finally found something I actually dont like about my new jackson

[Tmoran]

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later that I was to find something about my first USA jackson. Aside from the weird way jackson actually constructs a neck through guitar (more like a set through design. They could atleast have used a 2 piece body with this neck design instead of slapping 3rd piece of body wood onto the neck blank. My natural color guitar looks like a jenga puzzle at certain angles.) and the ultra thin nut area with no volute the only thing i didnt like and could change were the pickups. But pickups are a very personal thing and I usually swap anyways so thats no biggy.

The peeve im talking about is the position of the volume control. I know alot of people tend to like the volume close to the bridge so they can roll up or down on the fly with little maneuvering but with my kelly being equipped with a floyd it make dives very tricky. Im new to the floyd rose (ive had em, but now i actually am learning to use it) so maybe im just making a newb assessment but every time I go to do a dive alot of time the bar gets stopped early by the top of the volume knob. I have to take special care to grab the bar, reposition it over the strings, dive then return the bar out of the way of picking. This is a PITA has anyone experienced this and solved the issue? Im thinking of moving the 3-way switch to the volume location and hope it frees enough room to make this less of an issue.

[Newc]

To me the whole Volume Swell thing is more of a C&W trick than EVH, so yeah, Jackson knob positioning is kinda weak IMO.

And yes, on certain body shapes the bar does land on top of the knob, unless you pull the bar so it's parallel to the strings (and really, who does that shit?)

[Acesofbelkan]

The knob doesnt bother me at all, but some remedies Ive heard of people doing is just removing the knob.
I heard of people switching the position of the volume and tone knobs, then remove the knob off the tone pot. Hopefully that will help you a ton.

[MetalMedal II]

Yeah, the volume knob too close to the bridge pickup is a very familiar issue I have with J/Cs dating back to my Ch Model 2. I find that recessed floyds only make matters worse as it makes the knob feel even more in the way. Maybe this is why I prefer Non-recessed Floyds. Besides removing the knob, a smaller knob with a lower profile helps, like the one belonging to the top of a concentric pot.

[bibz]

I love the volume knob position. It's where I can reach when I'm playing to make sure its on full, and it's right there to kill the sound real quick. These things are pretty much designed for big noisy high gain amps.

As per the construction, the neckthrough was all about putting the fretboard and bridge on the same piece of wood, To get the thicker body would make it more difficult and expensive on production guitars. It sucks that they do that on the line for clear finish guitars, but you can see why they do. As for the lack of volute, give me a scarf joint anytime!

[Gibsonmac]

Thats why I only order CS... Volume where the toggle should be and toggle where the tone should be, no tone control

[Tmoran]

I love the volume knob position. It's where I can reach when I'm playing to make sure its on full, and it's right there to kill the sound real quick. These things are pretty much designed for big noisy high gain amps.

As per the construction, the neckthrough was all about putting the fretboard and bridge on the same piece of wood, To get the thicker body would make it more difficult and expensive on production guitars. It sucks that they do that on the line for clear finish guitars, but you can see why they do. As for the lack of volute, give me a scarf joint anytime!

I realize why neckthroughs were designed but Im more of a fan of how Bernie Rico Sr. started it all. He used a neck that was as thick as the body wings. Many companies even imports do it this way. The least they could have done was use a piece of maple the same color as the neck to make it appear as a if the neck was as thick as the body. WHen looking at the bottom of the guitar you see a 1/2" X 3" block of maple poking out right under the "veneer top". This guitar may be getting a black bevel treatment to hide this stuff.

[zuppermuhle]

Doesn't Gibson have the same thin headstock construction but without scarf joint? As for the knob placement problem I'd try(in following order) removing the knob and leaving the bare pot shaft, removing the tone pot and putting the volume there and finally if nothing else works getting one of those low profile knobs(needs drilling a bigger hole).

Anyway, for the two piece neck construction. While it's a shame how odd it looks like on transparent coloured guitars it saves some wood in the shop and you still get the biggest advantage of neck-through construction which is the fret access. I can't say how it affects the sound since I've played good sounding guitars with all kinds of neck constructions.

[kmanick]

It's the only thing I don't like about Jacksons too.
I hit the knob all the time when I sweep pick and I end up turning myself down as I'm playing.
It drives me nuts.

[RacerX]

A buddy of mine in a Megadeth trib band would slap black electrical tape all over the volume knob on his Kelly!

[jcm800x]

If I have a non-recessed trem then I can switch the knob for a strat knob. Another trick I use is a little piece of foam under the volume knob, makes it harder to turn so it dosen't turn down while I play.

[MetalMedal II]

I've played around with the foam thing to increase the resistance of the knob, but found it best to make the profile smaller or move the damn thing. So many times on used guitars I find the volume rubbing against the body, I gues to try achieve the same thing.

[Tmoran]

I think im going to swap the volume with the 3 way and maybe use a lower profile switch instead of the albeit awesome switchcraft switch.

[Grim]

My attitude is "You never know when you'll need it". Therefore, I've grown to tolerate it.

[atarilovesyou]

This is the one issue I have as well. The natural way my hand falls on the bridge makes it tough to keep up alternate picking when moving towards the high E string; my pinky gets 'caught up' and pressed against the volume knob.

There was a post I read here a while back where someone found some cool plastic plugs that fit inside the empty hole after you swap the vol and tone. It wasn't the best option, but it looked good enough for me.

I know some folks like this, but compared to my other guitars the Jackson placement just doesn't fit with me. Makes no real difference as I love the overall playability, but if I could change one thing, that would be it. I can tell I'd love a custom setup regarding this.