Majesty construction vs. Artisan & Monarchy Majesty construction

[johnnyboogie]

Hi guys,

Does anyone have any idea as to what is the reasoning behind the Basswood portion in the original Majesty, and why the change to African Mahogany around the Honduran mahogany neck-through in the later two variations..?

Could it be that the basswood wood not look good next to the Honduran mahogany in the translucent finish?

And also, why not a 1-Piece Honduran Mahogany guitar instead of the African Mahogany enveloping?

Take care

 

[Markb]

From reading recently African is lighter, so maybe they went with that on the Wings, whilst many players prefer Honduran for tone and better Aging qualities (though bit subjective) hence that for the neck

 

[johnnyboogie]

Thanks for the input Mark!!

 

[DrKev]

Remember, it's Petrucci himself who gives the final word on everything. Perhaps Casey or Drew or Dudley can chime in but ultimately it's simply because JP preferred that combination for that particular guitar.

 

[Markb]

True, but would like to know what JP's 'exact' reasons for the change would be interesting, not sure I've seen any interviews relating to why he choose these materials? And combinations ie wood (s) + sonic ecstasy etc comparative to previous model (s)

 

[johnnyboogie]

True, but would like to know what JP's 'exact' reasons for the change would be interesting, not sure I've seen any interviews relating to why he choose these materials? And combinations ie wood (s) + sonic ecstasy etc comparative to previous model (s)

Good input Mark =)

 

[bhull]

Does anyone have any idea as to what is the reasoning behind the Basswood portion in the original Majesty, and why the change to African Mahogany around the Honduran mahogany neck-through in the later two variations..?

I remember reading (or seeing in an interview) that the original intent was weight reduction.

Could it be that the basswood wood not look next to the Honduran mahogany in the translucent finish?

On the flip side, I do not recall any reasoning given when they switched the wings over to mahogany for the artisan series. At first I had assumed what you did, that it was to have a nicer grain for the clear finishes. However, the wings are maple topped, so it kind of throws that out the window.

And also, why not a 1-Piece Honduran Mahogany guitar instead of the African Mahogany enveloping?

African mahogany is quite a bit less dense than Honduran. So if we look at the original intent, it is <probably> weight reduction.

There is some speculation in my response. If reasons have been given for the design changes, I have missed them. If we look at the history, though, JPs line has been a constant evolution. It very well could be a tone choice, and he has found a tone/weight balance in the 2 types of mahogany woods.

And more speculation...I seem to recall some people saying the original Majesty felt too light. That they wanted something a little more stout. Maybe it was a way of beefing the weight up a little and changing the tone a little to more fully round out the series.

Just my <speculative> 2c

 

[Markb]

I think your speculations are pretty close to right (just speculating lol) just one thing I can't understand is that on the EBMM website all 3 models of majesty (original, artisan and monarchy) they all weigh 6lbs/12.. taking into account the different woods seems strange ie basswood and mahogany?

 

[johnnyboogie]

I think your speculations are pretty close to right (just speculating lol) just one thing I can't understand is that on the EBMM website all 3 models of majesty (original, artisan and monarchy) they all weigh 6lbs/12.. taking into account the different woods seems strange ie basswood and mahogany?

The weights on the website are not correspondent to reality. A more detailed report on the weights of each model is required.

 

[johnnyboogie]

I remember reading (or seeing in an interview) that the original intent was weight reduction. On the flip side, I do not recall any reasoning given when they switched the wings over to mahogany for the artisan series. At first I had assumed what you did, that it was to have a nicer grain for the clear finishes. However, the wings are maple topped, so it kind of throws that out the window.

I think that if weight reduction was the original purpose there wouldn't have been any shift from the basswood portion, as it is lighter than the African Mahogany. The wings on all Majesties are not maple-topped; the shield emblem is basically the maple top.

Slightly beefing up the instrument however, like you said, sounds quite legit however. At the same time, they achieve uniformity in the looks by choosing the African Mahogany wings.

Thanks a lot for the input guys, really enjoy geeking over the JP models =D

 

[Markb]

Seems strange try don't put the correct weights down on their website, I know it says weight may vary slightly but still are more accurate proximaty would be nice considering different constructions. Any one have one of each and scales ?

 

[JamieCrain]

When creating a new product variant, it is important to make enough changes to make the product appear sufficiently different to earlier models, to stimulate demand from existing customers. Or, as the Marketing department would call it....Fairy Dust.

 

[Markb]

When creating a new product variant, it is important to make enough changes to make the product appear sufficiently different to earlier models, to stimulate demand from existing customers. Or, as the Marketing department would call it....Fairy Dust.

They need to put 'fairy dust' on the weights advertised

 

[johnnyboogie]

Seems strange try don't put the correct weights down on their website, I know it says weight may vary slightly but still are more accurate proximaty would be nice considering different constructions. Any one have one of each and scales ?

Hahahaha, good one.

https://www.promusictools.com/guita...john-petrucci-majesty-6-gf-glacial-frost.html , this one weighs 2.870

Can't find a 7-string as of yet..

 

[johnnyboogie]

When creating a new product variant, it is important to make enough changes to make the product appear sufficiently different to earlier models, to stimulate demand from existing customers. Or, as the Marketing department would call it....Fairy Dust.

Good thinking.. Thanks Jamie =)

 

[Markb]

Hahahaha, good one.

Music Man USA John Petrucci Majesty 6 GF - Glacial Frost | ProMusicTools , this one weighs 2.870

Can't find a 7-string as of yet..

Thanks johnny My German isn't too good but I presume that's kg, which works out to about 6lb3 which is a big difference from the 6lbs12 on US website, though as said does say varies slightly. But this is a big variance. Wonder what the artisans and monarchy's ranges will be...

 

[johnnyboogie]

Thanks johnny My German isn't too good but I presume that's kg, which works out to about 6lb3 which is a big difference from the 6lbs12 on US website, though as said does say varies slightly. But this is a big variance. Wonder what the artisans and monarchy's ranges will be...

Hehe, anytime =)

If you want to browse the ProMusicTools website, you can change the language in the top right corner!!

2.870kg by the way, is pretty light eh? Ergonomically speaking, it's highly probable that it's the best instrument out there.

 

[bhull]

I think that if weight reduction was the original purpose there wouldn't have been any shift from the basswood portion, as it is lighter than the African Mahogany.

I had to look for a bit, but I found it. I believe this was the initial reveal video, and he states weight and tone were the factors for basswood.

The wings on all Majesties are not maple-topped; the shield emblem is basically the maple top.

You are correct. I was mistaken on this due to how the description is written on the spec page for the artisan guitars I was looking at.

African mahogany with maple top and mahogany through neck

It makes it sound like the wings are topped.

Slightly beefing up the instrument however, like you said, sounds quite legit however. At the same time, they achieve uniformity in the looks by choosing the African Mahogany wings.

Agreed. It happened when they went with translucent finishes, so it points to aesthetics and/or an intentional small weight gain with the lesser dense African mahogany.

Thanks a lot for the input guys, really enjoy geeking over the JP models =D

Likewise

 

[johnnyboogie]

JP says on this video that according to his opinion the best tone-wood mix is Basswood-Mahogany-Maple Top. Why switch to a different tone-wood mix half a year later (Artisan)..?

Opinions change, I guess =)

Thanks a lot for getting into the trouble to spot the video!!

 

[johnnyboogie]

You are correct. I was mistaken on this due to how the description is written on the spec page for the artisan guitars I was looking at.

African mahogany with maple top and mahogany through neck

It makes it sound like the wings are topped.

Quite inaccurate and misleading, indeed.