New JP12 Owner with Question/ Issue

[Chalen]

Hi,

As you may have gathered from a previous thread I'm now the owner of a JP12; but am having a teething issue which is fairly odd! Essentially when I play an open D then mute it with my palm I get a sound like a cross between a harmonic and microphonic feedback. As I release the muting hand the feedback like sound momentarily increases.

This is kind of a weird issue to describe so sorry for the vagueness. One of the songs we play is Kashmir (in standard tuning) - and it sounds horrible, this is what lead me to find it was just the open D.

The action is very low - which is good - but there is a little buzzing on first few frets - so could this be set up related?

Any thoughts welcome.

Cheers!

 

[Lou]

Could be the trem springs vibrating. Open the back plate and mute them with some folded up papertowel or your shirt to see if that's the problem.

 

[DrKev]

Re: the weird sound when palm muting, if it's at very high gain, I'm not too surprised. Every little harmonic and squeak gets amplified at high gain and palm muting can sometimes emphasise certain noises. I would try slightly adjusting your muting hand position and picking angle and explore what effect that has. Also try turning the gain down. The string could also be hitting a fret somewhere and ringing, so set up could be looked at. You said you were in drop D. If you tune that string back up to E does it happen when you palm mute in the same way? If not, perhaps try a heavier string for the D?

When the action is very low, string buzz is pretty much a part of life (because it's hard to play the strings so gently that they don't hit the frets). If the buzz is in the lower frets, try loosening the truss rod a little and see if it improves.

 

[Chalen]

Thanks for both your suggestions, but I've not managed to fix it by either damping the trem springs or adjusting my muting. Wherever I mute I get the same problem and I can still hear it with lower gain, though admittedly it's more pronounced with higher gain.

Re: tuning I was in standard not drop.

I suspect it's set up related as suggested. I'll post it up on youtube and add a link in a mo.

Cheers

 

[Chalen]

ok here it is. Ignore first strike, but it's very apparent on the following strikes. I play a straight A for comparison at the end.

JP - YouTube

Any thoughts welcome!

 

[DrKev]

That sounds to me like a string harmonic caused by your muting technique (and amplified by the high gain). In drop D you have a node point for that frequency on the low string, just over the bridge pickup (and one on the D-string mid-way between the two pickups). Move your hand to a slightly different position when muting and it will vanish (at least that's my guess). There is also a similar node point about 1/3 of the way from the 1st to 2nd fret, and if you are also muting with your left hand, could be that too.

 

[DrKev]

BTW, if you could master that, and make it part of a hit song, guitar magazines will be teaching it to people for years to come!

 

[Chalen]

Thanks for the reply. Sadly it does still occur no matter where I move the muting hand (I'm not muting with the left) even if I mute as far up as the neck itself. I've now called the dealer and they are going to take a look at the vid, and I guess we'll see were we go from there.

Hopefully it's just a simple set up issue.

 

[Chalen]

Lol!!

btw, if you could master that, and make it part of a hit song, guitar magazines will be teaching it to people for years to come! :d

 

[Chalen]

Hi all, I'll give a full update on this shortly but in the mean time, the guitar I've received has some play in the trem, I gather I can tighten this but am still a little confused as to how. Is is the minuscule aperture at the back of the trem block barely visible when dive bombing? Presume I don't need to take off the back plate?

Any help gratefully received!!!

Al

 

[douglasspears]

That sounds to me like a string harmonic caused by your muting technique (and amplified by the high gain). In drop D you have a node point for that frequency on the low string, just over the bridge pickup (and one on the D-string mid-way between the two pickups). Move your hand to a slightly different position when muting and it will vanish (at least that's my guess). There is also a similar node point about 1/3 of the way from the 1st to 2nd fret, and if you are also muting with your left hand, could be that too.

dude, he never said he was in drop D, then he corrected you clarifying he's NOT in drop D, AND he said he's tried muting in different spots. I don't have any advice to offer (on this, or the trem issue), but please at least read the original post and subsequent replies before offering the same incorrect advise. Sorry to come off so harsh, but I see this type thing most times I log on here.

