Jackson JS32t Kelly upgrade parts HELP!

[yostinator]

Hi guys, I am wanting to upgrade the hardware (knobs, toggle, tuners, bridge, ferrules etc on my JS32t Kelly. To me, it will be worth it as I find these guitars to be quite decent. Is there a one stop shop where I can buy these parts that will fit perfectly online? I want the best quality!! Also, nickel vs chrome thoughts? Don't bother with comments of not worth upgrade, I have a KE3 and I am convinced with good hardware the JS32t will be quite relevant. I bought the JS32t kelly cuz I wanted a fixed bridge Kelly to go with my KE3

[Force]

I get my stuff from ebay but there should be plenty of places to go to. Though you may need to do some modding as some parts may not fit exactly but I guess that's par for the course.

I've just blacked out the hardware on my JS30DK & I think it was worth it, the JS series are great.

Ignore the snobbery, it's your guitar, you do what you want to it. Good luck & show us pics when she's done.

[S1I2F3]

Allow me to share a personal experience with you...

I needed a set of tuners for a project guitar I was working on. Purchased a DKMG neck off the 'Bay (Piranha inlays), and it came with no hardware. I was looking to get the Jackson branded tuning machines (want it to be legit, right?), and found a few sets that weren't very cheap. I came across an unbranded set that looked exactly like the real jackson set from another guitar I had, but they shipped from Hong Kong! I was skeptical to say the least. But they were dirt cheap so I took a chance. What did I get? The SAME exact tuning machines as the ones that come off every decent Jackson model - USA/Import - doesn't matter.

A few projects later, and I look for the unbranded-ships-from-China stuff first. The trick is to look at what you'll be getting. Usually the seller will include some close up shots, so it helps if you know what a good quality item is suposed to look like. You can literally find every hardware component you need on the cheap, no lie. I've gotten tuning machines, knobs, bridges, nuts, pickups rings, whatever. You can save a good amount by looking for unbranded hardware.

Now before you let loose, here's what you should NOT buy from China:
-Electronics! You should always spend the money when upgrading electronics (pots, switches, jacks, especially pickups), so you can't expect to find deals there.
-Tremolo Bridges! A Floyd Rose is a Floyd Rose. A Chinese knockoff is a waste of money. You can find the hardtail bridges for sure -fender style, tune-o-matic, etc. - because those are usually made in China anyway - but trem bridges not so much.
-Bodies/Necks - that one's a no brainer.

Long story short, don't think you have to spend a lot to get a high quality item. And I also agree that good hardware can make an ok guitar play like a really good guitar, so definitely do the upgrade if that's what you want to do. As far as hardware color, my vote is for black

[yostinator]

Thanks for the input guys. My JS32t kelly is in black so I kind of like the idea of sticking with chrome for contrast. Believe me, black has crossed my mind plenty of times for hardware on this. I have never modded a guitar so I'm hoping to avoid getting parts that suck and or don't fit perfect. I actually find the bridge on this guitar to be ok, and the tuners, while cheap, stay in tune reasonably well since I filed the nut down. I really hate the very cheap feel of the knobs and 3 way toggle, so I may just replace those and put chrome pickup rings on to make mine look different from the crowd. I'm big into multi fx and amp modelling so I must say that I don't find much need to replace the stock Jackson pickups on this thing. One other question, aside from reliability, would upgraded pots and electronics make much difference?

[S1I2F3]

These pots are a necessity in my opinion:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Potentiometers/CTS_Control_Pots.html

Lower priced guitars usually have poor electronics components, so getting some new guts will probably help with overall noise control - I would do it if I were you.

[straycat]

http://rsguitarworks.net for high quality pots and caps and cloth covered wire I use these on my builds and install them on customer's guitars.
Never had a customer say his guitar didn't sound way better when I was done with it.

[xenophobe]

I came across an unbranded set that looked exactly like the real jackson set from another guitar I had, but they shipped from Hong Kong! I was skeptical to say the least. But they were dirt cheap so I took a chance. What did I get? The SAME exact tuning machines as the ones that come off every decent Jackson model - USA/Import - doesn't matter.

Jackson branded Gotohs on US and MIJ guitars are made in Japan and those would be SG510's. Schallers are made in Germany. Grovers are (or were) made in USA, but now they're made in China. There are a number of 3rd party copies coming from China.

[yostinator]

These pots are a necessity in my opinion:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Potentiometers/CTS_Control_Pots.html

Lower priced guitars usually have poor electronics components, so getting some new guts will probably help with overall noise control - I would do it if I were you.

Thanks, about pots.... Whats the difference between 250k and 500k? And are these pots for tone and volume? Basically are they universal?

[S1I2F3]

Jackson branded Gotohs on US and MIJ guitars are made in Japan and those would be SG510's. Schallers are made in Germany. Grovers are (or were) made in USA, but now they're made in China. There are a number of 3rd party copies coming from China.

The Jackson branded tuners on my DXMG were "Gotoh," but not branded as such. They were identical to whatever I got that was shipped from China (and by identical, I mean they were the actual part, not poorly copied castings - they were cheap in price, but the same build quality as any great tuner). Take from that what you will. Schallers def comes from from Germany (and are outstanding), but unnecessary when using a locking nut IMO. (that's just a side note btw)

Regarding pots, traditionally you would use 500k for volume, 250k for tone. For higher output instruments some will use a 500k for tone as well.

[yostinator]

Good to know, and I'll have the perfect example for this to go by, I have a japanese KE3 also, wh ich is on the same tier as your dxmg. My JS32t has no floyd, which is why I bought it. I agree that I wouldn't need the best tuners with a locking nut, but with a string through, its a must! In the meantime, I'll post pix of my Jacksons, (my KE3 which I love just the way it is, and my black JS32t kelly before mods!