Help! Majesty 7 string - Low B string Piezo issue

[fjk1138]

Hey Guys,

Having some issues with the Piezo on the low B string on my Majesty. It buzzes intermittently and also seems to have dropped in volume compared to the other strings. This used to happen a bit before and the previous solution seemed to be just tipping the trem bar a bit to loosen it up so I could re-seat it on the saddle and that would be the end of it. But now it seems to be getting worse...and more permeant. The magnetic pickups are totally fine and sound great.

I've emailed EBMM support but I wondered if anyone else out there had a similar issue, and if so, was it an easy fix like just replacing the individual saddle or does the whole bridge need to be replaced?

Thanks to anyone who responds.

 

[Etudica]

Replacing a single saddle isn't difficult at all, but you will have to remove the bridge completely to get to the solder connection on the attached board underneath. I still don't own a Majesty yet but I have replaced piezo saddles and preamp on my JPXI 7. I'm assuming the Majesty is a similar setup . Customer service was awesome in helping guide me through that process even though it was out of warranty. Looks like you have a monarchy... is that under factory warranty still or did you buy it used?

 

[fjk1138]

Replacing a single saddle isn't difficult at all, but you will have to remove the bridge completely to get to the solder connection on the attached board underneath. I still don't own a Majesty yet but I have replaced piezo saddles and preamp on my JPXI 7. I'm assuming the Majesty is a similar setup. Customer service was awesome in helping guide me through that process even though it was out of warranty. Looks like you have a monarchy... is that under factory warranty still or did you buy it used?

It's still under warranty for 3 more months. EB Customer service has been extremely awesome to work with, but I am still debating if I will do it myself or send the whole guitar back to them at this point. I don't use the piezo enough to really justify the effort either way, but I would prefer to have it fixed in case I decide to sell it later.

Regardless, for anyone else out there wanting to try this type of repair yourself, these are the steps per EB customer service:

1. Remove the strings from the guitar.
2. Unplug the bridge bus wire solderless molex connector from the circuit board in the control cavity
3. Remove the bridge from the guitar.
4. Unscrew the intonation screw from the faulty piezo saddle (with a 2mm hex/allen wrench)
5. Remove the 2 phillips screws on the circuit board on the bridge block
6. De-solder the wire from the faulty saddle on the circuit board.
7. Remove the faulty saddle.
8. Install new saddle (feed the wire through the bridge plate and screw in the intonation screw)
9. Solder the wire to the circuit board on the bridge block
10. Screw in the phillips screws on the circuit board to secure it to the bridge block.
11. Install the bridge back onto the guitar
12. Re-connect the main bridge bus wire solderless molex connector to the circuit board in the control cavity.
13. Re-string and play.

 

[ohbugger]

Thanks for posting this. I have a faulty saddle on an older JP6 that I bought used, and have been debating asking to buy a replacement from MM and doing it myself.

If there were no soldering involved, I would have done it by now. I just need to practice it more before I am comfortable working on something like these guitars!

 

[Etudica]

The soldering of piezo saddle leads to the piezo board under the bridge is one of the easier solder repairs. There is plenty of space between the leads, so you don't have to have be as precise as you would be replacing components on a traditional circuit board and there is virtually no risk of accidentally damaging a neighboring component.

I'd recommend getting a good variable temp iron and quality solder (most prefer 63/37 in a thin diameter like .020" for electronics work due to slightly lower melting temp), and of course practice a bit if your skills are a bit rusty. You don't want to overheat or melt anything with a cheap iron. There are plenty of quality solder stations out there for under $100. Just like any tool buy once cry once.

 

[ohbugger]

Many thanks for the insight and advice, Etudica!

 

[Etudica]

Thanks for posting this. I have a faulty saddle on an older JP6 that I bought used, and have been debating asking to buy a replacement from MM and doing it myself.

I have learned from customer service that older JPs have different piezo saddles than newer JPs, although I'm not sure what year that change occurred. I know one of my JPs that I bought around 2012 had the older saddles, but my BFR koa bought in 2014 had the newer style. If memory serves me correctly, I don't believe they offer the older saddles anymore as new old stock, but it's not the end of the world and there are affordable options. If you decide to go through with the repair, reach out to customer service and they'll hook you up.