JS Series RR Minion JS1X

[creepshow]

Hey everyone. New member, first post. I've been looking at the Jackson RR Minion JS1X and was wondering if anyone here has one, and what they thought about it. I'm 54 and basically a beginner and I have a couple of guitars already (Epiphone Korina Les Paul P90 Special, and a Squier '50s Classic Vibe Telecaster), but I am looking to get something really cheap (Like around $200 US or under $300 CAN and must be NEW) that has that '80s metal sound and vibe to it (and that looks cool!). I'll be playing mostly power chords and basic rhythm stuff with it. I have short fingers (like a 2" pinkie!), and some issues with the ulnar nerve in my left (fretting) arm which makes any stretching pretty much impossible. I see that the RR Minion JSX1 is a shorter scale (22.5") and has a narrower nut (1.625") and I thought it might be comfortable to play. I'm also looking a couple of other guitars, but I'm curious about this one. I will just be in my living room badly playing power chords and such on it, no gigs or anything. I will only buy new (from my local chain store here in Canada), and ordering online is not an option. Also, the aforementioned price is the max as my budget is very limited. So, basically, I'm wondering - Is the RR Minion JS1X worth checking out as a decent, playing around at home guitar, or is it just cheap garbage and I should not bother and just get something else? Does it feel too much like a toy or is it pretty well made and sounds good? Also, does it stay in tune pretty well? I don't want to have to retune it every couple of songs. I've read and watched many reviews that said it is a decent guitar, but I thought this would be the best place to ask. If and when I reach the point where I don't totally suck on guitar, I will definitely upgrade! The two other guitars I'm considering are the Kramer Baretta Special and the Jackson Dinky JS22 DKA. I'm leaning towards the Baretta Special out of those two, but the RR Minion JS1X looks like it might be fun and easy to play, and it looks pretty cool. Any opinions on it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, guys! ? P.S. Sorry for the long post!

[ed]

I have the Dinky version with the shorter scale length and its a decent guitar. If i recall i had to deal with sharp fret ends when i got it and polish the frets a bit but you have to do that to pretty much every guitar under 1K anyway these days. The pickups are what they are and tuning stability is ok. I just checked it and seems like the neck is still ok since about 2-3 years ive had it. It is very comfortable to play due to its shorter scale some migh tthink the strings are a bit too close to each other but it is what it is.

As to the whole buying new thing i feel like yes you do get a new guitar from the factory but as a downside you get a new guitar from the factory and that comes with all the things you most likely have to do to it like fret ends and polishing the frets and all that jazz and i usually have to deal with the nut too since they tend to leave the nut at very high first fret action. Also you dont know what the neck will do in the first 2 years. But i dont think its that bad these days anymore quality has gone up a bit i think.

But offcourse if you buy new depending where you live you get to test the instrument out and if its a dud you can send it back. Here in EU its mostly 14 days to 30 days you can just send the thing back and get your money back.

[wrldeatr7]

I'd go for the Dinky JS22. Jackson necks are slim and comfortable, so I see no reason to why you'd pick a Minion.

[Number Of The Priest]

Within the past year, I bought two used JS1X Dinky Minions.

I haven't gotten around to touching one of them yet, but I've properly set up the other and it is a killer player. Switching between the 22.5" scale length and my 25.5" scale length guitars is only "weird" at first and then becomes totally natural after a minute or two.

I find the build quality on Chinese-built JS Series Jacksons to be impressive, with two small issues on my "killer player":

1. The electronics cover plate is basically stuck to the body, even with the screws off. The route must be very tight because it won't let go of the plate and I don't dare use any tools to help pry off the plate for fear of marring the finish of the body. I assume the factory is routing the cavity too large or making the plate too small and the fit is so "perfect" that they are perfectly mated and won't come off. If I ever need to access the electronics cavity for real, I might be in trouble because I might not ever be able to open it up.

2. I like my action as low as possible, and the little grub screws protrude above the surface of the saddles, resulting in discomfort with my picking hand resting on the bridge. (Illustration below of the same issue that normally happens on Strat saddles.) Before suggesting this could be easily resolved by buying new compatible saddles that are designed better (shorter screws) I always remember the difficulty I faced several years ago when trying to find INEXPENSIVE replacement black block saddles for a different guitar restoration project. You would think these are common aftermarket parts available at any price point, but it's almost as if the market forces you to spend more money on Graph Tech String Saver saddles (which aren't THAT expensive but my objective was to find INEXPENSIVE saddles). It is hard to convince me to spend what amounts to half the cost of my used JS1X to pay for the Graph Tech product even if the playing comfort would be dramatically improved, but I may be warming up to the idea because the guitar is a keeper anyway.

Another comment: I currently own a third JS Series, a JS32QT DKA Dinky. I find the tone bright, almost brittle. Same pickups and overall specs in the JS1X except for the scale length and I find the JS1X tone more balanced. So my assumption is that the pickups, which I believe are made by Belcat, are bright for a standard scale length and are a better match on a guitar with a shorter scale.

[ed]

Within the past year, I bought two used JS1X Dinky Minions.

I haven't gotten around to touching one of them yet, but I've properly set up the other and it is a killer player. Switching between the 22.5" scale length and my 25.5" scale length guitars is only "weird" at first and then becomes totally natural after a minute or two.

