Help! The tech screwed up my JP6 string!

[saplingg]

Help! The tech screwed up my JP 6string!

Hi, I own an JP 6 string, and today I sent it in for a set up, because I was switching to .11s.

I just got home and I've been playing with the guitar, and it seems that some things have gone horribly wrong! Firstly, the intonation is slightly off. This is not that big an issue, as I can live with it being a little sharp or flat. I have a few gigs the following week and I know I can deal with this after the gigs as it is not urgent.

Another thing that bugs me is that the floating tremolo bridge is extremely slanted. First, when I was at the store, the tech said that my neck was warped diagonally. Because of this, he said that he raised the bridge and the action at the bass end higher than that at the high end to compensate for the warping. So my bridge is now slanted in towards the volume and tone knobs. The action is also a lot higher. This is not serious too, as I know it can be fixed easily, but is it necessary to increase the action and slant the bridge because of a warped neck?

Also, the floating tremolo is slanted towards the guitar, meaning that the bridge has been severely lifted out of the guitar. This is definitely not natural, and I am quite annoyed that the tremolo has not been set properly.

Lastly, the problem which irks me the most because it is going to interfere with a practice scheduled with my band, as well as possibly the gig, is that whenever I bend the tremolo bar, the strings go seriously out of tune, and STAY THAT WAY. The tremolo does not return to its original position.

Some of you guys are technicians yourselves, and most are more experienced than I am with the technical aspects of setting up, so the purpose of my post was to
1) rant
2) what exactly is wrong with the guitar (regarding the last point about how the tremolo stays instead of returning to original position)
3) ask if it is necessary for my bridge to be slanted, even though my guitar neck is warped
4) ask if it is necessary for my action to raised, because of the heavier gauge/warping
5) ask what is the difference between raising the bridge and raising the truss rod. Both raise the action, so when should what be used?
6) ask, in your opinions, what i should do?

As you can see, the bridge is quite slanted and extremely far out of the hole it should be in.

 

[Mick]

Relax

6) ask, in your opinions, what i should do?

Change your tech instantly


But your problems can be solved, no problem. Since I´m in germany this will be difficult for you to bring your guitar (due to your band rehearsals otherwise a piece of cake, ey:- )

Ask jon for a good tech near to you and he should fix that prob in a day.
I don´t think your neck is twisted, but the skills of the shop´s repair tech who told you so.
But no problem, cooooool down.

Jon please mention a good guy he can go to.

Mick

 

[CudBucket]

If a tech ever gave me back my guitar in that condition, I'd smack him with it.

 

[saplingg]

Unfortunately, I don't live in America so Jon won't be able to help. I will go to see that technician tomorrow and kick up a fuss. I paid 30 dollars (20 USD) for the setup, and I'm not about to bring it somewhere else without getting a refund.

Thank you for clearing up my worries, now I know it is not a serious problem.

 

[Raz]

Unfortunately, I don't live in America so Jon won't be able to help. I will go to see that technician tomorrow and kick up a fuss. I paid 30 dollars (20 USD) for the setup, and I'm not about to bring it somewhere else without getting a refund.

Thank you for clearing up my worries, now I know it is not a serious problem.

Are you in Canada bro? Man that is one serious hack job...learn to do your own work, no one loves your guitar like you do (with the exception of Jon and Tommy)...I do all of my own work, I learn as I go, a book here, a post there...in fact the other day I learned about 'neck angle' took my Wayne Custom 7 apart at the neck and tried different shims to get things just right. Action, set up, it' all Do-It-Yourselfable

 

[saplingg]

It's very intimidating, esp. With the floating trem and all. If it was just action and intonation I don't think it would be too daunting to do myself, but the trem just throws me off. I will learn someday, though.

I live in Asia... Singapore, to be precise.

 

[5Stringer]

It pains me to see one of our babies like that ...

I think it it needs some tlc from jonguitarz .. I say call us at Music Man for a factory setup. The number is 866-823-2255, ask for Dan and I will personally give you a return authorization. I have never seen a worse "setup job" ....

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

saplingg, I would certainly take EB up on that offer if I were you! Jon does amazing setups.

... I have never seen a worse "setup job" ....

Well, then you haven't seen one of my "setups"

Just kidding

 

[Raz]

I think it it needs some tlc from jonguitarz .. I say call us at Music Man for a factory setup. The number is 866-823-2255, ask for Dan and I will personally give you a return authorization. I have never seen a worse "setup job" ....

Now that's CUSTOMER SERVICE....
I once tried packaging myself up for a return to God, for some tune up work but even His customer service isn't this good!!!

 

[saplingg]

So I was inspecting it again and it turns out that the techie restrung it with a string already in one of the holes. (G string hole). You know the ring that the string is wrapped around so that the string is held behind the bridge? Well, I left my previous one there thinking he'd have the brains to take it out. He did not. Instead, he snipped off the remainder of the (broken) string, and simply stuffed the new string past it through the bridge. I was appalled at the level of service.

I certainly wish I could get it set up by you, Dan or Jon, but unfortunately I'd have to ship it there and back and that would cost me way too much.

Unless you can pull strings for me at your dealers here in Singapore , (they told me 2-3 weeks for a simple set up) I'm probably stuck with this technician.

Anyway, on Thursday, I'm going to go over there and get it fixed properly or demand a refund and take it somewhere else. So when I go there, what should I look out for that he does correctly?

