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

[Sober.]

Thanks for your clear explanation! I had already seen the KE-2 on ebay you linked, but unfortunately it ain't in mint condition. It still takes a little over a month before I have the money to buy a guitar, by the way. The shop where I have seen the 1800€ Kelly offered me to reserve the guitar with a downpayment of 200€. I think I'll just let it go until I have the money. And when it is still for sale by then, I'll do an offer of 1650 shipped, give or take. Because I have the feeling they just want to bind me to the sale right now, so that make a lot of money out of the deal.. I really want that guitar, but I don't have to rush it. If it is gone in a month, then it didn't ment to be.

Btw: what are good shops in the USA to look for a new Kelly?

[MNash87]

You could contact some of the forum dealers. Piney Hills in Ruston, Louisiana is great to work with. I just got a new KE2 in Trans Red through them, it was a great deal. "Jacksonite" here on the forum is the owner of Piney Hills, his name is Nick. Great guy to do business with. Good Luck!

Mark

[Fender]

Guitar Asylum and Matts Music sell some too and offer good deals, or
so i've heard!

[RacerX]

Fender, will you do my taxes?













Great post there! (# 15)

[Sober.]

I got some information about importing stuff from the USA to Europe, and I do have to pay 21% taxes.

1. Jackson KE-2 transparant black new: 2150$ (Right?)
2. About 200$ transport costs

2150$ + 200$ = 2350$ = 1761€

On that amount I have to pay 21% import taxes.

1761€ x 1,21 = 2130€

And then I also have to pay around 5% custom costs and another fixed amount of around 15€.

2150$ x 0,05 = 107$ = 80€


So that makes a rough amount of 2210€ which is 2947$. I also have to keep in mind that it sometimes takes a lot of time before a package leaves customs. I know people who had to wait more than 5 weeks, when the package actually already was in Belgium...

For that amount for money I think I am better of with buying a new one in Europe for a little more or buying a nice used kelly in the USA or Europe.

[fordsho90]

Welcome and good luck. Might I offer up a suggestion to you, I am going to assume from reading your posts that you havent played one yet, if you can try out all the models first before you buy to make sure that it fits YOU. Since this is gonna be a lifetime and beyond guitar make sure that the Kelly fits you cause it would suck to do a tribute to your pops and end up with a guitar that you hate and that will then sit there and not get touched; just cause it works for Marty doesnt mean it will work for you.


And if you can play em all then go with the one that feels right, if you play something that doesnt feel like butter in your hands dont get it, cause it never will feel right.

[Sober.]

Thanks for the tip! I was already planning a roadtrip to germany to go test some guitars including the KE-2! I won't buy a guitar before I played a similar model, especially not when it's such an expensive one!

[Fender]

Thanks for the tip! I was already planning a roadtrip to germany to go test some guitars including the KE-2! I won't buy a guitar before I played a similar model, especially not when it's such an expensive one!

Can't you just try the one you're buying? I mean these are all hand made, and from the ones I've tried, there can sometimes be a world of difference between them. Not that one sucks and the other is good, but different types of good. You might end up liking the one from the music shop better and then the one you buy won't give you the same feeling.

[micha]

I got some information about importing stuff from the USA to Europe, and I do have to pay 21% taxes.

1. Jackson KE-2 transparant black new: 2150$ (Right?)
2. About 200$ transport costs

2150$ + 200$ = 2350$ = 1761€

On that amount I have to pay 21% import taxes.

1761€ x 1,21 = 2130€

And then I also have to pay around 5% custom costs and another fixed amount of around 15€.

2150$ x 0,05 = 107$ = 80€


So that makes a rough amount of 2210€ which is 2947$. I also have to keep in mind that it sometimes takes a lot of time before a package leaves customs. I know people who had to wait more than 5 weeks, when the package actually already was in Belgium...

For that amount for money I think I am better of with buying a new one in Europe for a little more or buying a nice used kelly in the USA or Europe.

