Helix amp: sag, hum, ripple, bias and bias-x

I found a rather interesting video demonstrating the advanced amp parameters of the Line 6 Helix: sag, hum, ripple, bias and bias-x. As a summary, this is what I could infer to them:

• sag – lower is tighter and less dynamics; higher sounds muffled;
• hum – the literal ground hum of the amp;
• ripple – harmonic undertone audible on single notes; hard to hear in a mix;
• bias and bias-x – changes the overdrive character when used together.

Basically, these parameters make close to zero difference in clean tones. Crunch and high gain tones can change in thousands of ways, though.

Back to the tone chasing.

Gibson fretwire

Apparently with my Gibson Les Paul craze back again, I’ve been dabbling into the specs of the High Performance series. The specs list the fretwire as “Low”, without any further info on the actual dimensions. Also, other models are listed as having “Medium Jumbo” fretwire. What do they mean?

Fortunately Gibson Customer Service kindly answered my emails, and these are the measures:

Fretwire	Height	Width
Medium Jumbo	.055"	.090"
Low	.045"	.086"

This information, paired with this fretwire chart and our JP chart, gives us a good comparison with commonly known fret sizes:

Fretwire		Height	Width
Dunlop	6000	.058"	.118"
	6100 (Ibanez JPM)	.055"	.110"
	6105 (Ibanez JEM)	.055"	.090"
	6140 (Ibanez Universe)	.039"	.106"
EBMM	medium jumbo (Majesty)	.051"	.108"
	high wide (JP6)	.047"	.104"
Suhr	jumbo	.057"	.110"
	medium	.055"	.090"
	heavy	.051"	.108"

I just can’t understand, however, why would they use vintage frets in such a modern guitar.

A new custom gauge for the backbowed Majesty

I’m having some trouble while setting up my new Music Man Majesty. It seems that Music Man applies some kind of pre-tension to the mahogany neck so it backbows, to counterweight the .010 strings that come stock with the guitar. Looks like a bad design decision to me, I wonder: isn’t it what the truss rod is for?

Since the guitar is hard-set to .010 gauge, my custom .008 is causing a strong backbow, with the 5th and 6th frets buzzing like crazy in all 6 strings, even with the truss rod completely loose. But I’m really enjoying the neck profile and the overall feeling of the Majesty, so I’m trying to work it out.

My current gauge is .008 .009 .011 .021 .030 .038, which I use in the Ibanez JPM and the Suhr Modern Satin without any problems. The Suhr setup is particularly perfect.

So yesterday I rescued the two heavier strings from the .009 D’Addario set I had thrown into the trash bin, and now I’m trying .008 .009 .011 .021 .032 .042 on the Majesty, with the hopes that the heavier strings from the .009 set will pull the neck forward and alleviate the backbow.

Plot twist: A couple weeks later, measuring the neck relief, I found out that the neck wasn’t backbowed, but very close to straight. The real problem was, probably, a raised 7th fret, which made the 6th fret unusable. Being an expensive instrument with stainless steel frets, I found it to be unnaceptable.

Goodbye Eclipse

I received my ESP Eclipse II Silver Sparkle in February 14 of this year, as part of my Les Paul craze. Today, almost 5 months later, I posted it on the mail after selling it out.

It’s a bit sad, because it was a great guitar. Way more comfortable than my previous Gibson Les Paul Studio, which I had back in 2014. The neck felt very comfortable, but it helped me understanding how I prefer flatter neck radiuses. The ESP has a 12” fretboard, which felt a world of difference from my Suhr, which is close at 14”. The ebony fretboard was very smooth, but I missed the stainless steel frets. All that not mentioning the incredible looks of this guitar, shiny all around – one of the main reasons that made me buy it.

This ESP had an EMG 81 in the bridge, and an EMG 85 in the neck. I swapped them, and the guitar sounded much more balanced. The cleans were beautiful, but somewhat overcompressed, it was hard to tweak a proper clean tone for rhythm parts.

This ESP had the D string slot very low, the open D was buzzing. I played my sole gig with this guitar having the nut like that, improvising paper shims inside the nut slots. I replaced this nut with a new bone nut soon after.

In the sole gig I played with it, in March 23, it felt very heavy on my shoulder. Also, it made me do a lot of mistakes, probably because of the different position the Les Paul shape puts you in, and the rounder fretboard radius. Since then, I played no other gig. And I realized I’m not playing it anymore. Saddened, I decided to sell it. And it was gone today. And I must say, despite everything, I miss it.

