JPX 6, Not the Perfect Fit. Looking for Suggestions

[Paul LaPlaca]

Hello-

I've had my JPX for over a year and it's fantastic but not the perfect fit for me. Not complaining, just looking for a few different things here.

The pros are, it's an amazingly quiet (even on the single coil stuff) and versatile guitar. It plays and sounds great and looks amazing. The piezo acoustic sound is incredible.

I do have several problems though.

The volume jump from split single coil to full bridge or neck is so extreme it's almost unusable. That and the position of the 5 way switch makes it inevitable to accidentally fall out of a funky strum pattern into a blazingly loud, incorrect pick-up choice mid song.

The scale length is just slightly too long for me to do a comfortable 1,2,4 finger whole step stretch.

The whammy bar is rock solid but need something that would take a little more aggressive treatment.

The body is just a little too small and at 6'1" and 250lbs. I look like I am playing a toy.

These are relatively minor issues but can anyone suggest:

1.) A similar guitar with less of a volume jump between pick-ups, with the selector in a position away from a normal strum arc.

2.) An original Floyd or something closer to it.

3.) A slightly tighter scale length.

4.) A slightly larger body.

Thank you!

 

[ohdamnitsdevin]

Perhaps a Luke 3 or a Y2D?

 

[mystixboi1]

I was going to suggest those two as as well. Love the luke iii

 

[Sigvard90]

I think in your case it would be interesting to look at the AXIS with Floyd, it has all the options you described imo... although it is not much (if at all) larger in size, but has a thicker body. It definitely looks very cool on stage!

 

[Jamie M]

Axis

 

[Razzle]

Well you want a bigger guitar, but a smaller scale length, and I assume you want 24 frets. hmmm

An SM-Y2D has a bigger body IMO, but it's a 25.5" scale with only 22 frets. Both the Luke and Axis are smaller body styles anyway, and plus they both also only have 22 frets but with the same 25.5" scale length.

I'm not sure there's an EBMM that fits what you want (okay knuckleheads, go ahead and flame and correct me now). It seems to me you want a ESP LTD or something similar (like a custom somewhere like Agile), I had one but sold it, it's got 24 frets with a 24-3/4 scale length. The upper frets were so darned small I could hardly play them.

That said... I'm 6'3" and I absolutely love my JPX and JP guitars. I think they're perfect. I love the body styling (prefer them to the larger SM-Y2D), and I love the 24 frets on a 25.5" scale length guitar. I think the PUs are killer, and I have several guitars with floyds, the JP tremolos effectively work just as well or better and they are a LOT easier to set up. And I love the necks, the neck on the SM-Y2D isn't as small and the neck on the Axis is even chunkier yet. I do not own a Luke.

Good luck with your search. I'd say sell your JPX to me, but I already have one.

 

[roburado]

Shorter scale length with a Floyd? You're not going to find that in a Music Man. An Alex Lifeson guitar, perhaps? The only shorter-scale length guitar in the Music Man line is the Armada, which has no Floyd.

 

[Fluxx]

Sounds like you want an acoustic just kidding

As far as body size goes, I think it's in your head. I'm 6'4" 260lbs and I don't feel like my JP13 is small at all. Relative to other guitars that is. JP himself is no tiny man, and he looks pretty rockin with the JP... all in the eye of the beholder i guess.

And to whoever said Luke, bad choice as the body FEELS substantially smaller, I traded one to get my JP13, as I think the JP's are a better fit, at least over a luke.

Maybe an exotic shape would work for you? Try and Armada or a majesty with the accentuated horn? Or a product by another company *coughreedsmithcough* if you HAVE TO....

 

[mikeller]

You might consider looking at the Silhouette's that were made for Guitar Center last year - HH chrome pictures, floyd and 24 frets

 

[Rachmaninoff]

Shorter scale length with a Floyd? You're not going to find that in a Music Man. An Alex Lifeson guitar, perhaps? The only shorter-scale length guitar in the Music Man line is the Armada, which has no Floyd.

I agree. For what OP said, I guess a Gibson Les Paul Axcess is what he's looking for.

 

[QuietSpike]

This thread has bad news written all over it...



For the record, Im 6'2, 210 lbs, and my JP12 feels right at home with me. At our sizes, we would dwarf pretty much any guitar… that said, I don't see how a shorter scale length is going to help the situation any.

 

[Rachmaninoff]

I don't see how a shorter scale length is going to help the situation any.

It's a matter of preference, really. Zakk Wylde is a big guy and he plays a 24.75 scale on his Les Paul. Maybe OP just likes shorter scales.

 

[QuietSpike]

It's a matter of preference, really. Zakk Wylde is a big guy and he plays a 24.75 scale on his Les Paul. Maybe OP just likes shorter scales.

Yeah, to clarify-- I was referring to OP's problem of looking like he is playing a "toy"… a shorter scale length won't help the look… maybe comfort or playability, but not the look. I have a LP in my arsenal, and it "looks" smaller than my JP. I also have an "i" word Jem model, and that is about the biggest guitar I have (again, 25.5 scale), and I still dwarf that guitar. Big guys make guitars look small… just the way it is.