Got my Loomis last night, BUT.... :(

[Micah]

Hey everyone, I am new to the forum. I was super stoked to receive my Loomis 7 string last night. I have been needing a new guitar for years. However, both my friend and I were very confused upon playing the guitar.

First off- The sound: It did not sound good at all. There was no clarity in the notes, they sounded very woofy and there was little character and no distinction in single note runs. It sounded like there was an invisible force field around the notes that didn't let them from becoming clear or ringing out. Have you ever played a crappy guitar through a really, really loud amp and noticed the woofiness and break up that happens in the notes? This is what it sounded like. Also, the high notes were extremely shrill. I already put a new battery in to see if that was the problem. Didn't do anything.
Also, the guitar was feeding back like crazy. Way way way too much. More than any other guitar I have played. If my hands were not muting the strings it went nuts. I have an Epihone Les Paul with a broken bridge pickup that sounds better. The Les Paul , even with the broken pick up has way more note clarity and even a better crunch.

Second-The way it felt: I understand that new guitars need to be set up to each individual. However, I have also heard others express that the factory set up on the Loomis was to their liking. Not in my case . The guitar is very difficult to play and feels unresponsive. It does not do what I want it to do. Extremely high action and the strings are very hard to push down. It takes a lot of effort to play. It just does not feel good at all. I am new to Floyd Rose guitars, so I will have to figure out how to fix this. I don't know what gauge the strings are, they could be extremely high.

I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum. Does anybody know what could be wrong? I was pretty upset last night.

[aleXander]

After being shipped and knocked around alot it needs proper set up.
Take it to a guitar shop and get it setup and have the wiring checked.
I'd be willin' to bet money it'll sound better

[Mordacain]

Originally Posted by aleXander

After being shipped and knocked around alot it needs proper set up.
Take it to a guitar shop and get it setup and have the wiring checked.
I'd be willin' to bet money it'll sound better

I second this and to the forums!

You might also want to check the 9V battery, if its been sitting in storage awhile it could be drained and would explain the woofiness if its not completely dead.

Floyd's always feel pretty funny to me after not using one for awhile.

Coming from a 24.75in scale neck will feel very weird at first too. It probably took me about two months to be real comfortable going from my Epi Les Paul to the Schecter C1 Classic and its 25.5 in scale.

[JamesM]

I received my Loomis factory setup, and after having my guitars set up by a guy who set up Clapton's Blackie twice (Skip Goez), I was shocked by how much I like how it played.

As far as sound, either the wiring is biffed, or you're having amp trouble. What kind of amp? What are your settings? My 707s are very responsive and clear.

[Koshchei]

Bummer - the feedback is usually pretty good about those guitars - you might just have a dud copy, or it might need new strings and a set up.

Also, play with your amp settings. EMGs have a very unique EQ curve, which may be totally different from the Epiphone pickups you're used to. I always start with a new guitar by flattening everything to 5 on my Legacy 2, and then twiddling from there.

[MaxOfMetal]

Originally Posted by Micah

First off- The sound: It did not sound good at all. There was no clarity in the notes, they sounded very woofy and there was little character and no distinction in single note runs. It sounded like there was an invisible force field around the notes that didn't let them from becoming clear or ringing out. Have you ever played a crappy guitar through a really, really loud amp and noticed the woofiness and break up that happens in the notes? This is what it sounded like. Also, the high notes were extremely shrill. I already put a new battery in to see if that was the problem. Didn't do anything.
Also, the guitar was feeding back like crazy. Way way way too much. More than any other guitar I have played. If my hands were not muting the strings it went nuts. I have an Epihone Les Paul with a broken bridge pickup that sounds better. The Les Paul , even with the broken pick up has way more note clarity and even a better crunch.

Open up the electronics cavity, and see if anything is strikingly out of place. That guitar has made a VERY long journey, and things can get knocked loose. If nothing looks loose in the electronics cavity, take a look at the quick connect cables under the pickups. If the quick connects come loose, then the sound can be significantly effected. Also, this wouldn't be the first time EMG sent out a set of dud pickups, so it may be worth contacting EMG directly, as they WILL send you free replacements if your pickups are defective. As far as the battery goes, be sure to install a "real" battery, not one of those rechargeable ones, as they SUCK for this application.

Also, what rig are you running your new Loomis through, and what are the settings?

Second-The way it felt: I understand that new guitars need to be set up to each individual. However, I have also heard others express that the factory set up on the Loomis was to their liking. Not in my case . The guitar is very difficult to play and feels unresponsive. It does not do what I want it to do. Extremely high action and the strings are very hard to push down. It takes a lot of effort to play. It just does not feel good at all. I am new to Floyd Rose guitars, so I will have to figure out how to fix this. I don't know what gauge the strings are, they could be extremely high.

No joke, I have NEVER, EVER, in over ten years received a guitar that was set-up even remotely to my liking. I've bought $3500 Les Pauls that were set up horrendously, I gotten custom basses that played worse than Squires when they arrived due to setup issues.

It sound like you just need to get the guitar a REAL, not factory, setup. As for the strings, Jeff Loomis is know for using some pretty heavy wires, so if high tension isn't your thing, replacing the strings would certainly help.

Here's how you go about setting up that bridge:

Unlock the nut and detune your strings until the trem is nice and level. The OFR7 in the Looms requires the baseplate be level with the top of the guitar, like so:



Once the unit is level (not in tune, just level) block it in place. I like using a stack of business cards. Place a stack in back, between the trem's sustain block and the wood towards the butt end of the guitar. This will keep the trem from moving forward. Then, place another stack of business cards behind the trem, under the fine tuner assembly. This will keep the trem from moving backwards. It's VERY important the trem is 100% level and at the proper angle after you block it. If it isn't, then everything we're about to do won't work.

