The National Association of Music Merchants Conference (NAMM) officially wrapped up on Sunday, January 19th in Anaheim, California. With over 100,000 attendees, NAMM 2020 was a groundbreaking gathering of the most prominent instrument and music accessory companies in the world, and Ernie Ball Music Man was out in full force for all the action. With countless artist performances and interviews, to go along with a major slate of new product announcements, NAMM 2020 was undoubtedly one for the books. Check out the best moments from the weekend and all of the Ernie Ball Music Man products that will be coming to market this year.
Introducing the Sabre Guitar
A homage to the original Music Man Sabre guitar of the late ’70s, our engineers and design team put a modern spin on the classic instrument for 2020. The Sabre guitar features an okoume body, a carved maple top, and custom Ernie Ball Music Man humbucking pickups, delivering lively, dynamic sound with a striking clarity and sustain. Aesthetically, the Sabre is equally compelling. Its bookmatched premium top is adorned with natural binding, which elegantly highlights the raw beauty of the figured maple wood grain. Offered in the Cobra, Boujee Burst, Honey Suckle, and Blue Moonstone finish options.
Available April
New Colors for John Petrucci’s Collection
One of our most popular models is being welcomed with four brand-new, striking finishes. Available in Pink Sand, Red Phoenix, Smoked Pearl, and Ember Glow, the 2020 Majesty features a lightweight okoume body, signature DiMarzio Rainmaker and Dreamcatcher pickups, and an onboard piezo bridge system that gives the guitar a focused and highly versatile palette of tones.
The JP15 will also feature three new finishes combined with a figured roasted maple neck, DiMarzio Illuminator pickups, piezo bridge system, and onboard 20dB gain boost. Learn more about the 2020 JP Collection here.
2020 Luke III Guitar
The all-new revamped Luke III guitar has the option for a premium figured maple top along with its updated light-weight okoume body and custom Ernie Ball Music Man custom electronics. This latest evolution of Steve Lukather’s signature guitar perfectly fuses comfort, beauty, and tonal versatility. The HH model is outfitted with newly designed Ernie Ball Music Man high-output humbucking pickups. The HSS model, equipped with the same new bridge humbucker, also sports Ernie Ball Music Man’s renowned Cutlass single coils, providing players with a variety of tonal options. Both pickup configurations are furnished with a 5-way switch and a 20 dB boost push/push volume knob. Other features include a roasted maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and a floating Ernie Ball Music Man vintage tremolo system. Offered in the Cherry Burst and Luscious Green finish options.
StingRay Special and StingRay5 Special Bass
First introduced in 1976, the StingRay has been revered as one of the most iconic bass guitars in history. The StingRay bass was the first production 4-string bass to have onboard active equalization and remains the flagship of the Ernie Ball Music Man line today. For 2020, we’re introducing six brand-new, striking finishes. Firemist Silver, Ghostwood, Ghost Pepper, and Burnt Amber will be available on the StingRay Special, while Tectonic Blue and Maroon Mist, as well as Firemist Silver and Burnt Amber will be available on the StingRay5 Special bass. Learn more about all of the new colors here.
Short-Scale StingRay Special Bass
Introduced in late 2019 and met with high praise, the Short-Scale StingRay bass is back by popular demand. For 2020, this bass’ body is made from ash and the neck is constructed from roasted hard rock maple with either maple or rosewood fingerboard (depending on the finish option). A 30″ scale allows for easier playability due to the shorter spacing between the frets. The Ernie Ball Music Man humbucking pickup is equipped with higher output neodymium magnets and has been specially designed for the Short Scale StingRay bass, providing its signature warm tone. Available in the new Starry Night and Vintage Sunburst finish.
New Colors for the Modern Classics Collection
The Ernie Ball Music Man Modern Classics Collection is welcoming three new colors: Ghostwood, Charging Green, and Maroon Mist. All of the new colors will be available on both the StingRay RS and Cutlass RS guitar. To learn more about these classic models, click here.
Valentine Guitar
The Valentine signature guitar features a slab ash body, two Ernie Ball Music Man designed pickups (1-humbucker/1-single coil) with a 3-way custom wired lever switch, coil tap, 25.5-inch scale, an oil and wax rubbed roasted figured maple neck with a 10-inch radius maple fingerboard, 22 stainless steel frets, oversized 4-over-2 headstock and compensated nut, designed for superior tuning stability. New for 2020, the Valentine will feature 3 new finishes including Shell Pink, TV Yellow, and Classic Natural.
Dustin Kensrue Artist Series New Colors
The Dustin Kensrue Artist Series StingRay guitar features a lightweight okoume body and a darkly tinted satin maple neck. The HS combination of a humbucking bridge and a single-coil neck pickup adds new sonic variations to the StingRay’s palette of tones. Electronics include a unique control layout with a stacked tone and volume pot and a 3-way pickup selector switch that elicits a variety of humbucking and single-coil options. Offering an added push-button switch that toggles the signal between a mono output with volume and tone controls engaged, or a stereo output, where each pickup is sent directly to either the tip or ring. Available in the new TV Blond and Dark Satin finishes.
Thanks for another incredible year at NAMM! To stay connected with all of our product launches this year, follow our social channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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