Man, Glenn... the amount of weight you're consistently cutting is really noticeable now that your new videos are coming out since you've made it back from Europe. To see a sudden change, rather than watching you every other or day or so, it really shows the work you've been putting in. I was a personal trainer for a little over a decade and I can tell you people can train like an animal in the gym and still never have the will power to dial in their eating habits. You're killing it, Brother. Great work!
I own the same model and I thought I was very unlucky to get a faulty one until I watched this video. The 1st string, just like how it was in this video, would just bounce off so easily. You can never do vibratos or string bends with this guitar. I used it for few times and now it's been sitting in the corner of my room as a decoration.
You can still do vibratos and bends when your guitar has this problem, you just can't vibrato as fast because you can only push up, and you have to practice a different technique to do it.
@@Marklar3 It sucks to pick and choose what you can do with an instrument. You spent hard earned money only to be sold a lie. That guitar has John Petrucci's name on it. Many people bought it because of his backing. Glenn makes the same point with the Mustaine V. Your money should not go toward settling for "if's" and "whatever's".
This was my EXACT PROBLEM with my Harley Benton Amarok I ordered. I had to get a new nut, only to find out the entire guitar was warped, and it wasn't a problem with the nut...
@@goodchildmusic0 I agree that this guitar shouldn't have this problem, but as far as guitar problems go, it's not the end of the world. However, I made a mistake in my last comment. You can't do a vibrato pulling upward on the high string on normal guitars either, so it doesn't actually change what you can do.
I worked as a tech for Guitar Center, the Sterling Petrucci's were very hit or miss. Many of the Sterling Stingray basses had QC issues also. I almost bought a 7 string model that was magic but for the price (I don't think these are "bargains" anymore) you should expect higher QC standards... maybe they are trying to have some of that Gibson authentic vibe!
@t3hgir, Do you happen to remember whether those were made by Cort Indonesia and/or someone else? Just to keep up with how different builders are doing
@@haveagoodone5830 hmm I believe they were all Indonesian, which is surprising to me because I've usually encountered great QC on cheaper Indonesion guitars from Ibanez and Jackson...
@@topfloorstudio2684 I have a recent indo made Jackson 8 string and ibanez RG (standard not premium/prestige) and the necks are flawless on them, wonderful instruments for the price
I do enjoy some of the sterling stuff but QC has been questionable. Got the Jared Dines signature and really enjoy it. But after $700 and waiting forever to get it, the bridge pickup didn’t work. Wiring wasn’t finished being connected. Easy enough to fix if you know how to solder. But how the hell did it get out of the factory without the electronics working? Edit: I do want to mention that the folks at Sterling were very helpful and offered to ship it back for repairs to pay for repairs at an authorized repair place. But also told me if I wanted to fix it myself it wouldn’t affect warranty in any way. And then they sent me wiring diagrams. So good on them for being helpful. But someone sure missed that one in the inspection
@@karkitty202 they really are. My ebmm cutlass didn't come with a trem bar and they sent me one that matched the pickguard (the guy I talked to wanted to be ABSOLUTELY sure it was the right color). I got it super fast
This is why I always prefer to try the guitars I buy at a local music shop. I’ve never had a problem with musicman because I’ve always been able to try them beforehand and it seems my guitar store has much higher quality control than the brands they stock. Which is sad. I’ve heard many a story of the poor staff having to send back guitars from premium brands because the products are unacceptable for consumers. This is why you should always support your local music store.
Sweetwater recently started carrying SbMM, but they used to carry them before. Word is they stopped carrying them because they had so many major QC issues and they told them they wouldn't carry them until they got their act together (Gibson probably started sweating). Would be interested to see a fearless review of a new model to see how it stacks up given SW was comfortable enough to start offering them again.
That really is a shame. I’ve been considering getting one of the Axis models, cos they’re the closest, cheapest thing I can find to a Wolfgang, but I really don’t want to deal with these headaches.
@@JohnConnasRealFatha Just get it at a guitar shop so you can easily walk back in and say - take your piece of shit back and give me another guitar. When it's online, it's a pain to do swaps.
@@JohnConnasRealFatha Like Eddy said, get it someplace where you can put hands on it or someplace online like Sweetwater who has a rock solid return policy. I think the fact that SW started carrying them again is a good sign, but either way, they're like all other guitars where theres good ones and bad ones, its just the odds of which youll get that varies.
@@Andrew_182 That is a good idea, and yeah you are right. It’s not necessarily a worry about getting a bad one, it’s more about the quality control overall, cos I’ve played a lot of bad sterlings in music shops. The personal experience combined with reading that just adds to the worry. I’ll stay hopeful and look around though!
I think that guitar has a bolt-on neck, so there's one more thing you can try to fix the e string being to close to the edge. Loosen the neck bolts (of course with strings loosened, or gone completely) and try to rotate the neck downwards a little bit, and then tighten the screws again. That helped me with the exact same issue in a telecaster I once had.
Yep, anytime I've had to take a neck off or adjust for string alignment - quickly string up 1 and 6 (low and high Es), apply a just enough tension to make them straight and then tighten down the bolts after minor neck movement.
@@bayougtr yeah exactly. Also wouldn't be surprised if the body or neck wood hasn't been dried properly and they live a little. Indonesian and Chinese guitar companies have been cutting corners a lot during covid times.
Not only a badly cut nut, but also, if the fret ends are filed in too far into the fretboard, the strings will also slide off the fretboard. That could also be part of the problem. Check the fret ends
not necesarely badly cut, but the new nut may not be cut for the string gauge used, and that ends up catching instead of letting the string slide.. a nut always has to be filed for the gauge used
I had the same problem on a guitar with the high E being pushed off the fretboard easily. For me it was a neck misalignment causing the problem. Loosening the neck and moving it downwards a bit (down as in playing position) fixed this problem for me. I need to note that the low E had quite some more space than the high E string initially. Worth looking into this maybe. *edit* Have to move the neck downwards, upwards obviously makes it worse.
What a stark difference. I had a JPM 7 string sterling and that was hands down one of the best guitars I’ve ever played. Guess it is a guitar to guitar experience.
or maybe he shouldn't rant about a used guitar with a tremolo with knifes.... Who says that the previous person didn't handle it wrong. Those knifes from 2.poimt trems can easily break when. a beginner is doing things wrong. I bet my behind that this happened here.
As far as the string being too close to the end of the fret board there is a solution. Fairly easy. I had this issue with a brand new Fender Player Strat earlier this year. Just loosen (do not remove) the screws that hold the neck in place now you should be able to shift the neck slightly so that string is in it's proper place. Retighten the screws and that should fix that issue.
As someone who owned that exact guitar, I can say that, I too, had those problems. I swapped the stock pick ups out for his signature Liquifure & Crunch Lab. When I used the tremolo it would always knock the guitar out of tune.
@@BorisBidjanSaberi11 Glenn demonstrated bending the low E and the whole trem would follow up and then go out of tune. That's either a matter of weak springs or bad setup. Also that guitar costs a little over 1k new and at this price point you'd expect a guitar to be next to flawless coming from factory.
@@NorgGrimm exactly. I can't understand people saying fix that or change this, people paid for a new guitar, why should people need to fix something on it? It's amazing how dumb people have become, defending a brand or a rich artist ripping them off just because they like the brand or the artist. 🥸
Remember if you’re going to replace the stock nut with a pre slotted one, the radius and string spacing on the pre slotted one has to be identical to the stock. If you replace it with one that has the wrong radius and string spacing, that’s going to cause even more issues. Looks like the Sterling JP’s use a 16” radius (and I can’t find the string spacing).
Sometimes it's the neck alignment. You can loosen the neck screws and then pull the neck whichever direction you need, (use the marker dots in the middle of the fretboard as a gage), and hold it while you tighten the neck screws back down. I've had luck doing this method.
Glad you made this Glenn. I got a Sterling Jp157 a few months ago and have been fighting these same issues since. I’ve tried a tremel-no and blocking the trem and still have the same tuning issues. I’m glad I’m not the only one struggling with it. I thought I was just missing something or not being used to a trem
Check your tuners. I had a problem with the 7 string version of this guitar. The tuners were slipping with trem or bends and there was no way to fix it. Absolutely god awful tuners.
You could also try slightly loosening the neck bolts, tilt the neck to the bass side and tighten them back up, its a compromise, it will bring the bass string closer to the edge of the board.
You need to remove the sharp inside edges of the through body string ferrules underneath the bridge plate and the bottom of the saddles. When you bend the strings, the windings on the heavier strings will snag on the sharp edges and cause the problems you are having, as well as leading to premature string breakage. Changing the nut [as you did] is a good idea as well, but if you dislike the 1st string being too close to the edge, you'll just have to cut your own nut to compensate. When you do all of this the guitar will be as good as [or even better] than you had hoped it for. {18 years certified Luthier}
Agreed. I have 6 different Sterling/JP models over the last few years. NONE of them was a stinker. Did I have to do a couple of mods, like you mentioned above? Absolutely. I have always either purchased them with the Liquifire/Crunch Lab pickups or I installed them myself. After modding these, they played as good as any other guitar I have. I love Glenn's videos, but I find myself disagreeing more often lately than previously. But, at the end of the day, it is up to each person to judge, after all, it is very subjective and you as the player are the final say.
