Ordered a replacement for my sadly missed JPM!!! :)

[mesavox]

Well... I finally got all the insurance stuff worked out and I ordered a new JPM7 to replace the one in my signature there.... It's still sad to think that it's out there somewhere, most likely not being taken care of at all, and that my second Music Man purchase is not a six string to go along with it...

But, I shall have it in 4 to 6 weeks because Bass Central had one on order and Beaver was able to get the order changed to leave out the inlays. Since it is mostly completed, I was able to avoid the 4 month waiting list for a scratch order, yet still get a guitar that has never seen a sales floor.

I'm excited... I ordered it just like my other one, but it will of course have the new nut and the new bridge pickup. I hope I like it as well as the original ones, but if I don't, maybe someone will ebay one of them someday. I always thought the other one was a little bright compared to my Ibanez Petrucci which I felt was warmer and more dynamic in my hands, but I never knew how much of that was it being a seven string and the pickups just being physically different anyway being longer and whatnot. Same for the neck pickup, so I think it is the longer pickup making it sound different, even though it's based on the same starting point. .

Anyway, I'm blabbering now... I do that when I get excited. I'll be comparing guitars for a month when I get it. LOL. Which is fun because it leads me to knowing when I want to use one over the other and whatnot. Before, I always used the MM when I wanted higher gain, and more chunk, and when I wanted my neck leads to be a bit more distorted and modern. So, one day when I get a MM 6 to go with the two that I have, I can't wait to find all it's new nuances and discover it's useful place in the family. LOL

So, I just had to make my exciting announcement and blab about all the cool things it gets me to thinking about. LOL

 

[glockaxis]

Great news. Best of luck w/ the new one!

 

[mesavox]

Ok.. this is starting to suck already... LOL I don't want to have to wait for it to get here now. LOL

 

[petruccirocks02]

Ok.. this is starting to suck already... LOL I don't want to have to wait for it to get here now. LOL

Yeah, the wait sucks doesn't it? I only had to wait about 2 and half months for my JP6, but it killed me. It'll be worth it once it gets in your hands though. Post some pics of that bad boy, maybe some with your Ibanez too.

-Phil

 

[mesavox]

There are pics of my Ibanez on the Bipolar Echo myspace page, and on my personal page there are pics of the Ibanez and my old JP7... www.myspace.com/mesavox

 

[whitestrat]

I always thought the other one was a little bright compared to my Ibanez Petrucci which I felt was warmer and more dynamic in my hands, but I never knew how much of that was it being a seven string and the pickups just being physically different anyway being longer and whatnot. Same for the neck pickup, so I think it is the longer pickup making it sound different, even though it's based on the same starting point. .

Really? I had an Ibanez JPM90HAM, and I found that brighter than my JP6. Maybe that was due to the flamed maple top on the JPM, but that top wasn't thicker than 5mm! or it could have been the Ebony fretboard, but that shouldn't affect that much either.

I found the JP6 so much warmer, than I got rid of the D Sonic, and dunked a Steve's Special into the bridge... The EBMM neck pup IS a bit warmer than the original Air Norton that was in the JPM, but I quite like it. Very good combo with a Steve's Special. I only wish I had the orignal Bridge pup in the older JP6s...

 

[petruccirocks02]

There are pics of my Ibanez on the Bipolar Echo myspace page, and on my personal page there are pics of the Ibanez and my old JP7... www.myspace.com/mesavox

I just watched that video on your myspace page of you playing For The Love of God. Damn. You have some serious chops man. Great playing. That JPM is awesome too. Sick tone, what amp are you playing through?

-Phil

 

[mesavox]

I just watched that video on your myspace page of you playing For The Love of God. Damn. You have some serious chops man. Great playing. That JPM is awesome too. Sick tone, what amp are you playing through?

-Phil

Thank you much.

