Ernie Ball Music Man unveils July 2020 Ball Family Reserve guitars and basses in eye-catching finishes
Collection is headlined by limited edition StingRay, Silhouette, Albert Lee and Axis models
It’s another new month, which means it's time for an unveiling of the latest impressive offerings from Ernie Ball’s Ball Family Reserve Collection, which EB touts as "a celebration of the company's heritage in instrument craftsmanship.”
This month's eye-catching lineup of electric guitar and bass models includes a StingRay Special in Pink Champagne Sparkle, a Silhouette in Silver Flake Sparkle, an Albert Lee MM-90 in Natural Mahogany, an Axis Super Sport Baritone in Starry Night and a StingRay5 Special in Vintage Sierra Burst.
StingRay Special in Pink Champagne Sparkle
First up is the StingRay Special, which features a figured roasted maple neck and a matching painted headstock, along with gold hardware, dual humbucking pickups, a three-band active preamp with 18 volts of headroom and a 5-way lever switch. The bass is limited to 85 pieces worldwide.
Silhouette in Silver Flake Sparkle
Limited to 75 pieces worldwide, the Silhouette features a medium-flake Sliver Sparkle finish, matching painted Silver Flake Sparkle headstock, black logo silkscreen and Schaller locking tuners. Pickups are a DiMarzio Super Distortion at the bridge, a Chopper Blade in the middle and a Super II Distortion at the neck.
Albert Lee MM-90 in Natural Mahogany
The Albert Lee MM-90 features a natural stain mahogany body with an Indian rosewood neck and fingerboard, as well as three Ernie Ball Music Man designed MM-90 single-coil pickups with cream covers. Each guitar is signed by Albert Lee, and the model is limited to 50 pieces worldwide.
Axis Super Sport Baritone in Starry Night
The Axis Super Sport Baritone, limited to 60 pieces worldwide, features a basswood body finished in a dark silver-blue burst metallic. There’s also a roasted maple neck, 27.5-inch scale, Ernie Ball Music Man custom-designed baritone pickups and Schaller locking tuners.
StingRay5 Special in Vintage Sierra Burst
Finally, the StingRay5 Special features a lightweight ash body in a Vintage Sierra Burst finish. There’s also a high-gloss finished roasted maple neck and fretless fingerboard, as well as custom Ernie Ball Music Man lightweight tuners. The bass is limited to 70 pieces worldwide.
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Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
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