I am considering to buy a Jackson KE-2 and need advice!

[Sober.]

Hi Jackson users,

I the near future I will inherit some money from my father and I am planning on buying a guitar that I'll keep for the rest of my life, and of course I need some advice to make the right choice.

First of all this is my first post on this forum, so I'll give a brief introduction of myself. My name is Boost Didier and I am a 20 year old psychology student. I live in Antwerp (Belgium) and I think it stands for itself that I am a guitar player! I mostly listen to good old Thrash and Death-metal, but I also like old rock, NWOBHM, Blues, Jazz, and so on... I am currently playing in a thrashband and also record some crossover with friends. My gear consists a schecter Hellraiser C-1, Peavey 6505, laboga V30 cab, Randall RG50TC, pod x3 for homerecording, and some fx's. But I think that is enough about me, so let's talk Jackson :p

Like I said I will inherit some money and I want to buy a guitar that I can and will keep for the rest of my life. This is important because I see the guitar as a legacy from my father, so I don't plan on ever selling it. It 'll pass from generation to generation, so my grand-grand-grand-children will terrorize their neighbourhood with some kick ass metaltones from the prehistoric 80's!

Anyway, I always dreamed about having a Jackson Kelly when watching Marty Friedman play, so I think I am pretty sure I'll go for that model. A Gibson les paul is also on my wishlist, but that 'll serve me better when I am older.

I am still doubting whether I will go for a new KE-2 or a second handed. I have read that the current USA Jacksons are lacking quality in contrast to the pre-fender ones. Is this something I should really consider important, or won't I feel the difference? I know in that it's pretty easy to find some cheap USA Jacksons in the USA, but since I live in Europe I find it difficult to get a good deal...

I have found a really nice Transparant Black Jackson KE-2 in Germany. This guitar is from 2000-2002 and is in mint condition. It used to be part from a private collection and it has barely been played and now a shop in Germany is selling it for 1795 EURO's (excluding 80€ shippping to Belgium). Several people have said me that I shouldn't give more that 1500€ to a Jackson USA in mint condition, is this true? I have mailed extensively with the shop owner and he won't bring the price down... So I am really doubting whether I should buy it or not and I hope you guys can help me out a bit. Hopefully someone can also give me some more information about the KE-2's from 2000-2002 consisting wood (alder or popular?) and built quality. Here is a picture of that kelly:

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/promt/J_KE2_tbk2/DSC06708.jpg[/img]

I hope the colour is darker in reality, because I think they use special lightning to take the pictures. (They also have pictures of guitars with ghostflames and you can see them very clearly, while the other guitarist from my band has a KV with ghostflames and you only see them very clearly in a particular light).

I also have an other question. If want a Jackson Kelly CS, with standard specc's but with a quilted transblack top and cream binding, how much would it costs me?

I thank you for reading and hopefully also for answering! I someone knows a Kelly for sale you can always PM me!

Greetings,

Didier

[wilkinsi]

The link no longer exists on that site.

All I can suggest is keep scouring ebay. Good luck

[Fender]

There fixed your img. Hmm, well the whole pre-fender vs new FMIC era is a bunch of crap. The same guys who built them before 2002 are building them now. There might be more or less issues, but keep in mind even when building things by hand, some details can go wrong after or mistaken. People have a hard time grasping that. For example, i had just a new engine professionally installed in my car. My mechanic explained that i should carefully pay attention to sounds, my gauges and anything unusual. I understood the idea. The engine had been 1 month out of use and some things could go wrong, but he would cover any problems. The low speed fan would not activate when the engine was hot and i was at a stop or going fairly slow. My coolant emptied itself and i waited for the engine to cool before filling the radiator with water and driving it back to the garage. Everything was fixed, but my friends were furious and said they would never have stood for that bla bla bla. Same thing goes with guitars. Some people are... idiots? and at times the guitars can come with some defects. IF you take some time to work out the issues with the store and or Jackson, seeing as you bought a new and expensive product, they will handle things accordingly and you will get exactly what you paid for, if not, more. I remember i returned my Ibanez 2550 when it had some tiny blemishes and wood dust in the clear of the neck. It was a 2006 model and i bought it at the time that the new 2007's were shipping out. They sent the guitar back and instead of getting my 06 back, i got an 07 with the snazzy new inlays. I am not saying to buy something in hopes that it can be defective so you get better, but with the reputation that jackson has and the commitment they make to their customers, you should have perfectly good trust in them.

