Who knows JP models? Looking to make the right purchase

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ekulggats

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Hey all-

I played an Artisan Majesty the other day. I was impressed with the guitar itself, but was truly blown away by the pickups, switching systems and their onboard processing. I have not played through any other guitar and found so many powerful any varied tones to choose from as I did in that one. Inspiring for sure.

Unfortunately I am not loaded with disposable money, so- given the kind of daunting array of JP models produced, Which models would have the same/similar pickup and piezo setup as the majesty, but can be attained for the most reasonable price? The combined piezo tones I was able to get out of it were pretty incredible, I really want to have access to those sorts of tones.
 

noise in my mind

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You should be fine with a loaded jp6. Those can be had for the most reasonable price. Music man guitars are amazing in general, you really can't go wrong with them or any of the JP models.
 

MaxOfMetal

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All the JPs with Piezo have the same electronics/switching.
 

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katsumura78

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I’d say play a few before you pick but best bang for your buck like everyone has said is the “basic” JP6. You just can’t go wrong. Switch the pickups out to Illuminators to get closer to the pre 2019 Majesty sound and you’ll be set.
 
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MaxOfMetal

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I’d say play a few before you pick but beat bang for your buck like everyone has said is the “basic” JP6. You just can’t go wrong. Switch the pickups out to Illuminators to get closer to the pre 2019 Majesty sound and you’ll be set.

Definitely play examples of the different models.

All the various "X series" JPs have a different feel to them.

Luckily, pretty much everything but certain rare color BFRs are cheaper than the Majesty.
 

Jonathan20022

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The Majesty is an unbelievably awesome design and killer playing guitar. I can't put down mine and I definitely want to grab another in a 7 string variety.

The original Barolo X was my unwavering favorite from the line, but you can't go wrong no matter where you go. You can get 16's for pretty cheap if you get on with Floyds, but yeah the OG Standard JP6's are an immense bang for your buck if you can find a loaded model for >1500
 

Sermo Lupi

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Adding to what the others have said, in case this helps inform your decision (and concerns about the electronics specifically):
  • To my knowledge, the piezo technology has not changed since the line's inception in 2001. That's with respect to the sound as well as the functionality (i.e. adjustability, dual outputs, switching, etc.)
  • Starting with the JP 13(?), some guitars now have an active preamp circuit. In practical terms, this acts like a clean boost to give you 20db of gain to the signal, and also helps to buffer the signal against interference (e.g. running long lengths of patch cable, which can cause hum). I believe the JP 13, 15, and the Majesty all of this feature, but (for example), the JP6 does not.
  • The pickups are different in several of the models. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since some were designed specifically to fit those guitars. Brand new majesties are shipping with the Dreamcatcher/Rainmaker, but formerly came with Illuminators (what you may have tried on the majesty you played). The JP6s come with the Crunchlab/Liquifier, but on older models came with a D-Sonic/Steve-special-type pickup, or two of the Steve-special-types (they were proprietary, I believe). So if you buy used and are particular about getting the exact same pickup/electronic config you tried in store, just be aware of the pickup differences.
  • Keep in mind many of the model updates have been incremental and not substantial revisions. For the features you seem to value, those have been on fully-loaded JP6s since 2001. There's some bells and whistles the majesties have now that the older guitars don't, but I'd be sceptical of feeling like you're not getting the full functionality if you opt for a cheaper/older model. Used JP6s are quite affordable now and offer a broadly similar playing experience.
  • Lastly, just be aware of changes to other features. No JP guitars had stainless steel frets before 2015, so be aware of that. The neck radii became flatter and flatter on the new guitars (from 15" to 17", even to 20" on the JPXI, I believe). The woods have changed a fair bit, especially on certain BFR models. The rest of the changes should be obvious on first glance, however: painted necks vs. gun oil + wax, changes in body shape, changes to hardware colour on some models (JPX, stealth), and so on.
To echo what others have said, I prefer the design of the JP6, honestly. It is very comfortable and the necks are to die for. I've felt no need to upgrade to the other models from the several JP6s I've owned.

But depending on your must-have features, you might want to review the line-up using this side-by-side specification comparison tool provided by Music Man. Just select the models from the drop-down menus above the spec sheet.

Enjoy and good luck!
 

BananaDemocracy

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oooooo and then this thread comes along, totally monkeywrenching my 2027x dreams!! nothing is certain anymore!!! (jk)
 

Mathemagician

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The only thing I’d change about the JP6/7 series is smaller heels. Which the majesty has done.
 

Avedas

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Brand new majesties are shipping with the Dreamcatcher/Rainmaker
Speaking of which, are those available anywhere yet? I thought it might be fun to put a Dreamcatcher in my HSS Jackson.
 

Sermo Lupi

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This is not true - my JPXI has SS frets and was bought new well before 2015...

My mistake; I think they were introduced with the XI, were they not? If so, I've confused two dates: when stainless steel frets were introduced on that model, and when they were upgraded across the entire model range, which I believe only happened within the last few years (I put it at 2015, but I'm not 100% on that).

In any case, my point was simply that while you'll find stainless steel frets on all the various JP models today, if you're buying in the used market, many of the guitars will not have them.
 

Jonathan20022

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SS Frets were introduced on the XI and made standard across all JP Production models with the announcement of the JP12 at NAMM 2012.

This is confusing for the JPX because of the crossover of X models being produced for two years before this change, so there's only a few ways to tell if your guitar has stainless frets or not.

If you have an X, and you have shield inlays on the 12th fret, you absolutely have Stainless Frets. Another confirmation is the bridge post positioning, if your high E string is right above the treble post of the tremolo then you have a pre-2012 JPX and it's questionable wether or not you have SS Frets. At that point, email EBMM with the serial and they'll confirm.

But if you have shield inlays on the 12th, as well as the treble trem post NOT under your high E string. You have SS frets.

For all other models, the trem post change is enough of a visual indicator to tell.

This is the difference if anyone is wondering what I'm talking about.

Old Trem Design:
images


New Trem Design:
musicman-jp6-john-petrucci-6-pearl-red-burst-musicman-musicstreet-3_800x.jpg


Other thing to note, is that all JP's after the JP13 feature some sort of active circuit and they can no longer be used without a battery, so always keep a 2 pack of 9v or AA's in the gig bag.
 

kisielk

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I agree you'd be happy with a loaded JP6. I picked one up last year for a great price and I absolutely love it. The neck is a bit chunkier than my Ibanez guitars but not by too much, and the radius is just slightly rounder (I believe it's 12"). For me personally the Majesty shape is not too appealing, they look like some kind of weird wizard horn or something. The JP6 has an absolutely timeless look to it, and especially the original 6 is a bit more rounded than the later models, it can easily fit in all styles of music. The neck pickup also has amazing tone for Jazz, surprisingly...
 

Meeotch

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Watch out for the location of the pickup selector. I bought and sold a JP15 because I could not keep my hand from bumping it. The bumping wouldn't necessarily change pickups, but it was just uncomfortable for me.

Many players say they get used to it, but others say they don't. Just make sure you play one first!
 

kisielk

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I've never had a problem with the pickup selector, but I do knock the piezo selector from time to time if I try to do tapping. Have to adjust my hand position to avoid that.
 

lewstherin006

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You need to play some of the other JPs. The best ones IMO are the OG JP6/7, JPX (JPXI is pretty good too) and the JP16. I played the Majesty and couldnt really stand it at all. Just make sure whatever model you get has the stainless frets, which they started using in 2011 I believe.
 


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