"You can't build a decent neck-through guitar for under $1000"

[Newc]

I seem to remember that being said by a certain JCMI rep after the buyout when the issue was brought up about the high prices for neckthrough Professional models.

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/34music/743934/744894/751339/

Note the List Price, as well as the Street Price.

I have 2 JacksonStars models (both NASLs) and can vouch for their quality, so how is it again that we can't get this stuff in the USA?

[Grandturk]

I guess he's really saying he doesn't consider those Jackson Stars "decent." Doesn't the KB RR street for under a G? Are those not decent?

[jacksonaxes]

I think it's the old,"it will cut into USA select sales thing again". Why buy a WR1 when you could get one of those stars for alot cheaper.

[wilkinsi]

International rivalry? they got their 'selects', you got yours? on a different aspect, we uk guitarists face the same problem. to get a new import, it's 3-6 months, to get a usa select, it's 9 month+, i won't dare order a custom.

[jacksonaxes]

Somebody translate those prices, my Japanese is not so good.

[thetroy]

Sale price like $587. Do the math if you care about list price

[twistedblack69]

For prices, I use
Y130,000 = Japan price
take off two zeros (1300) = roughly $USA
half that (6500) = roughly £UK

If it ain't exact enough for you....use xe.com currency translator.

[QuantumRider]

According to XE.com:

List Price: 144900yen = $1216.36
Sale Price: 69980yen = $587.90

I own a Grover Jackson soloist that plays so good, it's my main guitar at the moment. It's a neck-through, and the list price was 80,000yen ($671.57).

Of course, I bought it used and paid less than half that

[Rich#6]

Look at Jackson's competition. BC RICH, ESP, Schecter, Washburn all make set necks or neck thrus for under $600. yes there are mostly made in korea, but there are up there in quality. Neck binding and shell and all

[Newc]

Pricing: First 4 numbers is usually close to the USA price, so 144,900Y would be roughly $1449. Actual price will vary according to the exchange rate, of course, but when I bought my two NASLs, that "conversion technique" was within $100-$200 by the time each deal was concluded.

I can understand they don't want to see a repeat of the neckthrough Pros outselling the USAs, but it's still possible to have enough difference between the two besides pickups and other easily-replaceable hardware.

How about striped ebony or even rosewood boards, and leaving "black" ebony on USA models? Use pearloid and MOTO and phenolic resin (black fins) instead of MOP and Ebony.
Even Duncan Designed pickups and JT580s are fine. By the time anyone shells out $200+ for a genuine OFR or Schaller, then the cost for their favorite "name brand" pickups, as well as higher quality tuners and pots, they've spent as much as a USA model, and still don't have MOP/ebony inlays.

I know some think of this as a dead horse, and others see it as a potential harm to JCMI, but I see it as a topic that should be negotiated until it becomes a reality AND doesn't pose a viable threat to JCMI. I don't want to see Jackson fall just so I can get a cheaper neckthrough import - there's plenty of 90-91 Pros out there (somewhere - at Joel's house ), but what's "the big secret" that's really behind the issue?

[Rich#6]

They are not going to loss sales to themselves with the Japanese models, everyone seems to be going to ESP and buying a neck thru with active emgs for $700! or $420 with cheap pups.

[Sunbane]

If the USA line would lose sales, then maybe the Custom Shop would be able to catch up with their orders?

[toejam]

How about striped ebony or even rosewood boards, and leaving "black" ebony on USA models?

Then you'd have every idiot posting how they don't like rosewood or striped ebony and that they want to "ebonize" their fingerboards... just like they do now.

[Budman68]

Then you'd have every idiot posting how they don't like rosewood or striped ebony and that they want to "ebonize" their fingerboards... just like they do now.

true, but we could do it ourselves and save a couple of hundred-

[toejam]

Indeed! LOL