Mysterious new Ernie Ball Music Man guitar, the Mariposa, spotted at UK Guitar Show

This past weekend, the UK Guitar Show not only played host to star performances and the Guitarist of the Year finals, but also some of the world’s finest gear manufacturers - and it appears Ernie Ball took the opportunity to offer a sneak peak at a mysterious new Music Man electric guitar, the Mariposa.

Internet lore dictates that this will be the new signature model for At The Drive-In/Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López, which would make sense given his current preference for the company’s St Vincent and Albert Lee HH models.

A recent Ernie Ball Music Man Instagram story adds fuel to the fire, with a shot of a left-handed version of the very same model - Rodríguez-López being a leftie himself.

Early specs indicate the guitar will feature a mahogany body, roasted maple neck, ebony fingerboard, a pair of humbuckers and a Music Man tremolo system.

From what we know, available finishes will include the blue and chrome you see up top, as well as white with gold hardware, and black. But more importantly, how gorgeous is that etched scratchplate?

We’ll have more on this one very soon indeed...

That’s not the only scoop from this year’s UK Guitar Show, of course: Eric Gales also used his performance at the event to announce a new Joe Bonamassa-produced album and joint tour.