Now, the part about mastering that technique, that's good advise! It's actually a pretty cool sound!

 

[Chalen]

Good to see someone has their glasses on! Nonetheless plenty of appreciated advice. Sadly none of it fixed the issue. First guitar went back. Second arrived today, same issue, though to a slightly lesser extent. I ended up discovering the problem myself. The open d rings between the nut and the peg, it stops if I put my finger on it! Uk dealers have been very helpful but am unsure what to do now. Don't really want to send another guitar back - I love it! May take it to a local tech to see if there's an easy solution. And fix the trem...

 

[Spudmurphy]

I've seen this issue before. A temporary cure is to put a piece of blue tak on the string behind the nut - you could also use an elasticated headband that the shredders use.Let me know if this works.


... ... and yeah the adjustment on the trem is as easy as placing an allen key in the hole in the trem block, that becomes visible when you dive bomb.

 

[mnwst]

dude, he never said he was in drop D, then he corrected you clarifying he's NOT in drop D, AND he said he's tried muting in different spots. I don't have any advice to offer (on this, or the trem issue), but please at least read the original post and subsequent replies before offering the same incorrect advise. Sorry to come off so harsh, but I see this type thing most times I log on here.

Now, the part about mastering that technique, that's good advise! It's actually a pretty cool sound!

I wish I could find responses from those that have had the same or similar issues and what they did. There always seems to be a lot guessing on forums.

I hope this helps- when I got my JP6 BFR, after the first string change, I discovered weird harmonic/sustain anomalies. Mine happened on the open G and High E string and D string fifth fret. I also had a few "dead" frets, where notes didnt sustain as long. Never have had his happen in 32 years and 20 guitars. Sent it back to EB for a setup, fret level, etc. was fine for about 6 months except for the sustain issue, then it happened again. Sent it back again, but this time I mentioned how the bottom of nut doesn't seem to be flush with the neck, that there was glue/filler in between. EB sent it back With a new nut, setup, and fret level. It's been 9 months and the weird harmonic thing has not happened. Also, with the new nut, action and playing comfort improved. The sustain issue was still there so I got a Fender Fat Finger. Almost entirely fixed problem. You have to find the right spot on the headstock to clamp it on and little movements can make a difference. Good luck.

 

[Chalen]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I took it to the tech and he immediately diagnosed that the issue was that the D and G strings were being "excited" between the nut and the peg (as I suspected) due to insufficient angle on the string. As per your suggestions we discussed the hair band option etc. but ultimately I wanted a more permanent fix - so it'll have to be a string tree. Whilst I'm not exactly over enthusiastic about modding the guitar, I have made the decision I definitely want to keep it so really it's the only sensible option for me. I doubt I'll notice it after a few weeks.

Just to emphasise the MM dealers in the UK have been as helpful as possible so I don't have any issue there. The retailers - well I'll let you know how I get on there - as I think they should be footing the bill for this out of good will. I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers
Al

 

[Spudmurphy]

Thanks for getting back to us. It's your choice but I hate "String trees" and I (emphasis on I) wouldn't go down that route. I haven't come across this problem on any of my Balls but saw it (heard it) on an Axis. I believe that the problem can be resolved without a tree? use the hairband - at least you don't have to drill a hole and who knows after using the guitar for a while and using the whammy bar a lot it may right itself?

 

[killerburst]

If this is a new guitar under warranty let EBMM fix it. You might have to pay return shipping and wait a month but it beats modding a brand new guitar just to get it it useable, IMO.

 

[Spudmurphy]

On reflection, Killerburst is right.

We pay more than the USA for our guitars because we have a distributor in the UK. They ought to sort it out for you.

 

[DrKev]

Yep, and a string tree is totally unnecessary on an EBMM. They are designed not to use them and don't need them. If you have a problem, let your dealer sort it out, that's what your warranty is for. If they can't help you, your distributor and then EBMM customer service themselves.

 

[Mick]

Try to get one of those stagger sets in the US. They increase the angle of the string behind the nut. No mod needed.

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