darren
Well-known member
JP7 on its way... (it's now here!)
So i recently played a Petrucci 7 (pearl red burst, piezos, standard dots) and was blown away.
I had played a Petrucci 6 before (unplugged) and was very impressed with its feel, its resonance and its ergonomics. The 7 impressed me just as much, maybe even more.
Long & McQuade here in Toronto recently received a HUGE shipment of EBMM guitars and basses, so there were all kinds of fresh goodies out on the floor. I noodled around unplugged for a bit on a Mystic Dream non-piezo, non-inlay JP6 they had. (Trippy finish, absolutely SICK birdseye neck.)
I left the store, and just as i walked past their storefront window, a little flash of red caught my eye. I doubled back and saw a minty-fresh Pearl Redburst EBMM JP7 with piezo and no JP inlay in the window.
I went back into the store and asked to play it. I just plugged into a little Line 6 Spider II combo to take it for a quick spin. (I wanted to try it with something i knew i could dial in a decent tone on in seconds... i didn't want to wrestle with getting a good tone out of a complex amp, in case my frustration with the amp might cloud my judgement.)
The finish was gorgeous. Unlike the OLP "pearl redburst" which seems to be more of a black burst around the red, this one goes from red to a very dusty reddish purple. Smooth and flawless, except inside the trem recess, which was a bit knobbly.
The guitar was so fresh that the strings were still stretching in. I had to re-tune a few times to get them to settle down. I mean, they were GLEAMING fresh strings.
The fretwork on these guitars is nothing short of spectacular. They're easily the slickest-feeling frets after Parker's stainless steel ones. Beautifully finished at the edges.
The ergonomics are fantastic. You guys really did your homework on this guitar. Everything falls comfortably to hand, the contours hug the body, and the armrest takes any kind of pressure off the tendons in the wrist and forearm. My hand falls naturally to a perfect playing position, and all the controls are not as far a reach as i thought they would be. The bridge is very flat and comfy, and the tuners felt very smooth, tight and accurate.
The neck was the biggest surprise. Normally, i like slightly more beefy necks. I've tried several Ibanez RG 7s over the years and always found their necks to be too thin and "flat" in the middle. Being primarily a rhythm player, i found they caused too much hand fatigue when playing them for even a short while. The JP7 neck is significantly thinner than i'm accustomed to, yet i found it to be extraordinarily comfortable, and had not even a hint of fatigue after about 20 minutes of banging away on it. The oil and wax finish is just awesome. Silky-smooth and drag free.
The pickups got some really great tones... very versatile. I was really amazed at how "stratty" the middle position was. Very spanky. It was hard to judge the piezo effectively through a guitar amp, but dialing in a clean setting with a touch of delay and reverb got some very nice acoustic tones. The brand-new strings were maybe a touch too bright to make it totally convincing, but i'm sure a more effective EQ and some acoustic modelling would bring it to life. I have a Yamaha AG-Stomp in my rig specifically for this purpose (my Parker sounded awesome through it) so i can't wait to plug in the JP7.
So now i know what you EBMM JP7 owners are raving about. No argument from me. It's a spectacular guitar.
At any rate, i didn't buy the one in the store, but a buddy of mine over at sevenstring.org recently had to sell his Lava Pearl JP7, and i was fortunate enough to buy it. It's on its way here right now. I cannot wait. It's got the features and playability i loved with my Parker, but since they seem pretty adamant that they won't make a seven-string Fly, the JP7 is the best available production 7 with a piezo, in my opinion.
I'm ecstatic about this guitar.
One of the first things i plan to do is install a Tremol-No. I've already got one on order with AllParts, so i'm just waiting for it to ship. Have any of you guys tested pre-release units, and if so, is there anything special i need to consider with the JP7's trem as far as the installation goes?
Cheers,
darren.
So i recently played a Petrucci 7 (pearl red burst, piezos, standard dots) and was blown away.
I had played a Petrucci 6 before (unplugged) and was very impressed with its feel, its resonance and its ergonomics. The 7 impressed me just as much, maybe even more.
Long & McQuade here in Toronto recently received a HUGE shipment of EBMM guitars and basses, so there were all kinds of fresh goodies out on the floor. I noodled around unplugged for a bit on a Mystic Dream non-piezo, non-inlay JP6 they had. (Trippy finish, absolutely SICK birdseye neck.)
I left the store, and just as i walked past their storefront window, a little flash of red caught my eye. I doubled back and saw a minty-fresh Pearl Redburst EBMM JP7 with piezo and no JP inlay in the window.
I went back into the store and asked to play it. I just plugged into a little Line 6 Spider II combo to take it for a quick spin. (I wanted to try it with something i knew i could dial in a decent tone on in seconds... i didn't want to wrestle with getting a good tone out of a complex amp, in case my frustration with the amp might cloud my judgement.)
The finish was gorgeous. Unlike the OLP "pearl redburst" which seems to be more of a black burst around the red, this one goes from red to a very dusty reddish purple. Smooth and flawless, except inside the trem recess, which was a bit knobbly.
The guitar was so fresh that the strings were still stretching in. I had to re-tune a few times to get them to settle down. I mean, they were GLEAMING fresh strings.
The fretwork on these guitars is nothing short of spectacular. They're easily the slickest-feeling frets after Parker's stainless steel ones. Beautifully finished at the edges.
The ergonomics are fantastic. You guys really did your homework on this guitar. Everything falls comfortably to hand, the contours hug the body, and the armrest takes any kind of pressure off the tendons in the wrist and forearm. My hand falls naturally to a perfect playing position, and all the controls are not as far a reach as i thought they would be. The bridge is very flat and comfy, and the tuners felt very smooth, tight and accurate.
The neck was the biggest surprise. Normally, i like slightly more beefy necks. I've tried several Ibanez RG 7s over the years and always found their necks to be too thin and "flat" in the middle. Being primarily a rhythm player, i found they caused too much hand fatigue when playing them for even a short while. The JP7 neck is significantly thinner than i'm accustomed to, yet i found it to be extraordinarily comfortable, and had not even a hint of fatigue after about 20 minutes of banging away on it. The oil and wax finish is just awesome. Silky-smooth and drag free.
The pickups got some really great tones... very versatile. I was really amazed at how "stratty" the middle position was. Very spanky. It was hard to judge the piezo effectively through a guitar amp, but dialing in a clean setting with a touch of delay and reverb got some very nice acoustic tones. The brand-new strings were maybe a touch too bright to make it totally convincing, but i'm sure a more effective EQ and some acoustic modelling would bring it to life. I have a Yamaha AG-Stomp in my rig specifically for this purpose (my Parker sounded awesome through it) so i can't wait to plug in the JP7.
So now i know what you EBMM JP7 owners are raving about. No argument from me. It's a spectacular guitar.
At any rate, i didn't buy the one in the store, but a buddy of mine over at sevenstring.org recently had to sell his Lava Pearl JP7, and i was fortunate enough to buy it. It's on its way here right now. I cannot wait. It's got the features and playability i loved with my Parker, but since they seem pretty adamant that they won't make a seven-string Fly, the JP7 is the best available production 7 with a piezo, in my opinion.
I'm ecstatic about this guitar.
One of the first things i plan to do is install a Tremol-No. I've already got one on order with AllParts, so i'm just waiting for it to ship. Have any of you guys tested pre-release units, and if so, is there anything special i need to consider with the JP7's trem as far as the installation goes?
Cheers,
darren.
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