Jackson's new X series!

[BenoA]

Why did you do it that way? Just curious.

Curious too

[adoxtater]

OK both KVXTs have arrived! I have taken a few photos which I will post shortly. I'm not the best photographer but will give you a good idea of what these things look like. While I haven't had a ton of time to play them yet I can say this: They seem to be built pretty well for a guitar in this price range. My other Vs are all USAs with the exception of that weird shamrock/shamishom/shammy/shamblah or whatever it was that GC had built for them recently. These guitars are nicer than that one, and they were built in the same factory.

That being said, I heard that some people are claiming these are Chinese built guitars. They are not. They're built in India, or so the sticker on the back of the headstock says (I have a photo of that too haha). The only odd thing is that the serial numbers are not prefaced with NHJ like the last Indian model I bought was. For instance, one serial number (Stamped on the bottom of the fretboard similar to the USA models) is: 1101214. Not sure why that is, but there ya have it.

The rosewood boards on those guitars look great. They're dark and look to be of decent stock in my opinion. Fretwork is also excellent. No sharp edges or lifting to be found. The neck is bound all the way... headstock and all. And in my opinion the binding isn't WHITE. It's off white. I know someone here mentioned they were white but I'm not seeing it. It's not as "creamy" as my USA's but not snow white either. On that note, the binding work is also very good. I'm impressed.

These things are LIGHT by the way. It's the first thing I noticed when I picked up the boxes containing them. If the shipping labels are to be believed it looks like we're talking a full 5-6 pound difference between these and my USA KV2s. Of course there is less hardwired (read: Floyd lol) and I believe the wings are basswood, so it's to be expected. It balances well though, so no complaints. No backbreaker here haha

I'm also impressed with the paint job as well as the flamed maple top. It looks great for a guitar in this price range. Sitting next to my tobacco sunburst KV2 you can definitely tell the difference between the two grades of maple tops, but it's not bad. It really isn't. Even my 10yr old daughter said "dad those a really pretty guitars"

Electronic cavity is done very well. Everything is tied up nicely and out of the way. Plenty of room to put active electronics in (which is what I'm planning on doing because I can't stand these EMG-HZ pickups. Never have. Never will). Looks like it was painted/shielded well as well. I will include a photo of it so you can all see.

Guys, for the price, I believe these KVXT models are great. Maybe I just got lucky but who knows. I'm planning on buying one more in quicksilver once I can afford it, then I'll be done buying up these things lol. If you have any questions that I can answer for you I will be glad to! I know these are kinda rare to find so far in this color so I'll be happy to answer whatever you might wanna know before you grab one up

Photos coming shortly!


PS - Anyone know where you can grab metal cover plates for these? I'm not big on plastic

[adoxtater]

Here's a couple to get you started....







And click here to view the rest

[Zedder]

My RRXMG weighs 3,225 kg which I think is equal to 7.2 lbs and it is little bit lighter than my JS32 Rhoads which weighs 7.4 lbs.

On the sticker on the box there is that NHJ -part too in front of serial number but not on the fretboard.

It seems that good quality of my RRXMG is not pure luck now, because there are other satisfied owners of these new indian made X-series Jacksons.

[guitardudeluke]

looks pretty sweet did they come with the cases ?

[adoxtater]

looks pretty sweet did they come with the cases ?

Nope I guess that's a downside but for the total cost I wasn't surprised at all really.

[Devotee]

Thanks for sharing that! Looks really nice. What does the neck feel like?

[DV8]

The body looks great, the fretboard looks great, how are the inlays? Is the bridge TonePros, Gotoh or something else? (You should be able to see in the reflection if there's a logo on it) The only thing that seems a bit off is the strap button position. Is it as close to the edge as it looks? The headstock looks also very nice, is it identical to the US headstock?
I think all you need to do now is to replace the pickups (and maybe the bridge pickup ring) as you said and you're good to go. Would love to see a side by side comparision with a KV2 one day.
Congrats and enjoy!

[adoxtater]

Thanks for sharing that! Looks really nice. What does the neck feel like?

Neck feels great. It's the typical "speed" profile they use on all the King Vs (except the KV2T from what I recently learned. I had no idea). Like I said the fretwork was done well on both so its a smooth playing guitar all the way around.

