How low can you get the action on a Silhouette?

[cw6105]

I'm in need of a fast neck. I currently play an '01 Brawley that i put sperzerl locking tuners and a hipshot stoptail bridge on, but it really is just a cheap guitar.

I really love the design of the silhouette, very comfortable body, minimal neck heel, comes with dimarzios etc. I have played on several EB's over the years and can order one and never question their fret work, it's amazing.

Now I used to own a '04 Lava Pearl JPM6 w/piezo that I had to sell for financial reasons and have regretted that ever since. I bought that guitar new from gc for $1250. Obviously I cannot get that guitar for that price these days.

It seems for a JPM it would cost me closer to $2,000 to get a JPM6, which is why the silhouette is on my mind. The main question I have regarding it can I get that low action I need.

I play a lot of Satriani, Timmons and Petrucci style instrumental music, I also have a Satriani tribute band as well.

With the 10" radius of the Silhouette, is it possible to get that 1/32" off the 12th fret that I really want?

 

[DrKev]

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

1/32" is lower than any manufacturer will suggest, because (as I'm sure you're very well aware) significant fret buzz would be all but unavoidable without the a very delicate picking technique. According to the Music Man FAQ, the factory setting for the Petrucci is no lower than 3/64" on the high E-string. I can't say I have ever seen any other manufacturer publish a setting that low! And you want 1/32" (0.8mm!)? Wow!

If you could set your old Petrucci to 1/32" and not be bothered by string buzz then you can do the same on a Silhouette (the fret work is equally amazing) but my guess is that 1/32" is too low for a 10" radius not to 'fret out' while bending.

1/16" is plenty low for most people and even too low for some. If you don't mind me asking, why do you need to go to 1/32"? Is it that much of a deal breaker?

 

[cw6105]

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

1/32" is lower than any manufacturer will suggest, because (as I'm sure you're very well aware) significant fret buzz would be all but unavoidable without the a very delicate picking technique. According to the Music Man FAQ, the factory setting for the Petrucci is no lower than 3/64" on the high E-string. I can't say I have ever seen any other manufacturer publish a setting that low! And you want 1/32" (0.8mm!)? Wow!

If you could set your old Petrucci to 1/32" and not be bothered by string buzz then you can do the same on a Silhouette (the fret work is equally amazing) but my guess is that 1/32" is too low for a 10" radius not to 'fret out' while bending.

1/16" is plenty low for most people and even too low for some. If you don't mind me asking, why do you need to go to 1/32"? Is it that much of a deal breaker?

I know they manufacturer won't reccommend it, but it is just easier to play. The JPM was 1/32" high e, 2/32" low e and there was no fret buzz and it did not fret out.

Well obviously for legatto it makes it effortless to play. I don't have to have 1/32" but again I don't want it too high. Too high for me would be 3/32 or anything higher.

I found a Silhouette at Guitar Center that they were clearancing. White w/ blk pickguard, rosewood board, matching headstock. It played ok, I liked the way the neck felt, but it could have used a setup. So it just left me question how would this guitar play with a proper setup.

Again, I play of lot of Satriani with my tribute band so low action would be more ideal.

I'm not really happy about what Ibanez is putting out these days, so the only options I am aware of for my tastes would be to buy a JPM, possibly a slihouette, or a carvin custom shop.

 

[cw6105]

so yes it seems to be a dealbreaker. a 10" radius is limiting the playability of the instrument. EB needs to offer this guitar in 16" radius with a routed trem.

 

[beej]

Lots of guys (including some serious shredders) love them as is. If you want a flatter board with a floating trem in the MM line, you're back looking at the Petrucci.

Action-wise, every piece of wood is different, so it's going to depend on how good your setup is. I've had a few guitars where I've been able to get the action that low, most others buzz considerably. (I usually aim for 3-4/64ths at the 12th fret, with a capo at the first fret to eliminate nut height in the measurement.) The fretwork needs to be spot on.

I don't buy that you need the action that low to rip like those guys, though. You'd be surprised how high the action is on some of the player guitars.

 

[fbecir]

I agree with DrKev. 1/32" is really very low and with a traditional wood neck it is a bit crazy because wood is not stable enough.
The only guitar I know with such an action is the Vigier Excalibur Shawn Lane : the action at the 12th fret goes from 0.7 mm (treble) to 1 mm (bass). But the Vigier has a neck with carbon (10% carbon and 90% wood), a flat radius, a zero fret ...
The Vigier guitars are famous for their low action (thanks to their carbon neck) but the other models have a higher action (1,5 mm (treble) to 2 mm (bass)) . Personally, I do not like such a low action. It is very restrictive and the Music Man necks really feel better.
Like Beej said, I think that most of the pro player have an action higher than that.

 

[cw6105]

Guys, I love the feel of the music man necks. I've just noticed from some of my fav players they all have a much flatter radius. Satriani has a compound 10-16" is what I have heard, Petrucci 15" and now on the JPMXI 20" radius (holy crap), Vai 16.9/430mm, Gilbert 17", etc.

I just played on a clearanced silhouette up at GC and the action was too high on it for most players tastes, its higher than normal cause it needs a setup, so hard for me to tell without setting it up. I really do love the musicman necks as I feel they make the beat production quality guitar these days.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

Mine is lower than a snakes belly. Got a little bit of buz but is k for me.

 

[BrickGlass]

I put all my electric guitars at 2/32. Any lower and buzzing will be happening somewhere. Has to right at 2/32 though or it bothers me. 1/32 is just a world of buzz in my experience.

 

[VinSun]

I put all my electric guitars at 2/32. Any lower and buzzing will be happening somewhere. Has to right at 2/32 though or it bothers me. 1/32 is just a world of buzz in my experience.

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