Now, I hope my Les Paul craze go away.

The weight of my guitars

It finally happened.

After an awful amount of time wondering, I finally managed to temporarily steal a precision weighing scale from my girlfriend’s kitchen, and finally find out how much my guitars weigh. Here are the results of my current guitars, updated:

Year	Model	Weight (kg)	Weight (lbs oz)	Weight (lbs)
2012	ESP Eclipse II silver sparkle	3.75 kg	8 lbs 4 oz	8.25 lbs
1996	Ibanez UV7BK	3.63 kg	8 lbs	8 lbs
1997	Ibanez JPM P2	3.52 kg	7 lbs 12 oz	7.75 lbs
2014	Music Man JP6 silver sparkle	3.45 kg	7 lbs 10 oz	7.6 lbs
2016	Music Man Majesty arctic dream	2.95 kg	6 lbs 8 oz	6.5 lbs
2013	Suhr Modern Satin natural	2.77 kg	6 lbs 2 oz	6.11 lbs

I actually tought the JPM was lighter, and the Eclipse was heavier. The Modern Satin is, indeed, a very lightweight guitar.

The JP6 silver sparkle was said on Reverb to weigh 7 lbs 14 oz, or 3.57 kg, which was actually wrong.

Clean tones of ESP Eclipse II with EMGs

In another chapter of my Les Paul craze, hoping for something more comfortable than my previous Gibson Les Paul Studio, which I had back in 2014, I bought an amazing-looking ESP Eclipse II, in silver sparkle finish. Realy eye-catching. A Japanese one, not the LTD crap.

I’m very pleased with the EMG pickups. Originally this guitar probably had a Seymour Duncan JB/59 set, and they were replaced by EMG 81 (bridge) and 85 (neck). However, I noticed the 85 is higher output and also it has a lot more bass, so I swapped both pickups. This EMG system is great: once you have the circuit installed, the pickups can be changed quickly by detaching the cables. Now, with the 85 at the bridge and the 81 at the neck, the guitar sounds very balanced.

As for the comfort, it’s not bad as my old Gibson, but definitely it’s not a comfortable guitar. The neck made me realize how much I like finished necks, and the ebony fretboard is sweet. Other than that, I played only one gig with it, and it felt very awkward on my shoulder. I guess I’m a superstrat player, definitely.

Tornado of Souls solo

About one year ago I recorded the solo from “Tornado of Souls”, by Marty Friedman, from the classic Megadeth album “Rust in Peace”, from 1990. I’ve seen many people saying that it’s the hardest Megadeth solo, so I decided to incorporate it into my band’s set list, by replacing the “Hotel California” solo, after noticing some theming similarities. The result is pretty great. Unfortunately, in my band gigs, I hardly find someone who can appreciate the effort I put in learning it.

Anyway, this is the take I recorded about one year ago, using my Suhr Modern Satin, which I’m rather disliking the thin tone these days.

Ibanez JPM weight

I’ve been searching around the weight of an Ibanez JPM, just like the P2 I own, which I have no means to weight right now. I found 4 guitars on Reverb.com, with similar measures:

• 2000 P2, 7 lbs 5 oz, 7.31 lbs, 3.32 kg
  • nut profile, .740", 18.8 mm
  • 12th profile, .820", 20.8 mm
• 1998 P4, 7 lbs 6 oz, 7.38 lbs, 3.35 kg
• 1998 P4, 7 lbs 6 oz, 7.38 lbs, 3.35 kg
• 1995 P2, 7 lbs 6 oz, 7.38 lbs, 3.35 kg

The JPM seems to be a very consistent guitar, even in the weight.

Remembering Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads last day was March 19, 1982, 35 years ago today. After influencing so many guitarists, I just want to leave this humble tribute here. I’ve played “Crazy Train” in bands in the past, and it was always a lot of fun.



After publishing the video, I realized the guitar track was a bit too loud in the mix. Well, too late, but not too bad.

I used my Suhr Modern Satin, with Suhr SSV/SSH+ (neck/bridge) pickups, and the POD HD500X connected via USB. After using Billy Gibbons’ .007 signature gauge set exclusively for about one year and a half, I tried the D’Addario EXL130 set again, however with a .012 for the G, as I found on my graphic string tension calculator. It feels very balanced now. I don’t know if I’ll use this custom .008 set on all guitars, but I’m keeping it on the Suhr, at least.

