JP action question (NGD!)

[Cameron Himself]

Hey guys, so I am the proud owner of a EBMM JP6 in mystic dream. I believe it is from around 2003. So, I really love it; sounds absolutely killer. The trem itself is just unbelievable! I generally don't jive with unfinished necks, but I am getting used to it. I do however have some questions regarding the action.

Now, I am no stranger to setups as that I setup all of my own guitars and am very comfortable with truss rod adjustments, trems, floyds, etc... Right now, I have it set up with .10-.46 strings to Eb Standard. The trem is prefectly parallel to the body, the neck has a little bit of relief, and the bridge itself just peaks above the body (as far as how low I have the bridge set).

Now, for some reason the action feels a little stiff. Does anyone else perceive a stiff feel? Maybe I should go down to .9's?

Also, How low do you guys set your action? How much does your bridge sit above (or below) the body? I feel like I can't go any lower on the bridge without some serious buzzing on the lower strings.

I am just curious to see how people have theirs set up. I really like mine a lot. Every guitar I have is unique so it takes me a while to really get them set up where I like em.

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[browndog]

Welcome & congrats on the JP.

I will be of no help whatsoever cause I have no clue. Enjoy it man!

 

[JP7Nomad]

In reference to the stiff feel - do you use Elixir strings? Once I put something else on my JP other than elixirs, it didn't feel as stiff.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Hi
The trem plate needs to be flush with the body rather than sticking up proud.

I use 9's on my JP6 which feels fine.

Theres very good set up info here
how-do-i-set-up-my-john-petrucci-guitar | music-man-guitars | faq

 

[WillyD]

factory spec is 2/32" at 12th fret on all strings.
Spud is correct, trem plate flush w/body

 

[jam3v]

I know what you mean. When I first got a JP it seemed really hard to bend the strings. If you wanted to relieve some of that tension, instead of going to 9's, you could remove one of the springs holding the trem in the cavity (if you know how to do that type of thing).

As far as action, I always set up the bridge flush with the body, then make minor adjustments from there. I have a hard time bending strings in the higher registers without those minor adjustments. My string height is right around 1.5mm measured at the 12th fret.

 

[Cameron Himself]

Awesome! In my excitement on waiting for the JP to arrive, I read all of the stuff, and I of course forgot I read it in my excitement of receiving the guitar .

Anyway, I moved the bridge so that it is about flush with the body and that really helped! I had to add a little more relief to the neck, but now we are in business! Out of curiosity, how much fret buzz are you guys getting down around the first few frets? I'm definitely getting some but it is not a huge; the same with all of my guitars.

Thanks!

Cam

 

[jam3v]

I get more fret buzz than I would like, mostly on the low E string. I think it's because I pick really hard (grew up down picking Metallica) and my neck is really flat.

 

[Slowlicks]

Mine has 10's on it. It plays like 9's on most other guitars.
Suggestion: Have it set up by a pro. There is no reason for that guitar to have fret buzz anywhere. "Its a Music Man".

 

[straycat113]

Well my JP is my only guitar that I have that is set to float as everything else is set to just dive. I am not a shredder but I like to incorporate shred techniques into my playing and the JPs fretboard is best suited to that in my opinion. I have 9s on it and the trem is set flush with the action set very low , but just high enough so that I can bend comfortably. I also have no fret buzz at all, but on any guitar where the action is just about hitting the frets you are going to get some buzz though it should not come through your amp so I would not really worry.

 

[Cameron Himself]

As it turns out, there seems to be a little more fret wear than I expected, which is a bummer. I am getting fretbuzz in what seem like random places which leads me to believe that those frets are lower. Most places aren't that bad really, but a few others are very noticible.

 

[beej]

Best advice is to get it looked at and set up to your liking. It's good to learn how to do this yourself, but certainly you should get the guitar where you like and play the hell out of it.

Random fret buzzes doesn't necessarily mean it needs a fret job. Get a good tech to look at it first.

 

[Cameron Himself]

I am most likely going to take it to a great tech tomorrow, but I am curious of some opinions here.

After going back and forth trying to get the action low but with minimal buzz, I looked at the frets and saw a decent amount of wear around the middle of most of them. Here are a few pictures:

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I know it is really though to make a call just by looking at these pics, but assuming most of the frets look like this (except for the first five and the last few) do you think it might be time for a dress?



Thanks!

Cam

 

[Spudmurphy]

From the pictures it looks like the frets need re crowning. A fret dress would help the set up go a lot smoother.

 

[shredhed]

You're already tuned to Eflat? 10s should feel ok. I had 10s tuned to standard 440 A and it did seem stiff (exact word I used at the time) SO I went to 9s and also removed a spring. The ones that came in it are stiff enough that 2 were more than ample to keep it stable with light strings.

I did have to tweak the TR though b/c of the lesser tension with the 9s.

But if you are unsure where the problem lies, you may call CS or just take it to the tech you mentioned.

Good luck. Mine is a MD also. Very nice!

 

[Cameron Himself]

Ok, here is a quick update. I took it to my local fretwork guy who is very very good. As I suspected, for the action I want the guitar really needed a fret-dress. So, my EBMM is in his care for a week or so. He says the the EBMM truss rod design is the best out there, and that he is very excited to work on my guitar. I'm very happy to get the ball rolling!