Questions regarding setting up MM JP6?

[badguitarist]

Hey dudes,

Just got my first MM this morning. It's a MM JP6 in Pearl redburst. I realize that the neck is overbowed. So I turned the trussrod anti clockwise (from the treble side toward the bass side) for some turns and it got better. But it's still a little bit overbowed and I prefer a very straight neck. I kept on turning the trussrod anti clockwise. But now the screw became too loose and from that moment I got no effect on adjusting the trussrod at all. I'm very confused right now. How do I got a straight neck from that situation?

Also the nut on B string is worn down too deep so I get fret buzz on open B string. How do I get rid of it? And the neck edge is too rough and scratches my finger! How do you solve this?

Any helps would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all!

 

[Crimson Sunset]

I don't know about the trussrod.

But I would bring it to a guitar-tech.

He will be able to solve the buzzing on the open B string by dropping some glue in the worn out part of the nut (if it really is too deep). Otherwise he might just raise the saddle a tiny bit.


"The neck edge is too rough", do you mean that the frets are sticking out a little bit on the sides? That may be caused by the weather-circumstances. Very humid (sp?) or very dry places may cause the wood to start "shrinking" / "expanding" a LITTLE bit. The result of this could be that you feel the frets on the sides. (someone correct me if I'm wrong here)
A tech should also be able to solve this problem.

 

[badguitarist]

"The neck edge is too rough", do you mean that the frets are sticking out a little bit on the sides? That may be caused by the weather-circumstances. Very humid (sp?) or very dry places may cause the wood to start "shrinking" / "expanding" a LITTLE bit. The result of this could be that you feel the frets on the sides. (someone correct me if I'm wrong here)

Exactly what I mean! I had the guitar from the US shipped to my door here in Australia, So I guessed climate change is the problem. It really annoys my index finger as I move along the neck

 

[GuitaRasmus]

Ermm... You're loosening it, not tightening it.

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

You were moving the truss rod wheel in the wrong direction obviously!

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

I'll quote myself again

I've posted this already a thousand times here, so I saved it on my hard disk, so I don't have to write it every time again.
Setup the truss rod the way it's explained here and then you can adjust your action from the bridge posts.
If you don't succeed, take it to a pro or contact CS.
I hope this helps.

The way I set up the truss rod is:

Press the G string on the first fret with your left hand, and with your right hand press the G string right after the last fret. Then look at the distance between the string and the frets between 7th to 9th. The distance between the string and the frets should be very very small (0.3 mm=0.012" maximum), but the string should not be touching the above mentioned frets.
If the distance is too big, tighten the truss rod (looking from the bridge side - turn the wheel clockwise).
If the distance is too small, release the truss rod (looking from the bridge side - turn the wheel counterclockwise).
Make any adjustments gradually and check the curvature the way I described it above after each 1/2 turn.


As far as the intonation adjustment goes:

To check the intonation, compare the harmonic note above the 12th fret of every string to the fretted note on the 12th fret.
If the fretted pitch is higher than the harmonic, saddle must be moved backward to lengthen string (turn the screw at the base of the bridge clockwise).
If the fretted pitch is lower than the harmonic, saddle must be moved forward to shorten string (turn the screw at the base of the bridge counterclockwise).

The strings shouldn't be lower than 1.6 mm (I typed it into a cm->inch converter and it should be something like 0,00624") measured form the top of the 19th fret to the bottom of the string.

You should check if your B string is still buzzing after you adjusted all this, and if it does, then try changing that string (maybe it's just a bad string). If that doesn't help, then take it to a pro because that means that either the nut or the frets are causing the buzz.
I've never heard that somebody's had a problem with frets sticking out on a MM, that usually happens on cheap crappy guitars.

 

[badguitarist]

I know how the truss rod works, but the problem is that my neck wants more relief but loosening the truss rod wheel does not give any more relief!! The wheel is way too loose now! What can I do?

 

[GuitaRasmus]

Ah! I misunderstood you because you said overbowed.

Well, in that case I would loosen the rod completely, and let the strings work the neck for at couple of days. If that doesn't have an effect, perhaps you could clamp down the neck a bit for at few days, and force some relief into it.

 

[badguitarist]

Ah! I misunderstood you because you said overbowed.

Well, in that case I would loosen the rod completely, and let the strings work the neck for at couple of days. If that doesn't have an effect, perhaps you could clamp down the neck a bit for at few days, and force some relief into it.

Yeah sorry for the misunderstranding! Sound like a good idea! Some recommended me to take the guitar to a tech and I wonder what would the tech do?

 

[GuitaRasmus]

Probably the same as I suggested. I assume you bought it used? The problem most likely occurred when someone had the strings off or slackened for an extended period of time, and the neck got underbowed. I'm guessing, but I think it'll remedy itself within some days.

 

[pjc812]

Take it to a tech.

Here is what I think is wrong: It's winter and the neck is dried out. When I worked at the store we worked very hard to maintain all the guitars on the wall, especially in the winter time when the air gets dry. Guitars with unfinished necks required a lot more care.

If the guitar is brand new and has the factory setup, what you need to do is take a warm, damp rag and hold it on the neck for a bit. This will in a sense shock the wood and open it up a little bit to absorb some moisture. Put it in a climate controlled room for a few days and the neck should re-adjust. You need to also get a small humidifier to keep in the case. Planet Waves makes a very nice one which I keep with both my balls.

Best bet, get a hold of John in customer service, get an RA and send it to SLO for some TLC. They'll get you straightened right out. Ha!

 

[badguitarist]

Yes I bought it used, but still like new, no flaws to speak of really. So I think the problem here is the climate change. The guitar was shipped from the US to Australia. Here we got the end of summer in Australia and I guess it's winter in US hah? I'll take a few days waiting to see if the problem gets better

 

[pjc812]

Hm. Didn't know you were an aussie. There's an Australian dealer on here named Colin, depending on your location you might give him a buzz.

It's winter here. Indiana believes in rain rather than snow... we've gotten like 12 inches in the past two months. That's a lot of rain at one time. However, it's cool enough to require heat which dries the heck out of the air. Can't win.