New Majesty Owner. Have ?'s

[Sharp155]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and just got my first Ernie Ball Musicman instrument. I went with the 2016 John Petrucci Majesty in red and boy is it beautiful. It makes my $450 Ibanez guitar look like junk. It's like...do I even want to pick up my other guitars? But anyways, I have a few questions about the guitar and Ernie Ball themselves. Keep in mind I'm still sort of a beginner but this instrument has be picking it up for hours at a time.

1) For some reason at random times during playing (mostly with the whammy) and when plugging in cables, my guitar will go dead. I've never experienced this ever with a guitar so have no clue what is causing this. To fix the problem I just have to unplug the guitar cable and plug it back in. I can't recreate the no sound issue, it kind of just happens.

2)The 1st string (high E) is lower in volume compared to all the rest. I wasn't the one to notice. My guitar teacher pointed it out. Why is this? Is it a defect? Or is this something that can be fixed with a string change?

3)How do you detach the whammy bar? It's in there pretty good and I don't want to pull any tighter than I am.

4)What do you guys clean the fretboard with? Would you trust the Ernie Ball fretboard conditioner wipes or is there a different product people use out there?

5)What is the best method for restringing this guitar? I'm thankful this isn't a Floyd Rose bridge but this bridge looks like a combo of string-thru but with springs. It also looks like you clamp the string into the tuner as opposed to WRAPPING the string around the tuning post. Would the best method be to do 1 string at a time?

6) Warranty? I've looked all over but all that I've found is that it lasts 1 year. I assume after the one year that any repairs are paid for by me? Is the only way to setup a repair is by phone?

7) Stupid string guage question. The guitar comes with these
Ernie Ball 2221 Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Strings | Sweetwater
I currently have these sitting on my desk.
D'Addario EXL110-3D Nickel Wound Light Electric Strings 3-Pk | Sweetwater

Same guage but the only difference is the G string on the Ernie Ball pack says 17p. What is the p?

I also looked inside the back of the guitar where the springs are and found two holes that look like screws are about to pop through. Is this normal or whats up?

 

[jones4tone]

Congrats on the new guitar, and welcome to the forum! I answered those questions I could inline below.

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and just got my first Ernie Ball Musicman instrument. I went with the 2016 John Petrucci Majesty in red and boy is it beautiful. It makes my $450 Ibanez guitar look like junk. It's like...do I even want to pick up my other guitars? But anyways, I have a few questions about the guitar and Ernie Ball themselves. Keep in mind I'm still sort of a beginner but this instrument has be picking it up for hours at a time.

1) For some reason at random times during playing (mostly with the whammy) and when plugging in cables, my guitar will go dead. I've never experienced this ever with a guitar so have no clue what is causing this. To fix the problem I just have to unplug the guitar cable and plug it back in. I can't recreate the no sound issue, it kind of just happens.

Check the battery. They can cause intermittent muting of the output when they are close to going completely dead.

5)What is the best method for restringing this guitar? I'm thankful this isn't a Floyd Rose bridge but this bridge looks like a combo of string-thru but with springs. It also looks like you clamp the string into the tuner as opposed to WRAPPING the string around the tuning post. Would the best method be to do 1 string at a time?

You can change one or two at a time for certain. The tuners are locking tuners. Pull the string "hand tight" through the hole, tighten the thumbscrew on the back of the machine, tune to pitch, and then trim the excess at the post. Quick and easy string changes.

7) Stupid string guage question. The guitar comes with these
Ernie Ball 2221 Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Strings | Sweetwater
I currently have these sitting on my desk.
D'Addario EXL110-3D Nickel Wound Light Electric Strings 3-Pk | Sweetwater

Same guage but the only difference is the G string on the Ernie Ball pack says 17p. What is the p?

I think that just means it's not a wound string.

 

[mikeller]

1. As jones4tone said: batteries. There are lights on the back that momentarily flash. Blue is good.
2. I would suspect a bad string
3. The trem arm will just pull straight up and out. They snap in and out.
4. Wonder Wipes will work great on that fingerboard (Ebony). I generally will wipe them on the fretboard, then take a clean t-shirt rag and wipe off the excess.

When in doubt of anything, contact customer service - they are the best and will help quickly!!!

 

[johnnyboogie]

1) + 2) - Battery is dying, change battery. Remember to remove your cable from the guitar while not playing, as it will consume your battery like a vampire.

3) - Pull it a little bit more, and it will come out. It's push to insert, and pull to remove.

4) - EBMM products, Dunlop products, and many more fretboard cleaners and conditioners.

5) - You may remove all 6 or 7 strings, clean your fretboard, and onwards do what jones4tones said above. No wrapping the string, simply Insert - Tighten the nut in the back of the headstock - Trim the remaining string. Should you change string gauge, you'll need to re-adjust the bridge, action and intonation.

