The Sterling by Music Man John Petrucci MAJ100 Majesty RW Stealth Black is the signature model of the Dream Theater guitarist and offers an innovative design that convinces with unlimited playing comfort and versatile sounds of the harder gear. The ergonomic Linde body and free-standing mahogany neck provide unimpeded access to all positions of the fingerboard, while hot humbuckers and the 12dB boost that can be switched on at the amplifier provide plenty of pressure. The Sterling Majesty is completed by an SBMM Modern Tremolo and SBMM Locking tuners.
The innovative design of the Sterling Majesty was developed in close cooperation with John Petrucci and convinces with an incomparably high playing comfort. The Linde body is not only extremely stable when sitting on the thigh, but also occupies a perfectly balanced position on the belt. In addition, the wide cutaways release the entire mahogany neck, providing unimpeded access to all layers of the rosewood fingerboard. The flat "D" profile can also be played on with playful ease.
As John Petrucci Signature electric guitar, the Sterling by Music Man JP100 Majesty delivers brute metal sounds on the amplifier, but also shows its soft string in the clean channel. For example, the Sterling by Music Man humbucker built into the neck and bridge positions impress with a well-dosed output and harmonically balanced reproduction that lets solo lines sing with endless sustain, while riffs are represented with tight definition. Clean chords and melodies are also represented with first-class string separation. In addition, the SBMM Majesty offers an active boost that is activated via the push/pull volume potentiometer and raises the signal by 12 dB for additional volume and gain reserves.
In addition, the Sterling by Music Man John Petrucci Majesty is equipped with high-quality hardware that ensures unrestricted playing pleasure with high functionality. For example, the SBMM Modern Tremolo is used as a bridge, which convinces with its butter-soft handling supported on two pins. Both up- and down-bendings are possible without any problems due to the undercut. From the bridge, the strings are guided with the classic 25.5" scale (648 mm) towards the headstock, on which SBMM locking mechanisms in typical 4+2 arrangement promise a stable tuning even with frequent use of the whammy bar.
Got this beauty as my entry into the 7-string world. I used to be a metal-head in my teenage years, but am now looking for ways to expand my palette of pitches in other genres (post/math rock, indie, hard rock, etc.).
I really liked the design of this guitar. It's still a "metal" guitar, but not as brutal as many other 7-string offerings.
It feel great and plays well, mostly. However, on my copy the bridge pickup and the tremelo system were installed askew. Which means that a) the strings aren't perfectly aligned with the pickup slugs, b) you need to take off the back plate to change strings every single time. A shame, at this price point I expect better workmanship.
The tuners were dirty with oil as well. Not a huge deal, but it indicates sloppy workmanship.
Pros:
+ beautiful design (imo)
+ neck feels great: satin finish and fret ends were neatly filed
+ easy upper fret access
+ tuning pegs turn smoothly
+ light
+ nice gig bag - well-padded
Cons:
- bridge humbucker screws not properly aligned with the strings
- similarly: holes of the trem cover not aligned with the holes for the strings! i.e.: have to take off the cover every time you need to change strings, or manually cut out more of the plastic
- my copy had an oily residue on the tuners, sloppy!
- (push-push) volume knob feels 'wobbly'
- pickups are very hot, overdriving my amp when at full volume. For me, this is a negative but it might be a positive for some
- for some reason, when playing the upper string and muting the lower strings with my right hand, I always push the lower strings against the pickups. This causes a popping noise. I don't experience this issue with other guitars.
- flip flop finish appears quite dark in a dark(er) room
The Sterling MAJ100 has a lot to offer if you want to step up your game a little bit.
Very light and plays like a charm, it's the ideal guitar for someone who wants to invest in a better model than the 500 euros model he already has.
However, it might feel a little bit overpriced sometimes given what other 1000+ guitars can do . I suppose we can blame European taxes on this one since it's more about 700 USD overseas. It's also as far as it can be from it's big sister the Majesty, which is, given the price, a little bit of a bummer.
However, it's still a great instrument. A little bit overpriced but very enjoyable (as long as you bother to change the pick up)