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So, I've been after a neck-through King V for a while now. I became enamored with Jacksons after a few too many hours of Megadeth, and decided pretty early on that the King V was for me. The first one I got was a 22-fret 1997 MIJ bolt-on KV2 Professional. Had it for about 17 years now, and it's held up very well over the years. In 2001 I got another King, a KVX10. This one was a bit more to my liking, with the string-through-body bridge (don't care for a trem). I actually scored that one for around $300 with a case; the local music shop that ordered it said they could get it cheap from Jackson as it apparently had a scratch in the finish on the back of the guitar. Which I never really found, but hey, score! That one has also held up surprisingly well given the older X-series' status as "lower end" models. Had it strung with EJ22 strings and set up for B tuning and it's given me no issues. Stays in tune surprisingly well also, which can be an issue sometimes with de-tuning that far down.
Fast forward a few years, and I got an ESP Custom Shop DV8 thanks to an improving bank account. Why the DV8 over a KV-2? String-through-body bridge, basically. It was closer on paper to what I wanted out of a "high end" guitar, without having to fork out even more cash for an actual custom-shop guitar (i.e. one I ordered to my specs). Sold it and a Bich a while later to pay for some bills (thereby ruining my "there's a Bich in my house" jokes), returning to a King V-only household.
Now life has stabilized, and while perusing the Jackson new-for-2014 line, what do I find? A neck-through, string-through King V, the KVT. Which I promptly decided I had to have! Got it a week or so ago and after having it set up at the local music shop and re-strung with XL115Ws, I can't put the thing down.
The first thing I noticed when playing is that, compared to the others, it's much lighter and easier to wear for long periods of neighborhood terrorism. I wasn't sure about the SD Distortion pickups, thinking I might get them swapped out for a JB/Jazz combo, but it turns out that they're pretty badass. I run through a pedalboard with among other things a compressor/sustainer, MXR 10-band EQ, and old DoD FX86 distortion pedal. The SDDs seem to make everything work better and really pair well with the FX86 (although to use that thing, which is by far the best distortion pedal I've tried, you have to have a solid EQ).
One thing that was interesting is that I got mine with a case for the price being thrown around for the guitar without the case. I got the Jackson V case, as opposed to the gigantoid rectangular monstrosities that came with the first two King Vs, and this thing fits just fine in there.
Finish-wise, the guitar is almost flawless. Gloss black paint is pretty hard to screw up I guess, but there are zero surface imperfections anywhere. The unpainted, oiled neck couldn't be smoother. The only imperfection is in one of the alumiloid (WTF?) inlays, it looks like it has a "wrinkle" kinda (but you really, really have to look for it), although it appears to be an imperfection in the material as it's not something you can actually feel, if that makes sense.
I can't compare it to a USA-made KV2, but I can compare it to a hand-made ESP DV8, and the KVT wins. It's a bit smaller (the DV8's body wings were a bit bigger than a basic King V's) and a bit lighter. The SDDs actually work very well through my setup. The unpainted neck is a massive improvement (the DV8's was painted); the other two King Vs are the same way (not the same quality but unpainted) and I'll never go back to a painted neck. The KVT also has a thinner neck profile than the DV8, which helps my smaller fingers. In terms of finish quality I can't really say there's a difference. OK, the DV8 didn't have the inlay issue, but it only had one "big" inlay anyway, the rest were dots. Otherwise there's no difference.
Basically, I couldn't be happier with this thing. If this was out ten years ago I would've bought it over the DV8. If they put out a few different iterations over the next couple of years (different pickups, maybe one in trans black or natural quilted maple) I could see myself grabbing another one, although the wife seems to believe we're at King V capacity now!
Images of all three later today or tomorrow.
Fast forward a few years, and I got an ESP Custom Shop DV8 thanks to an improving bank account. Why the DV8 over a KV-2? String-through-body bridge, basically. It was closer on paper to what I wanted out of a "high end" guitar, without having to fork out even more cash for an actual custom-shop guitar (i.e. one I ordered to my specs). Sold it and a Bich a while later to pay for some bills (thereby ruining my "there's a Bich in my house" jokes), returning to a King V-only household.
Now life has stabilized, and while perusing the Jackson new-for-2014 line, what do I find? A neck-through, string-through King V, the KVT. Which I promptly decided I had to have! Got it a week or so ago and after having it set up at the local music shop and re-strung with XL115Ws, I can't put the thing down.
The first thing I noticed when playing is that, compared to the others, it's much lighter and easier to wear for long periods of neighborhood terrorism. I wasn't sure about the SD Distortion pickups, thinking I might get them swapped out for a JB/Jazz combo, but it turns out that they're pretty badass. I run through a pedalboard with among other things a compressor/sustainer, MXR 10-band EQ, and old DoD FX86 distortion pedal. The SDDs seem to make everything work better and really pair well with the FX86 (although to use that thing, which is by far the best distortion pedal I've tried, you have to have a solid EQ).
One thing that was interesting is that I got mine with a case for the price being thrown around for the guitar without the case. I got the Jackson V case, as opposed to the gigantoid rectangular monstrosities that came with the first two King Vs, and this thing fits just fine in there.
Finish-wise, the guitar is almost flawless. Gloss black paint is pretty hard to screw up I guess, but there are zero surface imperfections anywhere. The unpainted, oiled neck couldn't be smoother. The only imperfection is in one of the alumiloid (WTF?) inlays, it looks like it has a "wrinkle" kinda (but you really, really have to look for it), although it appears to be an imperfection in the material as it's not something you can actually feel, if that makes sense.
I can't compare it to a USA-made KV2, but I can compare it to a hand-made ESP DV8, and the KVT wins. It's a bit smaller (the DV8's body wings were a bit bigger than a basic King V's) and a bit lighter. The SDDs actually work very well through my setup. The unpainted neck is a massive improvement (the DV8's was painted); the other two King Vs are the same way (not the same quality but unpainted) and I'll never go back to a painted neck. The KVT also has a thinner neck profile than the DV8, which helps my smaller fingers. In terms of finish quality I can't really say there's a difference. OK, the DV8 didn't have the inlay issue, but it only had one "big" inlay anyway, the rest were dots. Otherwise there's no difference.
Basically, I couldn't be happier with this thing. If this was out ten years ago I would've bought it over the DV8. If they put out a few different iterations over the next couple of years (different pickups, maybe one in trans black or natural quilted maple) I could see myself grabbing another one, although the wife seems to believe we're at King V capacity now!
Images of all three later today or tomorrow.
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