Musicman Majesty, good?

Tahoebrian5

Fractal Fanatic
Who has a Majesty and how do yo like it? G.A.S is acting up and I really need to add a 7 string to the quiver. Im curious how the trem system compares to a Floyd as far as feel. Also it's pretty expensive.. For this amount I would expect the setup to be very good in stock form, has this been true?
 
I dont have, but played a couple ones. No doubt they are great guitars. Expensive, but high quality. Their playability is freaking awesome IMO.
I think their price in US in quite okay for what you pay. If buying new in Europe they are pretty expensive and you can buy just as good stuff from Poland or even better for less.
Regarding the bridge they are definetelly different, mainly when it comes to feel and the "dampening" when you hit the whammy bar and let it stabilize.
Regarding setting up the guitar, music man bridges if compared to FRs are unbeatable IMO. Fast intonation adjustment, very reliable, stable, good stuff.

I hope this feedback helps you.

Cheers,
Luiz
 
I almost bought one, but a 6+ month back order when I was in the market had me rethink my purchase. I ended up going with two Schecters instead. I don't regret my decision.

Something to keep in mind if you're in the market for the 7 string...it *does NOT* come with their "Game Changer" system. That's only available on the six string version.

Even so, I would have still bought the Majesty 7 had there not been such a long wait time.

Good luck with your decision.
 
I don't know if it's true, but anyway the game changer system on the majesty is not customisable, it's set and just about having the quickest pickup change possible.

I personnaly dream of a Majesty 6, but in France it's just accepting being raped by the importator that can buy a new car everytime a guitar is sold...
 
Never heard of the game changer until now. That's just what I need.. Already have too many things to choose from with Ir and amp models. Seems kinda gimmicky.
 
I've played a Majesty in a guitarcenter fairly recently. The trem is like a hybrid between a vintage trem and a double locking system (ie. Floyd Rose). While jamming on it and messing with the trem, it stayed in tune really well. I imagine that is due to the locking tuners and the graphtec nut. I can't imagine it would handle the same amount of abuse as a floyd regarding tuning stability but then again, you don't have to unlock the nut to retune if need be. Its playability was really nice, the neck is fast as hell and the tall frets made bending effortless. I have smaller hands and the neck width seemed to fit perfectly for me although when I checked the specs its not too different from my 6 string RG, so i don't really know what's going on there.

I would buy one if I had the cash, thats for sure. It's a joy to play.
 
The majesty does NOT have a full GameChanger system in it. It has the circuitry for silent switching of the normal 3 way toggle. You can't reconfigure the pickups digitally.
 
I have one gripe with the JP line (and I hear it's a problem for some other MM guitars, including basses). That's neck stability.

It doesn't affect all guitars, but those with mahogany necks and ebony fretboards are awful when you live in a climate where humidity and temperature vary dramatically through the year.

The problem is that ebony is a very hard wood and mahogany is relatively soft. The neck is very thin with no reinforcement. So when humidity rises, the fretboard absorbs moisture and expands, with frets pushing against the wood, and the whole neck assembly curves towards the strings, aiming to get a back bow. So every spring till summer I gradually release the truss rod (until it is totally released with no tension), and starting fall till winter I tighten it.

That may not be a big deal actually if you have enough room to keep the truss rod active, but in my case it came to back bow during the second year, so it became unplayable. When I took it to the tech, he saw an MM and said, "Neck problems, huh?" Then he looked at it, nodded and pointed to something I didn't notice - the fretboard was thinner around the 12th fret! This means that the neck assembly already showed a tendency to back bow at the factory, and they just made it even by sanding the "extra" wood out! And we're talking about a BFR guitar, by the way. So, I sort of got off easily because he took off a little fret height and I have decent neck bow, but if the problem gets worse, that'll require serious and expensive work or buying a new neck.

Replacing a neck may not help as they all have the same problem. The two permanent solutions require serious modifications - drilling holes inside the neck and inserting carbon reinforcement rods, or making the truss rod a double action type, or both. Really, this should be standard from the factory for these necks!

Anyhow, this long story isn't to discourage anyone from buying these guitars - they are great in every other aspect, and, depending on your climate and some luck, you may have no problems whatsoever, but be aware that there's a weakness built into the design.

So, when you buy it, look at/measure the fretboard thickness along the neck. You can see a big problem by observing the dots - if they are closer to the top surface in the middle of the neck, the fretboard was heavily processed at the factory to remove the back bow by a crude method, which isn't a permanent solution, but just hides the problem temporarily. So if you see that, return it immediately.

Despite having this problem, I still love my JP and don't regret buying it overall, mind you.
 
The majesty does NOT have a full GameChanger system in it. It has the circuitry for silent switching of the normal 3 way toggle. You can't reconfigure the pickups digitally.
What is this, then? You're saying this system doesn't come in the Majesty? Trying to find the pages that said the sixxers did, but the 7's didn't.

 
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I have one gripe with the JP line (and I hear it's a problem for some other MM guitars, including basses). That's neck stability.

It doesn't affect all guitars, but those with mahogany necks and ebony fretboards are awful when you live in a climate where humidity and temperature vary dramatically through the year.

The problem is that ebony is a very hard wood and mahogany is relatively soft. The neck is very thin with no reinforcement. So when humidity rises, the fretboard absorbs moisture and expands, with frets pushing against the wood, and the whole neck assembly curves towards the strings, aiming to get a back bow. So every spring till summer I gradually release the truss rod (until it is totally released with no tension), and starting fall till winter I tighten it.