I'll second that.
taxes usually go on item-value plus shipping-value.
so buying new from the US might not be the best option (if you want your package insured for the right amount).

if you get the chance, buy something you can play yourself before.
and keep in mind that many shops at least I've been to have quite horrible set-up guitars in stock.
unfortunalely rusty strings and bad action aren't as rare as you think it should be in guitar stores. even on high value guitars as a KE2.

best bet would be second hand, mint, locally. but that's no news to anyone I guess...

[Treachery]

Beautiful Kelly! I'm diggin' that finish! Mmmmm.

If i was in your shoes.... If that was the guitar that i really wanted and lusted for... I would not even trip on whether or not i was getting a good "deal". It would be well worth it at any price!

Being a Kelly CS owner myself, i can tell by the picture that it will feel great... unless there is something hideously wrong with the guitar that we can not see in the picture. You will melt when you hold it and it will be hard to wipe way the permanent smile you will have when you have it in your hands!

Stop comparing prices! Who cares if it was made pre-Fender or not! You will know the quality and craftsmanship the minute you start playing it. All questions and all doubts will go away. You will then say to yourself, "Hell yeah! It was worth it!"

Beautiful Kelly!

[Sober.]

Somewhere begin next month the guitar will be in my possession!!!!

[Forrest]

Are you sure you want a Kelly? If you haven't played on one for at least a year or so, I don't think you should dump a ton of cash on one to be your perfect axe.

I played nothing but Kellys for almost 8 years (had 4 of them). IMO that slowed my development of good picking technique dramatically. If there was one thing I could go back and change in my guitar-playing life, it would be to stop myself from buying that first Kelly.

At the very least I'd say get a cheap one to try for a while before committing financially to a super high end one.

[BRADSTANG]

Are you sure you want a Kelly? If you haven't played on one for at least a year or so, I don't think you should dump a ton of cash on one to be your perfect axe.

I played nothing but Kellys for almost 8 years (had 4 of them). IMO that slowed my development of good picking technique dramatically. If there was one thing I could go back and change in my guitar-playing life, it would be to stop myself from buying that first Kelly.

i dont know what differance that would make short of it was a radically designed guitar but its not. its not a archtop, just a solid flat slabbed body with good lower end fret accessability , dont know how that can affect a picking technique unless it was oddly designed. i own 3 kelly's and dont worry, you're gonna love it. i prefer the larger body mass for sound and sustain over smaller bodied strat / dinky bodies but im probably in the minority.

[Forrest]

i dont know what differance that would make short of it was a radically designed guitar but its not. its not a archtop, just a solid flat slabbed body with good lower end fret accessability , dont know how that can affect a picking technique unless it was oddly designed. i own 3 kelly's and dont worry, you're gonna love it. i prefer the larger body mass for sound and sustain over smaller bodied strat / dinky bodies but im probably in the minority.

It affected my right arm position. If you play with your guitar low-slung, or you curl your hand upside down like Marty Friedman, maybe you can avoid this. I'm not saying he shouldn't get it - he just needs to try it out first, and for more than a few hours.

I love the way the Kelly's look and sound. I just wish I'd started playing on a Soloist body and gotten one much later instead of the other way around.

[QplQyer]

Don't know if I'm still in time, but you can save a lot of money by going the ebay route. I bought a second hand KE2 off of ebay in September and I paid, customs included, around 1100 euros if I recall correctly. It also was completely mint, not a scratch or dent to be seen on the guitar, though it does have some weird issues with the neck pickup that I haven't been able to fix yet. I did have to wait a couple of weeks until my guitar cleared customs though, but it could have gone quicker if I'd known some of the tricks back then. I don't know how the euro-dollar conversion is these days, but if you contact one of the dealers on this board you can get a members discount on a new KE2 and could be able to pay 1800 euros for an imported new one, customs included.