Now it's none of my business, but even though my dad loves that i play guitar and was the first one to support me, i don't think he would approve if i bought a guitar with the money he leaves. That said, if i was going to have a guitar in his tribute, i am pretty sure he would rather i get something new because there isn't much of a tribute from an old guitar unless it was something he had or wanted, you dig? In fact, you should save up your pennies and maybe get a custom. I know it's quite a bit more, but it would pay the ultimate tribute to your dad, with maybe his named and date of birth to date of decease inlay on the fretboard. Then when you pass it on, you can make sure that no one ever pawns that, it would be an insult.

Either way, I'm also new here, but i welcome you to Jackson Charvel forums and i offer you my sincere condolences. Losing my dad would crush me, and i can understand what you're trying to do and i think it's awesome. Good luck and keep us posted!!

[Sober.]

Thanks for your fast response!
I understand that every guitar has the possibility to have some flaws, but I have read a lot about the pre-fender topic and I never really did understand why people were making such a problem out of it. I am sure that every Jackson USA is still a marvellous piece of craftsmanship.

Thank you for your condolence for my father! He died about 10 years ago so most of my wounds are already healed, but of course the scars remain. Actually I am not planning on buying a guitar with the money he directly left us (since that was none, because we never had a lot of money due to several circumstances). My mother and I inherited a really small apartment, but ever since my father died we have had nothing but trouble with it. People who didn't pay the rent, things we had to get fixed, etc. My mother and I have had a really troubling time since my dad died after years of illness and misery. A month after he died we had to move to a new place, we didn't have enough money, my dad left us with some debts,.. My mother and I inherited a really small apartment, but ever since my father died we have had nothing but trouble with it. People who didn't pay the rent, things we had to get fixed, etc. So we had to pay money we didn't have to maintain the apartment, so we never had any profit out of now. Luckily we have finally found someone who wants to buy it from us. I would of liked it to keep it in the family, but in our situation it just ain't possible. The biggest part of that money goes directly to a savings account for my future life, but my mom and I have decided that we both buy one thing we really want, since we never really had the opportunity in the past and I am sure my dad watches over our shoulder to make sure we are happy. I have been doing weekend jobs since I was 15, so I really worked for all of my own gear (for those who think: how the hell can he buy a 6505 and all that stuff when he and his mom never had a lot of money).

I am considering going for a CS with my dad's initials etc., but then I'll go work some more to pay the price difference myself. And I don't know if the small changes I want to make are worth the extra money!

[Fender]

Thanks for your fast response!
I understand that every guitar has the possibility to have some flaws, but I have read a lot about the pre-fender topic and I never really did understand why people were making such a problem out of it. I am sure that every Jackson USA is still a marvellous piece of craftsmanship.

Thank you for your condolence for my father! He died about 10 years ago so most of my wounds are already healed, but of course the scars remain. Actually I am not planning on buying a guitar with the money he directly left us (since that was none, because we never had a lot of money due to several circumstances). My mother and I inherited a really small apartment, but ever since my father died we have had nothing but trouble with it. People who didn't pay the rent, things we had to get fixed, etc. My mother and I have had a really troubling time since my dad died after years of illness and misery. A month after he died we had to move to a new place, we didn't have enough money, my dad left us with some debts,.. My mother and I inherited a really small apartment, but ever since my father died we have had nothing but trouble with it. People who didn't pay the rent, things we had to get fixed, etc. So we had to pay money we didn't have to maintain the apartment, so we never had any profit out of now. Luckily we have finally found someone who wants to buy it from us. I would of liked it to keep it in the family, but in our situation it just ain't possible. The biggest part of that money goes directly to a savings account for my future life, but my mom and I have decided that we both buy one thing we really want, since we never really had the opportunity in the past and I am sure my dad watches over our shoulder to make sure we are happy. I have been doing weekend jobs since I was 15, so I really worked for all of my own gear (for those who think: how the hell can he buy a 6505 and all that stuff when he and his mom never had a lot of money).