6) In case you need something repaired on the guitar you can either contact EBMM support, or the retailer you bought the guitar from and he/she will guide you through the process.

7) The 'p' stand for plain string, and the 'w' for wounded.

Is that an Iced Crimson Majesty? =)

Congratulations on the great buy, and enjoy playing!!

 

[Beerandbeards]

Seems like you have your answers so I just want to congratulate you on, in my opinion, the best guitar on the market. Yes, you probably won't have to pick up any other guitar, but I just ordered another Majesty ��

 

[edhalen]

Welcome and congrats! We have a rule here - pics or the guitar doesn't exist!

 

[Norrin Radd]

8. Yes - that's normal. Just the screws securing the bridge to the body. Any shorter = less secure, any longer = could interfere with trem system.

 

[mikeller]

One other thing I should note: using regular guitar polish on the matte finish that is on your Majesty will eventually buff it to a shine.

Its best to use a Matte Finish cleaner if you can find it.

 

[Sharp155]

Seems like you have your answers so I just want to congratulate you on, in my opinion, the best guitar on the market. Yes, you probably won't have to pick up any other guitar, but I just ordered another Majesty ��

I know man! I'm already wishing/wanting a 2nd one in the arctic dream color possibly a 7 string version. A JEM though is my other dream guitar...

 

[Sharp155]

Welcome and congrats! We have a rule here - pics or the guitar doesn't exist!

Would you guys keep or toss the little bean bag (in 1st pic)? Is that to help keep moisture out?


And it's true what everyone says on online reviews. Pictures don't do it justice.

 

[mikeller]

Really like that color !!!

Yes - those are for moisture control. I toss mine

 

[johnnyboogie]

Keep the little bag, and buy some more if you want. Reserves on itself any moisture trapped within the case =)

 

[Sharp155]

And thanks to everyone else with your responses. I didn't expect everyone here to be so helpful. I'm glad to know my concerns aren't actually issues to worry about. Hopefully the high E string is just a bad string and can be fixed on a string change.

 

[AgustinJP50]

Hey! Congrats on your new guitar!! Another possibility is that the high E string is lower than the other strings, which causes it to buzz appering to be slightly lower in volume... Regarding the screws in the trem cavity, those aren't the bridge screws for sure. Try to correlate them to something that's at the front of the guitar (maybe the screws for the neck pickup??)

 

[dibart77]

Nice guitar!

DO NOT throw out the moisture desiccant pouch. That is key. It will continue to ensure your guitar doesn't get impacted by high humidity (like oxidation on the strings and frets, rusty screws, etc.). I have packed away multiple guitars in their cases and stored in basement. The three with desiccant pouches were fine, the 4th that didn't have a desiccant pouch was all rusted.

Regarding the string change, I'm not sure about the Majesty bridge, but generally speaking on floating trem guitars (where you can pull up to make it go sharp) it's dangerous to take all strings off the guitar without blocking the bridge from pulling up -- without the strings pulling the bridge forward, the springs in the back can pull the trem all the way sharp and the trem can pop off the trem posts and ruin the finish on your guitar. JEMs do this (I've seen it happen). I personally would leave the low E and the high B and E on the guitar. Take the A, D, and G off. You should be able to clean the frets with those three removed, just pull them out of the way and shove your cleaning cloth under them, and who cares if the three still on get cleaner on them, you're going to change them in a minute. Then install the A, D, and G. THEN replace the other three one at a time.

​

 

[mikeller]

I am corrected - I did not know that. Thank you Jeff. I always thought that was just for shipping and packaging etc

I was concerned they would dry out the fingerboard - particularly with ebony that is prone to dry out.

 

[dibart77]

I was concerned they would dry out the fingerboard - particularly with ebony that is prone to dry out.

Hey Mike -- I am pretty sure the desiccant pouch they choose is rated for a certain moisture level. So it'll keep it from getting more humid than X, but won't make it DRY. It absorbs until it gets down to X humidity and then stops absorbing. I think...

​

 

[tonechaser1]

Just a cautionary note in case you didn't know. DO NOT use rechargeable batteries with your Majesty.

I unfortunately learned this the hard way and it was quite an expensive lesson.

 

[Crossroads]

Just a cautionary note in case you didn't know. DO NOT use rechargeable batteries with your Majesty.

I unfortunately learned this the hard way and it was quite an expensive lesson.

Realize this thread is 5 yrs old but thanks for the caution. What happens if you use rechargeable batteries? Were they Nicads or LiOns?

 

[Lax]

The holes in the back cavity are the place the body is held during paint and polishing at the factory.

You can remove all strings, I put a little something with a soft cloth between the body and bridge.

The quieter string can be because of setup or you can raise a little the pickup pole piece of that one.