely at mid to high volume which tells me that they are not potted correctly. Some real Seymour Duncans or Dimarzios would alleviate this symptom. Clean, the guitar is very full bodied with rich, warm Les Paul-ish tones on the neck pickup and bright, brash, Brian Setzer-like tones on the bridge pickup. You can coax EVH tones out as well as the heaviest of John Petrucci tones when using a Rectified Amp model on the V-AMP. Really impressive versatility for a guitar in this price range. Still, the pickups do feedback a little too easily so I will probably be replacing the pickups.

I am really impressed with the fit and finish of this instrument. The Chinese are at least making these things with more attention to detail than their AK-47's and I really think that this instrument is on a par with the best that the Koreans at Samick are producing (SEE SAMICK VALLEY ARTS STRATOCASTER Series).The neck is straight as an arrow right out of the box. It was even in tune when I removed the bubble-wrap! The photo finish is decently done (I'd like to have had the trans-purple over the amber.) The polyester finish is very nicely polished and I could not find any production blemishes in the body or neck finish at all. The fretwork is amazingly precise for a rolled-in import job and the fret size is good (medium jumbo like a 6130 or 6150) and I could not feel any nicks or burrs along the edge of the fretboard. I will be mirror polishing the frets though for that extra smoothness I like. The setup is typical but with the neck set up as it is, the factory .009's are REALLY slinky! I will be putting .010's on it for stability. The satin finish on the neck makes this a really playable guitar and the contour of the neck is just like the Axis guitars! REALLY NICE!

I have yet to see if this instrument will stand the test of time. It seems sturdy enough. I would advise anyone to put theirs through a set-up and inspection to head off any concerns before they gig actively though. I do this with every guitar I get. Sometimes you'll find sub-standard pots or switches that can be replaced before they go out on you. Have it looked at and if needed, spend the extra bucks on some good quality switches and pots. (SEE AllParts or Gibson for Self-cleaning switches and pots)
The physical construction of the guitar seems sturdy enough but time will tell if the neck was properly cured before construction and such.

There is none...Whatsoever...If you buy from Guitar Center, they will go to lengths to ensure you are happy, though. This is one of those special purchase deals for GC and they get them through their involvement with Ernie Ball/Musicman.

I have been playing professionally for 18yrs. I play progressive metal in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen, Symphony X, and Dream Theater. I have two Malmsteen Strats, V-AMP, Zoom MRS-1044CD Digital 10 track recorder, Randall RG-100 half-stack, Digitonix Drum Machine Software w/Element for computer recording. I would buy this guitar again with no reservations. I'd like to have another, albeit in trans/purple or trans/red. The shape is nice and the instrument is well balanced and ergonomic. Kind of like a poor man's Axis or Wolfgang. This guitar plays very well and is worth checking out for the sole reason that it is an outstanding value for a good guitar. Looking forward to using it on my upcoming album "SEVENSTAR" look for it locally in Georgia in January 2003. If you like melodic, virtuosic instrumental music, I think you'll like this album. Thanks!