How could a company come up with such an beautiful and brilliant instrument, be the same company who came up with the 'ARMADA' logo on the headstock? :-/
Ha ha! I know. That's the ONLY thing I don't like about it. This video: ua-cam.com/video/ycGhJzpFO04/v-deo.html has an early or prototype with no logo. I like it much better.
I guess all the Middle Earth names have been used up. Not a great name, I agree, but like someone else said, just steam it off or add your own. I renamed mine with my decal, "Leviathan" - looks great for this deep sea blue finish.
such a great review man thank you. got one partly because of this video. the guitar is absolutely amazing. I got mine in black with black transparent flame top
I also completely agree about the cavity cover on the back. I can understand in a "production" model maybe, and I emphasize maaayyyybbeeee, it's not feasible to put a piece of wood on the back that closely matches-ish. But seriously not recessing the cover is a joke. I bought my son a Jackson Minion Rhoads V and both, yes I said both, of the cavities on the back are recessed. Just saying.
Tried one of these... good thing that my future wife managed to get it out of my hands in time... :D :D Otherwise an amazing guitar to play as far as I am concerned. Also thank yo EytschPi42 for making a proper video on this gorgeous instrument! You rock!!!
I completely agree on the control cover thing, Music Man used to recess them, and I can't imagine why they stopped. I also agree on the logo, if I had one, I'd have it removed and the headstock refinished (it'd be tough finding a luthier/tech I'd trust with that job, though, and I wouldn't want to attempt it myself on an instrument this nice). The binding/lighter blue thing might be a function of the way Music Man does their binding. They don't inlay it, they form an pour the molten binding plastic into the binding rout almost like you'd pour concrete. Pretty cool. Maybe the heat changes the top few thousandths of the finish? Or maybe it has a bit of a solvent effect? At any rate, I think it's probably the best double humbucker (I'd say Les Paul style, but it's different enough being a neck-through that I don't think it would be appropriate) mass-produced guitar available, and if I were a serious guitar player I'd almost certainly buy one (I'm only a for-fun guitar player, I'm a serious bass player and almost exclusively play US Music Man Sterling basses, the best money can buy in my opinion).
Just an awesomeness of a guitar. Hey Henning, wouldn't it be cool if in the next California NAMM show the Ernie Ball family invites you to visit their San Luis Obispo location for a complete tour of the factory? Crossing my fingers here for that to happen!
Also, Until you mentioned it, I didn't even realize that the backplate wasn't recessed. Had to grab mine out of the case to check. Yeah, would have been nice if it was but certainly was not a deal breaker for the purchase. Way too many other great attention to detail things that I loved about this guitar!
Well, I have one and it's quite good coming from factory. After I changed the pickups (which I believe are far from the qualty that this instrument provides by immaculate craftmanship, top materiasl and attention to details) with Bare Knuckles ones it went at least 3 levels up. Now it is a super high class instrument. Yes, contrary to what the "host" says it is very easy to replace the factory pickups with any standard humbucker. Anyhow, after change of pickups, 10/ 10. However, with one volume and one tone pot it cannot beat the les paul tonal spectre.
Thats one sexy ass guitar and Im a sucker for all things blue.. and for its MSRP new @ $2899, Im sure it blows away a Lester Polsfuss at the same price. I like the new design too, and Im not one who likes many of the newer designs these days. Nice job Music Man..
I dig this guitar. I've heard it referred to as the pizza slice, but if it is then it's still a rebel because the bite was crust first! I do think the gold on the logo doesn't serve the look very well, at least on the blue. Silver background and all black letters would have looked great.
Too radical design? Too 'feminine? Too blue? Well, I will agree with too blue! It takes a little getting used to but great looking guitar... Sadly WAY out of my budget but looks and sounds amazing!
Killer intro...again... I STILL want one of these so bad, I'm ready to dump a few Gretsch's for one....maybe...have to add, wasnt really a fan of the blue but the more I look at it, the more I'm appreciating it.. but still kinda want the burst... at least right now.. yeah, like I'm even gonna be able to own one of these anytime soon.....
The guitar is nice BUT!!!! Designing a pickup ring that you can't universally replace kinda remind me of Apple designing "special" things to make more money. But the guitars they make are really unique and beautiful.
I don't remember you mentioning the frets which are High profile, wide, Stainless Steel. Maybe you did and I missed it, Anyhow, I think the design is either a "Love it or Hate it" kind of thing. I happen to Love It! And have lusted after one ever since they came out around five years ago. I finally found a nice Black & Gold one on the used market and couldn't be happier. Strangely enough because my headstock is Gold the "Armada" logo uses a Silver color lettering which blends in well with the stainless steel hardware and doesn't look out of place like it does on the other colors of this model. Anyway, love your channel and reviews, keep up the good "work"???