I have one with a Floyd Rose. Pickups are balanced and rich in harmonics. Pays like a dream.This f*cker will NOT go out of tune. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones..
For people who watched this video and decided to get a pre-cut nut like Glenn did. Careful, there might be some serious issues with that: 1. Won't match fretboard radius, since there is almost a dozen of popular radius options. 2. Wrong (usually too high) 1st fret action. Can be fixed with basic tools if you know what are you doing. 3. Groove size won't fit string gauge. Not so important, but it was clear in the video that aftermarket nut had wider grroves than the stock ones. 4. Wrong string spacing. But in this particular case, it's actually more correct than the stock one. So, it's a better idea to buy a blank with no grooves and have your local luthier or guitar tech cut it for you.
When I look at a guitar like this, I think to myself that it's really a canvas upon which to build. If I saw one used for cheap, I would probably snag it and just start working on it. I like to tinker. It's amazing how good a shit guitar can become with just a little bit of cash and a spare Saturday.
The biggest difference is the neck shape and materials. Everything else you can replace easy. Now if you could get an offiicial EBMM neck it would take it to the next level.
I've got an old Sterling JP50 from 2007 that I bought used for about 250 bucks and it's just amazing. And every Sterling I've tried in a guitar store plays just fine. Maybe it's just your individual guitar or something wrong with that particular batch of guitars
Man that bites. I had a Sterling Majesty X and ran into zero problems. It played so much better and stayed in tune better than my Les Paul which cost twice as much. It’s too damn bad this model was so worthless because I really like Ernie Ball as a company. I hope you can give Sterling or Music Man another chance. Thanks Glenn!
So I had the 7 string version of this and had HORRIBLE tuning stability issues. For my guitar, I finally figured out it was the tuning heads that were slipping. It was maddening.
I am still rocking the original OLP Petrucci signature guitar I bought in 2005. Fucking love that guitar. Its so smooth and playable. Years later around 2013 I went to try out the $600 Sterling version they made and hated it and didn’t buy it. Wonder if these QC issues go back that far
If there weren't so many foolish guitar players who buy anything with their guitar hero's imprimatur then companies like Music Man wouldn't be able to get away with selling this overpriced junk, and yes, even in their more affordable Sterling line, this is still overpriced junk. There is NO reason why a guitar at this price has to be such a piece of crap. In 1987 I walked into my local guitar shop in L.A. with the intention of buying a Jackson Soloist. I saved up the money for it, even sold three guitars and two amps so I could afford this thing. Then I saw another guitar at the shop, brand new on the market, and less than half the price: an ESP Horizon for $700, case included. The Horizon had better build quality, was sleeker, sounded better, looked cooler, played better, and it was half the price. So I bought the Horizon and a Randall RG75 combo and still had money left to burn. One reason I was going to get the Jackson was because, well, a lot of my heroes played them, from Randy Rhoads to Steve Vai. At the time ESP didn't have a fraction of the roster that Jackson did. They had George Lynch and Akira from Loudness, but few big names otherwise. I learned at this moment to use my own judgment. I was fourteen at the time and it was a life lesson. Now, I'm not into locking trem guitars, but if I were a Petrucci fan and had the chops and wanted an ax that could capture all the Petrucciesque playing dynamics I could throw at it, I'd probably just go for an Ibanez RG. Yes, they used to make a Petrucci model, but that's not why I'm recommending an RG. I'm recommending an RG because they are very good for high performance guitar. Their Edge locking trem is superior to a Floyd in many regards and I dig the fast Wizard neck design. Also, I could soup it up with new pickups anytime I want. First, you have to discover who you are as a player, then find an ax that fits your purpose. Don't buy what your heroes play if it doesn't work for you. Think for yourself. Your hero may use active pickups and very heavy strings. It doesn't' mean you have to. They may play a Recto. It doesn't mean you can't play a 6550 or whatever suits your ears. Don't obsess over string brands either. Focus on your music. The gear is only a tool.
The most common issue with this type of guitars are bridge pivots that are loose inside of the bushings and this will cause tuning instability. I recommend replacing them. Regarding the misaligned strings you can loose the neck bolts and just reposition the neck inside of the body.
the high e coming off the fretboard plagues the EBMM stuff sometimes too. They have really narrow fretboards but the issue is more the past few years they've been over beveling the fret ends, especially on the axis. Between that and the prices going nuclear the value isn't there in the EBMM stuff anymore which is a shame because they used to be the best mass produced guitars.
Whats sad is that Sterling's guitars arent bad, but their quality control isn't the best either. I work at a guitar store and it is really hit or miss with them. When the guitar is good, by all means it is amazing. But when we have a situation like this, its always disappointing.
I tried one of these at my local guitar store and the 1st string had that exact same issue. In this price range, a PRS SE or a Schecter is the far better play. Probably Harley Benton as well but I haven’t played those myself. Seen plenty of good cheap PRS and Schecters, though.
I’ve never even seen a Harley Benton in a store.. Played a Cort guitar it was pretty damn nice!! Played a Gretch for the first time sounded awesome was great for heavy rhythms!! Big ole fat guitar with the elevated pick guard.. I’m finding out less gain gives a little more crunch!! Jackson also seems to be having trouble with QC ever since they got bought by Fender. Once upon a time the only way to obtain Jackson’s and ESP’s was through a catalogue!!
The Ibanez Universe I just got is absolutely perfect except the washer under the first string tuning peg . Just needed to be tightened a little.. Jems and Universe have the most flutter happy tremolos and they are so low profile you can palm mute without the bridge interfering and modulating the notes..
I own a Sterling Stingray axe (beautiful guitar) but I also get trem system issues where it will not come back in tune after the most basic trem bar moves. Fortunately, first string is okay. Is the trem system even fixable?
I have to say the same thing about Mexican-made EVH Specials. The one I had was badly set up and the neck was not set correctly in relation to the strings (the low E was too close to the edge of the fretboard) and the electrics were a bit dodge. I then bought an older Japanese-made one and it was perfect. I've heard the same thing said about the older Chinese-made ones. It's the same with Chapman guitars, and loads of other budget makes. QC is almost non-existent. You might get lucky but more than likely not. The factories don't bother and either they're using cheap-ass distributors or the shops don't give a damn about quality checks (despite what they say). These shops and distributors will happily exchange you a shite example for another one, but you're losing out on time, money and effort travelling and shipping this stuff around. I once had to exchange a Chapman twice before I got an acceptable example. I've also owned 3 brand new Chapmans and not one of them was without issues. Cheaper brands CAN be great but it's a lottery as to whether that will be the reality.
A good way to make it stable is start tuning the strings, but not all the way. Push the whammy bar down, start re-tuning - again not all the way, but closer. Push whammy bar all the way down. Repeat above procedure another 4-5X until in tune. Now continue playing, anytime it goes out of tune, press the whammy bar down real quick and it will be perfectly in tune. Caveats, you will need to go through this procedure again if a quick whammy push down doesn’t bring guitar in tune. Your strings really need to be stretched out because you will make strings go flat after a string bend - but stretched out strings and a perfect nut will mitigate this. Annoying, but you will have to get use to these quick whammy bar pushes to keep instrument in tune.
I bought the Sterling Majesty as a backup and it's fantastic. Haven't tried the JPs but I've had no issues with mine. I was so surprised with how well it played I wasn't even planning on buying one but sat down with it for about an hour and bought it impulsively. I'm posting a video of it on my other channel soon but maybe I'm lucky
I had a JP60, it had the exact same problem with the high E wanting to fall off the fretboard. It's not the only guitar I've had this problem with but, the necks on these are not very wide, so there's not a whole lot of real estate at each edge of the neck. It's something you can adapt to. I had a charvel that did the same, just takes getting used to. On the pronunciation of 'tremolo', it's pronounced 'vibrato'. Because that's what it is. It's not a tremolo system, it's a vibrato system.
Hi Glenn, even on the MusicMan model, le E string is close from de the bottom of the neck, it's how the guitar is designed. Whether it's live or in the studio, it's never been a problem for me, maybe it's just a matter of habit.
Check the neck joint. If the low E is far from the edge and there is a bit of a gap, you can reangle the neck. That may help fix the problem with the high E.
I'm SHOCKED... but not surprised that more Music Man instruments have the dreaded 'high string falling off the edge of the neck' problem. ALL the music man 5 string basses have this EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I love my Stingray 4's.... but they can't seem to count higher than 4 without having a string fall off the damn board!
Lubrication helps with vibrato bridges which use bearings (Kahler, for example) for sure, but I’m not convinced it’s going to do much on a knife edge design. I have an Ibanez which used to have similar tuning issues, the bridge is a decent piece of kit but the guitar was about 20 years old when I got it and had been heavily used. The knife edges and posts had been considerably worn. I worked on the knife edges carefully with a small file and turned the posts slightly so the knife edges were bearing on a different part. After that it was fine. I’m guessing the knife edges and posts on this guitar don’t fit together very well and/or the metal is too soft so the components wear out rapidly.