Now, tune the strings to the desired pitch, then lock the nut. It's as simple as that.

Lock the nut like so:


Even if you do lock the nut properly, it can still knock the strings VERY slightly out of tune. If that happens, use the fine tuners on the trem to fix the tuning, that is the only reason that fine tuners are there for, so use them.

Now, once fully tuned and locked, remove the cards blocking the trem. The trem should "jump" out of it's proper angle and thus, out of tune. This is expected and perfectly fine. Don't worry, the cool part is coming up.

Now, adjust the spring tension until the bridge is sitting at the proper angle, and in tune. Add or remove springs as needed.




Now check the stability.

Though, before you do that, check the neck: Project Guitar :: Adjusting a neck equipped with a Double Action Truss

Though, keep in mind, if you're not happy with the purchase, you're more than free to return the guitar if you bought it from a legitimate dealer.

[Koshchei]

Max is right, although I'd hold off on locking the nut for a few days once you've got it set up. The low B usually needs to stretch like crazy, and when you think it's finally there and lock it, it'll go madly flat again (just outside the range of your fine tuner to compensate), and your allen key will have disappeared.

[aleXander]

Maxx what's the thing screwed down behind the fine tuners point?

[MaxOfMetal]

Originally Posted by aleXander

Maxx what's the thing screwed down behind the fine tuners point?

Can you be a little more specific?

[aleXander]

[QUOTE=MaxOfMetal;2159597]

QUOTE]

Bottom half...

[Prydogga]

That's the string retainer bar.

[aleXander]

Originally Posted by Prydogga

That's the string retainer bar.

What he said... I've never messed with it before...

[MaxOfMetal]

Originally Posted by Prydogga

That's the string retainer bar.

That keeps the string taut in the nut, so when you tighten the locking nut you don't .... the tuning up too bad.

[Xherion]

That picture doesn't have fine tuners in it. But I assume you are talking about the string tree.

[aleXander]

Well shit... I'm glad I know that has a purpose now...
I've always left mine alone.. won't be doin' that now

[MaxOfMetal]

Originally Posted by aleXander

Well shit... I'm glad I know that has a purpose now...
I've always left mine alone.. won't be doin' that now

It's not really something you have to mess with too often.

"Just set it, and forget it."

[aleXander]

My bad on the fine tuners thing.. I'm really out of it right now.
Just woke up ><

[Micah]

Hey thanks for all the help guys. I really do appreciate it. I did try switching the battery and that did not do anything.
The amp I am playing through is a VOX AD100VT half stack. Usually I can get great tones out of it. Just to be sure, I am going to try playing my guitars through my friend's amp. (The same amp, but a 50 watt) I would actually be relieved if it was the amp. My les Paul sounds fine though.
I do plan on taking it to the shop today.
To be honest the pick ups do sound awful. I have played through active EMGs before and they sounded fantastic, but these don't sound good. I also noticed that other guitars I played with active EMGs were very quiet.
Again thanks for all the advice and help. As soon as I get things figured out I will let you guys know.

[hiflyer]

The way you described it , it seems hopeless to me, feels bad, sounds bad,
set up bad.......too much bad, send that bitch back. Once someone works
on it , too late.

[JamesM]

Dunno what happened. Got mine, loved it. Been happy since.

[IDLE]

The pickup hight might be wonky as well as the action. The strings could be old and dull as well. If you raise the bridge pickup 2-3 mm from the string and it still sounds undefined there is something weird. Loomis guitars are usually very clear with the EMGs and wood choices. Get it set up good and maybe put a new set of strings on it and if it still sounds weird call schecter, they have a good return policy if you get a dud. Or you could use the return where you bought it from too.

[cardinal]

The only other suggestion I can add to the thread (if I missed it, sorry to repeat it) is to do some serious dive bombing. The springs probably are very stiff and need to be broken in a bit. You'll have to set the Floyd again once they've stretched.

[Shredcow]

I'd change the strings.

When my own custom guitar came in, even though the strings were perhaps a week old - not a bit of corrosion on it - the thing sounded dead. I couldn't even get proper pinched harmonics out of it. It was such a struggle and the harmonics sounded weak.

When I changed to a fresh set - bam! It was much better.


Oh and how about a fresh battery too?

[HaloHat]

Have it set-up by someone who knows what they are doing. A proper set-up will cover all the various things mentioned. I have never received a guitar that was shipped that didn't need a set-up, especially the neck/truss adjustment. Including my Loomis ha.

Schecter has AWESOME customer service. If there is an issue with any part of the guitar [not caused by abuse] they will make it right and more than likely by sending you a new guitar. Schecter will NOT void or dishonor your warranty because some body preformed a proper set-up job on the guitar.

A properly set-up Loomis kicks azz, especially for the price. Yes they sound a bit clean or sterile without any spice in the path. But that is why they take effects so well. I was going to suggest trying a distortion in your path however with just about everything you have mentioned not seeming right and you having played 707's before [did you say that? lol] I would do the set-up [by someone who really knows how, and it is not difficult to learn nor does it take a lot of expensive tools] and if not vastly improved and you happy warranty it to Schecter. They will not give you any B.S. at all if the guitar has not been damaged and as said before will more than likely send you a new guitar. Keep your cool if you contact them, stick to the issue and they will take care of you.

[blister7321]

Max you spent 3500 on a guitar that wasnt an ibanez?
in shocked