EytschPi42 Ohh, thank you. I replayed that part on half speed 10 times and figured out the little changes between the third, minor third and second. Really cool.
Which fruits are best, oranges or apple? You might want to add which kind of sound your looking for since both of those and other brands make good neck pickups.
For the neck? SH-6B is a bridge pickup, both SH-6B as SH-6N got less bass and more treble than the DP158. If I had to pick between them, DP158 for a fat and dirty lead sound, SH-6N for a more shrill and clear lead sound. There are videos on youtube where you can hear both the SD Distortion as the DM Evolution in neck position.
There's a different philosophy behind how SD and DM voice their pickups, DM tend to design for flatter frequency responses, particularly the SuperDistortion/Evolution series. SD pickups tend to have a more resonant and vocal frequency response. Pick the sound you like. I think DM are a bit bipolar on magnets, you get to choose very strong overside ceramic magnets or air gapped alnico for a weak string pull. I really like the Air Norton actually, it's warm but articulate. I'm a bit of a sucker for SD's Jazz and '58 neck pickups, but I really like the DM super distortion derivatives, particularly the original Evolution, the early 80s licensed Ibanez V2 and the later DiMarzio/IBZ (slightly brighter)
Le bevel-y thing at 9:56 might well be reminiscent of a classic automotive body butt characteristic called "boattail", as famously found on le 1967 Corvette Stingray www.cleanclassiccars.com/1967-chevrolet-corvette-stingray-c-2018.htm#details-14 or le 1973 Buick Riviera for example ua-cam.com/video/y3YtsBZQPAU/v-deo.html.
I need the pointy end to be rounded to keep its femine lines and feel. I like the over all look. The more women like it is, the more I can love it and let it own me. I always put my own hardware on. I wouldnt want that coner into my chest or gut as am all over it. It is beautiful though. I had a jackson painted like that. The body shape is much closer to my future guitars.
Why the same amps as every other review? Use the Vox, use the H&K, mix it up some. Especially on a guitar like this. Fantastic guitar. If I could afford one I'd have one. Just fantastic in all ways...except that terrible Armada logo.
I love this guitar..... its amazing..like Ernie Ball is amazing.. but I could never buy this... just because of the horrible ARMADA on the headstock...I, with all due respect.... have NO idea how that made it past prototype.....I really don't .......WTF!
It's great, but it'll cost you an armada leg.
Bravo!
Yes.. Bravo....LOL
LOL!
armada leg..rofl
lol he's right but fuck it's like 2-3 grand.
The Armada logo looks like a logo for a Magic the Gathering expansion :D
I swear I thought the same!
How could a company come up with such an beautiful and brilliant instrument, be the same company who came up with the 'ARMADA' logo on the headstock? :-/
Ha ha! I know. That's the ONLY thing I don't like about it. This video: ua-cam.com/video/ycGhJzpFO04/v-deo.html has an early or prototype with no logo. I like it much better.
@@twinsmm1 scrape it off and paste ur own
I guess all the Middle Earth names have been used up. Not a great name, I agree, but like someone else said, just steam it off or add your own. I renamed mine with my decal, "Leviathan" - looks great for this deep sea blue finish.
Yep, the only thing about this guitar that doesnt totally blow my lips off. If I had one, I'd have it removed and the headstock refinished.
So Beautiful and My Favorite Color too.Awesome Sounds.
Just watched this again, great guitar, the track at the beginning is for me, one of your best. Happy Christmas to you both.
I'm amazed how great it sounds in that track at the beginning. And I also like the look!
Based on your shirt selections I'm calling it the 'blue banana sunset' !
I usually don't like Musicman guitars but HOLY SHIT I WANT ONE OF THESE.
Sounds great especially your original at the beginning guitar really records well nice that you are mindful of how a guitar sounds in a mix!
That nerd joke hit me hard as I just binge watch Doctor Who..... 💙
I have a black one!! Fantastic guitar.
what a beauty!!!
such a great review man thank you. got one partly because of this video. the guitar is absolutely amazing. I got mine in black with black transparent flame top
I also completely agree about the cavity cover on the back. I can understand in a "production" model maybe, and I emphasize maaayyyybbeeee, it's not feasible to put a piece of wood on the back that closely matches-ish. But seriously not recessing the cover is a joke.
I bought my son a Jackson Minion Rhoads V and both, yes I said both, of the cavities on the back are recessed. Just saying.
