Ball Family Reserve Spring 2022 collection revealed by Ernie Ball Music Man

24 Mar 2022 by Jef | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

Ball Family Reserve Spring 2022 collection revealed by Ernie Ball Music Man · Source: Ernie Ball Music Man

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EBMM announced their wallet-friendly Stirling models earlier this week. Now the Ernie Ball Music Man Ball Family Reserve Spring 2022 collection has been revealed. Including a Luke III, Albert Lee and Short Scale StingRay bass. Along with a whole new take on the Valentine signature model.

EBMM Spring 2022

I have to admit that I always look forward to the Ernie Ball Music Man Ball Family Reserve releases. Because they always throw out some amazing limited release models, push a few boundaries and show off exactly what they can do. Warning, there are some very tasty guitars amongst this lot.

Ernie Ball Music Man Luke III “Woody”

The Ernie Ball Music Man Luke III “Woody” will be limited to 80 pieces worldwide. Certainly, Steve Lukather‘s signature model looks very nice in this Woody guise. Because of that figured walnut burst maple burl top, this is one very tasteful, elegant finish.

An Okoume body, along with a rosewood neck and an ebony fretboard really amps up the luxurious aesthetics of this one for me. With black hardware throughout and a set of the Luke III humbuckers, you get the odd flourish of gold, for example, the pickup polepieces. Plus, a laser-etched LIII logo on the headstock! All this adds up to a very classy looking guitar indeed.

RRP – USD 3999

Ernie Ball Music Man Luke III Woody

Ernie Ball Music Man Valentine “Carmelo”

This Ernie Ball Music Man Valentine “Carmelo” is certainly a new take on the James Valentine signature model. Limited to only 55 pieces worldwide, this one will be popular. You get a solid ash body in a Butterscotch finish, along with a Bigsby B5 vibrato tailpiece. This is the also first time the model has had this option. Other notable specifications include a set of Schaller locking tuners, a roasted maple neck which is paired with a rosewood fingerboard.

Rather than the usual pickups, this one has a pair of custom Ernie Ball Music Man Ranger pickups. These come wired via a five-way lever switch, whereas normally you get a three-way switch on the standard model. Some extra tones to be had here then.

RRP – USD 3499

Ernie Ball Music Man Valentine Carmelo

Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee “Ghost in a Shell”

Oh my! This Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee “Ghost in a Shell” looks very impressive and I love that finish. Once more, there are only 80 of these being made worldwide. Featuring a Honduran mahogany body, finished in Translucent White. Paired with three Ernie Ball Music Man MM-90 pickups mounted on a tortoiseshell pickguard, this is guitar looks pretty sumptuous. If that didn’t impress you then, maybe the 22-fret rosewood neck fitted with pearlescent block inlays will. Plus, this is another laser-etched headstock.

RRP – USD 3499

Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee Ghost in a Shell

Ernie Ball Music Man Short Scale StingRay “Bombshell”

Last but not least, there is the Ernie Ball Music Man Short Scale StingRay “Bombshell” and it looks very tastefully done. What really does it for me is that gloss black finish, applied to both the body and the headstock. This is then offset really nicely by the white maple neck, matching fingerboard, which is fitted with tortoiseshell block inlays.

Powered by a single neodymium humbucking pickup, controlled via a three-way rotary switch. This gives you access to parallel, single-coil and series tones. Making this bass super versatile. There are 105 of these being released into the wild.

RRP – USD 2899