@@wheelzr57 I'm not talking about frets at all, I'm talking about the vibrato bridge (or 'tremolo' as it's often called) with this sort of design there are two height adjustable posts set into the body, the bridge is pulled against these posts by the string tension, which is countered by the springs on the back of the guitar. The area of the bridge which is up against the posts is sharpened a bit like a knife edge - hence the name - although not as sharp as that obviously, this is so that there is only a small contact area to reduce the amount of friction. If there's too much friction or too much of a flat spot or something like that, the bridge might not spring back to exactly the same place each time the bar is used or a string is bent, causing tuning issues like the guitar in the video.
@@ollimoore thanks I have a Parker Nitefly from ‘99 and it has two set screws for this purpose. I’ve never had issues like Glen saw but I suspect it’s because I’ve never let it go too far out of sync. Glen’s also might be from a misaligned neck, would explain the weird stickiness on the neck.
Glenn has had lots better luck than I have, but this kind of thing is typical of my experience with every import guitar I've owned. This kind of thing is why now, I have zero issues with paying $3000 for a made in USA Music Man guitar and won't consider buying a low priced import.
OK, this is wild. I bought one of these used a month ago, and just got rid of it a week ago. I loved everything about it, the playability (mostly), the sound is awesome, even the way it looks. BUUUUUT I had the exact same issue with the high E jumping off of the fretboard. Maybe we just aren't worthy. Edit to add - I came to the same conclusion, the bridge is about a mm too wide. 2nd Edit to add - I was able to get the tuning fairly stable on mine with a 4th spring, but it will never match a floyd.
@@lolkom77 I don't really see it as having to fix it, I'm sure with light technique and raising the string height you could offset the issue as it is but it's the lowest range jp guitar so to me low range always means new nut, tuners and probably pickups and rarely a bridge, just to have that top level hardware. Id normally buy a cheaper model for that purpose purely but each to their own. I do understand your point though man it should play out of the box
Hey Glenn, double check the nut slots to make sure the strings are not binding. I know you have a new nut but that could still be causing the issue if the nut slots are slightly undercut.
I'm pretty surprised that you had such problems with this Sterling but you showed what you were talking about. My few experiences with Sterlings have been pretty good but they've also been the higher end of the Sterling line, but that's also a pretty small sample size.
I am a bass player and the Sterling basses are very popular. I bought one and they suck too. The neck is slightly twisted and the only remedy is to adjust the truss rod to put more bow in the neck. I've had it for 2.5 years now and the neck went from having to retune after a few songs to being stable for a whole set. The wood is still drying out.
I bought the Sterling JP Majesty recently and it's the best guitar I've ever played. It has improved my playing and just feels fast and smooth. Haven't touched my PRS in months. ✌️🎸
damn those took a massive nose dive quality wise in that case. i had a roughly 2010 SbMM JP50, cost like 500 bucks and was an absolutely amazing guitar.
That's a real shame. The Musicman licenced OLP line was solid. I still have the Stingray bass that I traded some junky guitar for, and had a MM1F w/genuine floyd that had rock solid tuning. Unfortunately, the cut of the pickup route meant I couldn't upgrade the pickups with the dimarzios I had lying around so it had to go.
man i was so looking forward to get one of these. guess i'll wait on that. also, tried out the free IR and im LOVING it. been jamming out with it and im coming up with riffs faster than i ever have before. much love
It seems that Sterling guitars are hit or miss with quality control. Some are great axes for the money and others are complete cheapo turds. I had the same issues with the Jared Dines signature model, such as sticky tremolo and terrible fretwork. Sorry you got a dud Glenn.
I have the same with my JP150. The tuning stability is a little better once the strings are properly stretched out, but maybe only about 20% and that's after about an HOUR of stretch-retune-stretch-retune-repeat. And the nut is exactly the same as you describe. Regarding lubrication, FYI on a floating trem, the knife edge/post pivot point is almost never problematic. It's actually the saddles where the string usually gets hung up. In addition to adding a little lube between each string/saddle, it's also good to make sure there are no small burrs on the saddle itself, as well as the edge of the hole in the base plate (and it's actually usually the latter that is the issue, as most people don't even look there). Hope that helps.
I bought a Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee Model about 7 weeks ago and it was fine. No nut or tremolo bridge problem. I never use the tremolo. I took the arm off. It's been staying in tune great. It's light weight at under 7 pounds with a comfortable body contour. I can practice with it standing for over 3 hours without feeling any stress or fatigue. I think lot of guitar manufactures had problems keeping up with the demand during and after the pandemic. So a lot of them have had QC problems even the high priced companies have too.
intonation problem is most probably the two-point trem screws not perfectly set on the bridge. I assume the screws are too tall, fully threaded or has no deep shank where the bridge clamps perfectly still. I suggest changing the screws with a *Wilkinson 2Pcs Guitar Bridge Insert Studs Anchors* or changing the whole bridge to a Wilkinson 2-point Bridge set with 10mm saddles. That will help both problems with the intonation and high E-string not jump out from the bridge.
The good news is when Sweetwater dropped Sterling, it was because of QC. They were told that they weren't getting back in until the QC improved. Now they're back and the new ones are actually really nice. Especially the basses.
I owned a few Sterlings over the years. I still have a 6 and 7 string Majesty and gave away a 7 string version of that guitar in the video. My 6 string is nearly perfect. My 7 string majesty was a nightmare! I owned it for nearly two years before I could make it playable. I sent it to EBMM twice, no luck. They even replaced the entire bridge each time, no dice. Then I took it to 3 luthiers before it was playable. Finally, luthier Mike Cox in Columbus OH, who used to work for EBMM get it fixed after completely disassembling every part. He had to sharpen the trem blades, reinstall the posts, used a microscope and a diamond file to file away some groves in the baseplate. He had to add some lubricant tape the baseplate to resolve that issue. I also added Sperzel locking tuners, and a new bone nut. I’m sure I left out a few steps too, hit it was a lot of work and time. There are tons of issues with their QC, especially during the pandemic. Now the disclosure! The 7 string was used, so I’m not sure what the previous owner did, but you just never really know. I basically had the same issue you had in the video.The Sterling majesty 6 I bought new and is perfect. They redeeming my faith in EBMM, so I purchase a 7 and a 6 string EBMM Majesty and they have been wonderful for me. I’m glad you had a better experience with HB, because mine was an unplayable slab of wood with strings. The neck was so bad, the Pleck machine struggled to level the frets, crap hardware and electronics too. I wanted to love it because mod projects are fun for me, not the HB. I could have picked up a nice schecter or esp for what I have in the HB now. My point, all manufacturers miss flaws and from time to time, put out lemons. Maybe you could see if sweetwater would send you another Sterling to compare. You will either change your mind or be vindicated lol. Cheers 🥂
I was convinced I was losing it with my old Sterling Majesty, it feels great but the bridge absolutely will not stay in tune, so it's reassuring to read these comments about it. Eventually going to do the hipshot bridge/ graphtech nut upgrades to turn it into the guitar I feel like it can be, we'll see how much of a difference that makes
This sounds very similar to my beloved Ibanez RG350 I used early on in my guitar playing carreer. It was fantastic when it was new, but it was still a low-end guitar and eventually could not take the abuse I gave it over the course of 2-3 years (and I admit I was REALLY hard on the trem in particular). Main problem it developed was that after pushing the whammy bar down, I would have to actually pull it back up to make sure it returned to its proper position to put it back in tune. I could even feel a "click" when this occured. The knife edges and corresponding posts had just become run down to the point of not working properly and it was not worth the money to fix.
Yep... waited more than a decade to buy my first sbmm base. When they attached the neck to the body, it was set at an angle. Took pictures of it and it was so obvious that it was a QC issue I contacted them, they told me they couldn't verify it was a QC issue unless I shipped it back to them. So it's going back to where I bought it from, and that's the last time I buy anything from Music Man. This was a $1,200 bass
I've actually bought a full-fledged Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty 7 a while back, and I enjoyed it quite a bit...until the problems started that is. First, the piezo on the A-string started cutting out and after being in service for around three weeks, it came back to me not making any sound at all. Turns out the processor blew as well (or after the first error idk). Gladly, I was able to return it and get a Fender HSS Strat instead and that thing is just amazing! Moral of the story: Money doesn't buy you good qc...
Huh mine is my favorite guitar of all time. I've had esp, schecters, everything. Sold them all and keep my sterling. Is it possible it's a quality control thing? Maybe different models?
I know you would probably hate doing a review of a 9 string, but I’d love to see your thoughts on the Lucas Mann signature Legator LM9, or more in the 7 string category, Charles Caswell’s CC-7
Could be a few things for the string slipping off the fret board: - Bridge too wide (or saddles too wide for spacing) - Nut slots incorrectly cut - Fret ends too rounded. Trem issues/ tuning issues: - incorrect set up of bridge (clearly not returning to zero point in this case) - knife edges worn - strings binding somewhere (nut, tuners, string trees, within the trem block) - strings not stretched enough - neck not stable in the neck pocket (but more likely bridge issue in this video considering hitting the trem reset the tuning here) I playes a John Petrucci sig once, i didn't really like it tbh, just felt wierd to play.