I am considering going for a CS with my dad's initials etc., but then I'll go work some more to pay the price difference myself. And I don't know if the small changes I want to make are worth the extra money!

Well the fun thing with a CS ,which is also an inconvenience to some, is that they take around 6-12 months to be crafted and then shipped to you, so while it's being built, you could easily have dropped the initial amount you wanted to put on a used one and it pay it off with your earnings before you even receive it.

[Sober.]

Nobody who can inform me if the Kelly is overpriced or not for 1800€?

[wilkinsi]

Rule #1 = Always try to buy used but mint first. Only when that fails, go for a new one.

[Sober.]

I know I always should look for second handed mint guitar. Well this Jackson I am after is mint. It belonged to someone's private collection and has barely been played, I think it was more of a collector's piece. Considering that a new Jackson in Transblack costs between 2200 and 2500€, is 1800€ (1610 GBP) to much for a mint KE-2 from the year 2000 to 2002?

[RobRR]

Yeah IMHO that's a high price for that guitar. They can sell used in the US for around 1200... maybe try looking for one from here and having it shipped. Probably save a few hundred!

[Fender]

Yeah IMHO that's a high price for that guitar. They can sell used in the US for around 1200... maybe try looking for one from here and having it shipped. Probably save a few hundred!

Seriously, i sold a guitar to someone in Finland once. It took a while a to ship, but since the Euro rapes all currency on our continent, he pocketed some good money. The shipping weight with case was maybe 10-12lbs. Can't have been more than that. It was an 88 Jem in a stock jem1000c case. All in all it cost about 140-180$ cad, so i am not going to calculate, but i guess that is 80-120 Euro tops ? Take a look into it. Some people have a hard time being a guitar without trying it first, but in my experience so far, when you buy a top quality guitar and are paying what it's worth, you have less chances of getting screwed and the guitar will usually live up to it's reputation. I used to be afraid of this stuff, and now i've been buying my gear on ebay for 5 years and still no problems!

[Sober.]

My main concern when buying from the USA is having to pay a lot of money to the customs... In think I'll have to pay 21% or something :s

[wilkinsi]

Not always. Can depend on who ships it.

[Sober.]

Are you sure? I think every package from outside the European Union has to pass customs. I could be wrong, but that is how I recall it. So you guys think the Kelly I am after is not worth 1800€, because I am really digging it...

[wilkinsi]

No fucking way would I pay 1800 euros for used guitar, even a mint condition one. Daylight fucking robbery.

[Fender]

Are you sure? I think every package from outside the European Union has to pass customs. I could be wrong, but that is how I recall it. So you guys think the Kelly I am after is not worth 1800€, because I am really digging it...

I could buy a brand spanking new one for 1800 canadian, which, i just checked, would be a little over 1300 Eu. Even if you would have to pay customs (which if you take Fedex, you shouldn't) and even if it was an absurd amount like 21% it would look something like this. 1300eu x 0.21 = 273

1300+273= 1573. Add between 150-250 dollars of shipping (100-180 eu) and you're not far from you'd pay for yours used! You're getting ripped.

So imagine buying a nice used one from the US instead. Here's a current example. Identical Ke2.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jackson-KE-2-Kelly-KE2-USA-Select-Series-Trans-Black_W0QQitemZ260573924709QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3cab6a8d65

It's got a buy it now of 1350$ US. To you , that means 1013 eu give or take a couple of eu. Not bad, right? Now it's in California, so shipping might be more, but you have some options and if you can wait a month and have it shipped by boat , which is what my buddies in Italy do, you'll pay anywhere between 200-400 $ US (150-300 eu) and you're now at 1150-1350 spent. If you should ship with usps, and get that supposed 21% custom fee, than add another 200 euro. So at most, you'd pay for 1550 euro. That's quite a bit of coin saved. If not, just buy a new one from the US which i always see between 1699-1999 US (shipped and they can probably work something out) . You should talk to others in your area that do the same