Help me decide which Musicman guitar to get

Chewie5150

Fractal Fanatic
So my awesome partner just told me that for my upcoming birthday/Christmas gift she's gonna buy me a guitar. I'm between the JP15 Sahara maple burst quilt or a Majesty. I'm not a dent/shredder; more classic/hard rock. I used to have a JP6 BFR but never bonded with the finished neck. The JP15 looks nicer to me (more classic looking while the majesty is a bit more radical) but the roasted maple necks just feel so nice.

What do ya'll think? Does anyone who has owned or played both have any considerations...
 
So my awesome partner just told me that for my upcoming birthday/Christmas gift she's gonna buy me a guitar. I'm between the JP15 Sahara maple burst quilt or a Majesty. I'm not a dent/shredder; more classic/hard rock. I used to have a JP6 BFR but never bonded with the finished neck. The JP15 looks nicer to me (more classic looking while the majesty is a bit more radical) but the roasted maple necks just feel so nice.

What do ya'll think? Does anyone who has owned or played both have any considerations...

I'm on my second Majesty. They are fine instruments but very much geared toward the shredder. The neck feels thinner than my Jem and the action is very low. I'd recommend a JP15 for a more traditional feel if that's what you are going for.
 
my main gripe with the JP15 design (including all previous models excluding Majesty), is the output jack design.

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these sit on the side of the guitar, so using either a right-angle or regular 1/4" jack, if you happen to step on the cable and pull the guitar, the jack will bend/crack off the circuit board its soldered to. once this connection is broken, slight movements cause a loud pop sound, since is exactly like you're plugging and unplugging the cable. even without stepping on the cable, i feel that over time, just the gravity of the cable on the jack at such an extreme angle will break the connection. i'd assume JP changes out his guitars often so he never experienced the issue enough to make a complaint.

i've used MM JP guitars since 2002. i've had probably 10 over the years, buy and sell, etc. they ALL eventually have developed this issue. at first EB would send me replacement modules so i could just change it out myself - just a few wires to plug in and solder (IIRC). but at some point, they required the whole guitar to get shipped back to fix it, and at $150 each way for me, PLUS the cost of the module, there was just no way. i couldn't figure out a way to fix the circuit board itself. and then at some point, some new Customer Service guy told me that i was the ONLY PERSON in the world that ever experienced this issue. i was kinda floored. i said i've already had 4 guitars fixed for this before and he said i'm the only one. (i asked other owners online via forums and many of them had the same issue and actually didn't know what it was!)

so finally the Majesty design was announced and the ONLY thing i was looking for was the output jack design. it's a single stereo jack, in a more traditional location, so there isn't an extreme angle for the cable to sit. it has been amazing for me, and i sold all the previous models.

all that said, maybe they've fixed the issue. a friend of mine has a JP X and hasn't had any problems, but i haven't bought that older style guitar in a while.

so maybe it's a non-issue by now. but just FYI. i also happen to prefer everything else about the Majesty too - recessed toggles, the push-push knob functions, body design, look, feel, neck, etc. the glossy neck hasn't been an issue at all for me. the neck-through design has sustain for days, and the tone is so full. i play mostly acoustic and clean, but also use classic rock and heavier distortion. i think it can do it all. i definitely prefer the current gen Dimarzio pickups - first gen Majesty had Illuminators which took a while to get used to. Very mid-rangey and i just didnt' prefer it. i now have a Monarchy series, and much prefer the Sonic Ecstasy voicing.
 
Agreed that the older Illuminators are not the best...but for piezo acoustic blend tones, !majesty is hard to beat.
 
my main gripe with the JP15 design (including all previous models excluding Majesty), is the output jack design.

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i definitely prefer the current gen Dimarzio pickups - first gen Majesty had Illuminators which took a while to get used to. Very mid-rangey and i just didnt' prefer it. i now have a Monarchy series, and much prefer the Sonic Ecstasy voicing.

I've heard others mention this as well. To be honest I'm not always a fan of the pickups on the JP's. I had a BFR JP6 with the Crunchlab/Liquifire set. I loved the Liquifire neck P/U but not the CL so much. I ended up replacing them with BKP Rebel Yells for that guitar. Way better. I wish you could request different pickups.
 
Cutlass is so nice. I love all these new models they have come out with and i wish they had the piezo as well. That is the main reason i come back to the JP's
 
Cutlass is so nice. I love all these new models they have come out with and i wish they had the piezo as well. That is the main reason i come back to the JP's
Could that be remedied with an aftermarket saddle system from GraphTech or something like that?
 
Could that be remedied with an aftermarket saddle system from GraphTech or something like that?
maybe, but since EB does provide piezo in other guitars, the fact they don't on this makes me less eager to install it myself. regardless, i prefer the EB piezo system and resulting tone. so i'll just wait. definitely no rush, as the Majesty gives me all i really want. i've just never really played a strat, and know i'd like some of those tones sometimes. "so get a strat" - sure, but again, no rush and i want the EB piezo anyway :D
 
Love my JP15. Plays better than any of my other guitars and sounds great, little on dark side tone wise but easy to compensate. Took a hard look at several Majesty models but neck was a little wider than I prefer. JP15 fit like a glove and unfinished neck is great.
 
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i REALLY want a Cutlass, but they don't offer it with piezo. my style of music needs acoustic sounds, so oh well :(

Do a google search for “Music Man Hunter Hayes Signature”. I think they’re going to come out with a Cutlass with piezo sometime down the road.
 
Okay guys one last question. I've decided on a JP15 but what finish? i've always leaned towards the Sahara burst quilt for that classic look but this trans black quilt also sick looking.

john-petrucci-jp15-signature-hh-dimarzio-piezo-trem-mn-hd-142868.jpg ae00-46392.jpg
 
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