On Seven Doors Hotel I'm using a Mesa DC-3 through an Avatar 212. On For The Love Of God I'm using a Behringer V Amp2. Yep... really. lol I have a Flextone III and it doesn't almost touch that cheap little blue box. I used the Soldano model that day. The Wah is my crybaby, and I ran direct into a cheap powered mixer head with speakers that when I turned the thing up a half a millimeter on the knob they farted like Uncle Eddie on the 4th of July. LOL

On Breaking The Silence (which I wrote so I'm probably most proud of it. lol), I used a combination of my DC 3 and Raymond's Triaxis/2:90. The clean sounds were recorded to tape *disc* from the amp (TC Stereo Chorus, Boss DD5 delay) and the rest was dry with effects added later. All of the effects on Seven Doors were to tape *disc* lol Gotta be both cool and correct so you get tape and disc. lol

I don't know why my tone was as good as it was that day with the Vamp. It always sounds pretty good, and it has more realism in feel than the line 6 stuff I've had, but it seemed to really like the little PA we used. That was for a required college performance and I couldn't really use the Boogie... in fact, I bought the Flextone III thinking it would be a better alternative to running the Behringer direct or through the school's keyboard amp. So far, except for the excellent Deja Vibe type effect in the Line 6, I think I wasted my money, except that it is nice to just plug the floorboard in and go.

I've never had a surplus of gear so I learned at a rather young age to make due with what I have. Fortunately for really important gigs, I have the Boogie.... I'd love to play FTLOG live sometime with that.

 

[mesavox]

Really? I had an Ibanez JPM90HAM, and I found that brighter than my JP6. Maybe that was due to the flamed maple top on the JPM, but that top wasn't thicker than 5mm! or it could have been the Ebony fretboard, but that shouldn't affect that much either.

I found the JP6 so much warmer, than I got rid of the D Sonic, and dunked a Steve's Special into the bridge... The EBMM neck pup IS a bit warmer than the original Air Norton that was in the JPM, but I quite like it. Very good combo with a Steve's Special. I only wish I had the orignal Bridge pup in the older JP6s...

Yeah, the 90th is WAY brighter than the regular Ibanez models were. JP pretty much hated it for that reason.

My guess is that it's the top combined the the ebony. Neither alone would likely add that much brightness, but both together were probably too much to be paired with basswood.

The six string MM is simple... if I want to see if I can match the Ibanez's tone with it, I can slap the production pickups in it and see what happens. The Seven... not so simple. John's Ibanez 7 pickups were totally custom. Litterally a Steve's Special 7 and Air Norton 7 rather than slight variations of them... thus they weren't, and aren't available.

The other thing about all this... I compared a 7 MM to the 6 Ibanez... where as you compared 6 to 6. Maybe the seven string is just voiced different to cut through on the low notes and the 6 string MM is more similar to the Ibanez eq wise. I do know that I was always VERY pleased with the MM play and tone wise.. I just overanalyze things too much. lol

But...the differences are pretty minor... For now, I look at it as different sounds for different situations. All this about matching the warmth of the Ibanez is stuff I'm thinking about for down the road... you know... "Maybe one day I'll be able to have a couple stock, and a couple with the Steve's Special... bla bla bla..." LOL

 

[whitestrat]

Yeah, the 90th is WAY brighter than the regular Ibanez models were. JP pretty much hated it for that reason.

My guess is that it's the top combined the the ebony. Neither alone would likely add that much brightness, but both together were probably too much to be paired with basswood.

The six string MM is simple... if I want to see if I can match the Ibanez's tone with it, I can slap the production pickups in it and see what happens. The Seven... not so simple. John's Ibanez 7 pickups were totally custom. Litterally a Steve's Special 7 and Air Norton 7 rather than slight variations of them... thus they weren't, and aren't available.

The other thing about all this... I compared a 7 MM to the 6 Ibanez... where as you compared 6 to 6. Maybe the seven string is just voiced different to cut through on the low notes and the 6 string MM is more similar to the Ibanez eq wise. I do know that I was always VERY pleased with the MM play and tone wise.. I just overanalyze things too much. lol

But...the differences are pretty minor... For now, I look at it as different sounds for different situations. All this about matching the warmth of the Ibanez is stuff I'm thinking about for down the road... you know... "Maybe one day I'll be able to have a couple stock, and a couple with the Steve's Special... bla bla bla..." LOL

JP hated it? He used it entirely for LTE2 didn't he? heheh...

Air Norton 7s are available... but the bridge I think could be a Tonezone 7. That should sort out the old 7's sound. But according to DiMarzio, the closest 7 string pup to a Steve's Special is a Blaze Bridge... Might want to check that out.

I like the play and tone of the MMJP6, but I'd prefer the slightly chunkier/narrow neck on the JPM.

I was thinking about that too... having a few, just in different configurations. But then, I realised that the neck isnt' what I'd want all the time. But if I could get an Axis or a Silo neck on that body with the forearm scoop, heheheh...