[adoxtater]

The body looks great, the fretboard looks great, how are the inlays? Is the bridge TonePros, Gotoh or something else? (You should be able to see in the reflection if there's a logo on it) The only thing that seems a bit off is the strap button position. Is it as close to the edge as it looks? The headstock looks also very nice, is it identical to the US headstock?
I think all you need to do now is to replace the pickups (and maybe the bridge pickup ring) as you said and you're good to go. Would love to see a side by side comparision with a KV2 one day.
Congrats and enjoy!

Yeah dude it looks awesome for the pricepoint on this series IMO. The inlays are typical MOTO (or whatever its called)... plastic. BUT they aren't sloppy at all. I've included images to show them up close so you can see the work below.

The bridge is SUPPOSED to be a Tonepros. I cant see a reflection of it at all, but will be taking it off soon to replace pickups so will double check then. I'm 99.9% positive its Toneprose though.

The strap buttons, as far as I can tell, are identically placed. If they are off, it's not by much or at least not that my eye can see. Don't quote me on this because it may be off a tad and I just don't see it.

The headstock also looks identical to the USAs I own. The only difference I noticed (aside from the pearl inlaid logo on the USA models) is that the actual Jackson logo size seems smaller. I know it's a different logo entirely but It just looks smallish to me. Even compared to my Mustaine KV Pro and my Rhoads Pro.

I grabbed some pickups tonight, an EMG 81 for the bridge and an EMG 60 for the neck. If they don't sound decent enough, I've got a set of Duncan JB or Distortion and a Jazz. If THAT doesnt do the trick I've got a Mustaine sig set of Duncans I can slap in. One of these combos should work haha. Only thing I dont like about those is the finish/color. I don't care for the black chrome or whatever its called. Not to mention Dave's sig is half the size of the pickup If I could get a set of these in black like EMGs or uncovered traditional style I'd buy an assload, because they're GREAT sounding pickups.

Anyway I did a complete SIDE BY SIDE comparison in photos for you. In most photos the USA is on the left and the Indian model is on the right. I did this with my Tobacco sunburst KV2 since it was the closest looking of the bunch. I tried to get as many angles and shots I thought might be important as I possibly could. Hopefully they help shed light on some of the differences/similarities.

There is one big body difference I noticed between these and the USA versions is this: About the last 4-6 inches or so of the upper body (where it melts into the neck) it starts to slant toward the neck on the back. I don't know what angle it is but it makes the neck joint area a bit slimmer. I dig it. In the photos I TRIED to get it visible but it wasn't easy.

Here's a few teasers....
Click HERE for the rest of the comparison photos.

[emperor_black]

These are great comparison pictures! Thanks so much for taking the time to take these! Much appreciated.

[VitaminG]

great pics, Adam. Thanks for going to the trouble. I'm very interested in these now

[adoxtater]

Happy to post them for you guys. I hope it's helpful. iPhone camera isn't the best out there but glad I can share either way! Aside from the basswood body I assume it has and the crappy pickups I think it's a solid buy for the price!

[DV8]

Great photos, all is clear now!

The bridge is SUPPOSED to be a Tonepros. The strap buttons, as far as I can tell, are identically placed.

Yep, the bridge sure looks like a genuine TonePros and the strap buttons are where they should be. Also, they seem to be original dunlop dual design locking buttons so it's a nice bonus. No savings here, which is cool.

The headstock also looks identical to the USAs I own. The only difference I noticed (aside from the pearl inlaid logo on the USA models) is that the actual Jackson logo size seems smaller. I know it's a different logo entirely but It just looks smallish to me. Even compared to my Mustaine KV Pro and my Rhoads Pro.

Isn't the logo size and style EXACTLY as per Mustaine's custom silver no.1? Here is a photo of it:

I've got a set of Duncan JB or Distortion and a Jazz. If THAT doesnt do the trick I've got a Mustaine sig set of Duncans I can slap in. One of these combos should work haha. Only thing I dont like about those is the finish/color. I don't care for the black chrome or whatever its called. Not to mention Dave's sig is half the size of the pickup If I could get a set of these in black like EMGs or uncovered traditional style I'd buy an assload, because they're GREAT sounding pickups.

You can easily remove the black nickel from the Live Wires (if you like silver better) All you need is 0000 steel wool and some polish. (When you're done swapping pickups, fell free to post an update on the sound quality )

Thanks for the extra photos. Much appreciated. This not only deserves a separate thread but you should be punished for not starting one. LOL

[BenoA]

great pics, Adam. Thanks for going to the trouble. I'm very interested in these now

+1

Awesome! Congratz