The Making Of a Majesty

One of the most ergonomic and perfectly balanced instruments available, the Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Majesty features innovative technology, versatile performance, and a sleek modern feel. See what goes into the craftsmanship of one of our most beloved instruments in the Music Man line— right from our factory floor in San Luis Obispo, CA.

The Wood Mill

Hand-selected tonewoods are imported from only the finest sourced wood suppliers in the world; bodies of alder, basswood, mahogany, and maple are individually chosen and matched for their rich tonal qualities.

Employing the perfect balance of machine-driven precision and the personal touch of an experienced hand-craftsman.

Industry leading robotics deliver laser precision and flawless consistency.

All frets are hand-applied to exact specification ensuring each Majesty guitar delivers premium finger board playability.

Machine Shop

The Majesty’s inlays are cut from synthetic Mother of Pearl, using our precision laser cutter to carve out the fine details of the John Petrucci Majesty logo, inspired by John’s band Dream Theater.

Our in-house metal shop uses a CNC machine to fabricate the bridge covers from solid bars of aluminum. A flood of cutting fluid keeps the tools sharp in order to achieve an ultra-smooth finish.

The heads of our stainless steel truss rods are welded in place so that they will last the life of the instrument.

Sanding

Each Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty is hand sanded providing a flawless to the touch finish and maximum playability.

Finishing

Three layers of high gloss polyester are applied to each color-coated Majesty body, producing a luxurious finish.

Bursts and stains are hand applied to accentuate the natural beauty of each unique piece of figured wood, as well as the curves of the instrument.

A thin but durable finish gives the Majesty it’s mirror shine.

Buffing

Ernie Ball Music Man buffing is done by hand ensuring a high-quality product every time, using high-skill craftsmanship to polish out the Majesty’s intricate curves and angles.

Each instrument is sanded with multiple grits of sand paper, with three stages and three different types of buffing compounds. To finish out the buffing process, a final quality control hand buff is administered before each Majesty leaves for Setup.

Setup

Every Majesty is set up by our expert techs, ensuring that each guitar plays with high performance, just the way John Petrucci intended.

The fret dressing operation levels the stainless steel frets so that the action of the guitar can be as low as possible for the ultimate shredding experience.

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky nickel wound electric guitar strings are put on every Majesty.

The height of the bridge saddles are set to match the radius of the fretboard and the nut slots are filed with precision so that the strings will sit just above the frets.

Electronics

Each Majesty is hand-soldered using premium components and Ernie Ball Music Man’s proprietary circuitry.

The Majesty guitar features an abundance of tonal choices including magnetic and piezo options, coil tapping, and up to 20db boost for extra gain. Independent volume controls allow for custom blending of magnetic and piezo pickups that can be used in mono or stereo applications.