Amateur guitar builder here: I think the issue with the first string is the angle of the fret ends ... if they are not around 35 degrees and have been filed too shallow then you fall off the ends when playing (done it myself once). As for the trem - think I'd just block it off and take tuning stability over whammy bar action.
i guess its a guitar you throw to an expert and say, fix the mfucker. If its fixable on the cheap and they are literally giving them away, it could make somebody's day.
Hey a buddy of mine is friends with Lords of the Trident! I met one of their members one night when he came to visit my friend in Washington State. Really cool to see you rocking their merch.
For better tuning stability try to set the tremolo only for dive so that i doesn't float. Concerning the high e string, if the neck is bolt on, you may try to unscrew and then screw it again in order to sit straight in the neck pocket. Along with a full setup I hope you will have a better playability overall.
I'd be looking at the trem posts for wear. A lot of guys don't take the string tension off when making adjustments to bridge height, which can damage the post or knife edges on the trem. Could also be softer metal in the posts. Had similar issues with cheaper guitars and upgraded the posts with great results. Another solution would be to block the trem to stop it from rising while bending, effectively making it a fixed bridge guitar. There's no excuse for the badly cut nut, and wrong string spacing at the bridge. Design fail.
And it's not just a case of slackening off the strings fully, loosening the neck bolts and then pulling the neck toward the high-E and re-tightening the neck bolts?
Pretty damn bad that there are still massive tremolo issues with these guitars! My main guitar is a Sterling JP100D from 2014 (IIRC). It has one major issue -- but it had two to begin with. One is the trem, which I've never gotten usable. A single dive can make strings 20+ cents off, sometimes more than 50 cents -- the low E can read as F -40 cents at times... I blocked it years ago, after two guitar techs couldn't fix it, and I couldn't either. With the trem blocked it's way above average at staying in tune. Next is that the high E string broke very easily under tension; 1.5-step bends broke it like literally about 50% of the time, so they were simply impossible. I managed to solve that one by buying a dremel clone and filing down a bit where the string goes through the bridge (the drilled hole in the bridge, the saddle is untouched). Haven't broken a single high E since, in maybe 8 years. As it stands now, it's an absolutely amazing guitar, and multiple people have said it's one of the best guitars they've ever played. It just has no trem, while it should, and I shouldn't have had to dremel the bridge, either.
I had the same tremolo issue on an Epiphone Alex Lifeson model. It made the guitar really unplayable and I could not fix it without modifying the guitar beyond the point of returnability. A real shame. Sometimes cheap is really cheap. Even when the guitar is NOT cheap... 😅😅
Same issue with the HB Fusion 3 tremolo, the knifes and pole pieces do not play well together, so the bridge can get stuck in 2 angles instead of returning to one. Had to pull mine all the way back via the springs to make it stable. The only way this can be fixed is by getting a propper tremolo with the same 2 point spacing, like a vegatrem, FR or even a cheaper alternative. Another option is blocking the pull direction, but that kinda defeats the idea of having a 2 point floating trem. If one can get one of those MM’s cheap enough it might be worth it, although there still might be the issue with the high E string, which more looks like that the neck should have been slightly wider, since f-spacing is a standard, no idea if there is any trem with a narrower string spacing that would work.
The Sterling line is manufactured overseas (I cannot remember if it is Korean, Taiwan or where off of the top of my head) and then they are shipped back to Orange, California where someone will go through them by hand and set them up. At least , that was how it was when a friend of mine, Brian Xavier Martin, worked there and was VP I believe, but do not quote me on that. He has since left, he was at B.C Rich and then Cordoba. I know when he was there, the guitars were pretty nicely setup when they arrived to me. I cannot speak on the quality since then, as I have no purchased any since he left the organization. I really dis not have the issues you have, except for having to file the bridge where the strings came through, as there were occasionally burrs. Nothing a jewelers file can't take care of pretty quickly.
I completely agree. I have a Sterling JP157. The roasted neck on it feels amazing, much better than the JP70 I was also looking at. After owning it for a while, I noticed that the 1st string's position on the nut was very off, and that will be the reason I will probably sell it. I do not, however, have the issue where bending the 6th (or 7th in my case) string knocks everything out of tune. I have an EBMM Majesty and it has a completely different nut and the fit and finish is perfect. On the other end of the spectrum, I recently picked up a Harley Benton SC-DLX B-Stock as well as a Dullahan. The SC-DLX needed some fret filing and polishing, but once I did that it plays like a dream. The Dullahan needed a tiny neck shim to make the action more my style. In terms of cost vs happiness, I definitely feel that the HB guitars make me happier, and both of them plus shipping cost less than my Sterling JP157. For those curious about the B-Stock HB, everything looks perfect on it, aside from a paint blemish on the back of the body where the shell pink paint is a little thin and shows as darkness...not an issue for me at all. By the way, I like the bridge on the Dullhan more than my Strandberg, so that's neat too.
I'm not familiar with this guitar in any capacity, and I don't know if the strings matched stock, but I noted the tension springs for the trem didn't get adjusted and that could potentially lead to tuning instability.
I am under the impression that guitars with non-locking nuts are just not destined to unconditionally stay in tune. Even when I tighten the tremolo springs to the point that the bridge rests on the body and won't budge no matter what, bending a string still throws it off tune. No matter how good a nut is, it will never completely eliminate friction, and will never allow a bent string to perfectly return to its original state. If you never rock the bridge, this isn't a big problem -- just tune the guitar so that pre-bent strings give the correct pitch. But once you rock the bridge even slightly -- the strings go back to the state which was before the bending! Having to give a slight push on the tremolo arm every now and then to keep the guitar in tune is definitely inconvenient, but such is the inevitable price of using this type of construction. The only thing that can completely eliminate this problem is a locking nut, but this automatically means that you need a bridge that allows tuning on that end.
From my little experiments building guitars (from Kits and Parts) That bridge is most likely the problem Either: The Bridge is mounted in wrong position or wrong size or both! Followed by: Cheap non hardened parts posts and knife edge. this would be the tuning instability as you bend say the 5th string the bridge will change pitch on all strings and it will not return to its correct resting place where everything is in ballance and the guitar is in tune. The last is the neck set true? if it is off by only fractions of a degree strings will fall off the fretts as you move closer to the bridge! being a bolt on there may be enough wiggle room to sort out. There could be many more things wrong that may not be fixable or the cause of the issues! This is only an opinion mileage may vary batteries not included some assembly required.
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when the guitar is so progressive its unplayable
Lol
Just like his songs
You spelled regressive wrong.
@@TheOriginalEUrban **McBain voice** THAT'S THE JOKE...
I don't know where to start with this comment. I am in tears and probably going to vomit because of how RIGHT it is. Danka.
If I have to hear you say "treMOLO" one more time I swear to god I'm gonna come up there and liberate all your oil
Man, Glenn... the amount of weight you're consistently cutting is really noticeable now that your new videos are coming out since you've made it back from Europe.
To see a sudden change, rather than watching you every other or day or so, it really shows the work you've been putting in. I was a personal trainer for a little over a decade and I can tell you people can train like an animal in the gym and still never have the will power to dial in their eating habits.
You're killing it, Brother. Great work!
People often wonder what thin people do all day to be thin. We think about how we can't eat any food while drinking black coffee
@Forested Litost I'm referring to thin/skinny as lower bodyfat not talking about all the extremely unhealthly skelly men
@Forested Litost anyone who is a skelly man and isn't dying of a wasting disease is just not eating enough calories everyday
@@Anouyz you literally just need to not take in more calories than you burn
I own the same model and I thought I was very unlucky to get a faulty one until I watched this video. The 1st string, just like how it was in this video, would just bounce off so easily. You can never do vibratos or string bends with this guitar.
I used it for few times and now it's been sitting in the corner of my room as a decoration.
Wow. I think we should start "I Bought A Shitty Guitar Anonymous". I did the same thing :D
You can still do vibratos and bends when your guitar has this problem, you just can't vibrato as fast because you can only push up, and you have to practice a different technique to do it.
@@Marklar3 It sucks to pick and choose what you can do with an instrument. You spent hard earned money only to be sold a lie. That guitar has John Petrucci's name on it. Many people bought it because of his backing. Glenn makes the same point with the Mustaine V. Your money should not go toward settling for "if's" and "whatever's".
This was my EXACT PROBLEM with my Harley Benton Amarok I ordered. I had to get a new nut, only to find out the entire guitar was warped, and it wasn't a problem with the nut...
@@goodchildmusic0 I agree that this guitar shouldn't have this problem, but as far as guitar problems go, it's not the end of the world.
However, I made a mistake in my last comment. You can't do a vibrato pulling upward on the high string on normal guitars either, so it doesn't actually change what you can do.
I worked as a tech for Guitar Center, the Sterling Petrucci's were very hit or miss. Many of the Sterling Stingray basses had QC issues also. I almost bought a 7 string model that was magic but for the price (I don't think these are "bargains" anymore) you should expect higher QC standards... maybe they are trying to have some of that Gibson authentic vibe!
