Talk me out of this guitar

[pfizer]

As with any other brand, YMMV. EBMMs are pretty well-regarded though. They're very well-built and often come with features you don't get from any other brand.

Maybe evaluate just how much you actually want it. I always get that "big chunk of cash gone" feeling of regret when I get an expensive piece of gear, especially if its brand new (I play as a hobby and get nearly all of my gear second-hand).

I, personally, have always been talked out of buying a Majesty because of where I live -- I live in the the Philippines and if the boost circuit on that thing goes haywire, there's not a single luthier here who knows how to fix it, making the entire thing unusable. It's why I really want a "budget" Majesty -- not a Sterling, but a USA-made Majesty without the boost circuit or the piezo, both features that I can live without.

 

[nanthil]

How often does the hardware go bad on one of these? It seems to have been mentioned more than once.

Is this a trend on Majesties, or on piezo guitars, or on guitars with an integrated boost channel?


As for how badly I want it, all I know for certain is I want a seven or eight string for some projects I have in mind. A store close by had these, so I went to try them.

When I went to the shop I expected to dislike both the Richardson (super strat body I don't like) and the monarchy (weird looking?), but they were both exquisite. It felt like wearing glasses, like suddenly my playing came into focus. I feel like I was playing better with my pick hand on the Richardson, and with my fret hand on the majesty.

When I was in high school, my trumpet was damaged and had to be repaired for a solid week. During this time, my band leader (who was also a trumpet player) let me play is fully silver concert trumpet. That trumpet was better than me in every way. It was instantly obvious how much better it was and how much better I played on it.

The majesty felt exactly the same way. That isn't to say some other guitar wouldn't make me feel this way, but that this one certainly did. I just don't want to make that big of an impulse purchase, especially if there are some hidden flaws or longer term problem trends with them.

 

[c7spheres]

How often does the hardware go bad on one of these? It seems to have been mentioned more than once.

Is this a trend on Majesties, or on piezo guitars, or on guitars with an integrated boost channel?

I can't speak specifically to the Majesty but in know that piezo's can literally just go out for no apparent reason. I have a double edge lo pro on my guitar and had them go out a few times, but replacement of the element inside is possible on those, with other type I htink you gotta buy a whole new saddle.

 

[Tuned]

Not talking shit. Just a regular brand, has its issues here and there as such
My story:
https://www.sevenstring.org/threads...-man-build-quality.338247/page-4#post-5053685
with my hindsight, if almost everyone so fond of the EBMM Modern Trem, why does every second preowned JP sig on sale come with a tremol-no or such? The Modern Trem may or may not give a better feel, but I personally have come to the conclusion that an OFR or GOTOH floyd are far more reliable variants.

as I was struggling with my story I got to know a guy who'd had problems with his Majesty's piezo from day 1. He followed all the experts' advice but couldn't cure that until he bought a new unit from EBMM.

My personal opininon is that JP sig is a great playing and sounding guitar but very much overpriced, it doesn't offer the expected level of quality and detail of the price range it tries to belong to. The Majesty, moreso.

 

[jephjacques]

There are obviously flawed EBMMs out there, but mine have all been excellent. And while it's not ever going to beat a double locking system, I've been consistently impressed with how good the Majesty's trem is at keeping everything in tune, even under heavy use.

And yeah, I've seen how much they cost over in Europe and it is ridiculous, but in the US I think they're priced exactly where they ought to be in terms of quality.

 

[nanthil]

It almost sounds like Russian roulette, but with a few extra chambers.

Most people have just fine experiences with EBMM, but then others claim dramatic horror stories that would make anyone quit playing guitar for the massive investment and amount of work required to make their instrument minimally playable.

Is there anyone that's had positive experiences with EBMM service when something was off? Several reviews thus far have described the service from EBMM as aloof. What are the thoughts of those who are happy with their service and instrument?

For probably close to $4k after taxes, and being a private owner, I can't afford to play roulette. I need to know that I'm getting a quality instrument. What are some major construction flaws to look for? I get checking for dead spots on the fretboard, and checking that the strings stay in tune with the tremolo, but what are red flags that should signal to me that this specific guitar probably isn't the best?

 

[Albake21]

I'll be brutally honest here, I think you're way overthinking this. If you don't like it, resell it. Every guitar company will have some QC problems. If you're thinking about it this much, maybe you shouldn't be buying a guitar this expensive. I've used their customer service before and had helpful results.

 

[nanthil]

I'll be brutally honest here, I think you're way overthinking this. If you don't like it, resell it. Every guitar company will have some QC problems. If you're thinking about it this much, maybe you shouldn't be buying a guitar this expensive. I've used their customer service before and had helpful results.

I just want to know what to look for when I go in to buy the thing, so I'm looking for the most information I can get, that's all. Sorry if I sound paranoid.

 

[Albake21]

I just want to know what to look for when I go in to buy the thing, so I'm looking for the most information I can get, that's all. Sorry if I sound paranoid.

I understand the paranoia, it's a lot of money to spend at once. My point is, you can just easily resell it back if you don't like it. This is something that is done by most members on SSO, so it's a very normal and common thing. I'm sorry if I'm sounding harsh, I just think you got all the information you could need to make this decision.

 

[Drew]

I just want to know what to look for when I go in to buy the thing, so I'm looking for the most information I can get, that's all. Sorry if I sound paranoid.

EBMM makes very high quality USA-made guitars. Look for any of the other things you'd look for when you pick up a guitar you're thinking of buying, but there are no systemetic issues I'm aware of to worry about with EBMM or any of the Petrucci models. You're definitely overthinking this, partly because EBMM has an extremely good record for quality, and partly because no matter HOW good a company's reputation is, you should still be going over a guitar pretty thoroughly before you buy it, as best practice.

lol this is nonsense, it balances fine on a floor stand

Again, never played one of the Majesties myself, but that pointed/angled bottom looks like it might struggle a little. If you've tried this, then good to know.

 

[jephjacques]

Yeah you're overthinking it, just buy one from a place with a solid return policy. If you don't like it for whatever reason, return it.