As good as a Floyd?

[wanthairspray]

Lots of reviews of the JS Series Jacksons state how crappy the tuning is, that you must never use the trem or it will go out of tune, that it's a nightmare and is a weak point on the guitar.

I think this is false.

I made a quick video to try and dispel those myths, showing how stable the two point trem on the entry level JS Jacksons really can be.

It's one take and hardly Spielberg quality, but I hope it shows what I set out to show: that there is nothing wrong with these trems, and that the JS series is awesome!

What's the secret? Lube! The good old "pencil lead n'vaseline in the nut slots" trick. I am using DR tite Fit strings, a Duncan 59 in the bridge. and tonight I added a killswitch.

Eveything else is stock.

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vJgj58E8mM

You'll see me show my Line 6 POD XT to the camera and go through the strings. They all light up as in tune. No wobbling or tuning needed.

Then I thrash the heck out of the guitar for a bit! Divebombs and stuff.

Then the tuner is shown again. Result: still perfectly in tune!

Maybe I should try with a Peterson tuner or my KORG Blackout too?

[jackson1]

Excellent wanking! That should put the records straight.

[BenoA]

Excellent wanking! That should put the records straight.

Yes sir!

'59 in the bridge! I luv' that PU.

So what is the recipe of that secret nut sauce? My son's JS20 needs some!

[wanthairspray]

I got it off a forum, maybe this one.

Get a pencil, any regular one works ok, but the softer the better. Artist pencils get crazy soft, so I used one of those. Shave some shavings with a penknife onto some paper, and get regular vaseline and mix it up really well with the shavings. You'll get a black mess. This is your nut sauce! Apply to slots and wipe off any excess that goes over the fretboard etc. Try and be careful cause the graphite can stain a maple board, or maple back neck.

My JS was lucky, it stayed in tune very well without sauce.

Also the trem posts on my JS were set a little too low. The baseplate could not sit flush with the guitar. Sometimes raising that so the trem can START OUT flat, and not be messed up, works well.


PS

I think machine shops or auto stores probably have REAL graphite based lube, but this is quick and dirty and cheap, and works well!

[BenoA]

Thanks for the info buddy. Appreciated

[phasman]

Excellent! I love my JT580LP that came with my JS32 King V. I've never had any problems with it, but I did spend a lot of time getting it setup correctly. \m/ :-)

[Scream And Fly]

Pretty cool - yes, even those trems can be pretty solid with proper setup, but they will never be as good as properly set up FR. Also agree, the JT580LP has been rock solid on my DK2M. It's absolutely trouble-free.

[Axewielder]

So....your comparison test concluded before you tried the OFR??

[hairy-dude]

Nice work! I also have a JS-20, but I never tried the trem. I just tightened the springs in the back and left the arm off. I've done a bit of work to mine, though - Gotoh tuners, Graphtech nut and saddles, Seymour Duncan pickups. For a "cheap" guitar, I really like it!

I'm tempted to give this a go!

Here's a couple of photos of mine before I did the mods....