A graphic string tension calculator for guitar

I was assembling a custom string set for my guitar, and for that I needed to calculate the tensions of the string gauges, according to the scale length. Although I found a couple string tension calculators online, pretty much all of them had terrible usability. So I decided to write my own string tension calculator, with the best usability I could think of as an user.

It’s hosted on GitHub Pages: https://rodrigocfd.github.io/string-tension-calc/

I also made it open source on my GitHub account, and I hope to make further improvements.

Clean tones of Ibanez JPM100 P2

I recorded an improvisation of my 1997 Ibanez JPM100 P2, which has DiMarzio Crunch Lab + LiquiFire instead of the stock DiMarzio Steve’s Special + Air Norton. The previous owner did the replacement, and I kept it because it sounds crazy good. In fact, these new pickups sound very similar to the original ones, but with more gain.

I used my POD HD500X straight into the computer and a set of .007 Dunlop Rev. Willy's Lottery strings.

Clean tones of PRS Custom 24

This is the most beautiful sounding guitar I’ve ever owned or played, possibly. Being a hardcore superstrat player, I’m having a hard time adapting to the radiused fretboard and the unbalanced body shape – not unbalanced as a Les Paul, but definitely butt-heavy.

So I recorded this improvisation using the POD HD500X looper. I see myself selling this guitar soon: that’s how I want to remember it.



The video was recorded with the great Samsung Galaxy S6, in 1080p and 60 fps.

Gibson Les Paul weight-relieving chart

I’ve see a lot of information regarding Gibson Les Paul models weight-relieving, but never a condensed, concise chart about all the variations. So, based on all information I could gather, mostly from here and here, I compiled the chart below.

Year	Standard	Traditional
up to mid 1982	solid	N/A
mid 1982 to late 2006	9 holes
late 2006 to 2011	chambered	9 holes
2012 and beyond	modern

Follow the given links to see images of what each weight-relieving technique look like.

Ibanez Jem & Universe fretwire

I’ve seen a lot of wrong information about this, so I’ll just leave this here for further reference.

Regarding fretwire, the Ibanez Jem 7VWH uses Warmoth 6105 frets, not Dunlop 6105. That’s why you find “W/6105” on the specs.

The Ibanez Universe – all models, as far as I know, including the Jem 7V7 –, listed as having jumbo frets on the specs, have Dunlop 6140.

Actual measurements:

• Warmoth 6105 – h .047", w .096" (7VWH);
• Dunlop 6105 – h .055", w .090";
• Dunlop 6140 – h .039", w .106" (UVs).

Music Man JP comparison chart

After his solid Ibanez JPM, it seems that John Petrucci doesn’t know what he wants, so he changes the specs of his signature guitar each year. There are way too many versions so far, and no single place where you can find all the specs together, so I compiled a comprehensive chart of all John Petrucci models with Ernie Ball Music Man.

Note: this chart doesn’t include the dozens of limited series that have been released, just the standard specs.

Model	Year	Body	Neck	Fingerboard	Bridge PU	Neck PU	F radius	Frets
JP6	2000	Basswood	Birdseye maple	Rosewood	Custom, based on Evolution (ref)	Custom, based on Air Norton	15" 381mm	High wide h .047", w .104" h 1.19, w 2.64mm
	2005				D-Sonic
JP6 BFR	2007	Alder, maple top, mahogany block	Mahogany	Rosewood or ebony
JP6	2008	Basswood	Birdseye maple	Rosewood	Crunch Lab	LiquiFire
JP6 BFR		Alder, maple top, mahogany block	Mahogany	Rosewood or ebony
JP6 BFR Baritone
JPX	2010	Chambered alder, maple top, mahogany block		Ebony				Jumbo h .057", w .110" h 1.45, w 2.79mm
JPXI	2011	Alder, maple top, mahogany block					20" 508mm	Medium jumbo h .051", w .108" h 1.30, w 2.74mm
JP12	2012	Basswood, maple top, mahogany block
JP13	2013			Rosewood	Illuminator	Illuminator	17" 432mm
Majesty	2014	Basswood, maple top	Mahogany, neck-thru	Ebony
JP15	2015	African mahogany, maple top	Roasted maple
Majesty Artisan			Honduran mahogany, neck-thru	Ebony
JP16	2016	Basswood	Roasted maple	Smokey ebony	Sonic Ecstasy	Sonic Ecstasy
Majesty Monarchy	2017	African mahogany, maple top	Honduran mahogany, neck-thru	Ebony
	2019				Dreamcatcher	Rainmaker
JP 20th	2021	Honduran mahogany, maple top	Honduran mahogany		Crunch Lab	LiquiFire	15" 381mm	High wide h .047", w .104" h 1.19, w 2.64mm
Majesty 20th			Honduran mahogany, neck-thru		Dream Catcher	Rainmaker	17" 432mm	Medium jumbo h .051", w .108" h 1.30, w 2.74mm
Majesty 8		Basswood	Mahogany, neck-thru

