$3K guitars !

https://www.guitarworld.com/reviews/ernie-ball-music-man-mariposa-standard-review

https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/music-man-valentine-643517

 

Well built, good specs, sound good, neck is too small for me on every model I tried (JP, stingray, luke).

try before you buy.

 

Funny you say that because their entry level "Sterling" guitars have pretty chunky necks. If I remember right one of the guitar YouTubers (Phil McKnight I think?) measured one and it was very close to 59 Les Paul specs.

 

I would never buy a guitar I don't know without trying it.
Especially a $3k guitar.
In my opinion, reviews are useless, it's too personal a purchase

 

I would never buy a guitar I don't know without trying it.
Especially a $3k guitar.
In my opinion, reviews are useless, it's too personal a purchase

If you can return it hassle free (l@m for example) then you can buy blind without much worry.

OP can probably rent the models they want from l&m for a week/month and decide if it makes sense.

fwiw if you do your research and ask questions, you can definitely buy blind at 3k+

 

If you were OK with the Albert Lee neck width, you'll be OK with the others. The only 6 string model that differs, neck width wise, are the JP's. And even then, they're not much wider.
Music Man generally uses a nut width of 41mm. The rest of the world tends to use 42mm or above.

 

Always great quality. I see them in my shop often and I briefly owned a St Vincent with the rosewood neck- incredibly cool guitar. The neck on the one had a nut width of 1 9/16ths which would've been ok but the spacing on the special nut was cut too far in from the sides which made it a bit cramped. I believe many of thier models are 1 5/8 with varying neck carves. I find them all really comfortable - even the shallow carved ones.

Worth a go if you can return worry free.

 

I know it's not the guitars you mentioned, but I do own a Silhouette Special from the late 90's. As mentioned above, the nut width is 41mm, which is barely noticeable to me. String spacing at the bridge is basically wide US Fender spacing.

 

I bought a guitar off a member here that’s the Music Man St. Vincent. Best feeling neck of any guitar ever. It’s a little bit slimmer than most of my guitars but after a few minutes of play, it’s unnoticeable. 41.3mm nut, 25.5” scale, roasted maple with a 10” radius and soft C profile. Love it.

 

I love my Stingray RS -- extremely comfortable and versatile. It turned me on to roasted maple necks and stainless frets, two things that are basically on my must-have list now. The compensated nut is also great.

Every EBMM model has a different neck carve. Some of them have the dreaded "narrow nut" (same width as a Fender Jazzmaster or plenty of other Fender guitars) but many of their current models have wider nuts (the Sabre off the top of my head). I think a lot of the discourse around their skinny necks are more specific to the JP and Luke models, which are probably the most common ones. They publish specs, including nut width, for all of their models on the website.

I've played Valentines and that model does have a pretty thin (front to back) neck and the narrower nut. It feels very "60s" for lack of a better word. It totally suits the guitar though -- the small, wedge shaped body feels great and the ones I've played have all been very light and fun to play.

The Mariposa is on my wish list but I've never seen one in person before. As a huge At the Drive In fan I am always tempted by Omar's signature guitars, and this is the coolest one for sure. I would also love to grab a St Vincent (maybe @faracaster 's green one??? 😎)

 

Every EBMM model has a different neck carve.

And sometimes some customization within the same model. My Silhouette Special has a fat, assymmetrical profile close to the headstock that gradually flattens out towards the heel. Kind of unusual. I haven't seen it in another Silo or any other EBMM.

 

It’s funny because I like the jazzmaster size necks - on jazzmasters.

 

Very attractive. What was L&M listing them at?

 

Thanks for the replies! L&M doesn't have the specific models I want, but when they did they were about $4400 for the Mariposa and $5k for the Valentine. Yes I would be able to return if I didn't get on with it, they're at a local shop but aren't out for display. I've just arranged to try them out this week though. I didn't think that was much of an option until I called them.

 

I briefly had an Axis and a Cutlass with the narrower necks. They're great if you like gripping them with your thumb over the neck. The oil finish is also very slick. The EBMMs I actually kept are JPs, with the wider but skinny necks.

The EBMM price tags nowadays are crazy though, at that range you can instead get yourself a custom build with a local luthier in most big cities. Something to consider if you try one but aren't 100& sure about buying it.

 

The EBMM price tags nowadays are crazy though, at that range you can instead get yourself a custom build with a local luthier in most big cities. Something to consider if you try one but aren't 100& sure about buying it.

I can't say I've ever played a custom built solid body guitar that I thought was a better option than a pro level EBMM or similar. You can get something more unique and tailor made but consistency may be a problem.

 

Saw it off Broadway. Pretty entertaining for an old fashioned show...

 

Custom is the way to go if what you want can't be bought off the shelf. Most of what anybody wants can be bought off the shelf lol.

 

I think they make really, really nice guitars and have some amazing wood stock that they use on the necks! Their flamed maple and roasted necks are gorgeous! I was at a local shop recently and tried one of the black sparkle limited Luke 3 models with a Gotoh Floyd Rose. What a beautiful guitar! The neck is just very narrow and the frets are really low profile and not really in my comfort zone. Just felt like a small guitar all around. Either way though, such a beautiful guitar. I don't think you can go wrong with the EBMM stuff.

 

I tried them today, and am pretty much decided on the Valentine BFR walnut.
It felt perfect, sounded amazing and looked even better. I also really liked the Mariposa BFR. The neck(mariposa) was very narrow, but nothing I wouldn't get used to. I'm just thinking it may ruin me for playing my other guitars. I still have yet to try the Sabre HalfBaked, which I will this week, then decide.
I can definitely confirm that these are the absolute highest quality guitars I've played, and right now I'd rather have a high end production model than a custom build, since I wouldn't be able to properly spec a tailor-made guitar. I'm more of a try and buy what I like type.

 

If it helps, I can go back and forth from my Music Man to other, fatter/thicker neck guitars with no issues. A few minutes after the change, I'm not noticing any difference.

 

That BFR Valentine in walnut is stunning, but the less expensive Tobacco sparkle finish sure is purdy as well. EBMM make a good variety for all budgets and tastes!

 

The Sabre has a bigger neck and body- it feels great compared to most of the others I have tried.

 

I played an ernie ball sabre on the weekend. just over 4k. Was nice but i wouldnt spend that kinda cash on something not Gibson. Just my $0.02c.

 

Yeah, I hear you there. All my big dollar buys have been Gibsons(one Tele aside), but I just want to go for something a bit different. I absolutely loved the Valentine, and the Sabre I tried was excellent too.

 

Great guitars. The necks on the EBMM MM90 and Humbucker models are bigger than the JP, Luke etc. and the back of the necks have a sweet satin finish for flawless playability.

It was my gigging guitar 20 years + ago!!

 

love the look of the stingray rs - to the point where I’m contemplating buying sight unseen..what could go wrong, right?