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John Myung Bongo 4

Tuning a Petrucci EBMM to C Standard

7stringsofhell

7stringsofhell

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Joined
Mar 12, 2019
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11
I used not so slinky strings. I have the trem blocked.

I am a bit of newb to this as i usually just hire someone to set up my guitar but i am trying to learn.

How do i know if i need a truss or intonation adjustment, or both?

Its not playing as smoothing or easily as when i had it in E standard or super slinky's. Is this because of the heavier strings or that there is something off in the set up?
 
Not even slinky, right? 12-56?

If the fretted note on the 12th fret is the same as the natural harmonic on the 12th fret, then your intonation is correct.

Check the fretboard to see if it's straight and if not you might need to make a small adjustment with the trussrod.
 
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Tuning a Petrucci to C is a bit of a process. You'll definitely have to set intonation. You might also have to play with saddle height to get the right tension on the strings. Whenever I just throw Not Even Slinkys on a Petrucci, I find the strings way too loose. Raising saddles and lowering the bridge can fix that. Good luck! Having said that, it's awesome when you get it set up right!
 
Your Petrucci came from the factory with Regular Slinky 10-46 gauge strings. The Not-Even-Slinky set is a big jump in string gauge and would require a full setup of the guitar including a neck adjustment, an additional tremolo spring, saddle heights, bridge heights, intonation and refiling the slots in your guitar's nut.
Your best bet is to follow our FAQ on "How do I set up my Petrucci?" My only other recommendation would be to ensure that your nut was filed for the proper string gauge before you set your saddle heights. Let us know if you have any other questions.
 
Honestly, for that low of tuning, I'd find a baritone. Guitars designed for standard tuning are really hard to tune that low and not have issues.
 
No need for a baritone for C standard. In fact, I would not recommend it. A 25.5-inch scale is enough. You just have to find the right set of strings. 12-56 seems to be a good choice to get close to the 10-46 feel. When you change tuning and strings size you need to adjust the intonation, probably the truss rod and maybe fill the nut a bit. With a floating bridge, you need to adjust the tension of the back springs to match the tension of the strings. If you have never done this before, I'd suggest taking it to a tech. Learn to set up your guitar with easier operations first.
 
JP tunes down to C with 12-56 without using a baritone. He did this on Train of thought and now again on the new album. A 25.5 scale guitar is just fine.
 
You'll definitely have to file the nut for the lowest 2 or 3 strings. I just put .12-.60s on my JP13 and they definitely don't sit where they should. I also needed to pull the .60 through the tuning peg with pliers because it was such a tight fit. Good times.
 
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