Other changes:

• On the first model, the following are optional: piezo, matching headstock, shield fretboard inlays. A “full loaded” specimen has all three.
• Compensated nut was introduced in early 2006.
• The BFR Baritone has a 27.5" scale length.
• Stainless steel frets debuted with the JPXI in January 2011, and later became standard on all JP models ordered since January 2012.
• The rectangular tremolo base plate was introduced in August 2011.
• In 2011 the piezo saddles changed for ones with lower output; because of this, the preamp was changed for one with a higher output to compensate.
• The BFR logos (on the 12th fret) were retired from all models with the release of the JP13, in early 2013.
• The JP12 was the last model to feature a passive circuit for the magnetic pickups, which can work without a battery. The JP13 and all later models feature an active circuit for everything, including the magnetic pickups: without batteries guitar has no sound.
• Around October 2016 the logo at the back of the headstock changed, from “Made in San Luis Obispo California, USA” to “Californa heritage, since 1974” with a bear picture.
• The JP16 has a Korean-made Floyd Rose bridge, and no piezo system.
• In 2019, the Majesty eletronics layout was redesigned, with less wiring in the back cavity. The layout of the back controls is different.
• The Majesty 8 has a fixed bridge and it’s 25 to 27" multi-scale.

This chart was last updated in 2024-04-02.

A balanced .008 gauge string set for guitar

Last month I restrung my 2004 Music Man JP6 with a .008 gauge string set, D’Addario EXL130. I started to feel very uncomfortable with the G string, because it has so much more tension than all the others. I even considered trading the JP6 for an Ibanez Jem, which I travelled about 150 km just to test for a couple minutes, and it felt good on my fingers, possibly due to my 8 years playing exclusively a 1996 UV7BK.

Then yesterday I took a different direction and it came to my mind the idea of assembling a balanced string set, thus fixing the problem with the heavy G string. I know that there are commercial balanced sets, but they just alleviate the problem, not fixing it. I found this excellent post on Jemsite, where the guy made a comprehensive chart with all D’Addario sets and tension of each string. The .008 data confirmed what my fingers already knew: the G string is much heavier than it should. Also, the A string is slightly heavier, but I really didn’t felt it that much.

What I can’t really understand is why all the string sets are so unbalanced, and why so few people complain about it.

In order to find the right gauge to balance my .008 set, I found a handy online calculator for string tension, not very intuitive, but accurate. With it, I found the gauge of .013 for the G string, instead of the .015, to balance my .008 set. The B string of an ordinary .010 set – D’Addario EXL110 – is exactly .013, so if I buy such a set I could pick the B string and use it. Also, the D string is a .026 gauge, which could replace my current A of .030, making my set more even.

After replacing these two strings, and loosening the spring claw and the truss rod a bit, my JP6 felt a lot better. Instant gratification. The heaviness of the G is finally gone, the bends are easier, and the slightly loosened A added a very smooth feel to the wound strings. And I love loose strings. Here is the tension chart comparison:

Ordinary (unbalanced) .008 set:

E: .008" [PL] = 10.38 pounds
B: .010" [PL] = 09.10 pounds
G: .015" [PL] = 12.90 pounds
D: .021" [NW] = 12.05 pounds
A: .030" [NW] = 14.05 pounds
E: .040" [NW] = 12.11 pounds

Total tension = 70.59 pounds

My balanced .008 set:

E: .008" [PL] = 10.38 pounds
B: .010" [PL] = 09.10 pounds
G: .013" [PL] = 09.68 pounds
D: .021" [NW] = 12.05 pounds
A: .026" [NW] = 11.23 pounds
E: .040" [NW] = 12.11 pounds

Total tension = 64.55 pounds

And I’m not thinking about the Jem anymore. By now.