@t3hgir, Do you happen to remember whether those were made by Cort Indonesia and/or someone else? Just to keep up with how different builders are doing
@@haveagoodone5830 hmm I believe they were all Indonesian, which is surprising to me because I've usually encountered great QC on cheaper Indonesion guitars from Ibanez and Jackson...
@@t3hgir Made in Indonesia LTDs kick ass I can say from experience. I have all different ones.
Gotta have that Gibson Charm bro :-P lol!!!
@@topfloorstudio2684 I have a recent indo made Jackson 8 string and ibanez RG (standard not premium/prestige) and the necks are flawless on them, wonderful instruments for the price
Damn it, Glenn, it's not out of tune. It's MICROTONAL!
The tuning has progressed. That's how progressive it is.
🤣🍻
haha priceless 👏
I do enjoy some of the sterling stuff but QC has been questionable. Got the Jared Dines signature and really enjoy it. But after $700 and waiting forever to get it, the bridge pickup didn’t work. Wiring wasn’t finished being connected. Easy enough to fix if you know how to solder. But how the hell did it get out of the factory without the electronics working?
Edit: I do want to mention that the folks at Sterling were very helpful and offered to ship it back for repairs to pay for repairs at an authorized repair place. But also told me if I wanted to fix it myself it wouldn’t affect warranty in any way. And then they sent me wiring diagrams. So good on them for being helpful. But someone sure missed that one in the inspection
Best way they could’ve gone about it, sick company
@@karkitty202 they really are. My ebmm cutlass didn't come with a trem bar and they sent me one that matched the pickguard (the guy I talked to wanted to be ABSOLUTELY sure it was the right color). I got it super fast
This is why I always prefer to try the guitars I buy at a local music shop. I’ve never had a problem with musicman because I’ve always been able to try them beforehand and it seems my guitar store has much higher quality control than the brands they stock. Which is sad. I’ve heard many a story of the poor staff having to send back guitars from premium brands because the products are unacceptable for consumers. This is why you should always support your local music store.
Sweetwater 55-point inspection.
For sure
Sweetwater recently started carrying SbMM, but they used to carry them before. Word is they stopped carrying them because they had so many major QC issues and they told them they wouldn't carry them until they got their act together (Gibson probably started sweating). Would be interested to see a fearless review of a new model to see how it stacks up given SW was comfortable enough to start offering them again.
That really is a shame. I’ve been considering getting one of the Axis models, cos they’re the closest, cheapest thing I can find to a Wolfgang, but I really don’t want to deal with these headaches.
@@JohnConnasRealFatha Just get it at a guitar shop so you can easily walk back in and say - take your piece of shit back and give me another guitar. When it's online, it's a pain to do swaps.
@@JohnConnasRealFatha Like Eddy said, get it someplace where you can put hands on it or someplace online like Sweetwater who has a rock solid return policy. I think the fact that SW started carrying them again is a good sign, but either way, they're like all other guitars where theres good ones and bad ones, its just the odds of which youll get that varies.
@@Andrew_182 That is a good idea, and yeah you are right. It’s not necessarily a worry about getting a bad one, it’s more about the quality control overall, cos I’ve played a lot of bad sterlings in music shops. The personal experience combined with reading that just adds to the worry. I’ll stay hopeful and look around though!
@@SenseiKreese the fact anyone would take it home from the shop in the first place has me raising eyebrows lol.
I think that guitar has a bolt-on neck, so there's one more thing you can try to fix the e string being to close to the edge. Loosen the neck bolts (of course with strings loosened, or gone completely) and try to rotate the neck downwards a little bit, and then tighten the screws again. That helped me with the exact same issue in a telecaster I once had.
Yep, anytime I've had to take a neck off or adjust for string alignment - quickly string up 1 and 6 (low and high Es), apply a just enough tension to make them straight and then tighten down the bolts after minor neck movement.
It's incredible that modern CNC made guitars still have loose neck pockets
@@aniquinstark4347 Yup. But again, two separate types of wood
@@bayougtr yeah exactly. Also wouldn't be surprised if the body or neck wood hasn't been dried properly and they live a little. Indonesian and Chinese guitar companies have been cutting corners a lot during covid times.
Rotating the neck downwards would make the problem worse.
Not only a badly cut nut, but also, if the fret ends are filed in too far into the fretboard, the strings will also slide off the fretboard. That could also be part of the problem. Check the fret ends
not necesarely badly cut, but the new nut may not be cut for the string gauge used, and that ends up catching instead of letting the string slide.. a nut always has to be filed for the gauge used
Or he's playing with 9s, on top of him being a bit of a newb playing "leads". Not uncommon for people to pull the high e off the board with 9s
I have the same problem with a fender telecaster I bought.
I had the same problem on a guitar with the high E being pushed off the fretboard easily. For me it was a neck misalignment causing the problem. Loosening the neck and moving it downwards a bit (down as in playing position) fixed this problem for me. I need to note that the low E had quite some more space than the high E string initially. Worth looking into this maybe.
*edit* Have to move the neck downwards, upwards obviously makes it worse.
I had the same issue, except my guitar was a neck thru... fml.
What a stark difference. I had a JPM 7 string sterling and that was hands down one of the best guitars I’ve ever played. Guess it is a guitar to guitar experience.
With modern manufacturing techniques, it 100% shouldn't be a guitar to guitar experience. Especially not such a drastic difference
I got the EB music man majesty 7 hydrospace and it’s fucking incredible
or maybe he shouldn't rant about a used guitar with a tremolo with knifes....
Who says that the previous person didn't handle it wrong. Those knifes from 2.poimt trems can easily break when. a beginner is doing things wrong.
I bet my behind that this happened here.
@@musicman0423 tbf that’s also like a 5000$ guitar it should be incredible
Isn’t the model you’re talking about likr 2-3x the price of this thing ?
As far as the string being too close to the end of the fret board there is a solution. Fairly easy. I had this issue with a brand new Fender Player Strat earlier this year. Just loosen (do not remove) the screws that hold the neck in place now you should be able to shift the neck slightly so that string is in it's proper place. Retighten the screws and that should fix that issue.
As someone who owned that exact guitar, I can say that, I too, had those problems. I swapped the stock pick ups out for his signature Liquifure & Crunch Lab. When I used the tremolo it would always knock the guitar out of tune.
Did you have a floating bridge set up? Noobs never set up a floating properly
@@BorisBidjanSaberi11 I did. But that was a few years ago now. She's long gone. Sold it to make room for the Jackson Rhoads RRT-3
@@BorisBidjanSaberi11 Glenn demonstrated bending the low E and the whole trem would follow up and then go out of tune. That's either a matter of weak springs or bad setup. Also that guitar costs a little over 1k new and at this price point you'd expect a guitar to be next to flawless coming from factory.
@@NorgGrimm exactly. I can't understand people saying fix that or change this, people paid for a new guitar, why should people need to fix something on it? It's amazing how dumb people have become, defending a brand or a rich artist ripping them off just because they like the brand or the artist. 🥸
That’s why it should have a nut locking system!!
Remember if you’re going to replace the stock nut with a pre slotted one, the radius and string spacing on the pre slotted one has to be identical to the stock. If you replace it with one that has the wrong radius and string spacing, that’s going to cause even more issues. Looks like the Sterling JP’s use a 16” radius (and I can’t find the string spacing).
Sometimes it's the neck alignment. You can loosen the neck screws and then pull the neck whichever direction you need, (use the marker dots in the middle of the fretboard as a gage), and hold it while you tighten the neck screws back down. I've had luck doing this method.
Glad you made this Glenn. I got a Sterling Jp157 a few months ago and have been fighting these same issues since. I’ve tried a tremel-no and blocking the trem and still have the same tuning issues. I’m glad I’m not the only one struggling with it. I thought I was just missing something or not being used to a trem
The MF who’s glad other people got scammed too…
Check your tuners. I had a problem with the 7 string version of this guitar. The tuners were slipping with trem or bends and there was no way to fix it. Absolutely god awful tuners.
I got a JP100 from 8 years ago and it's been amazing! I hate to see QC go down the drain
You could also try slightly loosening the neck bolts, tilt the neck to the bass side and tighten them back up, its a compromise, it will bring the bass string closer to the edge of the board.
I second this.
That string issue will be Gibson's new feature
😂😂😂
You need to remove the sharp inside edges of the through body string ferrules underneath the bridge plate and the bottom of the saddles. When you bend the strings, the windings on the heavier strings will snag on the sharp edges and cause the problems you are having, as well as leading to premature string breakage. Changing the nut [as you did] is a good idea as well, but if you dislike the 1st string being too close to the edge, you'll just have to cut your own nut to compensate. When you do all of this the guitar will be as good as [or even better] than you had hoped it for. {18 years certified Luthier}
Agreed. I have 6 different Sterling/JP models over the last few years. NONE of them was a stinker. Did I have to do a couple of mods, like you mentioned above? Absolutely. I have always either purchased them with the Liquifire/Crunch Lab pickups or I installed them myself. After modding these, they played as good as any other guitar I have. I love Glenn's videos, but I find myself disagreeing more often lately than previously. But, at the end of the day, it is up to each person to judge, after all, it is very subjective and you as the player are the final say.
