New to the Forum -- First Jackson coming up and looking for advice.

[jeffcon0]

Hi all, I'm hoping this post is within the guidelines (I did read the rules ). The names Jeff as you can probably figure out from my screen name. I've been a Jackson fan since I first picked one up at a guitar lesson back in about '87. At the time I was but a wee metalhead with a little blond rat-tail and some Maiden tapes for my Walkman. Now I'm all grown up and still a huge metal fan. Everything from Grind, Death, Speed, 80's, classic, and so on and so forth (and plenty of other genres of non-metal as well).

Anyways, I played guitar steadily from the late 80's up to the late 90's. I've owned Ibanez, Fenders, and Gibsons but despite my love for Jacksons I never owned one. Well, back in '98 I went off to college and ended up selling my gear to help pay for school and have been out of the guitar game ever since. Nowadays I'm a working man and bonus time is coming up next week. I've decided to treat myself and get a whole new rig since I've really been yearning to get my hands back around the neck of a guitar again. The first thing that came to mind is, "This is finally my chance for a Jackson!". In the past month I have been to just about every shop in NYC that has a nice stock of jacksons (as well as playing ESP/LTDs, Ibanez, Schecter, and Washburns). After all this I have decided that, yeah, it's all about a Jackson. The neck, the body, the headstock, the sound, that Jackson LOOK...I love it all!

Only problem is I don't know which to buy!

First off let me say this forum is an incredible resource. I've probably spent 10 hours reading this thing before finally joining yesterday and you guys are a wealth of knowlege (and might I add faaaar more mature than most of the other guitar forums and their fanboyism out there). So I'm hoping you can help me.

I'm obviously very out of practice and my ear probably ain't what it was in my playing days but I want a NEW jackson that will last and grow with me in the $500 - $700 range. This is pretty much the DXMG, DK2M, DKMG, and DKMGT. I'm looking for something to play mostly metal but versatility is a plus. I'm on the fence about Duncans vs. EMGs, Trem vs. string-thru, etc... So basically I'm totally indecisive.

I'll be playing through a 15 to 30w practice amp (also to be purchased so please make recommendations) due to my low volume requirements in a tiny New York City apartment so if that makes a difference in guitar choice please keep that in mind.

I wish I could be more specific about all this but maybe if you guys even could tell me what you play and why you love it that would be a great start! By al means if you have specific questions for me to help direct your response a little better please ask.

I'm sorry I'm rambling here and I'm bringing it to an end now...just so psyched to start playing again and with a Jackson no less! Thanks again everyone for this great resource.

[jeffcon0]

Adding a little bit more quick info about my thoughts on the Jacksons I played in a new post because the last post was turning into War and Peace:

DXMG: Nice little guitar but I hear so many bad things about passive EMGs. They sounded a bit muddy to me but certainly not terrible. Only concern is by buying one I would outgrow the sound too quickly and wish I spent a little bit more up front for a step up.

DK2M: I really liked the sound of the Duncans. They sounded somehow more melodic than EMGs, am I wrong on this? Love that maple neck with the snow white. Possibly more versatile than the other models? Only concern is if I want to grind out some nasty Pig Destroyer riffs or something really HARD and overdriven would this hold up?

DKMG: I hear nothing but raves on the EMG 81/85 combo. Active pups would be nice but again, I may be limiting myself in versatility in the opposite direction of being isolated strictly to the hard stuff. Also, this one is at the absolute top of my budget at $739 sticker but I can convince myself to spring if you guys think it's worth it.

DKMGT: Same as above but no locking trem. I like the ease of playing with tunings, changing strings and all of that. I honestly don't know how much I would use a trem but I would hate to want one down the road and need to shell out for a new guitar. I've also heard the quality is suspect on the Jackson LFR's. Opinions on that?

Sorry for another long one here guys, and thanks again!

[QuantumRider]

Hey Jeff,

Great intro.

I've got a DK2M, and I love it. Although I didn't like the Duncan JB in other guitars I've played, I think it sounds great in the DK2M.

I also like the Duncan Jazz in the neck more than the '59 I have in my Jackson Stars Soloist.

Being an apartment dweller myself as well, I play through a 30w Line 6 Spider II at home.

Here's a video of me playing the DK2M through the Line 6 amp. My webcam mic sucks, but it may give you an idea of how the combination sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtJe6WQzrM8

Hope this helps,
QR

[levantin]

Welcome to the board Jeff. I couldn't add anything constructive because I don't really go for the dinky thing. I'd go for passive pickups. The duncans sound more natural, but that's just me. Good luck with your guitar hunt.

