MAJESTY Discussion page!

[ohdamnitsdevin]

OMG guys! It's finally here! Discuss! Discuss!

I for one am very pleased with the design! It looks incredible! I'll get the obvious out of the way and state that yes, it does indeed resemble the Bongo with the two extremes of the horns (one really tiny, one really large) But, that is not a BAD thing at all! I cant wait for JM and JP to be jamming side by side with this bad boy.

I read in the comments that they were backed into a corner to reveal it? I dont understand, what happened?

Another user said it was a true 3D design. Again, explanation?

One last thing, why cant I view the first page of the Majesty unveil thread? It goes directly to EB.com

 

[Kenji20022]

I'm not a big fan of the design myself, I prefer the way the previous models look. I'm sure it'll play great, but it's just not my thing personally, I'd like to know more about the specs as well.

Also, I've always preferred Bolt On vs Set N/Neck Thru guitars, so that's also another reason I don't really love the guitar myself. I'm more curious about the specs and the wood combo, to see what it'll bring to the table tonally. My JP12 and JPX7 are my favorites from the bunch, and tonally I've found the sound I like with them.

 

[ohdamnitsdevin]

Different strokes for different folks I suppose but, JP wanted this done for a reason and I am glad he wanted something new. I love all the JP models(and there are a lot of em) but, all the JPXIIIIIIIIII's all LOOKED the same to me other than body color of course. I know they were all VERY different but they didnt look too different. This Majesty is clearly a "from the ground up" new design and I cannot wait to hear it!

 

[bdtunn]

It's a cool looking guitar but I'm going to wait to see the stats before I get too excited. Who knows maybe he wanted a big fat neck? I won't buy on looks alone, if I did id have way too many guitars collecting dust!

 

[NHsouthpaw]

Hmmmmm.....knock off the pointy tips to a blunt end, round off the butt a bit, slap on round pickguard and we have ourselves the long-awaited Bongo guitar!

 

[Kenji20022]

Different strokes for different folks I suppose but, JP wanted this done for a reason and I am glad he wanted something new. I love all the JP models(and there are a lot of em) but, all the JPXIIIIIIIIII's all LOOKED the same to me other than body color of course. I know they were all VERY different but they didnt look too different. This Majesty is clearly a "from the ground up" new design and I cannot wait to hear it!

Yeah it's his signature guitar, it shouldn't appeal to everyone. But I understand where you're coming from, I didn't mind the small jumps the anniversary models were making myself. They all have their own features and vibes which is nice since you have a selection to pick and be at home with. I don't mind so much that the shape itself was similar between them, I would have honestly loved the JP12 with the forearm scoop of a standard myself!

 

[Metalcat]

Long story short, BP's photo bucket account was hacked by some very impatient, not-so-nice person(s) that wanted to see full pics of the guitar. On one hand it got the whole guitar revealed to us, but on the other hand Sterling totally had has privacy invaded which is totally uncool, and as such the guitar might not be totally finished, it seems to be a very premature reveal, but it appears to be very close if its not done.

Anyways, I really dig the look of it! Especially the blue and black ones. If they release the white one from that one picture of JP tweaking his amps for the upcoming tour, that would probably be the one for me though. I'm interested to learn more about the sonic thumb print matching BP mentioned on the first page, and potential gamechanger tech.

 

[Big Poppa]

Ok ill participate in this as long as its civil and respectful. The JP Facebook page has a few thousand likes and a whole bunch of mean comments. WE expect it always....The guitar with the most violent negative reaction was the BFR.....it turned out to be the biggest seller. Im not saying the Majesty will be but it is an amazing guitar to play I warned all of you that this would really bother some people

An important thing to know about guitar design is the balance points.....(the strap buttons) It all starts there If you overlay every JP guitar the buttons are in the exact same place. This is the basis of most guitar designs. So you see a big top horn and you may say...."wow that is long....but really it is the same we just took all that wood away to give amazing upper register access.

On the subject of set neck vs bolt on normally I prefer bolt on...but this is a high performance guitar for one of the most technically proficient guitars of our time....maybe all time. The limits to quick and natural access to the upper frets that bolt on has to have (it has to have a significant amount of mass to be a stable joint) would not work with the desin objective of the Majesty....The access as you play up the neck is seemless. The next one is that you assume it is a set neck....it is not...it is a secret....but the neck is the body and part of the body and continues to just past the bridge. the Basswood body is actually the last piece glued it is a form or mold for the neck/body concept.

The next one is hard for me....when someone says something like "why didnt you just use carbon fiber?" I have to hold back from saying..."dont you think we tried that first?" oh wait I said it....We tried every woven man made material.....dozens....It is a visual feature that JP wanted but not at the expense of the tone. I applaud Drew and all at the factory for coming up with such an elegant and smart solution that didnt adversly affect the tone and response of the guitar.