I find the build quality on Chinese-built JS Series Jacksons to be impressive, with two small issues on my "killer player":

1. The electronics cover plate is basically stuck to the body, even with the screws off. The route must be very tight because it won't let go of the plate and I don't dare use any tools to help pry off the plate for fear of marring the finish of the body. I assume the factory is routing the cavity too large or making the plate too small and the fit is so "perfect" that they are perfectly mated and won't come off. If I ever need to access the electronics cavity for real, I might be in trouble because I might not ever be able to open it up.

2. I like my action as low as possible, and the little grub screws protrude above the surface of the saddles, resulting in discomfort with my picking hand resting on the bridge. (Illustration below of the same issue that normally happens on Strat saddles.) Before suggesting this could be easily resolved by buying new compatible saddles that are designed better (shorter screws) I always remember the difficulty I faced several years ago when trying to find INEXPENSIVE replacement black block saddles for a different guitar restoration project. You would think these are common aftermarket parts available at any price point, but it's almost as if the market forces you to spend more money on Graph Tech String Saver saddles (which aren't THAT expensive but my objective was to find INEXPENSIVE saddles). It is hard to convince me to spend what amounts to half the cost of my used JS1X to pay for the Graph Tech product even if the playing comfort would be dramatically improved, but I may be warming up to the idea because the guitar is a keeper anyway.

Another comment: I currently own a third JS Series, a JS32QT DKA Dinky. I find the tone bright, almost brittle. Same pickups and overall specs in the JS1X except for the scale length and I find the JS1X tone more balanced. So my assumption is that the pickups, which I believe are made by Belcat, are bright for a standard scale length and are a better match on a guitar with a shorter scale.

You could put a shim in the neck and then raise the saddles.

[creepshow]

Within the past year, I bought two used JS1X Dinky Minions.

I haven't gotten around to touching one of them yet, but I've properly set up the other and it is a killer player. Switching between the 22.5" scale length and my 25.5" scale length guitars is only "weird" at first and then becomes totally natural after a minute or two.

I find the build quality on Chinese-built JS Series Jacksons to be impressive, with two small issues on my "killer player":

1. The electronics cover plate is basically stuck to the body, even with the screws off. The route must be very tight because it won't let go of the plate and I don't dare use any tools to help pry off the plate for fear of marring the finish of the body. I assume the factory is routing the cavity too large or making the plate too small and the fit is so "perfect" that they are perfectly mated and won't come off. If I ever need to access the electronics cavity for real, I might be in trouble because I might not ever be able to open it up.

2. I like my action as low as possible, and the little grub screws protrude above the surface of the saddles, resulting in discomfort with my picking hand resting on the bridge. (Illustration below of the same issue that normally happens on Strat saddles.) Before suggesting this could be easily resolved by buying new compatible saddles that are designed better (shorter screws) I always remember the difficulty I faced several years ago when trying to find INEXPENSIVE replacement black block saddles for a different guitar restoration project. You would think these are common aftermarket parts available at any price point, but it's almost as if the market forces you to spend more money on Graph Tech String Saver saddles (which aren't THAT expensive but my objective was to find INEXPENSIVE saddles). It is hard to convince me to spend what amounts to half the cost of my used JS1X to pay for the Graph Tech product even if the playing comfort would be dramatically improved, but I may be warming up to the idea because the guitar is a keeper anyway.

Another comment: I currently own a third JS Series, a JS32QT DKA Dinky. I find the tone bright, almost brittle. Same pickups and overall specs in the JS1X except for the scale length and I find the JS1X tone more balanced. So my assumption is that the pickups, which I believe are made by Belcat, are bright for a standard scale length and are a better match on a guitar with a shorter scale.

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was basically wondering if they were just a crappy quality guitar that sounded and played badly, or whether they felt like a real guitar, just a bit smaller but are decent, or whether they were more like a cheap toy. I like the awesome (and a little ridiculous!) look of the RR Minion JS1X. It just screams cheesy '80s metal, which I'm kind of looking for. I'm not a big guy, just under 5' 8" (or 1.72m), and don't want the guitar to look like I'm playing a child's guitar, even though it's just for home use. Like I said, I have small hands and an issue with my ulnar nerve in my fretting arm, so I was thinking about the guitar as something that would be easy for me to play (and fun). I have two standard sized guitars which I'm ok with playing. The RR Minion JS1X just looked kind of fun, but I didn't want to bother even checking one out if they were just junk. Thanks again for your answer. If you have any other info on them I'd like to hear it. Take care!

[xxx256]

Flip the Kramer Baretta Special around. If it says Made In China, leave it be. If it says Made In Indonesia, buy it! Its a total unicorn and one of the best guitars i ever owned. The Baretta neck is exactly what you are looking for.

[Razor]

If you have up to 300 bucks to spend I'd suggest shopping around for a used MIJ RX10D if you're hankering for a Rhoads. If you've never played one I highly suggest doing so first. When I first started nothing would do me to own a Rhoads. I ended up buying three. After a few months they were sent on down the road as I play way more sitting than I do standing. With that said a MIJ DX10D or DK2 fits the bill for a cheaper quality MIJ dinky bodied "superstrat", and that's where my money would go if it were me.