going from a MIM strat to a Jackson DK2M

[notesfromhell]

How much improvement will a DK2M be from a mexican standard strat? My strat has worn out medium jumbo frets, so it's pretty flat.

I know the dinky would have JB humbuckers which I assume will sound a lot better for metal than my single coils.

Not to mention the jumbo frets and the flatter radius neck. Lastly the floyd rose should be superior to the fender tremolo right?

[DalyTek]

Well that all depends on you. Personally, I can't stand Fender Strats. But for lots of people, that's their go-to guitar.
The Jackson necks are much thinner and have larger frets. This makes it easier for me to play, but I have heard other people say it makes their hand cramp up.
Now the Floyd, you're comparing apples to oranges there. There's a lot more to a guitar with a Floyd.
Even something as simple as changing strings is a lot more complicated.
Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature, but until then...it's a PITA.

[TKEblue]

The jumbo frets are on a dk2m aren't the big ones. Dunno what size but I would assume medium as well. The ones on my kelly are huge compared to my dk2ms.

And I would compare a dk2m to a fender standard quality wise. And yes the humbuckers will sound so much better for metal.

[SixstringKing]

I'd have to agree with Daly here, it all depends on you. You'll have to play the guitar and bond with it. I had an `84 MIA Strat that I bought in `84, really liked it other than the trem and single coil pickups(the single coils didn't have the sound I was looking for, still don't!). It'll mainly depend on you, how you play, and the way you play as to what suits you best. Every guitar will sound different as well as the neck will feel differently as well, who knows, you may even prefer the soloist(neck through).

Pickups, yes the SD JB would be a better choice for metal over the stock single coils in your strat.
Neck, that's a pretty personal thing. Meaning some like really thin necks and others like a more meatier neck like what's on the PC1.

Try everything that you can before buying, that way, you won't be saying a few months down the road, "Why did I pick this??"

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

I have both a DK2 and a MIM strat, and like both, but they are so different. It can do it, but I don't think of the strat as much of a metal guitar. The trem is totally unusable on mine, anyway. The neck is very playable imo. It has a smooth satin finish. It gets good clean and slightly distorted sounds. With a boost, it stings.

I'm more of a rock and metal player so the DK2 gets far more play than the strat. My tele, a very nice one, hardly gets played at all. I only use it these days for "resistance training" my left hand. The DK2 has a sweet neck and sounds great with the JB; the trem works well. If clean strat tones aren't a big thing for you, the DK2 blows any strat away...imo.

[DonP]

I have both too. They are different.

The Jackson (Charvel) that really put a hurt to my MIM strats is the Aqua Wildcard I recently purchased.

[Sukkoi19]

The Dinky makes me want to play fast and precise and with as much accuracy as possible. The Strat makes me want to dig in and really flesh out each note. I think the neck on my Strat is thinner than the DXMG. The Soloist is bit thinner than both however.

[Norton]

I'm not sure about that but still, it may not be a very distinct upgrade in terms of the build quality. But I think it'll be much easier to play.

[Twitch]

Fret size making a difference in ease of playing is IMO a matter of opinion. I have a guitars with jumbo and medium frets, and I find both comfortable and easy to play.

[Hamner1]

Metal = DK2 is better. Humbuckers have more output and tend to sound bigger heavier.

Neck is personal preference. I prefer a thin neck with pretty flat radius fretboard, like my KV Pro. My DXMG isn't bad either. Strats are a little too round for me.

Trem - Floyd when strung up, tuned, & setup properly are gifts from heaven. Changing strings is a pain in the ass. I have gone to changing 1 string at a time when doing string changes on the DXMG. It is a lot less nerve racking.