Description
1996 Ernie Ball Music Man AXIS EX | Hi-End Guitars EVH [EARLIEST Production Van Halen MIJ] Translucent GOLD with EVH PAF !!
1996 Ernie Ball Music Man AXIS EX | Hi-End Guitars EVH [1ST YEAR Van Halen MIJ] Translucent GOLD !!
AXIS EX’s are fantastic guitars but not all were created equal. Only the initial production run from 1996 to very early ’97 were assembled with 100% EBMM EVH leftover components before factory modifications began to appear (through the end of production in 2005).
The woods for the AXIS EX were all sourced in Japan rather than San Luis Obispo, but the body specifications do feature the 3-way toggle switch in the lower horn area just like the EVH (and unlike the Made In USA AXIS which was also introduced in ’96).
I’ve been obsessed with hunting for these mythical guitars that were exclusively produced for the Japanese market after Edward Van Halen left EBMM for Peavey (and have owned dozens of them over the years) but I’ve only been able to land a handful of the earliest examples with the PATENT APPLIED FOR sticker on the EVH Custom DiMarzio pickups.
This AXIS EX has all of the features that fellow EVH collectors are looking for!
★ HI-END GUITARS CRAFTED BY HAND LOGO (See Photo of the spring cavity)
- My understanding is that the ‘HIGH-END GUITARS CRAFTED BY HAND’ guitars distributed by the Kanda Shokai Corporation were manufactured by Asahi Mokko (who has also produced exceptional quality guitars under the Ornetts, Greco, Valley Arts, and the Zemaitis brands).
- There are some first generation AXIS EX guitars out there without the HIGH-END GUITARS logo under the springs but this logo is the easiest way to identify a first generation AXIS EX.
★ VINTAGE MUSIC MAN® LOGO NECK PLATE with 5 DIGIT SERIAL NUMBER [85260]
- 5 Digit Serial Numbers are the rarest to find because they were leftover from the remaining stock of pre-stamped Van Halen Signature neck plates.
- These 5 Digit Serial Numbers are not sequential according to manufacturing dates (and are not registered in the EBMM Serial Number Database since it’s an overseas model) but I have found that all of the initial AXIS EX guitars do have 85xxx numbers (like this one) along with the PAF sticker on the DiMarzio N1 neck pickup.
- All of my 89xxx neck plate AXIS EX guitars were manufactured in early to mid 1997 and DO NOT have the Hi-End Guitars logo or PAF sticker on the neck pickup.
- Most Early Production AXIS EX’s (Mid 1997 – 1998) have the same MUSIC MAN vintage logo neck plates but the serial numbers begin with the letter “A” (just like the 1997 AXIS USA models).
- The majority of AXIS EX guitars (1999-2005) actually feature the modern ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN logo neck plates with a “G” serial number.
★ BASSWOOD BODY WITH BOOKMATCHED MAPLE TOP & TRANSLUCENT GOLD QUILT MAPLE VENEER
- The AXIS EX bodies are believed to have been provided by Iida Gakki (a musical instrument manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan that has been closely affiliated with brands such as Ibanez, Yamaha, etc).
- 96 12/6-3 Handwritten in Neck Pocket suggests that it was made on December 6, 1996.
- 3 = The pairing number of the neck and body from that day.
★ FIGURED MAPLE NECK & FINGERBOARD
- The first generation AXIS EX necks for HIGH-END GUITARS are believed to have been provided by Yama Gakki (a musical instrument manufacturer based in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture in Japan).
- Since Iida Gakki was providing the bodies, they eventually also produced necks for the AXIS EX as well in the second generation.
- Most AXIS EX guitars have either a “Y” or “Z” factory stamp into the wood on the back of the headstock in between the 1st and 2nd string tuners, which I suspect would identify the manufacturer of the neck (Y for Yama and Z for Iida??), but this initial production run by HIGH-END GUITARS did not, like the EVH.
