dbrane

My Shuriken has a pretty thin neck actually. Probably closer to the JTV 89 from what I can tell. I believe it has more of a Thin "D" vs a Thin "C", which is a little foreign, at least to me. I also have a JTV 69 and the neck on that IMO is really good for people used to Les Paul's and Strat's. It's thicker than a typical Strat "C" neck but has a similar "D" shape (wider shoulders than a C) to the Shuriken. I was going to change the neck out on the 69 for a Warmoth Strat neck but it really is a good neck. Overall, I personally prefer the JTV 69 neck over the Shuriken. In fact, playing the Shuriken has given me a little bit of pain in the last two weeks I've owned it. It might be from the fact that I play longer because its so damn fun to play though... It might also be that its a baritone and you have to keep the string tension high to reduce plink so bends can be brutal. I own other baritone's including a rare Explorer, an 8 string Mayones Misha Monsoor owned, a PRS, and an ESP and those seem easier to play. Less fatigue. My all time favorite neck profile is the one on my Strandbergs. Regardless of how many strings (6, 7, 8) it is ergonomically perfect and makes playing for long periods so easy and fatigue free. It's weird for the first thirty seconds and then its like, ahhhhh, brilliant! Thin necks are fun to shred on but they have been proven to contribute to tendonitis. Your hands weren't really made to work that way. My dream guitar would be the Shuriken with a Strandberg Endurneck profile. Hope this neck diatribe helps those interested in the Shuriken.

Thanks for your reply Stevekc! I had actually already read about that modeling knob movement issue on the forum and had double checked that it isn't causing a problem. It is able to be pushed fully in and clicks when turning it to the different models. I even added a bit of paper to the inside of the knob as suggested in the forum to ensure that it has the motion to be pushed fully in. They just don't work and nothing lights up, even with a full battery :-( Any other suggestions to make it work or for a repair process that makes sense? I sincerely like the feel of the 69 and would love to make it work for me. The functionality on the Shuriken is amazing but I'm just not getting along with the neck as well as I had hoped as its a bit too thin and shaped in a way that is actually hurting me when I play ergonomically correct for longer than 1/2 hour. I've had issues with tendonitis from overuse in the past. If the Shuriken had Strandberg's Endurneck it would be my dream guitar because the ergonomics of that neck are truly game changing. Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hi all, Bought a JTV-69 from a Guitar Center online. They said it was in new shape and that Variax functionality was working yet when I received it and plugged it in the Variax side wouldn't show LEDs or work at all. Mag side is fine. I own a Shuriken so I have Workbench HD, Monkey etc. I tried plugging the JTV 69 into that to attempt a reflash but the VDI USB interface only shows red and green lights and Monkey nor Workbench recognize the JTV (recognizes the Shuriken just fine). VDI and 1/4" cables are plugged in, battery fully charged, volume is up and models are off with 5 way in first position all as is prescribed for properly addressing software. Tried multiple times with different Macs, to no avail. Is this thing irreparably dead?? Any suggestions for next steps? Do I need to take it to a service center to get a repair estimate? Is it gonna be crazy expensive? Any better options? I really like the guitar side and the neck is fantastic. Feels way better than my fancy Shuriken which is a bit thin for my tastes. Would love to make this thing work but Guitar Center guys have no clue how to fix it. They'll probably just chuck it or part it out or something if I return it. They said it was in new shape and honestly it looks untouched and still has cellophane on the covers but serial dates it as June 2013. Not sure if something happened in shipping or what? Your insight, wisdom and thoughts would be hugely appreciated! Cheers, Dan