 

[mesavox]

JP hated it? He used it entirely for LTE2 didn't he? heheh...

Air Norton 7s are available... but the bridge I think could be a Tonezone 7. That should sort out the old 7's sound. But according to DiMarzio, the closest 7 string pup to a Steve's Special is a Blaze Bridge... Might want to check that out.

I like the play and tone of the MMJP6, but I'd prefer the slightly chunkier/narrow neck on the JPM.

I was thinking about that too... having a few, just in different configurations. But then, I realised that the neck isnt' what I'd want all the time. But if I could get an Axis or a Silo neck on that body with the forearm scoop, heheheh...

I don't know that JP hated it... but I remember reading that he didn't really like it that much... it also seems like, but this may have been a dream, that one of the initial concerns about having a maple top on the prototype MMs was his memory of how it didn't really work previously.

I prefer the neck shape of the Ibanez JPM, but I prefer the feel and construction quality of the MM. They're not different enough for me to care other than the MMs of course just feel better in yer hands anyway... just a better built guitar overall. Ya know... tone is subjective, and I tend to find what I want changes over time... but build quality isn't so subjective. It's pretty obvious that the MM is a better guitar when you hold it. Not that the Ibanez is bad... it's clearly a nice guitar and very much pro level... it's just that MM builds monsters. lol

Yes.. I love the SS necks... very much like the Ibanez JPM in shape... The main thing though about the MMJPM is that it's thin, and I prefer the slightly thicker SS neck.. but it's not so wide like a Wizard neck... those things are too thin to be as wide as they are, and the new JPMs are that thin, but still narrow so it doesn't feel like you're holding a broadsword with strings. lol That's why the MMJPM neck is just fine for me even though it's bordering on too thin.

When you are talking about such small things, you're getting into things you would deal with if you were endorsed and could start tweaking slight things.... the Music Man JPM is still pretty much the perfect guitar for me, and I'd keep my Ibanez because of a few tonal things that I love it so much for. If I could make an extra MMJP sound like that... The Ibanez would totally be a decoration. lol

 

[whitestrat]

I don't know that JP hated it... but I remember reading that he didn't really like it that much... it also seems like, but this may have been a dream, that one of the initial concerns about having a maple top on the prototype MMs was his memory of how it didn't really work previously.

I prefer the neck shape of the Ibanez JPM, but I prefer the feel and construction quality of the MM. They're not different enough for me to care other than the MMs of course just feel better in yer hands anyway... just a better built guitar overall. Ya know... tone is subjective, and I tend to find what I want changes over time... but build quality isn't so subjective. It's pretty obvious that the MM is a better guitar when you hold it. Not that the Ibanez is bad... it's clearly a nice guitar and very much pro level... it's just that MM builds monsters. lol

Yes.. I love the SS necks... very much like the Ibanez JPM in shape... The main thing though about the MMJPM is that it's thin, and I prefer the slightly thicker SS neck.. but it's not so wide like a Wizard neck... those things are too thin to be as wide as they are, and the new JPMs are that thin, but still narrow so it doesn't feel like you're holding a broadsword with strings. lol That's why the MMJPM neck is just fine for me even though it's bordering on too thin.

When you are talking about such small things, you're getting into things you would deal with if you were endorsed and could start tweaking slight things.... the Music Man JPM is still pretty much the perfect guitar for me, and I'd keep my Ibanez because of a few tonal things that I love it so much for. If I could make an extra MMJP sound like that... The Ibanez would totally be a decoration. lol

I think they didn't work that well previously was due to a couple of reasons. Firstly, his rig has changed from 1998. The guitar then when used now, might be even better sounding. Also, Ibanez maple tops are like paper... (sometimes they even ARE paper) Really thin, so I doubt the top itself matters. John Suhr once mentioned that the only way a maple top would change the sound, would be that it would have to be at least 5mm thick at the thickest point, and the thick area needs to be at least 50% of the total surface area. I think Ibanez tops were like 3 to 4mm.

But you're right. The JP6 is definately better made than the JPMs. My JPM always felt really flimsy, and I was always afraid of the neck shifting, because it does. And the neck eventually warped at the 5th fret. Good grief. And the FR never stayed in tune...

But what I'm really curious is, why my JP6 sound warmer than my friend's JPM. (I got rid of mine in 2004) I'm using a Steve's Special in the bridge. (I didn't like the D Sonic) It actually sounds significantly warmer than the JPM. Any clues why?