The next one is people wanting specs before deciding on it.....the real proof is in playing it. It has a very very fast neck...very thin. The guitar is the lightest guitar we have ever made....it has sustain for days and it balanced.....Now when you are balancing for John you have to creatively make it balance in the normal sitting playing position, the strap standing position and it also has to balance from both knees and the wild card is with his leg on the monitor.

JP anchors his picking pinkie under the bobbins of the bridge pickup..if it is off by 20,000 of an inch it affects his playing.

Thats all for now

 

[DrugDM]

BP- thanks so much for sharing some insight. As we all know some guitar players are not the best when it comes to embracing something new but I think your team did a great job and I cannot wait to give one a try (and buy!) when they are available.
Great way to start off Thanksgiving and I am thankful that your company creates such cool tools for musicians.
Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Big Poppa]

I think that sometimes it gets lost that we only focus on one guitarist when we work with JP....Jp....actually all of the artists....
Sometimes you will be working away and one of the team or jp says "wonder if this will sell?" and Ihave to tell them that our job is to make the best possible tool for him.

Also understand that we dont get much factory time w JP or any of the artists at all....maybe a day every other year....it is I chat, facetime, email telephone calls.....its 99% remote. Very challenging.

The pic of Luke playing it was because he was at Scotty Balls wedding and we got 10 minutes in the factory

 

[Guitardom]

Thank you for the insight! Can't wait to check it out!!

 

[kfm946]

Amazing design!! Radical, original, and pretty badass, especially the blue and CF. I CANNOT wait to get my hands on one of these!

The ONLY thing that bothers me about it is that upper horn. I get what you said about balancing weight, but it still just seems a bit awkward. I personally think it would look better if the upper horn was thinned out a little (in the same way that the JPX and onward have the thinner upper horn compared to the standard JPs). Other than that, it's awesome!
Either way, its John's guitar, so it's gonna be the way he likes it. Yet another amazing creation by MM!

Just one question: will there be a finish(es) with a figured top in the middle like the Armada??

 

[Big Poppa]

no figured top

you cannot take anymore wood off that top horn we tried

 

[kfm946]

no figured top

awwww that's too bad :/

you cannot take anymore wood off that top horn we tried

Yeah I figured as much, oh well.



Either way, awesome guitar, I WANT ONE!

 

[balance]

Very unique. I really like the contoured top and the overall body shape - the upper horn is the only part that really stands out to me as extreme from a design standpoint. The trem back, fiber-esque (maple?) insert end, and body end all shaped the same is a really nice touch.

With full understanding that this is JP's guitar and just thinking out loud, a singlecut version would be sublime.

 

[Warg Master]

I like it! I really liked that bongo guitar at the open house... just wished it had a JP neck... and viola! my dream has been realized!

 

[xjbebop]

Got a chance to study this better, and after reading BP's input...it's growing on me

I see cues from many other guitars in the details. I think huge respect is deserved by the folks that created this!
It is a bit radical, even in this day and age, and it certainly won't appeal to everyone (no guitar does...), but like BP says, play one before you make judgments with your eyes only...
I could see this design becoming very successful.

--wondering what the price will be when they become available. I suspect these are not easy/cheap to build..

Also interesting and understandable that the piezo/mag output is mixed only...for now.

A -lot- of forward technology showcased in this instrument...

 

[Big Poppa]

No access w a single cut

 

[Warg Master]

I really liked your "Just the tip" approach to revealing the guitar... now that' it's revealed however, the million dollar questions are When, and how much?

Oh and, fretboard radius? I'm assuming the illuminators are in that guitar? Wood? Chambered? Kitchen sink?

 

[ohdamnitsdevin]

After reading about BP basically having his photobucket account hacked it makes the unveiling a bit bitter sweet. I'm glad that we FINALLY get to see it (when did R&D start on the "stallion" Majesty?) but, at the same time it's really upsetting to know that they were basically forced into a corner with unveiling it before someone (who's not even associated professionally with the company.) did. I'm sure they had a vision on how this guitar would roll out. To think all that time and money(production ain't cheap) spent on making this guitar a reality and then, to have someone go and pull the rug out from under you. Not cool man. Not cool at all. I feel for BP and the team over at music man.

I hope you guys know that this guitar looks incredible. I'm sure the more and more we learn about it the more it's going to blow our minds! There are so many questions to still be answered. How were they able to make the guitar so light? If it's their lightest guitar that's pretty dang light! How is piezo implemented when there's only one input? Same with the game changer technology? What are all the color options? What does a 7 string Majesty look like? Price? Availability?(my guess is $3,200.00 USD shipping in late march early April.) The majesty is still very much so a mystery and I love it.