Oh, and nice beer commercial QR

[Sunbane]

Welcome Jeff!

Make sure to check out our sponsoring dealers, and contact them to see what price you can get. Jacksons are advertised at a "minimum advertisable price", and you can often get a better price just by asking. Also, I think you may even get a JCF member discount if I'm not mistaken.

[SEAN RAF]

I'd go for passive pickups too as I think you are left with options (stomp box) if you want to push the signal as opposed to the EMG's pushing all the time.

As far as amps, I'd look at the Roland Cube series, I think they start at 15W up to 60W. I've played through the little 15W and it sounds ace at low volume.

Oh, and welcome...

[Rich#6]

I prefer the active EMGs over the JB, but the JB is still a great pickup. If you are worried about heaviness of the JBm just remember Mustaine used to use the JB for years and look at his heavy sound.
The DK2M is a much better looking guitar.IMO

[Larz]

I played the DK2 recently and ended up buying one, but I'm not in a position to compare features across the board the other models you mention as I didn't play them all.

Played some of the smaller Marshall MG DFX model amps the past few weeks too and thought they were pretty good for the price if they suit your purpose. Gives you a few on board effects like delay, chorus, etc. but they obviously aren't tubes at that price. Ended up getting an AVT50 though as I found a great deal online for one that a customer had returned right after purchase. Really like the sound of that for my play at home purposes. It even made my 8 year-old's junior flying V model (from Toys R Us) sound decent.

[jcm800x]

Welcome! I have a DK2M and I put in a Super III, sounds great. I recently went small amp shopping with a friend at GC and tried every little modeling amp they had, the Vox won hands down and was about $200. As said before, JB's have recorded a pile of metal records! DK2M would be a great choice, check our dealers first and ask for a JCF price, you may be pleased!

[mhalsey]

Hey Jeff,

Great intro.

I've got a DK2M, and I love it. Although I didn't like the Duncan JB in other guitars I've played, I think it sounds great in the DK2M.

I also like the Duncan Jazz in the neck more than the '59 I have in my Jackson Stars Soloist.

Being an apartment dweller myself as well, I play through a 30w Line 6 Spider II at home.

Here's a video of me playing the DK2M through the Line 6 amp. My webcam mic sucks, but it may give you an idea of how the combination sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtJe6WQzrM8

Hope this helps,
QR

Wow! Great minds think alike. The DK2M with a Spider II or the newer Spider III is the combo I was gonna suggest. Great package to get you started again.

Oh, and welcome jeff! Superb intro!!

[straycat]

+ 2 on the modeller.Use headphones at home.

[Inazone]

I've got a variety of Jacksons, and you really can't go wrong with something from the DK2 line. After years of owning various `90s USA and import models, I wasn't sure what to expect with a new one, but I bought a DK2M and have been very happy with it. I play lead in a death/thrash band, and the JB works out just fine. Like QuantumRider, I didn't like the JB as much in other guitars (KV2 for instance) but it sounds great in the DK2M. The trem is quite stable too.

As for amps, I really liked the sound of the Roland Cube combos, but am a Peavey guy at heart and think that the Bandit remains one of the best.

[stevoc]

Wow! Great minds think alike. The DK2M with a Spider II or the newer Spider III is the combo I was gonna suggest. Great package to get you started again.

Oh, and welcome jeff! Superb intro!!

I'm with them (on the dk2m)...I bought a dk2m back around christmas (inferno red) and absolutely love it. I spent about 2 hours in my local GC playing between the DK2M and a DKMG trying to decide which I liked better. I chose the DK2M because the pickups on the EMG sounded somewhat muddy to me. About a month ago I replaced the maple/maple neck on my DK2M with a maple/rosewood neck, and didn't care for the sound. The maple fretboard is noticably brighter sounding than the rosewood. (my point being, maybe the EMG pickups weren't a problem after all) Anyways, the maple fretboard is just awesome to play and cleaner sounding, IMO. BTW: I ended up putting my old neck back on after the repairs were done.

I play through a Marshall MG30DFX amp and use a Korg Toneworks PX4D for effects. The amp is decent, especially for a small apartment type setting. The headphones and input jacks are both very useful.

Hope this all helps and welcome to the board.

[Larz]

The DXMG and DK2 and DK2M have the shark inlays on the frets which is more of a classic Jackson look, no? DKMG series doesn't from what I've seen.

Just different necks and pup configurations on those models DK and DXMG models?

[fett]

Welcome to the Board. It usually takes a Noob 20 posts to say what you have said in 2. Take it from fett, don't post alot.