Just played a JP12 in Cherry Sugar. 6 strings. My friend lives way north of this GC and had me check it out as I recently turned him onto EBMM and he has been bit hard. Ready to lay down his tax return money but still undecided on which JP he wants.
First off, fit and finish were usual EBMM goodness. The color was a little more plum/purple than red to me, but awesome by all means.
I can't stand a finished neck and do not get along with them, but my friend has no hangups with them...so playability was very good that issue aside. Liked the SS frets, the ebony was okay for me but a little chalky in color compared to my DDII.
Liked the heft of the guitar very much, felt really solid. The only issue for me was the sound. Seemed outrageously clean unlike any other JP I own or have owned. I am still a fan of the original with the armscoop for what it is worth, but this guitar sounded so clean I was amazed. With copious amounts of gain through several different amps, it was glorious but still really clean. Looking at the pickups I noticed the baseplates were about a 1/4" thicker than I remembered. Looks like the routes are deeper and the baseplates thicker to bring the pickups closer to the strings. Perhaps they have always been like this and I just never noticed.
Anyhow, the clarity and definition was astounding. I think it would be a recording beast and a session guitarist's dream. Perphaps it is simply a testament to the wood choice on this model, but it really sings nicely. I cannot wait to A/B it with my PDN coming in this fall...two entirely different wood combos, from necks to bodies to fretboards.
In summation, another stellar instrument from EBMM but not my cup of tea.
I think my friend is going to snatch it up and I will make him join us here.
First off, fit and finish were usual EBMM goodness. The color was a little more plum/purple than red to me, but awesome by all means.
I can't stand a finished neck and do not get along with them, but my friend has no hangups with them...so playability was very good that issue aside. Liked the SS frets, the ebony was okay for me but a little chalky in color compared to my DDII.
Liked the heft of the guitar very much, felt really solid. The only issue for me was the sound. Seemed outrageously clean unlike any other JP I own or have owned. I am still a fan of the original with the armscoop for what it is worth, but this guitar sounded so clean I was amazed. With copious amounts of gain through several different amps, it was glorious but still really clean. Looking at the pickups I noticed the baseplates were about a 1/4" thicker than I remembered. Looks like the routes are deeper and the baseplates thicker to bring the pickups closer to the strings. Perhaps they have always been like this and I just never noticed.
Anyhow, the clarity and definition was astounding. I think it would be a recording beast and a session guitarist's dream. Perphaps it is simply a testament to the wood choice on this model, but it really sings nicely. I cannot wait to A/B it with my PDN coming in this fall...two entirely different wood combos, from necks to bodies to fretboards.
In summation, another stellar instrument from EBMM but not my cup of tea.
I think my friend is going to snatch it up and I will make him join us here.
