Majesty 6 Stability

[fstrat76]

I am having tuning stability issues with my Majesty 6 Artic Dream that I purchased a couple years ago.

When I purchased the guitar, I switched the strings to 9 gauge (various brands) and did a setup. I never used the guitar too much except for recording with the piezo, and little to no trem use.

Now I am trying to use this guitar to play heavier material live and using the trem quite a bit. The guitar goes out of tune on the G and low E strings (extreme half-step). All other strings stay in tune.

I adjust and setup all of my own guitars, have viewed and read all the posts I can about this particular guitar and trem, taken it to a tech, and have just been unable to get this adjusted properly.

I have stretched the strings, changed to different brands (Ernie Ball, Elixr, D'addario, GHS), balanced and re-balanced the trem, tried to clean out the nut slots, tried nut sauce at the nut and a tiny bit at the saddle. Adjusted the truss and saddle heights for proper action.

A couple oddities I notice is that the G string tuner is more difficult to turn than the others when the tension is tight. I also noticed that as I tighten the tuner lock, the string begins to go sharp so I have to retune. The other strings don't do this as much, but my guess is that this might be normal.

Two other observations: When diving, you can actually see the strings lift up from the saddles, not sure it is normal on this trem. Also, the saddles seem to have a slot in them as you can feel something when you move the string side to side in its saddle. Not sure if this normal either.

My thoughts were to:

-Try 10 gauge strings - would prefer not to but I can do this as a cheap test.

-Replace the tuner on the G (or at least swap it with one of the others)

-Replace the saddle

-Replace the nut

-All of the above, which would lead me to wonder about the quality.


I like this guitar and want to keep it in my collection, but its got to hold up to live use.


Any other things that I should try?

Thanks.

 

[beej]

Any other things that I should try?.

Calling Customer Service?

 

[fstrat76]

Calling Customer Service?

Yes, contacted them earlier this week. Awaiting reply. Thought the user community would have real-life experiences and suggestions.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Have you tried adjusting the claw screws to give you more tension? You went from 10s to 9s. That trem is now higher than it was (maybe the cause of the lifting?). That's where I would start.

It also saddens me that you took this to a tech and the problem still exists. I would suggest a different tech.

 

[fstrat76]

Have you tried adjusting the claw screws to give you more tension? You went from 10s to 9s. That trem is now higher than it was (maybe the cause of the lifting?). That's where I would start.

It also saddens me that you took this to a tech and the problem still exists. I would suggest a different tech.

Yes, I adjusted the claw and balanced the trem.

Agreed about the tech. Would like to figure this one out and learn this guitar since I can't always rely on a tech.

EB suggested verifying string height to 2/32. I will double-check that.

 

[SpeakingToStone]

Strings often get caught in the nut, which needs lubrication. It could be as simple as that.

 

[JamieCrain]

Strings often get caught in the nut, which needs lubrication. It could be as simple as that.

Yes although moving to a narrower gauge would likely free them up. I don't believe the saddle is the issue as it will return to the same position after using the trem. String height would have to be off the scale to affect tuning I'd have thought. The Majesty has an angled headstock.

It's possible the tuning gears for the G string are gone and therefore slipping when the tension changes. Try disassembling, lubricating etc. Also check that the locking mechanism is working and that it is grabbing the string when you tighten it.

 

[BrickGlass]

First thing I'd try would be to lubricate the nut, saddles and bridge posts. Obviously wait to hear from CS, but some Big Bends Nut Sauce can work wonders.

 

[steevo]

Yes although moving to a narrower gauge would likely free them up. I don't believe the saddle is the issue as it will return to the same position after using the trem. String height would have to be off the scale to affect tuning I'd have thought. The Majesty has an angled headstock.

It's possible the tuning gears for the G string are gone and therefore slipping when the tension changes. Try disassembling, lubricating etc. Also check that the locking mechanism is working and that it is grabbing the string when you tighten it.

Those were my first thoughts, sounds as if it may be the locking tuner as its the only part that you have to physically lock.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[fstrat76]

First thing I'd try would be to lubricate the nut, saddles and bridge posts. Obviously wait to hear from CS, but some Big Bends Nut Sauce can work wonders.

I already tried the nut sauce. Prefer not to use it, but I tried it in this case.

Per customer service, to make sure there was no magnetic pull on the strings after trem use, I reset the action to factory height, because I had the action lower than 2/32 (though I prefer it lower on the treble side). Everything is spot on but still no luck. I am working with customer service on this also and will report any progress for others benefit.

The possibility that its the tuner is interesting. The low E tuner seems functional, but the G is really hard to turn with tension (even with the top screw loosened) and definitely does not adjust the tuning as smoothly as the other strings.