That may not be a big deal actually if you have enough room to keep the truss rod active, but in my case it came to back bow during the second year, so it became unplayable. When I took it to the tech, he saw an MM and said, "Neck problems, huh?" Then he looked at it, nodded and pointed to something I didn't notice - the fretboard was thinner around the 12th fret! This means that the neck assembly already showed a tendency to back bow at the factory, and they just made it even by sanding the "extra" wood out! And we're talking about a BFR guitar, by the way. So, I sort of got off easily because he took off a little fret height and I have decent neck bow, but if the problem gets worse, that'll require serious and expensive work or buying a new neck.

Replacing a neck may not help as they all have the same problem. The two permanent solutions require serious modifications - drilling holes inside the neck and inserting carbon reinforcement rods, or making the truss rod a double action type, or both. Really, this should be standard from the factory for these necks!

Anyhow, this long story isn't to discourage anyone from buying these guitars - they are great in every other aspect, and, depending on your climate and some luck, you may have no problems whatsoever, but be aware that there's a weakness built into the design.

So, when you buy it, look at/measure the fretboard thickness along the neck. You can see a big problem by observing the dots - if they are closer to the top surface in the middle of the neck, the fretboard was heavily processed at the factory to remove the back bow by a crude method, which isn't a permanent solution, but just hides the problem temporarily. So if you see that, return it immediately.

Despite having this problem, I still love my JP and don't regret buying it overall, mind you.
My Majesty did NOT like living in Miami Beach..for sure.
 
Something not on my Majesty.....
Wow. Interesting. I spent hours researching and reading up on this system because I'd seen something indicating the Majesty had it, and distinctly remember being disappointed when I discovered it wasn't on the 7 string. That combined with the long wait time is what influenced me to stick with my Schecters.

May have been the tequila, or the absinthe. Been a while, can't remember. =)

Thanks for the clarification and the correction. Still a a nice instrument. I've never played a MM I didn't like.
 
I have one gripe with the JP line (and I hear it's a problem for some other MM guitars, including basses). That's neck stability.

It doesn't affect all guitars, but those with mahogany necks and ebony fretboards are awful when you live in a climate where humidity and temperature vary dramatically through the year.

The problem is that ebony is a very hard wood and mahogany is relatively soft. The neck is very thin with no reinforcement. So when humidity rises, the fretboard absorbs moisture and expands, with frets pushing against the wood, and the whole neck assembly curves towards the strings, aiming to get a back bow. So every spring till summer I gradually release the truss rod (until it is totally released with no tension), and starting fall till winter I tighten it.

That may not be a big deal actually if you have enough room to keep the truss rod active, but in my case it came to back bow during the second year, so it became unplayable. When I took it to the tech, he saw an MM and said, "Neck problems, huh?" Then he looked at it, nodded and pointed to something I didn't notice - the fretboard was thinner around the 12th fret! This means that the neck assembly already showed a tendency to back bow at the factory, and they just made it even by sanding the "extra" wood out! And we're talking about a BFR guitar, by the way. So, I sort of got off easily because he took off a little fret height and I have decent neck bow, but if the problem gets worse, that'll require serious and expensive work or buying a new neck.

Replacing a neck may not help as they all have the same problem. The two permanent solutions require serious modifications - drilling holes inside the neck and inserting carbon reinforcement rods, or making the truss rod a double action type, or both. Really, this should be standard from the factory for these necks!

Anyhow, this long story isn't to discourage anyone from buying these guitars - they are great in every other aspect, and, depending on your climate and some luck, you may have no problems whatsoever, but be aware that there's a weakness built into the design.

So, when you buy it, look at/measure the fretboard thickness along the neck. You can see a big problem by observing the dots - if they are closer to the top surface in the middle of the neck, the fretboard was heavily processed at the factory to remove the back bow by a crude method, which isn't a permanent solution, but just hides the problem temporarily. So if you see that, return it immediately.

Despite having this problem, I still love my JP and don't regret buying it overall, mind you.

I'm very surprised that JP models don't have a modern two way truss rod... is that what you're saying?
 
I'm very surprised that JP models don't have a modern two way truss rod... is that what you're saying?

They most certainly do not. And they certainly must have it, given the choice of materials, neck shape and lack of reinforcement.

But more than that, their quality control is rather sloppy in this regard. Or they are too greedy. My guitar shouldn't have passed QC. Instead they just covered up the problem and sold it.

The tech who fixed mine calls EBMMs "the anti-Carvins", pointing to price vs quality ratio.
 
But more than that, their quality control is rather sloppy

Man, you are so right!
When it comes to Q.A, I'm sorry to say (from a bad experience) that EBMM has a lot to learn and absorb.

On the other hand, I think they make great guitars! I love them, the playability is amazing, the wood work and look are stunning.

Regarding the OP question, I have a 6str Majesty on the way here and have a long time experience with EBMM guitars in general and also with the Mej, also had other JP's in the past, there are few common things on all JP's and it’s the neck which I thing is the best! and the stability of the bridge even after crazy abuse, I think it's better than any F.R bridge out there, it simply stay in tune no matter what.
Regarding the comfort of the Mej specifically, if you are standing than its great, feel small and nice.
If you play sitting and considering you are a right hand guy than it's a little problem to play when the guitar is laying on the right hip, I always play the traditional position meaning the guitar is lying between my legs so the bottom horn (very short) lies on the left hip and the bottom of the guitar is on the right (hope I explain my self).

Bottom line, I love EBMM guitars, I thing they make very good guitars and they have a good customer service but you should check the finish VERY carefully before taking one home to be your lawful wife.
 
I bought one a while back but ended up returning it. It sounded great but it was difficult to play. The first 3 frets felt very difficult like my fingers had to stretch extra or something. It should be due to how the guitar hangs (long horn) which could make the position of the frets different from what I am used to.
My advise is go to a store that has them and spend some time playing it.
 
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