MM truss rod placment...

[Whammy_Abuser]

I'm talking about the adjustment wheel in between the neck pickup and the fretboard.

I understand the idea behind it, easy access to adjustment and all. But on guitars like Sillhouettes and Petruccis it pushes the neck pickup towoards the bridge, and considering they have 24 frets, they're already being pushed towoards the bridge.

This has turned me off from getting several different, most recently a JPX.
I think they look AMAZING and they play like a dream. I just can't get past it, so instead I am looking at the older, Ibanez JPMs.

I know it's small, but I'm kinda crazy about that kind of thing
Am I alone in this? I just feel like they could figure out a new place to put it that would give us the best of both worlds...

 

[Big Poppa]

it doesnt affect the pickup placement on the jpx

 

[Whammy_Abuser]

Let me try and articulate better...

On most other (non MM) guitars with 24 frets, the neck pickup is right up against the edge of the fretboard, because with those two extra frets it is already in a different position that it would be if the guitar had the "standard" 22 frets.
However on MMs, there is the end of the fretboard, then that little tiny gap for the truss rod adjuster, then the pickup. I guess I'm just assuming that if it wasn't there then the pickup would in fact be right up against the neck...

Like I said, it's a small thing, but it still gets me...

 

[Lou]

You must have super hearing.

 

[ScoobySteve]

Let me try and articulate better...

On most other (non MM) guitars with 24 frets, the neck pickup is right up against the edge of the fretboard, because with those two extra frets it is already in a different position that it would be if the guitar had the "standard" 22 frets.
However on MMs, there is the end of the fretboard, then that little tiny gap for the truss rod adjuster, then the pickup. I guess I'm just assuming that if it wasn't there then the pickup would in fact be right up against the neck...

Like I said, it's a small thing, but it still gets me...

It's very common for people to feel this way. Now please don't take this the wrong way by any means, because I'm trying to be as polite and articulate as possible, it's just im at working and writing in a bit of a rush. So pardon my brashness.

People are hesitant to look at innovation with an open mind when the status quo has been implemented by people who fear change. There's a perfect explanation out there that people refuse to accept, and its so blatantly clear and obvious, most don't give it a second thought.

John Petrucci, Joe B (plays a JP6 Bari), Johnny Hiland, are few among many Music Man endorsees that sport a 24 fret guitar. And at the end of the day, they are achieving their desired tone. The end result of the tone. If this guitar was able to allow them to get the tone that is such a standard, particularly JP, then the truss rod wheel at the bottom end of the neck is a change of negligible consequence.

Players like JP and Joe B have guitar techs and a massive arsenal of guitars to allow them access to a variety of setups, thus rendering the "on the fly" and "easy access" dynamic of the innovation (one that is so appealing to the regular player) less crucial. So in the hypothetical event that the location of the wheel was If the placement of the wheel was such a tone problem, then I don't think they would play Music Man guitars.

Artists are choosing these instruments by ear, not by theoretical instrument design. Don't get me wrong. Design is important. But the desired goal, the desired effect, is TONE.

 

[paranoid70]

If it sounds good, plays good, and looks good, where's the problem?

 

[guitfiddle]

Can't please everyone. I LOVE the truss rod adjustment wheel on my EBMMs. It's one of the niftiest things about them. I always have a perfect neck now, whereas before I would just deal with a little buzzing or high action as I usually don't have time to take my guitars apart when they need adjustment.

I've adjusted the relief between songs at gigs!

 

[dwntwn]

Not that I have a problem with the current design but I wonder if it would be possible to have some sort of gear mechanism where the adjustment location could be on the back side of the guitar... Probably a dumb idea but this thread got me thinking about alternative solutions.

 

[agt]

There are many reasons why I love EBMM guitars, and the truss rod adjustment wheel is one of the things I like best!

 

[the24thfret]

I think tonally it wouldn't make any difference. The pup is not going to be located where it would be on a 22/21 fret guitar anyway because this is 24 frets. And, as others have said, the easy truss adjustment is one of the best things about EBMM guitars.

The JP sounds incredible, by the way; I actually prefer its neck pup sound to any 22/21 fret guitar's neck pup sound.

 

[denny99]

Am I alone in this? I just feel like they could figure out a new place to put it that would give us the best of both worlds...

