Ernie Ball Music Man 2026: Jason Richardson Cutlass 8-String, New Majesty Colors, and more!
There is a 30th Anniversary edition if the Axis Guitar as well!
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Ernie Ball Music Man 2026: Jason Richardson Cutlass 8-String, New Majesty Colors, and more! · Source: Ernie Ball Music Man
The release of Ernie Ball Music Man 2026 is here! The guitar maker is expanding its high-end guitar lineup with a selection of anniversary models and carefully refined signature instruments. Highlights are the updated John Petrucci Majesty models, the expanded Jason Richardson Artist Series and the strictly limited 30th Anniversary Axis.
Ernie Ball Music Man 2026: New John Petrucci Majesty colors!
For 2026, the Majesty line is evolving into the Majesty Premium Select, with the key change being construction rather than electronics. Petrucci has opted for a mahogany neck-through body with alder wings and a thick maple top. The pickups, electronics, and hardware remain familiar, maintaining a focus on tonal refinement rather than expanding the feature set.
Visually, the Ernie Ball Music Man 2026 update is driven by new finishes, including Carnelian Red, Ka’anapali Dream, Mystic Dream, Purple Nebula II, and Strawberry Moon. Other features include a 24-fret ebony fingerboard with stainless-steel frets, glow-in-the-dark side dots, DiMarzio Rainmaker and Dreamcatcher humbuckers, a Music Man floating tremolo with a piezo system, stereo and mono outputs, and an integrated gain boost with over 20 dB.
Jason Richardson Artist Series Cutlass 8-String
The biggest update in the Jason Richardson lineup of Ernie Ball Music Man 2026 is the introduction of the Cutlass HT 8-String, marking the first extended-range model in his Music Man signature series. Its defining change is the 25.5”–27” multiscale layout, which significantly improves string tension and clarity on the low F# while keeping the high strings familiar and comfortable.
This is a step beyond earlier 6- and 7-string Richardson models. The signature’s other specs are equally premium: an alder body with buckeye burl top, paired with a roasted figured maple neck and ebony fingerboard, plus stainless-steel frets. Jason Richardson HT humbuckers remain exclusive to the model, but the addition of a 20+ dB onboard boost and coil-splitting reinforces its role as a modern technical instrument rather than a stylistic signature piece.
30th Anniversary Axis
The 30th Anniversary Axis is a celebration of one of EBBM’s most iconic guitars. Music Man revisits the translucent finishes from the Axis’ 1996 debut, applied to hand-stained quilt maple tops with subtly color-matched, lightly sparkled backs. Core elements, such as the asymmetrical neck carve and custom-wound DiMarzio pickups, remain unchanged, preserving the original Axis feel.
The new features here are exclusivity and presentation: each finish is strictly limited (with as few as 30 instruments produced in some colors), and each guitar features a 30th Anniversary Axis logo and ships with a certificate of authenticity and a deluxe case. Aside from the different color variants (Translucent Gold, Black, Pink, Red, Blue, and Purple), each guitar has a figured maple neck with stainless-steel frets, glow-in-the-dark side dots, and a color-coordinated headstock.
Price and Availability
EBBM says that these models will all be available in April 2026. We don’t know specific prices just yet, but these will surely be in the upper ranges.
More on the Ernie Ball Music Man 2026 release
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