I have one with a Floyd Rose. Pickups are balanced and rich in harmonics. Pays like a dream.This f*cker will NOT go out of tune. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones..
I have the same JP160 it’s an incredible guitar, none of these issues
For people who watched this video and decided to get a pre-cut nut like Glenn did. Careful, there might be some serious issues with that:
1. Won't match fretboard radius, since there is almost a dozen of popular radius options.
2. Wrong (usually too high) 1st fret action. Can be fixed with basic tools if you know what are you doing.
3. Groove size won't fit string gauge. Not so important, but it was clear in the video that aftermarket nut had wider grroves than the stock ones.
4. Wrong string spacing. But in this particular case, it's actually more correct than the stock one.
So, it's a better idea to buy a blank with no grooves and have your local luthier or guitar tech cut it for you.
When I look at a guitar like this, I think to myself that it's really a canvas upon which to build. If I saw one used for cheap, I would probably snag it and just start working on it. I like to tinker. It's amazing how good a shit guitar can become with just a little bit of cash and a spare Saturday.
The biggest difference is the neck shape and materials. Everything else you can replace easy. Now if you could get an offiicial EBMM neck it would take it to the next level.
A student of mine used to have one of these and it was one of the best guitars I'd ever played. Sounded and felt as good as my custom kiesel.
Same!! He just got a lemon lol
Just goes to show how much things can vary, instrument to instrument.
I've got an old Sterling JP50 from 2007 that I bought used for about 250 bucks and it's just amazing. And every Sterling I've tried in a guitar store plays just fine. Maybe it's just your individual guitar or something wrong with that particular batch of guitars
Man that bites. I had a Sterling Majesty X and ran into zero problems. It played so much better and stayed in tune better than my Les Paul which cost twice as much. It’s too damn bad this model was so worthless because I really like Ernie Ball as a company. I hope you can give Sterling or Music Man another chance. Thanks Glenn!
So I had the 7 string version of this and had HORRIBLE tuning stability issues. For my guitar, I finally figured out it was the tuning heads that were slipping. It was maddening.
I am still rocking the original OLP Petrucci signature guitar I bought in 2005. Fucking love that guitar. Its so smooth and playable. Years later around 2013 I went to try out the $600 Sterling version they made and hated it and didn’t buy it. Wonder if these QC issues go back that far
If there weren't so many foolish guitar players who buy anything with their guitar hero's imprimatur then companies like Music Man wouldn't be able to get away with selling this overpriced junk, and yes, even in their more affordable Sterling line, this is still overpriced junk. There is NO reason why a guitar at this price has to be such a piece of crap. In 1987 I walked into my local guitar shop in L.A. with the intention of buying a Jackson Soloist. I saved up the money for it, even sold three guitars and two amps so I could afford this thing. Then I saw another guitar at the shop, brand new on the market, and less than half the price: an ESP Horizon for $700, case included. The Horizon had better build quality, was sleeker, sounded better, looked cooler, played better, and it was half the price. So I bought the Horizon and a Randall RG75 combo and still had money left to burn. One reason I was going to get the Jackson was because, well, a lot of my heroes played them, from Randy Rhoads to Steve Vai. At the time ESP didn't have a fraction of the roster that Jackson did. They had George Lynch and Akira from Loudness, but few big names otherwise. I learned at this moment to use my own judgment. I was fourteen at the time and it was a life lesson. Now, I'm not into locking trem guitars, but if I were a Petrucci fan and had the chops and wanted an ax that could capture all the Petrucciesque playing dynamics I could throw at it, I'd probably just go for an Ibanez RG. Yes, they used to make a Petrucci model, but that's not why I'm recommending an RG. I'm recommending an RG because they are very good for high performance guitar. Their Edge locking trem is superior to a Floyd in many regards and I dig the fast Wizard neck design. Also, I could soup it up with new pickups anytime I want. First, you have to discover who you are as a player, then find an ax that fits your purpose. Don't buy what your heroes play if it doesn't work for you. Think for yourself. Your hero may use active pickups and very heavy strings. It doesn't' mean you have to. They may play a Recto. It doesn't mean you can't play a 6550 or whatever suits your ears. Don't obsess over string brands either. Focus on your music. The gear is only a tool.
Well, Gibson has always been a trend setter. Their quality standards seem to be more infectious than covid.
The most common issue with this type of guitars are bridge pivots that are loose inside of the bushings and this will cause tuning instability. I recommend replacing them. Regarding the misaligned strings you can loose the neck bolts and just reposition the neck inside of the body.
the high e coming off the fretboard plagues the EBMM stuff sometimes too. They have really narrow fretboards but the issue is more the past few years they've been over beveling the fret ends, especially on the axis. Between that and the prices going nuclear the value isn't there in the EBMM stuff anymore which is a shame because they used to be the best mass produced guitars.
Whats sad is that Sterling's guitars arent bad, but their quality control isn't the best either. I work at a guitar store and it is really hit or miss with them. When the guitar is good, by all means it is amazing. But when we have a situation like this, its always disappointing.
I tried one of these at my local guitar store and the 1st string had that exact same issue. In this price range, a PRS SE or a Schecter is the far better play. Probably Harley Benton as well but I haven’t played those myself. Seen plenty of good cheap PRS and Schecters, though.
*LTD*
I’ve never even seen a Harley Benton in a store.. Played a Cort guitar it was pretty damn nice!! Played a Gretch for the first time sounded awesome was great for heavy rhythms!! Big ole fat guitar with the elevated pick guard.. I’m finding out less gain gives a little more crunch!! Jackson also seems to be having trouble with QC ever since they got bought by Fender. Once upon a time the only way to obtain Jackson’s and ESP’s was through a catalogue!!
The Ibanez Universe I just got is absolutely perfect except the washer under the first string tuning peg . Just needed to be tightened a little.. Jems and Universe have the most flutter happy tremolos and they are so low profile you can palm mute without the bridge interfering and modulating the notes..
I own a Sterling Stingray axe (beautiful guitar) but I also get trem system issues where it will not come back in tune after the most basic trem bar moves. Fortunately, first string is okay. Is the trem system even fixable?
I have to say the same thing about Mexican-made EVH Specials. The one I had was badly set up and the neck was not set correctly in relation to the strings (the low E was too close to the edge of the fretboard) and the electrics were a bit dodge. I then bought an older Japanese-made one and it was perfect. I've heard the same thing said about the older Chinese-made ones.
It's the same with Chapman guitars, and loads of other budget makes. QC is almost non-existent. You might get lucky but more than likely not. The factories don't bother and either they're using cheap-ass distributors or the shops don't give a damn about quality checks (despite what they say). These shops and distributors will happily exchange you a shite example for another one, but you're losing out on time, money and effort travelling and shipping this stuff around. I once had to exchange a Chapman twice before I got an acceptable example. I've also owned 3 brand new Chapmans and not one of them was without issues.
Cheaper brands CAN be great but it's a lottery as to whether that will be the reality.
A good way to make it stable is start tuning the strings, but not all the way. Push the whammy bar down, start re-tuning - again not all the way, but closer. Push whammy bar all the way down. Repeat above procedure another 4-5X until in tune. Now continue playing, anytime it goes out of tune, press the whammy bar down real quick and it will be perfectly in tune. Caveats, you will need to go through this procedure again if a quick whammy push down doesn’t bring guitar in tune. Your strings really need to be stretched out because you will make strings go flat after a string bend - but stretched out strings and a perfect nut will mitigate this. Annoying, but you will have to get use to these quick whammy bar pushes to keep instrument in tune.
Always appreciate the no holds barred honest reviews. Thank you!
did you stretch the strings before playing
I bought the Sterling Majesty as a backup and it's fantastic. Haven't tried the JPs but I've had no issues with mine. I was so surprised with how well it played I wasn't even planning on buying one but sat down with it for about an hour and bought it impulsively. I'm posting a video of it on my other channel soon but maybe I'm lucky
Yeah I absolutely adore mine. Must be a quality control thing
@upthewolfs Lol. I've owned pretty much every JP. JP models are different from Majesty.
I had a JP60, it had the exact same problem with the high E wanting to fall off the fretboard. It's not the only guitar I've had this problem with but, the necks on these are not very wide, so there's not a whole lot of real estate at each edge of the neck. It's something you can adapt to. I had a charvel that did the same, just takes getting used to. On the pronunciation of 'tremolo', it's pronounced 'vibrato'. Because that's what it is. It's not a tremolo system, it's a vibrato system.
Hi Glenn, even on the MusicMan model, le E string is close from de the bottom of the neck, it's how the guitar is designed. Whether it's live or in the studio, it's never been a problem for me, maybe it's just a matter of habit.
Check the neck joint. If the low E is far from the edge and there is a bit of a gap, you can reangle the neck. That may help fix the problem with the high E.
On an unrelated note, I don’t know if you’re still on keto, but you’re looking healthier! Keep rocking 🤘🏾
Still doing Keto!
