JP15 - How low can the action go?

[lood]

Hey all, new to music man and the jp series (got a 15 myself).

Anyway, the guitar came with a noticeable in the amp fretbuzz, I took it to the store luthier (a guy well known) and he add some relief on the neck and raised the strings action.

Now I do understand that its still low action, but to me it feels at least 2/3 more then my other guitar (prs custom 24).

So I wanted to know, is it possible to have a lower action? How low is your jp15 action?
Thanks..

 

[Etudica]

It's all a balancing act, but yes, if you take your time you can get the action to be super low and still not be noticeable through an amp (piezo may be a different story though depending on how low you go).

I also have a PRS CU24, and I have not been able to get the action on that nearly as low as my JPs. In fact, I'm about to do some major modifications to the nut on the PRS to get it closer to my JPs' action, none of which required touching the nut.

Remember, you also have the saddle heights to play with. If you added more relief the the neck, you may want to try lowering the saddles a hair now (given your bridge is in correctly alignment and tension). Again, a balancing act.

 

[MesaBeno]

It can get real low. Unfortunately, I don't have a string height gauge (I ordered one recently, still in the mail), but I can tell you that it's very low. There's basically fret buzz almost everywhere unplugged, but none of it comes through the amp (there are 2 or 3 spots where the sustain is actually slightly affected, but to me it's a worthy price to pay for how low the action is).

It's all about preference, ultimately.

Once I receive the string gauge, I'll measure and post it.

 

[lood]

First of all thanks for the quick answers!
Well this action is needed lower!
Is it something that can be one at home without any special tools?

 

[Etudica]

There are a ton of threads on here and helpful tips all over the web for JP setups. Start with walkthroughs on setting the bridge. I know you took it to a luthier, but that doesn't mean it is correct. I have gotten guitars back from luthiers with the bridges waaaaay out of spec. Bridge should be parallel with surface of the body. There is no right or wrong specs for bridge height, except in the unlikely scenario you run out of adjustment room on the saddles and the piezos bottom out.

Are you running 9s or 10s for strings, and how many springs are in your trem claw currently?

 

[lood]

There are a ton of threads on here and helpful tips all over the web for JP setups. Start with walkthroughs on setting the bridge. I know you took it to a luthier, but that doesn't mean it is correct. I have gotten guitars back from luthiers with the bridges waaaaay out of spec. Bridge should be parallel with surface of the body. There is no right or wrong specs for bridge height, except in the unlikely scenario you run out of adjustment room on the saddles and the piezos bottom out.

Are you running 9s or 10s for strings, and how many springs are in your trem claw currently?

I run 10s and 3 springs (came like this from the factory).
The luthier only touched the 6 saddles that the string lays on (and the truss rod).

 

[Lou]

You need to have that tech set it up the way you want it, not so it stops buzzing. Any competent tech would not let the guitar go home without giving the customer what they want.

 

[MesaBeno]

Ok, finally got the string gauge measure ruler thingy today, and this is what I have on my JP15:

Low E: 0.050 in = 1.25 mm

High E: 0.030 in = 0.75 mm

Hope that helps!

 

[Jeong]

That is some lowwwww action! I want to get mine that low.

 

[DrKev]

Is it something that can be one at home without any special tools?

In other words - "can I do the same job as good guitar tech/luthier at home, without the tools they use?" The answer is either "no", or "yes, if you buy some tools at least and take the time to learn how to do setups".

The good news is that it's not gravitational wave science and anyone can do it. A steel engineers rule (or string height gauge), automotive feeler gauges, a capo, and all the correct size screwdrivers and allen wrenches you'll need for whatever guitar you happen to be working on, and you can accurately and consistently measure and set the string height and neck relief.

The Fender strat setup guide (over on Fender.com) is a very good resource to learn what to do. Dan Erlewine's books are also excellent learning tools.

And then we have the personal element - the setup that works for one person may or may not work for anyone else. We all have unique hands and fingers and strike the strings very differently. At low string heights different people will get different amounts of fret buzz, and some will also be more tolerant of fret buzz. So when one person says, "I can go this low", that may not aooly to somebody else, playing the same guitar!

 

[MesaBeno]

In other words - "can I do the same job as good guitar tech/luthier at home, without the tools they use?" The answer is either "no", or "yes, if you buy some tools at least and take the time to learn how to do setups".

The good news is that it's not gravitational wave science and anyone can do it. A steel engineers rule (or string height gauge), automotive feeler gauges, a capo, and all the correct size screwdrivers and allen wrenches you'll need for whatever guitar you happen to be working on, and you can accurately and consistently measure and set the string height and neck relief.

The Fender strat setup guide (over on Fender.com) is a very good resource to learn what to do. Dan Erlewine's books are also excellent learning tools.

And then we have the personal element - the setup that works for one person may or may not work for anyone else. We all have unique hands and fingers and strike the strings very differently. At low string heights different people will get different amounts of fret buzz, and some will also be more tolerant of fret buzz. So when one person says, "I can go this low", that may not aooly to somebody else, playing the same guitar!

FWIW, I got my action down that low at home without any special tools other than my eyeballs and a set of allen keys...

 

[MesaBeno]

That is some lowwwww action! I want to get mine that low.

You certainly should be able to - I may just have a higher tolerance for buzz than you. The guitar buzzes acoustically all over the place (piezo KIND OF picks it up, not entirely, but you hear the lack of sustain for sure), but when I play distorted through the amp I can't hear it, and that's what I use as a metric.

 

[QuietSpike]

My JP15 action is low.... And there's a video of it somewhere in one of the very similar threads...

 

[gurtejsingh]

My JP15 action is low.... And there's a video of it somewhere in one of the very similar threads...

^^^ Yup. It's there in one of the threads and it's awesome and inspiring

I've taken the action down low to almost 1.1mm on my JP15, with an almost straight neck. It's possible, but as already above, it should be setup as per your liking and comfort. That low is just too much buzz for me!

I'm more comfortable between 1.3-1.5mm range TBH.

Find your sweet spot Tools can certainly help to make it a little easier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jbailes]

I'd like to find out from the owners of the JP-12 (20" radius) how low their action can get, and would it be worth getting that instead of a 16" radiused guitar. I currently use .010-.046 strings and have just ordered .009-.042 to put on my SBMM Koa guitar and see how low I can get it. any input is appreciated.

 

[QuietSpike]

I have all three JP radii... 20, 17, and 15.... And all three have extremely low action.

My JP12 originally came with 9s, and I put 10s on (and went from 2 springs to 3, FWIW). Either string choice, I had extremely low action.

The radius doesn't matter that much as far as how low you can go. It is a delicate balancing act between bridge height/tension, neck relief, and saddle height. My action is low enough to where a slight change in temp/humidity makes a noticeable difference to me and may require a slight truss adjustment.