Tried one of these... good thing that my future wife managed to get it out of my hands in time... :D :D Otherwise an amazing guitar to play as far as I am concerned. Also thank yo EytschPi42 for making a proper video on this gorgeous instrument! You rock!!!
I completely agree on the control cover thing, Music Man used to recess them, and I can't imagine why they stopped. I also agree on the logo, if I had one, I'd have it removed and the headstock refinished (it'd be tough finding a luthier/tech I'd trust with that job, though, and I wouldn't want to attempt it myself on an instrument this nice).
The binding/lighter blue thing might be a function of the way Music Man does their binding. They don't inlay it, they form an pour the molten binding plastic into the binding rout almost like you'd pour concrete. Pretty cool. Maybe the heat changes the top few thousandths of the finish? Or maybe it has a bit of a solvent effect?
At any rate, I think it's probably the best double humbucker (I'd say Les Paul style, but it's different enough being a neck-through that I don't think it would be appropriate) mass-produced guitar available, and if I were a serious guitar player I'd almost certainly buy one (I'm only a for-fun guitar player, I'm a serious bass player and almost exclusively play US Music Man Sterling basses, the best money can buy in my opinion).
You didn’t tell how much the scale is in trouts. Now I don’t have any clue of the size.
... and now it's for sale ;-) Tempting, tempting
Great review! It sounds amazing!
Just an awesomeness of a guitar. Hey Henning, wouldn't it be cool if in the next California NAMM show the Ernie Ball family invites you to visit their San Luis Obispo location for a complete tour of the factory? Crossing my fingers here for that to happen!
This is a really cool twist on the Les Paul design! Wish they had a Sterling version of it...
I bought musicman armada mm90.
Armada's design & sound are good enough
lovely guitar . have a nice spot for this one between 2 Horizons on my wall . I've never played a MusicMan and they look really good .
WOW 😮 you got the neck through right! ....... FINALLY! 😂
I agree with you Henning - the Armada logo is what's wrong about that guitar plus the irregular size pickups
Also, Until you mentioned it, I didn't even realize that the backplate wasn't recessed. Had to grab mine out of the case to check. Yeah, would have been nice if it was but certainly was not a deal breaker for the purchase. Way too many other great attention to detail things that I loved about this guitar!
Well, I have one and it's quite good coming from factory. After I changed the pickups (which I believe are far from the qualty that this instrument provides by immaculate craftmanship, top materiasl and attention to details) with Bare Knuckles ones it went at least 3 levels up. Now it is a super high class instrument. Yes, contrary to what the "host" says it is very easy to replace the factory pickups with any standard humbucker.
Anyhow, after change of pickups, 10/ 10.
However, with one volume and one tone pot it cannot beat the les paul tonal spectre.
Henning getting wood for the wood? Way out of non-pro's price range. And whats it worth used?? 🎵🎸
How would this guitar compare to a standard Les Paul?
I couldnt leave it at 13.
Hey henning did you see Glens live show?
Friday night.
It was a jiggler.
shout out to the bongo player in the opening song.
Thats one sexy ass guitar and Im a sucker for all things blue.. and for its MSRP new @ $2899, Im sure it blows away a Lester Polsfuss at the same price. I like the new design too, and Im not one who likes many of the newer designs these days. Nice job Music Man..
I dig this guitar. I've heard it referred to as the pizza slice, but if it is then it's still a rebel because the bite was crust first! I do think the gold on the logo doesn't serve the look very well, at least on the blue. Silver background and all black letters would have looked great.
Can you upload this song to iTunes? I want it, it’s great.
Too radical design? Too 'feminine? Too blue? Well, I will agree with too blue! It takes a little getting used to but great looking guitar... Sadly WAY out of my budget but looks and sounds amazing!
Could you please review the Harley Benton SC-450 P90 GT, love that guitar and i'm very interested
Killer intro...again... I STILL want one of these so bad, I'm ready to dump a few Gretsch's for one....maybe...have to add, wasnt really a fan of the blue but the more I look at it, the more I'm appreciating it.. but still kinda want the burst... at least right now.. yeah, like I'm even gonna be able to own one of these anytime soon.....
I've been wanting this guitar for years.
I'm also poor af.
:'(
The guitar is nice BUT!!!!
Designing a pickup ring that you can't universally replace kinda remind me of Apple designing "special" things to make more money.
But the guitars they make are really unique and beautiful.
So well said!
Actually, it is very easy to replace the pickup with any standard humbucker on the market. I did that. If interested, just check online.
