Your take on Japanese Jacksons

[PaulB]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

Interesting thread and a lot of useful insights.

Isn't it basically true that the equation for a good guitar is: good parts, good craftfmanship and tools, and adequate time spent in construction? Those things seem to matter more than where it is built.

Case in point is the higher end Brian Moore guitars from Korea: Good guitars, though not cheap. But a well made MIJ or MIK guitar is still going to be better than a crappy one made in the USA.

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

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Duncan Designed? Hell, I love the sound of the J90C in my Model 2!

[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

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J90C rocks!

Seriously, I love that pup in my Model 2.

I'll admit it's a bit on the thin and trebly side.. but it sure stands out in a mix..

But I digress. My Model series and my Soloist Pro are the nicest Jacksons/Charvels I have, I even sold a US made DK1 to buy the Soloist

[Jacksonite]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

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I've been obsessed with the SLSMG guitar in violin brown for ahile now, Wonder how it would look with gold hardwares??

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I dont like gold hardware but I bet that would look awesome... I made mine a SLSSD with a demon and a Jazz and it rocks...

[PaulB]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

That all being said, I would love to try a Canadien made Godin, I have heard nothing but great things about them. Jack.

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This is a bit off-topic, but I thought I would respond to the mention of Godin in this thread.

I have had several Godin guitars. The upper end models are quite good and the lower end ones are okay. None are necessarily bargains unless you can find a really hot deal.

Much of my playing is acoustic/electric and occasionally electric/acoustic. Godin makes several models with a piezo in the bridge that are very well thought out and versatile. I really think the LGX models are good guitars, but they aren't cheap, either. The A-6 and Acousticaster models are good stage acoustic/electric guitars for applications where a full bodied guitar with a soundhole is likely to feedback in high SPL environment. They are feedback free, play well, sound pretty good, and can be great values for the money.

Did Jackson ever make a guitar with a piezo?

[kmanick]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

I've had both. I now only have USA Jacksons and USA
Charvels. BUT I have played many Model 6's that are everybit as good as a USA soloist.
Back then those were killer guitars. The first Jackson I ever owned was an SL3.
It sounded great and felt great but the fret work was atrocious.
The way they do the frets on SL3's is a joke.
The e strings pull off on both ends while you are playing.
Other than that I really liked it. My buddy bought one the
same day I got mine and that is one of his main gigging guitars, and he's got about 25 guitars ranging
from Les Pauls to Charvels(650 xl a real nice one too!) to Parkers etc. That SL3 is a good one. I guess inconsistency in Quality control is my issue with imports.

[shadowcat]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

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I'm quite satisfied with my Japanese stuff - actually I was quite surprised how good the DD in my DK2 sounded. I replaced it with an X2N, and to be honest, I wouldn't say the difference is worth a new X2N's price. Same thing with the JT580LP. I put a Schaller on the DK2 because I could get it cheap, and it's not exactly a difference like light and day (edit - Yeah right. Night and day would be more appropriate I guess [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ). In fact, the only noticeable difference is that bent notes sustain a little better, and it feels a little smoother. Yes, the Schaller weighs a ton and is built like a fucking tank whereas the 580 feels like a toy, but I honestly don't hear that many differences. Maybe it'll die sooner than a real Floyd, but until that happens, it surely delivers.
The EMG HZs in my WRMG are not my cup of tea, though. Prefer the real deal, so guess what's going in there. I'll keep the Afterburner though, should be fun boosting that 81 into "total fucking mayhem"-mode [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

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I agree... I love my Japanese Jacksons, they are built well and sound great.
However I did replace the 103 in my KVX10 with the real SD Distortion because it was a bit muddy in the low register (but sounded great otherwise). The real Distortion gave me the clarity I wanted, but kept the overall sound pretty much the same.

BTW, the EMG HZs suck bigtime IMO. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[RacerX]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

Holy Thread Resurrection! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[PaulB]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

I put some breaths into it.... No small feat to build up the 100 posts require for the Open Sesame! to the Classifieds.... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[pott]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

Quick question...
Would the quality of a 300 pounds DK2 compare to let's say a 500 pounds Japanese RG1550 (yeah the new ones are made in Korea but you can always find an old one easy enough I guess)?

[akoch]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

I would not bash Ibanez - it is a fine company, arguably now well ahead of what Jackson is offering.

Having said this - I love both, Japanese Ibanez or my Japanese Jacksons. I've got to say that my US custom shop RR1 92 is not as good quiality as my Archtop Soloist Pro or others.

So just my 2c...

Alex

[Drake S.]

Re: Your take on Japanese Jacksons

I own 7 Jackson Imports, & 1 ESP japanese made custom. I'm happy with all of them.I haven't owned a USA made guitar for awhile now.

[paulbag]

Re:

i love my wrmg. but nothing i have ever played feels as good as a usa jackson. nothing.

[spencer4hire]

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I like the Japanese Jackson's just fine. My SLSMG plays better than my SLATQH and cost less than 1/2 what I paid for the SLATQH. My DXMGT plays better than my SL-1 or DK-1 and cost 1/3 as much. I am thinking of only buying imports from now on. I think they offer a better bang for the buck.

[Robotechnology]

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I have no problem with imports but, other than SLSMG's, I kind of think the newer ones don't sound/feel as good as the ones made during the satin finish hardware era (and before of course). Could be just me but, when I pick up a chrome hardware import I quickly put it back down and when I pick up a used satin hardward DR3 for instance... I play it a while [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[wilkinsi]

Re:

the only thing i don't like about my wrmg is the lack of a cutaway section around the neck join, which my ex-dxmg had. still, it sounds and feels better than my ex-bc.rich ironbird speedloader - the bcr was worth £60 more than the wrmg. my dxmg was a fantastic player, nice thin neck and similar sound to the wrmg. my js-1 lacked any of the nice cosmetics but still sounded better than the bcr. but i doubt any of these guitars would sound as good as a usa wr1. i've never played one but i once heard a usa soloist - black, seymour duncans, ebony fingerboard, white binding on the neck and headstock, fr, black hardware - it sounded unlike anything i'd ever heard - fantastic. some jammy bastard bought it 2nd hand for £900...