Before J/C - What Did You USED to Play?

[shreddermon]

Before I ordered my first Jackson in '85, I was basically a Kramer guy. I had two up to that point - a single-hum, VT Voyager (Star) with a lightning bolt graphic and a two-hum, Floyd'd Candy Red Pacer Imperial (strat body). Great guitars back then. But when I played my first J/C, it was all over.

It seemed like, very early 80s at least, Kramer had a bigger following on the east coast. J/C's didn't seem to gain a big following in my area until a little later. And they were basically both superstrats so, looking back on things, it was a natural progression for me. Fit right in with my preferences then.

What did you guys play before J/Cs? And how did it shape your preferences later on?

[Shawn Lutz]

Fender Stratocaster with self hacked humbucker in the bridge, Floyd and stacked hum single coils. I got my first Charvel when the imports first came out

[Flatpicker]

Les Paul guy here.
Have a Custom and sold off a Studio, both 90's.

How did it shape my preferences?
More by what I didn't like than by what I did.
Don't like neck humbuckers because the get too muddy.
Don't like bodies that are too heavy.
Not too big a fan of mahogany.

Love Ebony boards.
Love between a 12 and 14 degree radii
Like the shorter scale

[neilli]

Lots of different stuff, including Ibanez (770 dx and Jem), Hamer (Californian Elite), ESP (KH2 and Mirage) etc....

[rjohnstone]

Ibanez guy here... I loved my RG 560.
I got a JDR-94 when they first came out.
Nice guitar... sucky trem though. It wasn't until I got my first PC... I've been hooked on Jacksons ever since.

[StukaJU87]

Mostly Gibson. I have a 1981 V and 2 Explorers. Also, I have a white LPC kicking around here.

I was always a die hard Gibson fan. Still love 'em. The first time I tried my buddy's '88 RR, I said, "This thing is sweet. I gotta get one of these things." The rest is history.

[HoWheels]

Jackson SL1 was my first "real" guitar. Purchased December 2005. Before that I had a cheapy BC Rich Mockingbird for about 1 year that I used to learn the ropes.

And before that I used a Warwick Streamer 5 string bass for about 10 years

Here's the Warwick and BC Rich:



-a

[gtrplr71]

kramer st300 shit ass korean and an ibanez rg 320
that was before the early 90's model 4 god rest her soul.

[toejam]

Started out in the mid '80s with a Hondo strat copy... that didn't last long until I got my blue Kramer strat (cheap plywood 600ST), then I wound up getting another Kramer strat in white (not sure of what model it was) with a non-fine-tuning Floyd. I sold that guitar because it had a dead fret, but I kinda wish I hadn't now.
Got a Jackson Professional Kelly (Standard?) in the early '90s... couldn't stand lo-pro trems at the time, so I got rid of it. Got my black '94 Professional string-thru Dinky HX around '94 or '95, still have it. Had a couple Dinky Reverse models and another Dinky HX, Kelly XLR, Charvel Model 6 which I traded for a Model 5A. Also had a Warrior MG body paired with a PS-4 neck. Had a Jackson JJP for awhile (Jackson Junior Paul) as the only USA Jackson I've ever owned.
Now the only two J/C models I have are the old black '94 Jackson Dinky HX and a new black USA Charvel Star, along with a Fender Double Fat Strat, Gibson Les Paul Studio and Carvin SC90. I've been through at least 20 or so guitars in between... Hamer, ESP/LTD, Ibanez 7-string, Schecter 7-string, so I'll pretty much play anything.

[Inazone]

I started with a horrible $85 Harmony with two single coils and some ridiculous abortion of a TOM bridge. From there, a Squier II Strat (1991 MIK model) was a major upgrade! I switched to bass for a few years, bought a friend's old Lotus L686 (Dinky copy) and played that until the neck was warped beyond repair. Around `96, I bought my first Jackson, a $250 JS1 Dinky Reverse, and Jackson has remained my brand of choice.

[Grandturk]

Gibsons mainly - a Les Paul and an SG - and Fender Strats. I had always known about Charvels and Jacksons - played a friends 86 Model 4's when they were only a couple years old - but I never owned one until 2004. I did have a woodburn Jackson neck on a Kramer Focus import body that played like butter.. I bought the neck from my guitar teacher in 91 or so for $20. I F'd up that neck - what an idiot.

Now my Model 4 is my #1.

[BTB007]

I started with a horrible $85 Harmony with two single coils and some ridiculous abortion of a TOM bridge.

Yep, me too. Except mine was a $99 strat knock off. Wine red with maple fretboard. I still have it, in pieces in a box in my garage.
I quickly saved money for a Charvel Model 3, though.

[Budman68]

My first "good" quality guitar was a Westbury Standard. Still have and it's been through a LOT of mods. Wish I never touched it....

[slayer32390]

i went from starting with a bc rich, to ibanez, out of 2 of them i still have one, then an epiphone les paul, then my jackson rr3. easily the best out of all of them

[danastas]

Ibanez Roadstar, then I went to A Hamer Standard.
This was back in the 80s. All I could do was look in envy at my friend's Charvels and Jacksons.

Never really got into Jacksons again until a few years ago, and in between I had Les Pauls and a couple Carvins.

My first Jackson was a SL2.