JP6 action concerns

[Nebuchenazarr]

Hey all, I recently bought a fully loaded pearl redburst JP6. Although it is quite nice, I'm not completely satisfied with the action. I bought it in a store in Ontario by phone, so I didnt have a chance to play it before buying it. I suspect it had been in that store for a while, as the strings on it showed ware. I changed the strings a couple of days ago for ernie ball 10 gage slinkys. It sounds considerably better and is easier to play now but the action is an issue I think. Here are some pics of the action :

Is that angle in the tremolo normal??? If not, how can I fix it?

I read that the factory setting for this is 1/16th -> 1.5875 mm, which is pretty close to this, but still I would like a lower action

I tried lowering it a bit while I changed the strings by lowering the two bolts holding the tremolo but when I got it down to my desired height I got moderate buzzing.

Also I've been meaning to try adjusting the trust rod, but after inserting a tool in the wheel and trying to turn it in vain (tried pretty hard, dont wanna break anything), I'm wondering if its stuck, or needs more force or if I'm just not doing the right thing.

I've also though about bringing it to a local store and having it adjusted by a tech, but I've read horror stories about getting them back worse and having to pay for nothing and such so, I'm not too keen about that.

So basically, what would you guys do to fix that?

Thanks

 

[kevin]

http://www.ernieball.com/faq_content.php?subjectcode=mm_guitars

you should find all your answers here.....if you have any other detailed questions that the FAQ can't answer feel free to e-mail me direct, but give the FAQ a shot first if you will.

Cheers....and welcome to the forum, we always love seeing new members of the Music Man family!

 

[petruccirocks02]

Hey all, I recently bought a fully loaded pearl redburst JP6. Although it is quite nice, I'm not completely satisfied with the action. I bought it in a store in Ontario by phone, so I didnt have a chance to play it before buying it. I suspect it had been in that store for a while, as the strings on it showed ware. I changed the strings a couple of days ago for ernie ball 10 gage slinkys. It sounds considerably better and is easier to play now but the action is an issue I think. Here are some pics of the action :

Is that angle in the tremolo normal??? If not, how can I fix it?

I read that the factory setting for this is 1/16th -> 1.5875 mm, which is pretty close to this, but still I would like a lower action

I tried lowering it a bit while I changed the strings by lowering the two bolts holding the tremolo but when I got it down to my desired height I got moderate buzzing.

Also I've been meaning to try adjusting the trust rod, but after inserting a tool in the wheel and trying to turn it in vain (tried pretty hard, dont wanna break anything), I'm wondering if its stuck, or needs more force or if I'm just not doing the right thing.

I've also though about bringing it to a local store and having it adjusted by a tech, but I've read horror stories about getting them back worse and having to pay for nothing and such so, I'm not too keen about that.

So basically, what would you guys do to fix that?

Thanks

The angle on your trem is definitely wrong. The tremolo plate should be level with the angle of the body. Try taking the back plate off of the guitar and screwing the 2 claw screws in a little bit. That should bring your bridge down and correct the angle and it should lower your action a tiny bit too. Its possible that you need a neck adjustment too. I would take it to your Local Guitar Center (if you have one by you) and see if their tech or something can fix that and the action for you since you're concerned about doing it yourself. Better safe than sorry.

-Phil

 

[Lou]

The trem plate should sit parallel and just slightly above the body. To get the plate at the proper location you'll need to tighten the trem claw screws in the back cavity. You'll then go back and forth tuning and adjusting the claw srews till you are level. It might help detuning a bit before you touch the screws.

Then set your neck relief by adjusting the truss rod. I always like to loosen my truss rod before trying to tighten it.

Once you get the relief correct then set your action by adjusting the individual string saddles, not the trem posts.

If you are uncomfortable doing any of this - you can't really do anything that can't be undone - bring it to a tech. No horror stories - don't leave the store until it's to your liking. This is your setup - not what the tech likes.

 

[Big Poppa]

GUys please let his dealer handle the problem 90% of customer service issues are owners doing bad setups....if not contact kevin and he will help

 

[Norrin Radd]

What BP said.

Hey Neb - welcome to the forum. You've got a great guitar there.

It also might help if you put your location in your sig. I've been known to help out new EBMM owners who live near me, and I bet others on the forum would do so also, just a thought.

 

[Nebuchenazarr]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

GUys please let his dealer handle the problem 90% of customer service issues are owners doing bad setups....if not contact kevin and he will help

Well as I said in my original post, the dealer I bought it from is in Ontario, and I am in New Brunswick, so sending it back there is not an option. I called my local guitar shop, MusicStop, and they said it would cost about 60 bucks to have it setup and would most likely take a couple of days. But again I'm not too keen to risk it. I'm probably gonna have it setup still.

I can't bring it by there until Tuesday anyway, in the meantime I still would like to know more and learn about setting up this guitar. I like being able to do stuff myself.

I managed to fix the angle on the trem, which has lowered the action considerably, but has created some buzzing in the low E A and G strings. So I'm still on the fence about putting back as it was with the angle or not. Here are a couple of updated pics.

Also I had a question regarding the neck to whoever would know, I noticed the neck on my JP6 seems to have a small slant after the 12th fret on the left (up) side while the other side is straight, is this normal? You can't really see it in the picture but, its just to explain what I mean better :

Again thanks for the feedback. Appreciate it.

 

[kevin]

Thanks for the feedback guys!



I called my local guitar shop, MusicStop, and they said it would cost about 60 bucks to have it setup and would most likely take a couple of days.

