EBMM Majesty Neck Gloss Finish

[RadoncROCKs]

I've been GASing for a EBMM Majesty lately and it seems like a great guitar. My only potential problem is the gloss back of neck finish.

I had played gloss necks my whole life until last year discovering I really like the natural wood or tung oil finish, especially walnut or wenge. Now most of my guitars have tung oil roasted maple necks and walnut/wenge style. I feel like I can't go back at this point and any gloss neck feels sticky to me.

I've seen many reviews on the Majesty that mention their gloss neck finish is really not a problem given the overall quality of the guitar, but I'm worried about dropping that much money on a guitar with such a crucial feature I may not like.

Can anybody with non-gloss neck preferences comment on the Majesty in particular? Would this likely be a deal-breaker for me?
I would consider the JP15 but it doesn't seem different enough from my other guitars to justify the purchase.

 

[beerandbeards]

There’s nothing that will inhibit your playing on a Majesty. It’s a satin finish as well. I prefer oiled wood on a neck but the Majesty is absolutely incredible feeling. I hope if you decide to get one that you love it.

 

[Musiscience]

Had a Majesty and I too usually much prefer a satin necks. No complaint whatsoever, it was great and not an issue at all. Go for it if you like the Majesty shape and typical JP electronics/sound.

 

[Lax]

Honestly, I have a JP7 with oiled birdseye maple, a JP12 with glossy painted neck and a majesty monarchy with a satin painted neck and I just play all three the same...
It's not sticky like a nitro finish and I think the neck are so small and thin you never feel it.
Go for the majesty

 

[RadoncROCKs]

This is very helpful, thanks everyone. If I can get one of my current listings on Reverb to sell, I will grab one. Btw anybody want a Rainbow Spark Kiesel headless Delos or multiscale Zeus haha

Now the question is do I go for a blue sparkle BFR or one of the Titan Blue/Enchanted Forest models?

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

This is very helpful, thanks everyone. If I can get one of my current listings on Reverb to sell, I will grab one. Btw anybody want a Rainbow Spark Kiesel headless Delos or multiscale Zeus haha

Now the question is do I go for a blue sparkle BFR or one of the Titan Blue/Enchanted Forest models?

Titan Blue or Enchanted Forest

 

[katsumura78]

So I agree with everyone to an extent about the glossy neck. I do wish my 2019 Majesty had the same satin feel as the 2017 but it’s not a deal breaker. The sound of those guitars got better with the matched majesty pickups (dream catcher/rainmaker). So grab the majesty you think looks best and you’ll be happy. They’re awesome guitars.

 

[bjjman]

Just bear in mind that the newer Majesties are gloss necks, not the satin painted that the earlier ones had and is referenced above.

I'm definitely someone who prefers satin necks. I'd actually say my JP15 with the gunstock/wax is my favourite finish of all in terms of feel. I have a Majesty as well and the gloss is in no way sticky. Nothing like some of those gummy feeling gloss finishes. If you're anything like me, you'll find the extra upper fret access of the neck through design far outweighs the finish differences.

Titan Blue looks awesome in person - but I am biased.

 

[Lax]

This is very helpful, thanks everyone. If I can get one of my current listings on Reverb to sell, I will grab one. Btw anybody want a Rainbow Spark Kiesel headless Delos or multiscale Zeus haha

Now the question is do I go for a blue sparkle BFR or one of the Titan Blue/Enchanted Forest models?

I like all three
I'd say enchanted forest but it seems some are darker and less figured than others, gotta check pics.

About the last messages about the neck...I may sound crazy but I think I'd prefer make a luthier sand the neck to satin professionnaly and get the latest pickups and especially the V2 preamp board in the guitar !
Rather than get a satin neck and risk a breakage.

I mean, I have no idea how many pre summer 2019 majesties broke because of electronics, but if it's second hand it costs A LOT.
In France, it's an overall cost of 500€ and you have to solder it yourself.

I love my majesty monarchy I got for my 40 years old birthday, but I'm gonna test it a lot before ever thinking gigging with it instead of my reliable JP12

 

[sneerim]

I've got one of the newer gloss Majesties and, while I generally prefer a satin neck, I don't feel hindered at all by the neck finish.

 

[spudmunkey]

Btw anybody want a Rainbow Spark Kiesel headless Delos?