I'm SHOCKED... but not surprised that more Music Man instruments have the dreaded 'high string falling off the edge of the neck' problem. ALL the music man 5 string basses have this EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I love my Stingray 4's.... but they can't seem to count higher than 4 without having a string fall off the damn board!
Lubrication helps with vibrato bridges which use bearings (Kahler, for example) for sure, but I’m not convinced it’s going to do much on a knife edge design.
I have an Ibanez which used to have similar tuning issues, the bridge is a decent piece of kit but the guitar was about 20 years old when I got it and had been heavily used. The knife edges and posts had been considerably worn. I worked on the knife edges carefully with a small file and turned the posts slightly so the knife edges were bearing on a different part. After that it was fine.
I’m guessing the knife edges and posts on this guitar don’t fit together very well and/or the metal is too soft so the components wear out rapidly.
I know you mean knife edges on the fret wear, but what do you mean by posts not fitting the knife edges?
@@wheelzr57 I'm not talking about frets at all, I'm talking about the vibrato bridge (or 'tremolo' as it's often called) with this sort of design there are two height adjustable posts set into the body, the bridge is pulled against these posts by the string tension, which is countered by the springs on the back of the guitar. The area of the bridge which is up against the posts is sharpened a bit like a knife edge - hence the name - although not as sharp as that obviously, this is so that there is only a small contact area to reduce the amount of friction.
If there's too much friction or too much of a flat spot or something like that, the bridge might not spring back to exactly the same place each time the bar is used or a string is bent, causing tuning issues like the guitar in the video.
@@ollimoore thanks I have a Parker Nitefly from ‘99 and it has two set screws for this purpose. I’ve never had issues like Glen saw but I suspect it’s because I’ve never let it go too far out of sync. Glen’s also might be from a misaligned neck, would explain the weird stickiness on the neck.
Probably magnesium!!
Those are called saddles !!
Glenn has had lots better luck than I have, but this kind of thing is typical of my experience with every import guitar I've owned. This kind of thing is why now, I have zero issues with paying $3000 for a made in USA Music Man guitar and won't consider buying a low priced import.
OK, this is wild. I bought one of these used a month ago, and just got rid of it a week ago. I loved everything about it, the playability (mostly), the sound is awesome, even the way it looks. BUUUUUT I had the exact same issue with the high E jumping off of the fretboard. Maybe we just aren't worthy.
Edit to add - I came to the same conclusion, the bridge is about a mm too wide.
2nd Edit to add - I was able to get the tuning fairly stable on mine with a 4th spring, but it will never match a floyd.
Change nut, fixed.
Something I do on every guitar anyway. Get a grafftech one
@@chaosclg so I buy a new guitar, and I have to fix some things, on a new guitar? That's just stupid.
@@lolkom77 I don't really see it as having to fix it, I'm sure with light technique and raising the string height you could offset the issue as it is but it's the lowest range jp guitar so to me low range always means new nut, tuners and probably pickups and rarely a bridge, just to have that top level hardware. Id normally buy a cheaper model for that purpose purely but each to their own.
I do understand your point though man it should play out of the box
Hey Glenn, double check the nut slots to make sure the strings are not binding. I know you have a new nut but that could still be causing the issue if the nut slots are slightly undercut.
I'm pretty surprised that you had such problems with this Sterling but you showed what you were talking about. My few experiences with Sterlings have been pretty good but they've also been the higher end of the Sterling line, but that's also a pretty small sample size.
I am a bass player and the Sterling basses are very popular. I bought one and they suck too. The neck is slightly twisted and the only remedy is to adjust the truss rod to put more bow in the neck. I've had it for 2.5 years now and the neck went from having to retune after a few songs to being stable for a whole set. The wood is still drying out.
Cool new Squier Bullet Strat man
You'd think a guy that bashes Gibson so much would be used to a little tuning instability
I should have known this would turn into a shameless Harley Benton pitch.
I bought the Sterling JP Majesty recently and it's the best guitar I've ever played. It has improved my playing and just feels fast and smooth. Haven't touched my PRS in months. ✌️🎸
Yeah it's a great guitar. Don't mind him, he buys 2nd hand guitar not knowing how to set it up and just post clickbait rants
damn those took a massive nose dive quality wise in that case. i had a roughly 2010 SbMM JP50, cost like 500 bucks and was an absolutely amazing guitar.
Yeah the sterling jp150 and 157 (7 string model) are way better for some reason.
That's a real shame. The Musicman licenced OLP line was solid. I still have the Stingray bass that I traded some junky guitar for, and had a MM1F w/genuine floyd that had rock solid tuning. Unfortunately, the cut of the pickup route meant I couldn't upgrade the pickups with the dimarzios I had lying around so it had to go.
man i was so looking forward to get one of these. guess i'll wait on that. also, tried out the free IR and im LOVING it. been jamming out with it and im coming up with riffs faster than i ever have before. much love
Try the JP Majesty out. I had one and it was the best guitar I’ve played. I sold it and went full Music Man.
Hey Glenn, no such thing as a drop in nut, that new nut will also need sorting properly. Always causes tuning issues.
It seems that Sterling guitars are hit or miss with quality control. Some are great axes for the money and others are complete cheapo turds. I had the same issues with the Jared Dines signature model, such as sticky tremolo and terrible fretwork. Sorry you got a dud Glenn.
I have the same with my JP150. The tuning stability is a little better once the strings are properly stretched out, but maybe only about 20% and that's after about an HOUR of stretch-retune-stretch-retune-repeat. And the nut is exactly the same as you describe.
Regarding lubrication, FYI on a floating trem, the knife edge/post pivot point is almost never problematic. It's actually the saddles where the string usually gets hung up. In addition to adding a little lube between each string/saddle, it's also good to make sure there are no small burrs on the saddle itself, as well as the edge of the hole in the base plate (and it's actually usually the latter that is the issue, as most people don't even look there).
Hope that helps.
Get ready for butthurt DreamTheater fan boys
More like nightmare cinema
I bought a Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee Model about 7 weeks ago and it was fine. No nut or tremolo bridge problem. I never use the tremolo. I took the arm off. It's been staying in tune great. It's light weight at under 7 pounds with a comfortable body contour. I can practice with it standing for over 3 hours without feeling any stress or fatigue. I think lot of guitar manufactures had problems keeping up with the demand during and after the pandemic. So a lot of them have had QC problems even the high priced companies have too.
dude you cant play stop
why dont we see you playing?
intonation problem is most probably the two-point trem screws not perfectly set on the bridge. I assume the screws are too tall, fully threaded or has no deep shank where the bridge clamps perfectly still. I suggest changing the screws with a *Wilkinson 2Pcs Guitar Bridge Insert Studs Anchors* or changing the whole bridge to a Wilkinson 2-point Bridge set with 10mm saddles. That will help both problems with the intonation and high E-string not jump out from the bridge.
The good news is when Sweetwater dropped Sterling, it was because of QC. They were told that they weren't getting back in until the QC improved. Now they're back and the new ones are actually really nice. Especially the basses.
I owned a few Sterlings over the years. I still have a 6 and 7 string Majesty and gave away a 7 string version of that guitar in the video. My 6 string is nearly perfect. My 7 string majesty was a nightmare! I owned it for nearly two years before I could make it playable. I sent it to EBMM twice, no luck. They even replaced the entire bridge each time, no dice.
Then I took it to 3 luthiers before it was playable. Finally, luthier Mike Cox in Columbus OH, who used to work for EBMM get it fixed after completely disassembling every part. He had to sharpen the trem blades, reinstall the posts, used a microscope and a diamond file to file away some groves in the baseplate. He had to add some lubricant tape the baseplate to resolve that issue. I also added Sperzel locking tuners, and a new bone nut. I’m sure I left out a few steps too, hit it was a lot of work and time. There are tons of issues with their QC, especially during the pandemic.
Now the disclosure! The 7 string was used, so I’m not sure what the previous owner did, but you just never really know. I basically had the same issue you had in the video.The Sterling majesty 6 I bought new and is perfect. They redeeming my faith in EBMM, so I purchase a 7 and a 6 string EBMM Majesty and they have been wonderful for me.
I’m glad you had a better experience with HB, because mine was an unplayable slab of wood with strings. The neck was so bad, the Pleck machine struggled to level the frets, crap hardware and electronics too. I wanted to love it because mod projects are fun for me, not the HB. I could have picked up a nice schecter or esp for what I have in the HB now.
My point, all manufacturers miss flaws and from time to time, put out lemons. Maybe you could see if sweetwater would send you another Sterling to compare. You will either change your mind or be vindicated lol. Cheers 🥂
I was convinced I was losing it with my old Sterling Majesty, it feels great but the bridge absolutely will not stay in tune, so it's reassuring to read these comments about it. Eventually going to do the hipshot bridge/ graphtech nut upgrades to turn it into the guitar I feel like it can be, we'll see how much of a difference that makes
This sounds very similar to my beloved Ibanez RG350 I used early on in my guitar playing carreer. It was fantastic when it was new, but it was still a low-end guitar and eventually could not take the abuse I gave it over the course of 2-3 years (and I admit I was REALLY hard on the trem in particular). Main problem it developed was that after pushing the whammy bar down, I would have to actually pull it back up to make sure it returned to its proper position to put it back in tune. I could even feel a "click" when this occured. The knife edges and corresponding posts had just become run down to the point of not working properly and it was not worth the money to fix.