I can't bring it by there until Tuesday anyway, in the meantime I still would like to know more and learn about setting up this guitar. I like being able to do stuff myself.

I managed to fix the angle on the trem, which has lowered the action considerably, but has created some buzzing in the low E A and G strings. So I'm still on the fence about putting back as it was with the angle or not. Here are a couple of updated pics.

[

Did you have a chance to read through the guitar faq section?
I suggest taking it in for a set up for the $60, or sending it to the store from which it was purchased for a "warranty set up" within guidlines. We could run around in circles all day if your not to familar with set ups and such its always best to put it in the hands of a profesional. We try and keep customer service issues off of the forum. So please e-mail me direct with the serial number and we will go from there.

Thanks,

Kevin
International Customer Service
[email protected]

 

[Nebuchenazarr]

Did you have a chance to read through the guitar faq section?
I suggest taking it in for a set up for the $60, or sending it to the store from which it was purchased for a "warranty set up" within guidlines. We could run around in circles all day if your not to familar with set ups and such its always best to put it in the hands of a profesional. We try and keep customer service issues off of the forum. So please e-mail me direct with the serial number and we will go from there.

Thanks,

Kevin
International Customer Service
[email protected]

Oh, sorry, I did not know that these kind of inquiries did not belong on the forum. I'll ask more questions by mail if need be then.

 

[kevin]

Oh, sorry, I did not know that these kind of inquiries did not belong on the forum. I'll ask more questions by mail if need be then.

no problem at all my friend. We have a great customer service staff on hand to handle cs issues. We try and keep the forum fun!

 

[roburado]

No, set-up questions are fine here.

I think that what Kevin means is that these things could be handled much more quickly if you actually get to talk to someone. I had a number of set-up questions for my Silhouette Special which I bought used from Guitar Center. jongitarz from the repair department told me to give him a call, and it all worked out so much more quickly than posting here and waiting for a response, then posting my progress and more questions, waiting for a response, etc. It's a lot simpler to just have someone from CS or repairs talk you through a set-up.

 

[kevin]

actually what kevin means is: Set up questions are ok and always fine to discuss with other knuckleheads. But as you can see with this thread....it turns into question after question and becomes more than just standard set up q's...then new buzzes appear...and its another issue and so on. So its always in the "end customers" best interest to just contact the store or us(store first).

 

[roburado]

actually what kevin means is: Set up questions are ok and always fine to discuss with other knuckleheads. But as you can see with this thread....it turns into question after question and becomes more than just standard set up q's...then new buzzes appear...and its another issue and so on. So its always in the "end customers" best interest to just contact the store or us(store first).

Yeah. That's pretty much what I was trying to say. So, I was close.

 

[kevin]

yeah..what Rob said

 

[roburado]

Warning. Teeny-weeny hijack.

Good meeting you Kevin, however brief it was.

 

[Fusionman]

I do my own set ups. Ive been doing them for years and learned by messing with a cheap gtr I bought many years ago.

I also was forced to learn how when I took a job years ago at a retailer and myself and another guy had to tweak out the stock gtrs constantly; many times straight out of the box these gtrs needed set ups.

However, I do agree w/BP saying, "Its the best $60.00 you can spend on gtr." Especially if you dont know exactly what you are doing yourself. After all you just spent close to 2 grand for a JP, whats another few bucks to get her done just right?

If in doubt as to who to go to, you could start a post asking for referrals of gtr techs where you live. Then when you get time, research books on doing your own set ups. Some are excellent. Also some techs will let you watch them do the set up. It really takes minimal tools and a good quality tuner. Good luck and enjoy the JP!!

 

[Big Poppa]

ROb when a mod answers a question please try not to dont contradict him like you did with kevin and me double headed armchair moderation.....Love you but also PLEASE dont suggest that people call Jonguitarz to talk them through a set up......He has tons of work to do and isnt sitting in a call center. If the guitar was bought new then the dealer should take care of it and the warranty also applies.....

 

[roburado]

Sorry, BP. I was trying to kind of uh...translate what Kevin was trying to say, because the original poster didn't seem to understand his first post. I didn't mean to contradict him. Sorry, if it came out that way.

I guess I did kind of step on yours and Kevin's ground. Sorry about that.

I didn't mean to suggest that people call Jon directly. Sorry, if it came off that way. I would never have thought to call him. He approached me with an offer of assistance and suggested that I give him a call after noting that I had some set-up questions. I wouldn't have had the uh...audacity, for lack of a better word. Just meant to say that EBMM people have been a great help to me out of their own kindness and their commitment to great service, and I appreciate them. They really go above and beyond. Jon had no obligation to have me or anyone call him at work with this kind of stuff. Obviously, you don't want him being "call center" guy. I really just meant to give your people their deserved kudos, but I guess it came out the wrong way.

Also, I didn't mean to contradict you. I guess what you said was "in one ear out the other" with me there, and I ended up contradicting you. I wasn't paying enough attention. Sorry.

I guess my attempts to help a bit were ham-fisted, much like my guitar playing. I'll try to keep from getting in the way next time. Again, Sorry.

 

[the24thfret]

I have nothing of substance to add other than do the setups yourself! You obviously have an eye and an ear for what you need to do, and learning to setup your guitar will bond you much more with your instrument... find a friend or someone who can help show you how!

 

[Big Poppa]

Ok Please understand that my intentions are to get this guitar fixed properly ASAP. I agree that he should learn how to set his own guitar up...maybe he should observe a quality luthier and start there. ONe of the things he will notice is that if propewrly done the adjustments are usually very minor