The locking mechanism is locking, but it is turned really tight. To eliminate the tuner lock as an issue, I also used the locking winding method.

I will try either swapping the G tuner and/or disassembling and lubricating it.

 

[notshredding]

Ok, even though it will make enemies, I have to say.........

I bought one of these a while back. Why did I return it? Because no matter what I did, no matter what strings I used, it would go out of tune every single time I touched it.

I'm not trying to say that anyone is right or wrong, but that was my very bizarre 2600 USD experience. It went back. FWIW.

 

[fstrat76]

Ok, even though it will make enemies, I have to say.........

I bought one of these a while back. Why did I return it? Because no matter what I did, no matter what strings I used, it would go out of tune every single time I touched it.

I'm not trying to say that anyone is right or wrong, but that was my very bizarre 2600 USD experience. It went back. FWIW.

Well, your comment shouldn't make enemies. I really like the guitar, the sound, piezo, feel, etc, but for me its a tool, and if it can't hold up during live performance, then it so be it, I will have to unload it. I'm holding out that it can be fixed with the community support and Customer Service.

Update:

I swapped the G and D tuners, and the problem still exists, the G (and low E) still goes extremely sharp after trem use. I at least eliminated the tuner. Its got to be binding somewhere. I will have to look at replacing the nut, saddle, or trem unit next.

 

[mikeller]

I am not fond of nut-sauce either, but I do use it in some cases, particularly with a new nut.

What was recommended to me and I use is Tri-Flow Lubricant. I have the pin point applicator and drop a very small drop in each nut slot (with strings in place) and where the strings break over the saddle. Just a small amount works very well

 

[Etudica]

Is there any damage or uneven wear on your bridge posts or bridge plate where it pivots? I had a similar issue with a JP6 and turns out the issue was at that spot. Although with mine, some strings were just slightly off while others were way off tune... some worse than others but generally all strings affected.

 

[mapleleaf14]

I too had a lot of tuning instability (esp. the dang G...always a problem it seems) and I put some of the Big Bends Nut Sauce on just the nut and it really helped.

In the end though, I ended up "blocking" the trem on my Majesty as I'm just not really a "trem user" anyway...for the rare times I need to "dive bomb" for recording or something, I have an Ibanez Prestige with one of their Lo-Pro trems that was given to me awhile back that I can use. (Though technically I could still dive on the Majesty...it's just blocked from pulling up).

I will say though that after "blocking" the Majesty's trem, the thing stays in tune better than any other guitar in my arsenal!

 

[fstrat76]

Is there any damage or uneven wear on your bridge posts or bridge plate where it pivots? I had a similar issue with a JP6 and turns out the issue was at that spot. Although with mine, some strings were just slightly off while others were way off tune... some worse than others but generally all strings affected.

Two more observations:

Oddly, after changing out strings again, I do notice some wear or chrome wear on the bridge plate at the pivot points. It does not seem that it should be this way as I really have not used the trem much until recently. However, even so, all other strings stay in tune.

Secondly, when removing this last set of strings, in addition to the normal break bend over the saddle, there is another very slight bend closer to the ball-end of the string. This is on each string, so there is definitely another point of contact within the block. Not sure yet if it can cause binding.

I am still investigating and will hopefully find some resolution soon.

 

[notshredding]

Possibly related, but probably not, another reason for returning this guitar was the terrible over-night discoloration of the darkened chrome. Is there any chance that these are sprayed with that at the posts? Probably a stupid question but at this point in time any option should be explored.

 

[Konstantin]

Two more observations:

after changing out strings again, I do notice some wear or chrome wear on the bridge plate at the pivot points.

I have the same problem. I bought a guitar six months ago. I noticed some wear or chrome wear on the bridge plate at the pivot points. The same thing happened with my previous BFR JP6. I think it's a bug of technology.
On my Ibanez, in this case it is enough to change the edges and do not need to change the plate.

 

[Etudica]

I have the same problem. I bought a guitar six months ago. I noticed some wear or chrome wear on the bridge plate at the pivot points.

To be clear, what I was referring to in my earlier post was to check for significant defects around the pivot, not just normal wear. On my JP there were gouges and small chunks of metal missing from the bridge plate at the pivot point on the high E side. It was pretty obvious even from a distance. Slight wear should be nothing to worry about.

 

[fstrat76]

Update:

I am pointing to the saddle / bridge as the issue. I had the nut checked by another tech and was told it looks OK, and shouldn't have been an issue as the nut is cut for 10's and I use 9's. We can find no binding in the nut.

However, an interesting note: I went to my local shop to discover there was a brand new Majesty there. I pulled it down and tuned it up - used the trem and sure enough, the G string went way sharp, just like mine, except worse. In this case, you can sometime hear it ping - right from the saddle.

Something is amiss.