Kaizen 6 String Setup Specs

[thawk819]

Hi all,

Has anyone found the factory setup specs for the Kaizen 6 string guitars? I checked the FAQs and found lots of model specific setup guides but nothing for the Kaizen. I've barely put it down since I got it last week, and noticing things I might want to make minor tweaks and adjustments to (slightly more neck relief, slightly higher action on bass side, etc.). I don't necessarily need factory specs to do that, but I do like to reference them as a starting point and adjust to taste from there. Sometimes with other guitars, particularly Telecasters for some reason, I sometimes do a "factory reset" and setup to personal preference from there.

Anyone had any luck tracking them down for the Kaizen?

 

[DrKev]

Music Man only give a range for all their guitars and nothing really specific to any one model...

"Factory string setting for standard tuning starts at the bass side 2/32" (1.59 mm) to 5/64" (1.98 mm) and the treble side is 3/64" (1.19 mm) to 2/32" (1.59 mm) measured from the 12th fret to the bottom of the strings"

Personally, the way I play, I tend to be at the high end of those numbers and at the lower end some string should be expected for most players. John Petrucci is on the very low end and he happily sumbits to some string buzz to get the feel and playability he likes. For neck relief, I find that 0.008" (0.25 mm) is a good number.

FAQ

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www.music-man.com

 

[thawk819]

Thank you for posting that; very helpful.

Right from the dealer I was curious and found the action on the bass side is currently a little under 4/64" and the treble side is a little higher than 3/64". My inclination has been to raise the bass side a little and lower the treble side a little and it looks like I'd land a little lower than the factory specs, which is where I live on most guitars.

Did yours come with the tools for adjusting string saddle height and intonation screws? I'm sure I have an Allen wrench in the music nomad set that will work for the saddle height adjustment, and the intonation screws look like just Phillips head screws, but being my first EBMM guitar, I wasn't sure if they typically include adjustment tools or not, and if so, I'd be circling back with dealer to get mine.

 

[Norrin Radd]

The only right measurements are the ones you feel with your hands. I set up my Kaizen a few days ago (I had to widen the bottom 2 nut slots to accommodate the 10-52 set). I also tweaked my truss - in the opposite direction you like (I wanted less relief - I like mine almost flat). I also had to re-intonate for the larger gauge strings. The D needed a slight tweak and tech A & B needed more. But now it plays amazingly and I can use the trem and it goes back in to tune!

 

[thawk819]

The only right measurements are the ones you feel with your hands. I set up my Kaizen a few days ago (I had to widen the bottom 2 nut slots to accommodate the 10-52 set). I also tweaked my truss - in the opposite direction you like (I wanted less relief - I like mine almost flat). I also had to re-intonate for the larger gauge strings. The D needed a slight tweak and tech A & B needed more. But now it plays amazingly and I can use the trem and it goes back in to tune!

Did yours come with Allen wrenches etc. for the adjustments? Mine seems to have come with the truss rod tool only and I’m not sure if I’m missing anything.

 

[DrKev]

No tools supplied. 1.5 mm allen wrench for the saddles, modern Music Man bridges use a 2 mm allen for the intonation screws (models introduced 2016 and after), I assume the Kaizen does too. @Norrin Radd can you confirm?

 

[Norrin Radd]

No tools supplied. 1.5 mm allen wrench for the saddles, modern Music Man bridges use a 2 mm allen for the intonation screws (models introduced 2016 and after), I assume the Kaizen does too. @Norrin Radd can you confirm?

Confirmed. With calipers. Also can confirm no tools. And mine was purchased directly from music man.

 

[thawk819]

Thanks so much guys; this is great to know. I have all those tools in the arsenal and will be doing some minor tweaking over the weekend. It's all about iterative, continuous improvement; am I right? (yaseewhatIdidthere)