NAMM 2022 is here, and we’re kicking off with an announcement of all of Ernie Ball Music Man’s instruments and collaborations. Beginning Friday, June 3, be sure to follow our social media channels for all things NAMM. We’ll be posting detailed product news, artist reviews, and even some live footage from the NAMM show. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for ours Newsletter for exclusive updates from Ernie Ball Music Man.
THE KAIZEN guitar
Built for the modern gamer and influenced by Although AbasiThe unique design aesthetic and gameplay style sets the game apart kaizen is an all-new visionary collaboration between award-winning design team Ernie Ball Music Man and virtuoso guitarist and maker. The kaizen is offered with an alder body, a roasted maple neck and an ebony fretboard. Watch the official Kaizen guitar movie starring Tosin Abasi Here.
multiscale – 24.75″ to 25.5″ (E to E or 1st to 6th string) Multi-scale design provides positive string tension for thick and chunky rhythms on the bass strings, with a traditional feel on the treble strings for smooth bends and solos .
Infinity Radius Neck – Strategically positioned tapered radius increases comfort while providing better visibility of fingerboard and fret markers.
Steinberger Gearless Locking Tuner – Precise, lightweight tuners that rotate smoothly and allow for straight string pull.
New Music Man pickups – A special HT humbucker (heat treated) in the bridge position and a slanted mini humbucker in the neck position have been specially developed for the Kaizen.
Multi-scale tremolo – Super smooth modern Music Man tremolo with spring dampers to reduce unwanted overtones and ringing.
“Resolutely contoured” – Ultra light design, deliberately shaped body for extreme comfort, well balanced with unrestricted access to the frets.
The instrument is available in several versions and will initially be available as a 7-string Holiday seasonwith 6 strings available in 2023.
The JOHN PETRUCCI COLLECTION 2022
The John Petrucci line of signature guitars will be extensively revised this year. The majesty The range includes six new versions in 6, 7 and 8 string models to complement the ever expanding range of this highly versatile instrument. All new Majesty instruments feature DiMarzio Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker pickups, as well as a piezo bridge pickup. The JP15 is now also offered in the popular translucent Tiger Eye Burst finish and a flamed Purple Nebula finish on all 6 and 7 string models. Watch the official JP 2022 Collection trailer video Here.
The majesty is available in four new finishes: Okelani Blue, Wisteria Blossom, Sanguine Red and Emerald Sky. Available in 6, 7 and 8 string models.
The majesty maple top The guitar is available in two new finishes: Spice Melange and Crystal Amethyst. The Spice Melange Majesty features a split maple top, roasted maple fingerboard with a three-piece neck construction, two Honduran mahogany strips and a roasted flame maple center strip. The Crystal Amethyst Majesty features a flamed maple top with a gradient from green to purple with mystical dream metallic and alder back and sides.
The JP15 is offered in Tiger Eye Burst finish in Flame or Quilt or in Purple Nebula finish. Equipped with a lightweight Okoume body with a roasted maple top (Tiger Eye) or a maple top (Purple Nebula). Both finish options are offered with a roasted maple fretboard. The JP15 features dual custom DiMarzio Illuminator pickups and a piezo bridge system with a built-in 20dB gain boost. It also includes Schaller locking tuners and 24 stainless steel frets. Available in 6 and 7 string.
The new John Petrucci collection will be available in June 2022.
THE HT GUITAR Series
Inspired by over a decade of research into electric guitar strings, Ernie Ball Music Man has taken a new approach to pickup design with our all new HT pickups (heat treated).. This patent pending technology brings with it a new line of HT equipped instruments including a Cutlass HT SSS, Sting Ray HTand a Saber HT Guitar. Watch the official HT Series trailer video Here.
Inspired by over a decade of research into electric guitar strings – Incorporating the principles and insights that contributed to the development of Cobalt and M-Steel slinkys, resulting in new material-based innovations for pickups.
More output and dynamic range – Outperforms regular pickups with extra power and excellent touch sensitivity.
Stronger low-end and humbucker designs – HT pickups provide more powerful bass response and extension for higher frequency overtones.
Single coil and humbucker designs – HT bridge humbucking pickups use high performance ceramic magnets while the single coil designs use neodymium magnets.
Push-push-boost circuit – Adjustable 20dB boost function for solos.
Transparent buffered output – Complete sound consistency at all volume levels.
Silent Circuit (Cutlass ONLY) – Reduces the hum that occurs with single coil pickups.
Tune-o-Matic Bridge (StingRay ONLY)
Cutlass HT
STINGRAY HT
SABER HT
The HT Series instruments will be available in Aug 2022.
THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY STINGRAY 5 BASS
This year the legendary StingRay 5 bass guitar turns 35 and with him comes an equally spectacular experience anniversary edition which will be available in August. Since its introduction in 1987, the StingRay 5 has been recognized as one of the most innovative bass designs and over the years has been used by some of the world’s most celebrated bassists including Flea, Tony Levin, John Myung and Linkin Park’s Phoenix. The 35th Anniversary StingRay 5 Bass features an ash body and spalted top with a thin figured maple veneer that beautifully highlights the spalted sunburst finish. Featuring a roasted figured maple neck, ebony fretboard and pearlescent copper block inlays. This StingRay 5 bass features all-black hardware, a 3-band EQ, and 18 volts of clean headroom. Each bass comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.
The 35th Anniversary StingRay 5th Bass will be available November 2022.
MUSIC MAN X MONO CASES
From the end of this year Ernie Ball Music Man will switch from hard cases to MONO cases. MONO has a long history of design-driven, innovative case manufacturing, so it was a natural collaboration. Inside each case, the foam has been individually molded to fit the instruments like a glove. It’s lined with soft plush that offers excellent protection and a plush feel. The handle is reinforced with a MONO-branded metal rivet, with MONO’s signature orange trim as the finishing touch. An extra large zippered storage compartment with built-in organizer is easily accessible without having to open the bag. The average MONO case is over 2 pounds lighter than a traditional hard case. Check out the official MONO case trailer video Here.
Ernie Ball Music Man will be making an ongoing change to these new MONO cases starting in 2019 3rd quarter 2022. Hard cases will continue to be offered for a limited time.