JPXI Piezo Crackling - Saddle Heights?

[Etudica]

My first EBMM (JPXI 7) just arrived earlier today (ordered brand new through GC) and I got right to work on it this evening. I found the factory action to be WAY too high for my playing style (Petrucci-ish of course!), so I began tweaking it carefully based on lots of discussions I've read online. I seem to have gotten the action nearly perfect for my taste, but while testing out the piezo I noticed the output was crackling/distorting on the low B string and a few higher ones as well depending on how hard I picked/strummed. And no, it is not buzzing coming through bc of the low action. It sounds almost like static interference. It's random, and it's not the signal cutting out either.

I noticed earlier in the MM FAQ that "The saddles should not come in contact with the cover and the intonation screws". Well, none of my saddle appeared to be touching the top bridge section covering them, and I thought the intonation screws were threaded directly into the saddles, hence always in contact, correct? I'm really confused about the whole saddle height thing and what this note is actually referring to...

Regardless, I decided to lower my low B saddle a little more than an 1/8th of a turn on each saddle screw, and the piezo crackling disappeared! However, I couldn't visually see any problems with the saddle height. Can anyone help provide some insight on what's going on here?!

Setup Notes: I did take the 2 main bridge posts down quite a bit while setting the action. After adjusting those and the trem springs, my bridge is now perfectly level and flush with the body on the bass side, maybe a 1/64th recessed on the treble side. I also ended up making a 1/4 turn adjustment to the truss rod to take some relief out. I haven't adjusted any saddles except the low B as mentioned above. I have a lot of experience but never owned a MM and this bridge is completely new to me...

 

[beej]

Best bet is to give the customer service guys a ring/email. They're in the best position to get you sorted out.

 

[Etudica]

So I just got off the phone with customer service (cool guys so far!) and helped me understand the bridge setup a bit more. I was worried I took the bridge post screws down too low, but they confirmed my bridge height adjustment was done correctly and should be level/near flush with the top of the body. They also said once the bridge is set correctly in relation to the body, then begin adjusting saddle heights to fine tune the action.

The issue I was experiencing was most likely not caused by the saddle touching the bridge plate, but instead the piezo pickup lead touching the inside of the saddle in some way. Tweaking the saddle height up and then down must have provide just enough clearance for the piezo lead inside to clean up the static I was experiencing.

On a side note, I absolutely LOVE this guitar! Pickups and tones seem so much clearer than the evolutions I'm used to in my Jems. I have a feeling there will be many more Music Mans joining my collection in the near future

 

[Etudica]

Actually, the crackling has started to come back despite adjusting the saddle height. I replaced the battery it shipped with with a brand new one too. The only way I can seem to temporarily stop it is by putting some pressure over the string crease where it meets the saddle... kinda seat it on there with a little force. This helps, but it starts to come back after some time. It was actually EB customer service that recommended creasing the strings slightly over the saddle to get the best piezo signal.

Anyone else notice this or have any additional tricks to keep the piezo signal as clean as possible???