How far off in overall quality are the imports from the usa ones?

[savage]

I was wondering other than the obvious stuff like the trem,pups,pots how far off is a import quality wise than a usa made one IYHO?
I have one usa SL2H which is my main axe but i really dont think it is l that much better than the 2003 DXMG i just bought used for $300?
Are the woods/fret material the same quality as the MIA ones?
I already did a fret dressing and overall set up to the dxmg and it plays as good as my SL-2 now?

[pro-fusion]

There's a lot of variety between guitars, so it is tough to make blanket comparisons like this. I would say, overall, that the quality of the woods and the fretwork on the USA guitars is going to be higher than on the Japanese guitars, simply because a lot more time and effort is put into each individual guitar at the USA shop. This does make a difference in how the guitar sounds and plays, but whether it's enough of a difference to justify the price differential depends on the size of your pocketbook, I suppose. If you pay extra to get the frets properly dressed on a Japanese Jackson, obviously that guitar then comes even closer to the USA Jackson.

Me, I think the Japanese Model Charvels and pre-'92 Jackson Professionals are the best deal out there, since they are almost always higher quality than the current Jackson imports and extremely close to the USA guitars.

[savage]

There's a lot of variety between guitars, so it is tough to make blanket comparisons like this. I would say, overall, that the quality of the woods and the fretwork on the USA guitars is going to be higher than on the Japanese guitars, simply because a lot more time and effort is put into each individual guitar at the USA shop. This does make a difference in how the guitar sounds and plays, but whether it's enough of a difference to justify the price differential depends on the size of your pocketbook, I suppose. If you pay extra to get the frets properly dressed on a Japanese Jackson, obviously that guitar then comes even closer to the USA Jackson.

Me, I think the Japanese Model Charvels and pre-'92 Jackson Professionals are the best deal out there, since they are almost always higher quality than the current Jackson imports and extremely close to the USA guitars.

OH YEAH agree about the pre 92 stuff
i am tracking down a dinky XL pro as a matter of fact
those baby's even had real MOP

[straycat]

I have a 92 dinky XL in cherry burst and would love to find a neck for it.Good luck in your quest I have been searching for pro neck for 5+years now.

[NextInLine]

I have a 92 dinky XL in cherry burst and would love to find a neck for it.Good luck in your quest I have been searching for pro neck for 5+years now.

They show up on ebay sometimes. I remember one being sold 2-3 months ago...

[Jackson-Charvel]

The pre-1992 models didn't have the offset inlays correct? Real MOP sharkfins I would guess.

[Carbuff]

Yeah, and the MOP Jackson logo and ebony board too I believe.

[slash-ed]

Hopefully my pocketbook will be able to stomach the difference one day...

[wilkinsi]

you can mod the hell out of an import, but there are things you can't replace - wood quality and neckthru option. by the time you finish changing the frets, the inlays, pickups, bridge, you may find it's more cost efficient to just buy a real usa select. at least you know it's been built and cared for by a pro and will last you some time. you'll also have a manufacturer's warranty incase it goes tits up. if i win the lottery, i'd trash my imports and buy some usa's instead.

[charvel750]

The real difference is in terms of longevity. If you're playing a guitar every day and touring the circuit, a cheap guitar will not hold up. The components are designed for bedroom players and local giggers. You take that DKMG or whatever the hell it is on a world tour and you'll find it won't take the abuse.

[JZ06]

I have an SL-1 from 1994 and a PROFESSIONAL soloist from 1990. They both went to my luthier for a "FRESHEN"(grind/polish-re-string-truss rod-intonation) and came out DEAD EVEN playwise. I don't care for either pickups in them(Lawrence hum in the sl-1, stock jackson pups in the PRO) definitely need something snappier. The lawrence in the sl-1 is too bright and thin for my liking. Stock jackson pups? well....I just don't like 'em.

I wouldn't hesitate taking either on the road as they're terrific quality instruments, and are meant to be played!

Like anything else, some we're better than others. Luckily, I have two fantastic axes and love them equally. Though they'd look better Ferrari red

[NextInLine]

I have an SL-1 from 1994 and a PROFESSIONAL soloist from 1990. They both went to my luthier for a "FRESHEN"(grind/polish-re-string-truss rod-intonation) and came out DEAD EVEN playwise. I don't care for either pickups in them(Lawrence hum in the sl-1, stock jackson pups in the PRO) definitely need something snappier. The lawrence in the sl-1 is too bright and thin for my liking. Stock jackson pups? well....I just don't like 'em.

I wouldn't hesitate taking either on the road as they're terrific quality instruments, and are meant to be played!

Like anything else, some we're better than others. Luckily, I have two fantastic axes and love them equally. Though they'd look better Ferrari red

Pictures?

[Erez]

Yeah, and the MOP Jackson logo and ebony board too I believe.

Well on most of them the neck is rosewood and not ebony, at least on the dinkys..

I have a 91 dinky xl that is HEAVILY modified, jackson gold tuners, 80s gold original floyd rose including gold nutlock and gold screw holder, replaced the volume and tone knobs with gold ones ( ), gold output jack, gold 5 way switch, strap locks, kent armstrong motherbucker at bridge, sd coolrails at middle, sd hot rails at neck, 3 mini switches added to split the pups to single coils, and another mini switch takes the neck+bridge together, and make them work out of fase, so it SCREAMS.. heh.. I took care of the frets so I can put the strings VERY low that they almost touch the neck, and I get no fret buzz at all.. now all that guitar needs is that cool afterburner or that dimarzio piece with the battery and switch that sits in the input jack.. just for a lil more gain.. ah and a truss rod cover in gold with my name on it?

[Erez]

As for the question about if it is close to a USA made guitar.. it is WAY BETTER! I haven't heard anything that comes near this guitar, even when it was stock, it only needed pickup replace and thats it, you have a guitar that is 1to1 with the usa ones.

[bratfink]

I would imagine a Japanese line of guitars would be of a high standard with regards to production quality and tollerance. The japanese after all are excellent at producing millions of complex parts to a very tight tollerance.

This however leads to a somewhat stale guitar in terms of feel and individuality. I'm not sure on the production line specifics on the US stuff but from what I hear each paint job, for example, (especially the graphics) are all slightly different, that makes every US guitar a little bit more individual, which is a good thing.

I have a 93 Dinky EX, which I have had since 95. It plays extremely well, the neck is straight enough to get the strings very close. I can see how they managed to sell them at a cheaper price than the other models in the line, the JT580 is not of the best quality. But the pickups are actually quite good.

I also have two USA guitars (an 89 Rhoads and an 86 Soloist). They are both of an unquestionably high standard. The soloist has had a bit of a hard life, I took it to my local guiatr man who did the frets and the neck for me. He told me he'd never got a string action so low before! This speaks volumes of the quality of the workmanship.

I don't think the quality of the USA guitars is as high now as it was then, which is a shame. The one thing you get with a USA model is complete traceability, each guitar can be tracked through it's serial number. It's not so easy with the Jap models.