Just picked up my 2nd (somebody help me....) EB MM Albert Lee from GC in Balto. Cost? $829, case included. Now i've got hard tail and whammy equipped versions. My Suhr Classic sounds a bit better (I've not heard a better sc pup than John's V60 LP's) but it doesn't necessarily play any better. For me, EB MM necks are simply perfection; effortless to play on while encouraging reaches. Among my 'booteek' guitar harem, i almost feel guilty for coming back to such a (snicker) low-rent axe. Sometimes a guitar finds you and not visa versa. Polarizing aesthetics aside, these guitars are just surprisingly well crafted, light, intelligently designed and comfortable pieces of wood. Why aren't they more popular? Gary
EBMM guitars are to me one of the best, the neck fits to me like anything else and the tone is perfect, I do more things in my MM guitars than on my other guitars, so far I got from 0 to 7 in about 2 years, before picking my first one, I did not even look at these but now I always look for these, the good thing is that I can get a good price on the used ones.
That's pretty much the only 'dream guitar' that I've yet to purchase. I'm sure one will come my way some day. Such a cool looking guitar.
>>Why aren't they more popular? The body shape. Personally, I think it's beautiful and very comfortable as well, but you just know a lot of people are going to look at it and scratch their heads. I do think it would look even better with a headstock that complimented the body more. Not ordinarily a fan of pointy headstocks, but it in this case it makes sense. They also sound great. I would own one but for the neck carve, which is narrower than I like.
I have owned an AL before. They are wonderful, definately the most balance guitar to play standing up that I have ever played. I only sold mine to buy an EBMM Axis SS w/piezo.
Love the neck. Love ALL EBMM necks. Zoom Zoom... If my collection was bigger, I'd have an AL, a Morse, and an Axis Hardtail.
What color & specs? I'm currently about to pull the trigger on a trans. orange with matching headstock & piezo.
I bought and sold an AL within a few months... it was used, so I tried it for free... while the neck carve was okay (could have been bigger), I found the pickups to be weak and thin... didn't work for me at all... YMMV
not an AL, but I have an Axis Sport with trem and MM90's. love the maple neck on this axe. so comfy like an old tele neck that's been refretted and planed a few times. I dig the silent circuit at gigs, but entertain the thought of upgrading the pickups to something else...
I'ts a dark blue sparkle with birdseye maple neck and hardtail. www.ernieball.com/mmonline/build/build_albertlee.php My other was custom ordered in egyptian smoke, kinda brown/green/sparkle. Sounds ugly but it's a really nice understated color that goes great with its bright white pearloid pickguard. Has a fabulous trem, and both birdseye and flame in the neck! Gorgeous, comfortable and supremely functional. PUPS are a personal opinion of course, but the relatively low output silent circuit config. on the AL sounds very 'present' clean, and exceptional, IMO, with some dirt. The bridge pup with it's bottom plate, has more midrange oomph than the typically strident strat bridge offerings, keeping closer i guess to Albert's tele leanings. Gary
Congrats. Sounds gorgeous. Here's pics of the one I comitted to today & am securing this week. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/chyde/AL1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/chyde/AL2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/chyde/AL3.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/chyde/AL4.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/chyde/AL5.jpg
Not sure how they finish them.........but they are the best. I'm not so in love with the Body shapes.........the AL especially........but God they are great playing feeling guitars ! The Price just makes it a no brainer. If every player here dosen't have at least 1 while they own several other more expensive guitars............ they need to have their heads examined.
But this is one FUGLY Albert Lee signature............... http://www.gibsoncustom.com/flash/products/signature/lee/AlvinLee.html
That is an Alvin Lee sig, not Albert Lee. Alvin Lee played in 10 Years After. Albert Lee is a country guitar player that has played with people like Emmy Lou Harris.
I played an EBMM Albert Lee today at GC. The neck was amazing. It was very much like the EBMM Axis. It sounded very resonant. It was on sale for $899. If anyone is interested in it & lives in NJ email me & I will tell you where it is. I would have bought it but I couldn't get over the look of the body style & it had single coil pickups only. I need at least a bridge Humbucker.