- 12/6-3 Handwritten suggests that it was made on December 6, 1996.
- 3 = The pairing number of the neck and body from that day.
★ CUSTOM DIMARZIO B1 & N1 PICKUPS with EVH “PATENT APPLIED FOR” STICKER
- THE PAF STICKER ON THE N1 IS IDENTICAL TO WHAT YOU WOULD FIND ON THE CUSTOM DIMARZIO EVH NECK PICKUP. Small detail, but BIG difference to early production hunters like myself.
- A Red U.S. Pat 5,399,802 sticker became standard on all AXIS/AXIS EX N1 & N2 Neck Pickups once the limited supply of remaining leftover EVH “PATENT APPLIED FOR” pickups were depleted.
- 4-Conductor B1 & N2 Custom DiMarzio’s started becoming standard in 1998.
★ MUSIC MAN® BRANDED FLOYD ROSE with OFFSET SADDLES [GOTOH GE1988T]
- Later production AXIS EX guitars (1999-2005) no longer came with the offset saddles like the EVH because the initial supply of the GOTOH GE1988T were depleted and discontinued shortly after ’98.
- The AXIS EX eventually also went with the same revision of the bridge that was being installed on the USA AXIS (GOTOH GE1996T).
- STEALTH BLACK EVH D-Tuna has been added to preserve the original look and still allow you to drop-down when you’re feeling “Unchained”!!
★ MORE ESSENTIAL EVH FEATURES
- SCHALLER M6LA TUNERS with Pearl Buttons
- Original 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector in the same lower horn position as the EVH.
- Original 500K Ohm Volume Pot with “TONE” Knob.
★ USA HARD SHELL CASE
★ EXTRA CASE CANDY
- 1996-97 Japanese Advertisement Introducing the AXIS EX (Laminated Copy)
- 1992 ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN Van Halen Signature Guitar Ad – “Flying Eddies” (Laminated Copy)
- 1991 ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN Van Halen Signature Guitar Ad (Introducing the Edward Van Halen Guitar) “I endorsed the guitar I used to play. I designed this one…Big Difference”. (Laminated Copy) * Notice that the guitar that Eddie is holding in this ad is one of the very first EBMM prototypes that were built for him and before his signature graphic was ever applied to the headstock on the production models.
- AUGUST 1991 GUITAR FOR THE PRACTICING MUSICIAN Magazine Cover Featuring Eddie Van Halen & Introducing His New Ernie Ball Music Man Guitar! (Laminated Copy)
Thanks For Looking,
BYE SEE YA LATER !!
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Specifications
BODY: Basswood Body with Bookmatched Figured Maple Top & Cream Binding
NECK: Figured Maple
FINGERBOARD: Figured Maple
FRETS: 22
SCALE: 25.5″
NECK FINISH: Hand-Rubbed Gun Stock Oil and Special Wax Blend
NECK JOINT: 5 Bolt Sculpted Neck Joint For Perfect Alignment
TUNERS: Schaller M6LA with Pearl Buttons
BRIDGE: MUSIC MAN® Licensed Floyd Rose Double Locking Tremolo with 40mm Brass Block (GOTOH® GE1988T)
CONTROL: 500K Ohm Volume Pot
SWITCH: 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector
PICKUPS: HH – 2 DiMarzio Custom Zebra Humbucking
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 7.5 lbs
What’s really cool about the AXIS EX is that it doesn’t display the model name anywhere, only the Ernie Ball Music Man logo. So, it looks exactly the same as Eddie’s EBMM prototype that he played and actually even more of a replica than the Van Halen Signature models with his autograph on the headstock.

IKEBE Music Store Advertisement in September 1996 Issue of Young Guitar Magazine Featuring The AXIS EX

IKEBE Music Store Advertisement in November 1996 Issue of Young Guitar Magazine Featuring The AXIS EX

[Ernie Ball Music Man/Kanda Shokai Corporation Catalog (Japan) | 1998 AXIS EX pages 6-7
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