I think he needs to fix these things, but please do correct me if I'm wrong
1) Level the bridge.
2) Lower the bridge back down so that it's "inside" the guitar, and set it so that it is parallel to the guitar body
3) Fix the truss rod if necessary
4) Fix the intonation again

The tech told me that my E string couldn't be intonated properly because the bridge was at it's maximum, and that .11 gauge strings were too heavy, so my low E string would be slightly off. (Unfortunately, my other strings were not properly intonated either)

So my question is, are .11 gauge strings too heavy for a musicman jp6? these are the details of the strings

gauge
E 11
B 14
G 18
D 28
A 38
E 50

If they are too heavy, I'll understand if the low E is slightly off, but if they're not, please advise me how it can be properly intonated. Should the truss rod be adjusted or something? He didn't touch the truss rod I think, just raised the bridge. Thank you all for your advice!

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Lots of sets come with 11s for the B string, it's pysically the same string when you put it in the E spot and tune it up. You should be able to intonate that with no problems.

Find a new tech!

 

[saplingg]

I meant the .50 gauge for the Low E, sorry I didn't make that clear.

I will do that as soon as I can, Pete!

 

[koogie2k]

That tech needs to be swimming with the fishes..

Go somewhere else AFTER you get your money back. Don't they cain you in Singapore for crimes of this nature?!?! I would look into it if I were you.....

 

[saplingg]

Koogie, I strongly doubt it. I'm quite concerned that they refuse a refund and also don't amend the horrible set up. I mean, I have no documentation that says they should set up my guitar however so. I also signed a receipt with a few disclaimers, and I'm not sure exactly what they say.

But I will definitely push for a refund. The standard of their service is ridiculous.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

I meant the .50 gauge for the Low E, sorry I didn't make that clear.

I will do that as soon as I can, Pete!

My fault, I didn't read carefully enough

 

[Mick]

Don´t let the tech near your guitar again!!!!!!!!!Really!!!

 

[CudBucket]

With the bridge that way, it must be unplayable.

 

[5Stringer]

Oops, sorry, didn't realize you were on the other side of the planet - Pete is right, you certainly can use heavier strings, .11-50 should not be a problem. Perhaps it's time you took the matter into you own hands and learned about how to setup (or at least pass the information onto someone on how to setup) a John Petrucci guitar. Here are some tips from our FAQ section on setting up JP's:

When restringing, turn the tuner's holes toward the corresponding nut slots. This will keep the strings as short as possible for more stable tuning.

The next step is to check the relief in the neck by holding the lowest string down on the second fret with your fretting hand; then hold it down on the 12th fret with your right thumb and tap on the string on the middle of these two points to show how straight the neck is. It should be no more than the thickness of a thick business card, no more than that, though it can be less. If there is no relief a little pressure in the middle of the neck should take care of it. If it does not, feel free to contact us.

With the guitar tuned to pitch in the playing position and looking down the body, the top of the body, the top of the bridge should be parallel (both front to back, bass to treble side) to or slightly higher than the body with the bottom still recessed. The saddles should not come in contact with the cover and the intonation screws. If this occurs, lower the saddles and raise the bridge. After every adjustment, it is necessary to re-tune the guitar.

Factory string setting for standard tuning starts at the bass side 2/32" (0.0254m) to 5/64" (0.127m) and the treble side is 3/64" (0.0762m) to 2/32" (.254m) measured from the 12th fret to the bottom of the strings. The top of the strings should have the radius of the fretboard when you are looking at the strings in the playing position and by rotating the instrument while at the same time bringing strings into view one at a time. Remember, string height is ultimately determined by your preference and playing style, as well as the string gauge and tuning (if you you use an alternate tuning). Again, after every adjustment it is necessary to re-tune the guitar, to give you a starting reference.

Now, you are ready to play your guitar. If a string buzzes on an open string to the 5th fret and no higher, more relief is needed. If there is more buzz from the 5th to the 12th fret, the neck needs to be straighter. You should check the string height after every adjustment. If the buzzing happens throughout the neck, the string height needs to be increased.

When setting up, always consider all of the other changes that will occur with every adjustment, starting with step one, tuning up after each step you take.

For intonation, check the harmonics to the fretted note on the twelfth fret If the fretted note is sharp, you need to make the string longer by turning the intonation screw for that string (located on the tail end of the bridge) clockwise, counter-clockwise if the fretted note is flat.If you turn the screw counter-clockwise, always turn the screw clockwise afterwards. (If you don't play much above that fret, you can skip the next step). Also check the harmonics at the 19th fret after the twelfth fret is set, repeating the procedure above. Make sure that the string is coming off of the saddle straight and not at an arch.

Hope this helps - the other thing you might do is get in touch with our Music Man distributor in Singapore. They are: Excel Sports & Music, 47 Tannery Ln. #02-05,Elite Industrial Bldg. II Singapore, 347794 Phone: 656 841 1055 Fax: 656 841 6606 Email: [email protected]

If they cannot help you directly, perhaps they can find someone who can.

 

[tommyindelaware]

Don´t let the tech near your guitar again!!!!!!!!!Really!!!

everyone keeps calling this clerk a tech !!!!!!! if he even left a string ball in the guitar...he's QLUELESS !!!!
you can do better than him yourself......w/ our help....
i would guess there are some of us here ( i 4 1 ) who will help you online step by step...

 

[SteveB]

unreal

Absolutely the worst setup job I've ever seen..

Did you see the height of the saddles? No wonder the action is high! I can't believe this person has ever set-up a guitar before in his/her life after seeing that bridge positioning.

saplingg, don't let them touch it again!