Musicman JPX-My dream guitar! Quick Questions

[Jeong]

So I'm about to pull the trigger on this used JPX. It's been my dream guitar for a while.
I've eaten canned chicken and cheap rice to save up enough money. I've been working extra hours 7 days a week for a while to help save up as well. I also sold my beloved, but slightly neck warped JP6.
I just had some quick questions before i buy:

I'm looking to play modern metal with this guitar. I can think of a few people who used a jpx in modern metal. (Mark Holcomb and Intervals). Do you think the JPX can do a good job with this genre?

I'm not concerned with tuning stability, I'll most likely put 5 springs in the back for added stability.

The most important factor for me is reliability. Other JPX owners out there, do you notice any issues with neck warpage? Or constant need for truss rod adjustments? I would figure that a painted/finished neck would have less issues with warpage, but want to hear from other owners.
My other guitar has 2 titanium rods running down the neck, and i've never needed to adjust the truss rod.
I'm planning to keep this guitar in the case while not playing it, but i will need to put it into a gig bag and travel around the city at times for practices and gigs. This means big variations in temperature from the hot and very humid summer to the cold and dry winter.

Also, is the guitar neck-heavy in any way? I owned a chambered Les paul doublecut that was a bit neck heavy and just couldn't get on with it. I tried the JPX several times in stores but never while standing up.

One more question. How does the guitar respond to wear and tear? Does the finish dent or chip easily? Do the frets wear down quickly? (My jpx will most likely have the old nickel-silver type frets). Does the black hardware on the bridge or tuners wear and show silver underneath?

Thank you!

 

[DrKev]

I'll let the JPX owners chime in with their experience of course, but don't be afraid of truss rods. Truss rod adjustments are easier and safer than making a bacon sandwich. Wood changes with humidity and temperature, that's just the nature of the material. Each neck is a unique piece of wood and so some necks will be more prone to this than others. It's luck of the draw. Thin necks will be more prone to movement than fat ones (finish doesn't make any difference to stability, IMO). But when your guitar needs an adjustment, you adjust it and it's all good. FWIW, my Silhouette Special travels all over this town with me up to 4 times a day, and the neck never needs adjustment.

 

[Lou]

I have one of the first JPXs to come out of SLO. The guitar can do many styles with ease. Neck has been stable with seasonable adjustments which is the norm and will depend on your climate and humidity levels. It is not neck heavy. Fret wear will depend on your playing habits and the EBMM finish is tougher than others in my opinion.

 

[mikeller]

My experience is similar to Lou. I live in Ohio - where we have 4 distinct seasons with cold winters and hot humid summers. My JPX requires a slight tweak to the truss a few times a year, nothing major.

The JPX screams of elegance and quality!

 

[FantasyMetal]

I have a JPX with Rosewood Neck (which is slightly different from yours obviously), but I don't have any sort of neck dive. The guitar is actually very nicely balanced. Also, though I've never experienced it on an EBMM I have had two other guitars with ebony fretboards develop fretboard cracks due to the dry winter conditions up here in the frozen north. Though I suspect you will not encounter this with your JPX, I always recommend to people that if they have an ebony board, they should keep a humidifier in the case (case humidifiers are dirt cheap and can even be home made), or in their home studio/guitar room/man cave, etc. Keeping some sort of humidifying device with your guitar can prevent the need to make any truss adjustments during the winter!

 

[Etudica]

I'm not concerned with tuning stability, I'll most likely put 5 springs in the back for added stability

I'm not sure using additional springs will help, in fact it may hurt. When I reached out to customer service regarding my tuning stability issues they actually recommended removing a spring (even though the springs were not the cause of the issue). If you are getting a JP6, 3 springs for standard 10s or higher and 2 springs if you are running 9s.

 

[QuietSpike]

I'm not sure using additional springs will help, in fact it may hurt. When I reached out to customer service regarding my tuning stability issues they actually recommended removing a spring (even though the springs were not the cause of the issue). If you are getting a JP6, 3 springs for standard 10s or higher and 2 springs if you are running 9s.

+1... 3 springs for 10s, 2 or 3 for 9s. Will be more stable than you may think.


Also, don't fear the truss rod. MM makes it so easy to adjust, and a quarter turn here or there can make all the difference.

JpX is a great guitar... Any of the JP models are great and you can't go wrong. I prefer the flatter radius and ebony fretboards of the later models (like my 12), but they are all exceptional.