I think they've done it already. By looking at every single EBMM guitar I can see how much design work have been put in.
I can't imagine BP talking to JP saying "John, we've built your signature model but when it came down to screw the neck into the body, we realized that 24 frets would have pushed the neck pickup towards the bridge. So the tone is perhaps a little compromised, but who cares right?".

I am SURE there's engineering behind that.

 

[straycat113]

I think you are over thinking too much on this, are you a fan of Petruccis tone over the last decade? I just do not understand what you are basing your point on or what exactly the issue is. Every Strat and Tele has the neck pup with a gap from pup to neck, and if you are just talking about 24 fret guitars you will find it on Jackson models or a Washburn N4. I know all us guitarist have some odd quirks, but I believe you will see it is a non issue and great innovation.

 

[ScoobySteve]

Also to note JP's LF pupa from dimarzio were designed around and specifically for John's guitar and needs. It won't be just the location if the truss wheel that affects tone but a culmination of various factors.

 

[RocketRalf]

I love the neck pickup tone of my Silhouette. I've never wished it was placed anywhere else. If it was a single coil, then maybe, but it is not. That's why they introduced the Silo Special.

I'm sure the people with JP guitars feel the same.

And like others said, the adjustment wheel is a thing of genius. It's convenience far outweights the negligible sound difference from the resulting pickup placement. And I've always thought, if you want a more hollow tone, just play in a higher position in the next string.

 

[M.A.K.S]

I honestly don't think it matters that much at all. Just take a look at the new PGM model, the gap is just as big (if not bigger) on that one

 

[Big Poppa]

If it bothers you that is good enough for me....everybody has to be comfortable with their guitar.

 

[littlephil]

Every Strat and Tele has the neck pup with a gap from pup to neck

There is a difference though. Just the gap isn't an issue, its the position of the pickups in relation to the scale length. On a Strat, the neck pickup is pretty much directly underneath the 24th fret harmonic, so if it had 24 frets, the pickup would have to be moved, changing the tone of the neck pickup. Thats why Joe Satriani's signature models have only had 22 frets until very recently, because the position of the neck pickup on a 24 fret guitar changed the tone too much for his liking, until they started using a rail pickup in the neck position.

But, as ScoobySteve pointed out, the CL/LF pickups were designed around the layout of the JP's body, so it would compensate slightly for the difference in the position of the pickup. Even so, JP's always used 24 fret guitars, so having the pickup moved slightly to compensate for the truss rod wheel wouldn't have had as big an effect as it would if he had been using something like a Strat, he isn't aiming for traditional Strat neck pickup tones, so not having the pickup under the harmonic node wouldn't be as big of an issue for him.

And BP is right too, it depends on the player. Just because it works for JP doesn't mean everyone will feel the same way. Like everything else about a players gear and tone, its all subjective.

 

[Whammy_Abuser]

There is a difference though. Just the gap isn't an issue, its the position of the pickups in relation to the scale length. On a Strat, the neck pickup is pretty much directly underneath the 24th fret harmonic, so if it had 24 frets, the pickup would have to be moved, changing the tone of the neck pickup. Thats why Joe Satriani's signature models have only had 22 frets until very recently, because the position of the neck pickup on a 24 fret guitar changed the tone too much for his liking, until they started using a rail pickup in the neck position.

That is a much more eloquent version of what I was trying to say...

There have been a lot of good points with in this thread, I even went and tried out a few JPs today...
They're such killer guitars, alas my stupid little hangup is gonna keep me from getting one...

...I guess it's time to start looking for an Axis!

 

[ScoobySteve]

Reflex IMO.

 

[aleclee]

I LOVE the truss rod adjustment wheel on my EBMMs. It's one of the niftiest things about them. I always have a perfect neck now, whereas before I would just deal with a little buzzing or high action as I usually don't have time to take my guitars apart when they need adjustment.

Quoted for Truth.

There have been a lot of good points with in this thread, I even went and tried out a few JPs today...
They're such killer guitars, alas my stupid little hangup is gonna keep me from getting one...

Is it that the neck pickup tone doesn't work for you or is your hangup over the location of the pickup independent of tone? A wise man facilitated my tone quest when he told me to hear with my ears, not with my eyes.