I don't remember you mentioning the frets which are High profile, wide, Stainless Steel. Maybe you did and I missed it, Anyhow, I think the design is either a "Love it or Hate it" kind of thing. I happen to Love It! And have lusted after one ever since they came out around five years ago. I finally found a nice Black & Gold one on the used market and couldn't be happier. Strangely enough because my headstock is Gold the "Armada" logo uses a Silver color lettering which blends in well with the stainless steel hardware and doesn't look out of place like it does on the other colors of this model. Anyway, love your channel and reviews, keep up the good "work"???
They have a pinkish looking one. Reminds me of a cheese cake lol.
The part from 29:50 to 29:54 gives me the chills. What exactly are you doing there?
drop D chords with a third on the D string
EytschPi42 Ohh, thank you. I replayed that part on half speed 10 times and figured out the little changes between the third, minor third and second. Really cool.
Which brand makes the Vetter neck pickups DiMarzio or SeymourDuncan ?
better*
Which fruits are best, oranges or apple?
You might want to add which kind of sound your looking for since both of those and other brands make good neck pickups.
If you'd be comparing a DiMarzio DP158 and a Seymour SH6B for a high Output and a fat leads to be a little more accurate?
For the neck? SH-6B is a bridge pickup, both SH-6B as SH-6N got less bass and more treble than the DP158.
If I had to pick between them, DP158 for a fat and dirty lead sound, SH-6N for a more shrill and clear lead sound.
There are videos on youtube where you can hear both the SD Distortion as the DM Evolution in neck position.
There's a different philosophy behind how SD and DM voice their pickups, DM tend to design for flatter frequency responses, particularly the SuperDistortion/Evolution series. SD pickups tend to have a more resonant and vocal frequency response. Pick the sound you like.
I think DM are a bit bipolar on magnets, you get to choose very strong overside ceramic magnets or air gapped alnico for a weak string pull. I really like the Air Norton actually, it's warm but articulate.
I'm a bit of a sucker for SD's Jazz and '58 neck pickups, but I really like the DM super distortion derivatives, particularly the original Evolution, the early 80s licensed Ibanez V2 and the later DiMarzio/IBZ (slightly brighter)
They top-wrap the tailpiece for easy string change.....
Glossy necks are a crime against humanity. Especially considering how damn good Ernie Ball does oiled necks.
That logo belongs in a computer game.
Iñigo Zapata The only thing about these guitars that doesn't make me slobber like an animal.
4:55 song
ME WANTS!
Thanks Henning now I have bad GAS !:-)
Glens a jiggler T shirts yet?
Oh dear... I’m scared to google this guitar and find out what it costs...
Can you send it to me for a review please :D
Not for me but great video!
Le bevel-y thing at 9:56 might well be reminiscent of a classic automotive body butt characteristic called "boattail", as famously found on le 1967 Corvette Stingray www.cleanclassiccars.com/1967-chevrolet-corvette-stingray-c-2018.htm#details-14 or le 1973 Buick Riviera for example ua-cam.com/video/y3YtsBZQPAU/v-deo.html.
Man, you couldn't have oiled that poor fretboard?
I need the pointy end to be rounded to keep its femine lines and feel. I like the over all look. The more women like it is, the more I can love it and let it own me. I always put my own hardware on. I wouldnt want that coner into my chest or gut as am all over it. It is beautiful though. I had a jackson painted like that. The body shape is much closer to my future guitars.
I can reach the highest fret on my Les Paul, it's a high performance:)
Ciccio hai qualcosa nello studio che ti sei comprato coi tuoi soldi? Io non credo
Gibson Les Paul based IMO
mine
indeed !
0:30
Yeah the logo blows but love the guitar. If I bought it, the logo would just nag me....
I hope Harley Benton makes a copy. This one is really overpriced.
Why the same amps as every other review? Use the Vox, use the H&K, mix it up some. Especially on a guitar like this.
Fantastic guitar. If I could afford one I'd have one. Just fantastic in all ways...except that terrible Armada logo.
The same amps make comparisons across instruments/videos easier, I'm guessing.
I love this guitar..... its amazing..like Ernie Ball is amazing.. but I could never buy this... just because of the horrible ARMADA on the headstock...I, with all due respect.... have NO idea how that made it past prototype.....I really don't .......WTF!
at least it's not the other videos of him and his mate being arrogant to each other..
Ciccio vendi qualche chitarra per finanziare l'alimentazione dei tuoi cani! Non chiedere l'elemosina
Nothing worse than backing tracks in guitar demos.
Where was a backing track? I didn’t use a backing track for anything in this video.