Me! Oh...wait...you probably want money for it? Damnit...

I'll be a contrarian here...I *hate* gloss necks of all types. While, yes: EBMM, Kiesel, Taylor, etc all use the best-possible type of gloss finish to reduce stickiness in my opinion....but I still hate gloss. My sweat must be stickier than average. I can pick up a guitar and my dry hands will slide all over it like it's ice skating, but after a few minutes, it's like bare legs on a metal playground slide. The only way to somewhat mitigate it, is to keep it waxed with, like, carnuba wax. I just much much much prefer either satin or tung oil...but oil has to be thin. If too many layers have been built up of tung or Tru oil, to the point where it's an actual topical layer, then it's as bad as (or worse than) nitrocellulose.

As far as gloss goes, EBMM is one of those that uses the "best" in this regard.

 

[RevelGTR]

Personally I’ve never found a gloss neck that felt as good as a satin or oiled neck. Having said that, the newer Majesties are immaculate, the two I’ve played had beautiful fret ends and played perfectly - which hey, now that they’re considerably more expensive than a Suhr Modern or similar they should. I still like the old school JP6’s with the oiled neck and forearm scoop more though.

The last couple EBMM’s I actually owned had some annoying issues - a Cutlass with terrible fretsprout and a Stingray 5 with a pretty serious neck hump.

 

[RadoncROCKs]

Has anybody here every had good luck taking a gloss neck and sanding to satin by a pro? I'm guessing you can't sand a gloss neck down to feeling like oiled neck - that is the temptation of the non-Majesty JP but I still think I'll end up with Majesty. Maybe I'll get both at some point but too many guitars to move before then.

 

[RadoncROCKs]

Updated - I ended up buying a Majesty in Smoked Pearl. I wanted Titan Blue but a good deal came up on a used Smoked Pearl and that was my third preference color and saved me almost $1500.

It is the most meticulously crafted, best made guitar I've ever played. So light, compact, and the upper fret access is better than anything I've ever played. Still playing around with all the sounds from this thing with the Piezo. The fretboard is the best feeling and darkest ebony I've ever felt. The bridge feels in a different location than my other guitars for palm muting and that will take some getting used to but improving after just one day.

Now the neck... I'm not in love with it. My fears were realized and when I play for a while I notice the gloss and the stickiness just as I've felt with other guitars and comparing to my tung oiled wood other necks. Maybe it's slightly less noticeable given how much the guitar cost and how awesome the rest of it is. This essentially proves that I certainly notice the difference and know what I like. If they made the Majesty as is but with a cut off and natural oiled wood neck (a la the Kiesel neck thru treatment) it would be perfect.
But - it's the best made guitar I've ever played and I can/will deal with it. Such a fantastic guitar that I will be getting used to over the next few weeks. Glad I found a deal on it because it is something else.

 

[oremus91]

I don't like gloss necks either, but I played a few majesty's and I didn't have an issue with them.

Best thing you can do is regularly clean/polish your gloss neck, if that isn't enough for you find a used Majesty Monach with a satin neck/back, or try another model like a JP, or if you want something lighter with less complicated electronics, the Richardson cutlass.

I say give it more time and get used to it, you've probably been playing non-gloss necks for years, and it has more to do with what you are accustom to, not what is objectively true. Works for Petrucci after all.

 

[AndiKravljaca]

I feel like a definite minority here and I don't mind being called out on it, but I have a couple of guitars with an oiled finish, some with a satin finish and some gloss - and I honestly don't really think about it while playing. Does it really interfere so much?

Two other points. First, all gloss paint isn't created equal - one of my guitars feels a lot more 'high grip' than the other, despite both being gloss finishes. A gloss clear coat isn't necessarily always going to be the same, and there's non-sticky gloss clear coats (just look at the difference between an Epi and a Gibson Les Paul neck for instance).

Second, a satin finish is a temporary thing - as your hands, clothes and so on rub against it, it will become glossy because you're essentially buffing the finish to a shine. The finish itself is smoothing out under your fingers, and I can definitely notice that on my satin finish Caparison for instance - the treble side of the neck is pretty glossy after years of playing.

 

[Matthew Shelton]

Just sand it down carefully to miss the fingerboard, then tung oil it. Thats what I do, unless of course you’re trying to keep the resale value. Gloss necks suck.