Yep... waited more than a decade to buy my first sbmm base. When they attached the neck to the body, it was set at an angle. Took pictures of it and it was so obvious that it was a QC issue I contacted them, they told me they couldn't verify it was a QC issue unless I shipped it back to them. So it's going back to where I bought it from, and that's the last time I buy anything from Music Man. This was a $1,200 bass
3:45 who needs a DigiTech Whammy if the guitar's first string jumps out of the fretboard and does the same thing
I've actually bought a full-fledged Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty 7 a while back, and I enjoyed it quite a bit...until the problems started that is. First, the piezo on the A-string started cutting out and after being in service for around three weeks, it came back to me not making any sound at all. Turns out the processor blew as well (or after the first error idk). Gladly, I was able to return it and get a Fender HSS Strat instead and that thing is just amazing!
Moral of the story: Money doesn't buy you good qc...
Huh mine is my favorite guitar of all time. I've had esp, schecters, everything. Sold them all and keep my sterling. Is it possible it's a quality control thing? Maybe different models?
I know you would probably hate doing a review of a 9 string, but I’d love to see your thoughts on the Lucas Mann signature Legator LM9, or more in the 7 string category, Charles Caswell’s CC-7
What do you suspect is the cause of the tuning issues? Material? Locking tuners not so locked?
Could be a few things for the string slipping off the fret board:
- Bridge too wide (or saddles too wide for spacing)
- Nut slots incorrectly cut
- Fret ends too rounded.
Trem issues/ tuning issues:
- incorrect set up of bridge (clearly not returning to zero point in this case)
- knife edges worn
- strings binding somewhere (nut, tuners, string trees, within the trem block)
- strings not stretched enough
- neck not stable in the neck pocket (but more likely bridge issue in this video considering hitting the trem reset the tuning here)
I playes a John Petrucci sig once, i didn't really like it tbh, just felt wierd to play.
Amateur guitar builder here: I think the issue with the first string is the angle of the fret ends ... if they are not around 35 degrees and have been filed too shallow then you fall off the ends when playing (done it myself once). As for the trem - think I'd just block it off and take tuning stability over whammy bar action.
i guess its a guitar you throw to an expert and say, fix the mfucker. If its fixable on the cheap and they are literally giving them away, it could make somebody's day.
"you get what you accept"
Willis J. Willoughby, Jr.
If I had the misfortune of having one of those I'd probably block the trem to floor the bridge, throw 5 springs in the back and flick it off.
Hey a buddy of mine is friends with Lords of the Trident! I met one of their members one night when he came to visit my friend in Washington State. Really cool to see you rocking their merch.
Tighten the spring screws on the tremolo claw???
please review the Jason Richardson sterling. i was thinking about getting it but now im in question of sterling.
For better tuning stability try to set the tremolo only for dive so that i doesn't float. Concerning the high e string, if the neck is bolt on, you may try to unscrew and then screw it again in order to sit straight in the neck pocket. Along with a full setup I hope you will have a better playability overall.
I'd be looking at the trem posts for wear. A lot of guys don't take the string tension off when making adjustments to bridge height, which can damage the post or knife edges on the trem. Could also be softer metal in the posts. Had similar issues with cheaper guitars and upgraded the posts with great results. Another solution would be to block the trem to stop it from rising while bending, effectively making it a fixed bridge guitar.
There's no excuse for the badly cut nut, and wrong string spacing at the bridge. Design fail.
Please review a Yamaha pacifica 212. They are cheap but great. I've got a 20 year old one, but wonder if they still are that good.
And it's not just a case of slackening off the strings fully, loosening the neck bolts and then pulling the neck toward the high-E and re-tightening the neck bolts?
Pretty damn bad that there are still massive tremolo issues with these guitars! My main guitar is a Sterling JP100D from 2014 (IIRC). It has one major issue -- but it had two to begin with. One is the trem, which I've never gotten usable. A single dive can make strings 20+ cents off, sometimes more than 50 cents -- the low E can read as F -40 cents at times... I blocked it years ago, after two guitar techs couldn't fix it, and I couldn't either. With the trem blocked it's way above average at staying in tune.
Next is that the high E string broke very easily under tension; 1.5-step bends broke it like literally about 50% of the time, so they were simply impossible. I managed to solve that one by buying a dremel clone and filing down a bit where the string goes through the bridge (the drilled hole in the bridge, the saddle is untouched). Haven't broken a single high E since, in maybe 8 years.
As it stands now, it's an absolutely amazing guitar, and multiple people have said it's one of the best guitars they've ever played. It just has no trem, while it should, and I shouldn't have had to dremel the bridge, either.
I had the same tremolo issue on an Epiphone Alex Lifeson model. It made the guitar really unplayable and I could not fix it without modifying the guitar beyond the point of returnability. A real shame. Sometimes cheap is really cheap. Even when the guitar is NOT cheap... 😅😅
Same issue with the HB Fusion 3 tremolo, the knifes and pole pieces do not play well together, so the bridge can get stuck in 2 angles instead of returning to one.
Had to pull mine all the way back via the springs to make it stable.
The only way this can be fixed is by getting a propper tremolo with the same 2 point spacing, like a vegatrem, FR or even a cheaper alternative.
Another option is blocking the pull direction, but that kinda defeats the idea of having a 2 point floating trem.
If one can get one of those MM’s cheap enough it might be worth it, although there still might be the issue with the high E string, which more looks like that the neck should have been slightly wider, since f-spacing is a standard, no idea if there is any trem with a narrower string spacing that would work.
The Sterling line is manufactured overseas (I cannot remember if it is Korean, Taiwan or where off of the top of my head) and then they are shipped back to Orange, California where someone will go through them by hand and set them up. At least , that was how it was when a friend of mine, Brian Xavier Martin, worked there and was VP I believe, but do not quote me on that. He has since left, he was at B.C Rich and then Cordoba. I know when he was there, the guitars were pretty nicely setup when they arrived to me. I cannot speak on the quality since then, as I have no purchased any since he left the organization. I really dis not have the issues you have, except for having to file the bridge where the strings came through, as there were occasionally burrs. Nothing a jewelers file can't take care of pretty quickly.
I completely agree. I have a Sterling JP157. The roasted neck on it feels amazing, much better than the JP70 I was also looking at. After owning it for a while, I noticed that the 1st string's position on the nut was very off, and that will be the reason I will probably sell it. I do not, however, have the issue where bending the 6th (or 7th in my case) string knocks everything out of tune. I have an EBMM Majesty and it has a completely different nut and the fit and finish is perfect. On the other end of the spectrum, I recently picked up a Harley Benton SC-DLX B-Stock as well as a Dullahan. The SC-DLX needed some fret filing and polishing, but once I did that it plays like a dream. The Dullahan needed a tiny neck shim to make the action more my style. In terms of cost vs happiness, I definitely feel that the HB guitars make me happier, and both of them plus shipping cost less than my Sterling JP157. For those curious about the B-Stock HB, everything looks perfect on it, aside from a paint blemish on the back of the body where the shell pink paint is a little thin and shows as darkness...not an issue for me at all. By the way, I like the bridge on the Dullhan more than my Strandberg, so that's neat too.
I'm not familiar with this guitar in any capacity, and I don't know if the strings matched stock, but I noted the tension springs for the trem didn't get adjusted and that could potentially lead to tuning instability.
11:28 fretboard is not cut right or chipped. also, is it me the neck looks more skinny than a normal 6-string neck?
I am under the impression that guitars with non-locking nuts are just not destined to unconditionally stay in tune. Even when I tighten the tremolo springs to the point that the bridge rests on the body and won't budge no matter what, bending a string still throws it off tune. No matter how good a nut is, it will never completely eliminate friction, and will never allow a bent string to perfectly return to its original state. If you never rock the bridge, this isn't a big problem -- just tune the guitar so that pre-bent strings give the correct pitch. But once you rock the bridge even slightly -- the strings go back to the state which was before the bending! Having to give a slight push on the tremolo arm every now and then to keep the guitar in tune is definitely inconvenient, but such is the inevitable price of using this type of construction. The only thing that can completely eliminate this problem is a locking nut, but this automatically means that you need a bridge that allows tuning on that end.
have you tried changing your speakers?
From my little experiments building guitars (from Kits and Parts) That bridge is most likely the problem
Either:
The Bridge is mounted in wrong position or wrong size or both!
Followed by:
Cheap non hardened parts posts and knife edge. this would be the tuning instability as you bend say the 5th string the bridge will change pitch on all strings and it will not return to its correct resting place where everything is in ballance and the guitar is in tune.
The last is the neck set true? if it is off by only fractions of a degree strings will fall off the fretts as you move closer to the bridge! being a bolt on there may be enough wiggle room to sort out.
There could be many more things wrong that may not be fixable or the cause of the issues!
This is only an opinion mileage may vary batteries not included some assembly required.