NEWBIE HELP !!! Problem with my JP6!!!!

[VNguitarist]

Hello every one,

I'm a Vietnamese owner of a Musicman JP6 Piezzo (perhaps the only one in my country!!!), and also a Silhouette Musicman. It's a happiness for me to own and to play these guitars !!!

But now, recently, when I go back home after a week on business trip, I discover that the neck of my JP6 is kind of CURVING a little : for example, an E note in a B string (5th fret) sound the same to the Open E in the high E string, but when I play it an octave higher, the note of the 17th fret in the B string a little LOWER than the note of the 12th fret in the high E string anymore!!!! Is there any thing I can do to ADJUST the neck of my precious??? Here in Vietnam we don't have any luthier to repair it, so I'm really expecting your advice!!!

Thanks a lot!!

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

First of all, welcome!

Now, about your problem - it sounds as if the intonation is off.
First step is to get a good tuner like the Boss TU-12H
Then, on the back of your bridge/tremolo are the intonation screws.

Play & tune the open string, and then play the string on the 12th fret.
If the fretted note is too low in pitch, you need to turn the corresponding screw counterclockwise. This will shorten the distance between the fret and the saddle, and the pitch will go up. Retune the open string, and repeat the adjustment until it is correct.

If the string is sharp on the fretted note, then the reverse is true - you want to tighten the intonation screw.


Good luck!

 

[roburado]

Could the truss rod need adjustment? Kind of tough to tell without seeing the guitar, I suppose.

 

[ripley]

I'm with sir pete. does sound like the intonation... I haven't had neck curvature problems on any of my MM's so severe that they really impacted myintonation.

 

[Jimi D]

I think this really sounds like a simple setup issue - neck relief and intonation are the probable culprits, but if you can't diagnose the problems yourself you should take the gitar to a local tech for a set up. Then get yourself a good book like one of Dan Erlewine's and between asking your tech questions about what he's done and reading the book you should be able to do your own setups in no time...

 

[philiprst]

Just for the record, both of the JP6s I have owned required a truss rod adjustment after being in my house for 2-3 weeks. One shifted so much that all the strings below the fifth fret went "plonk". It was easily solved by a truss rod adjustment which takes no time at all with the great design on EBMMs. I have never experienced anytime like this with any other guitar.

Interestingly I was asking my tech today about his thoughts on EBMM guitars. His, unsolicited, comment was that the often require truss rod adjustments when they are new because the neck is not sealed with varnish like other guitars. Other than that small detail he said that, in his opinion EBMM and PRS made the finest production guitars in the world. He is an ex PRS employee

 

[jaxadam]

Don't worry, that is a very simple intonation problem, which can be solved just like Pete said.

It's funny, I actually noticed my JP acting a little weird when I first got it, but now for some reason it has settled right to where it wants to be after a few little adjustments here and there.

These guitars are very user-friendly.