Tips for tweaking a Petrucci Musicman

[Hellbeans]

Hi, this is my first post...good impressions so far

I just bought a MM Petrucci, 6 string w/piezo (no bullet thingie tho, should I feel bad? kinda forgot to ask about that one. =[)

Anyway, I've been playing for 5 years now, all Ibanez guitars, and I like to do all the setting up and tweaking (action, string heights, electronics, etc.) myself.

This is the first Musicman guitar I've ever dealt with and I need some advice for tweaking string height, action, and all the other important features to help my set this guitar up the way I like my guitars.

I like a very bendable guitar, and the first thing I wanna do obviously is to adjust string tension.

If you can give me any specific advice, point me to a good guide, or anything else, I'd appreciate it a lot.

Thanks

-H

 

[Lou]

The thing that's going to help with string tension the most is what guage of strings you use. If you bought your JP new, it should have .010s on it. Moving to .009's will have a looser feel, and you would have to set up the guitar like you would you Ibanez: tighten spring claw/intonate/set action, etc...

 

[mesadualrec]

Hi welcome aboard


well I have had a Jp and let me just say it was AWESOME!!!


I dont know if you have encountered the locking tuner system yet?
If not my best advice for this is to pull most of the string through the tuner and then clamp.Tune as usual and you will find that this gives a very bendable string tension.As for action,......mine was perfect perhaps some one else can give more insight here.

The trem you have on your guitar is probably the best trem system on the planet.

I hope you enjoy it here and there are alot of knowledgeable folks around here.

Euan

 

[Lou]

Chec this for some info on factory setup:

http://www.ernieball.com/faq_content.php?subjectcode=mm_guitars

 

[TNT]

Beans,

A "tweaked" JP is like no other guitar out there (oh, except the Axis)!!

 

[Hellbeans]

Checking out Lou's link...I'm baffled.

This is all very new to me and I'm still trying to figure everything out.
I only have one amp, which is a combo amp, from what I understand the best way to use the piezo in this situation is use the piezo/mono input.

And when I look at all the spots for tweaking (truss rod, etc.) I'm a little out of my element...

I was wondering if maybe there's someone here who knows the JP model well and can help me using MSN/ICQ or whatever...I'm very picky about how I tweak my guitars and I don't wanna make a single move without knowing all there is to know about it.

If someone feels like talkin' in MSN or something, PM me.

Oh, and thanks for the welcome(s)!

...And yeah, well, as If I can keep this un-said, I'm already in love with this guitar's potential.

-H

 

[Ang3lus]

oh
i just got my JP and i thought strings might be 0.10
glad to know it can feel even better
though i don't dig the pickups, i got used to actives i guess.

 

[Hellbeans]

Well I have officially plugged it in and woah @ the piezo sound.
One weird thing has happened to me 2 times now, when I reached for my trem arm and went for a dive, it made a weird sound like it's about to pop and totally got my guitar outta tune...gonna need to see if this continues.

Again, I'll be very happy if anyone feels like chattin' on MSN.

-H

 

[mesadualrec]

The action on the Jp's can be lowered stupidly too


which is a good thing if you like low action :d

my buddy has had hid(used to be mine) set incredibly low

 

[unclerico]

I thought the JP was perfect, except the strings were to high for my weak fingers, but I got used to it when I started playing higher stringed guitars.

 

[petruccirocks02]

Hi, this is my first post...good impressions so far

I just bought a MM Petrucci, 6 string w/piezo (no bullet thingie tho, should I feel bad? kinda forgot to ask about that one. =[)

Anyway, I've been playing for 5 years now, all Ibanez guitars, and I like to do all the setting up and tweaking (action, string heights, electronics, etc.) myself.

This is the first Musicman guitar I've ever dealt with and I need some advice for tweaking string height, action, and all the other important features to help my set this guitar up the way I like my guitars.

I like a very bendable guitar, and the first thing I wanna do obviously is to adjust string tension.

If you can give me any specific advice, point me to a good guide, or anything else, I'd appreciate it a lot.

Thanks

-H

H, if you got the guitar new from the factory, you really shouldn't have to do much tweaking at all. You said you like bendable strings, so really the only thing you should have to do is put .009's on it (or your preferred string guage), intonate, and set your action. The FAQ section on the site is very helpful.

-Phil

 

[Phazer]

but are you shure the best way to adjust the action is by using the truss rodd?
would it be better to use the 2 screws on the bridge to lower it or make it higher?
and how do I intonate it?

 

[jagged]

i wouldnt mess with the truss rod. I lowered my action considerably when i noticed that the bridge was not level to the guitar. loosen up your strings a little bit, then pop open the back cover, and adjust the screws for the bridge until its level... that made it better for me

 

[peedo_deedo]

but are you shure the best way to adjust the action is by using the truss rodd?
would it be better to use the 2 screws on the bridge to lower it or make it higher?
and how do I intonate it?

I have my 2 guitars set with 2 different string gauges, 10's and 11's. with the 10's, i lowered the action just a little bit from the factory settings and it works better for me. i did this by turning the trust rod clockwise facing the headstock. adjust intonation by adjusting the screws at the end of the bridge. (more info at EB FAQ's)

with my 11's, i lossen the tension a bit from cavity just enough so my bridge is leveled with the body. it doesnt take much turn to do this, maybe from 12 o'clock t0 2 o'clock. then adjust intonation.

 

[Ang3lus]

has anybody ever tried EMGs with the JP?

 

[emkey]

I've already asked that question and haven't gotten any answers. I think pickups are great and there is no need for replacement but I'm also curious about JP with EMGs like standard 85 at neck and 81 at bridge position.

 

[Ang3lus]

yeah, All guitars i've ever had sounded heavier and guitar seemed more in control with EMGs or new set i've tried is the Duncan Blackout which is somewhat better, more versatile.

I guess no one tried EMGs because it would be kind of blasphemy, but that thin sounding D-sonic bridge is kinda getting to me.

lookie here what i found on the bay.
Music man John Petrucci plus EMG's - (eBay item 300167131717 end time Nov-03-07 12:35:34 PDT)

 

[jagged]

i agree... i dont like the d-sonic that much. its very metallic to me

 

[D-sOnic]

H, if you got the guitar new from the factory, you really shouldn't have to do much tweaking at all. You said you like bendable strings, so really the only thing you should have to do is put .009's on it (or your preferred string guage), intonate, and set your action. The FAQ section on the site is very helpful.

-Phil

I agree with Phil, I have had my new JP6 for around a month and I resisted all urges to make any tweaks. If the instrument is new, keep it that way and give the factory set-up a chance. It is set-up a particular way from MM for a reason. A month into it and now I wouldn't change a thing.

Listen to JP, can a guy who plays and sounds like that be wrong?

Get on with it!

 

[emkey]

lookie here what i found on the bay.
Music man John Petrucci plus EMG's - (eBay item 300167131717 end time Nov-03-07 12:35:34 PDT)

Wow! Interesting! As far as I am EMG's user (I have Jackson RR3 Customized, but I do what I can to change it to JP6 as soon as it possible) it is really confusing me set. Maybe that guy has some samples of the overall sound of that guitar...