first usa jackson ...not impressed!!!!!!!

[toejam]

They shouldn't appear overnight, but who knows how long it went without oil and how long it was subjected to cold temperatures?

[CowboyFromHell]

True. Was just judging by his posts that he (pre-cracks) carried it outside, went to his local dealer, carried it inside and all of a sudden there were cracks. Don't get me wrong Toe, I'm definitely not questioning your expertise. I'm simply trying to learn what caused the cracks and how to avoid the issue myself. Doesn't seem like a problem I'll be having though since I regularly maintain mine and avoid any lengthy periods of exposure to cold.

[toejam]

Yeah, who knows? Maybe the wood wasn't seasoned that well and/or Jackson never treated it.
I got my '01 USA hardtail Fender Double Fat Strat from MF in Sept. '01 and the rosewood board was so dry that it almost looked gray. Lots of oiling made it very dark and healthy looking.

[Nimitz]

Thanks guys now I'm nervous about my ebony board going out in the cold...

[GuerillaPete]

I think he got a KV with the optional Blue Rock Chatter mod.

Keep yer shit moist.

[len]

I think he got a KV with the optional Blue Rock Chatter mod.

Keep yer shit moist.

are ya happy to see me?
no...... its my KV2's fretboard in my pants

[toejam]

Thanks guys now I'm nervous about my ebony board going out in the cold...

It will shrink and crack!

[RacerX]

C'mon! You really don't believe that the cracks on his fretboard just apeared out of nowhere like he said right?

No pics either.

[aliensporebomb]

The one thing I would mention about fret buzz - with the neckthru guitars with the ebony boards is that they can be sensitive to changes in the weather and humidity - I live in Minnesota and the fret at the F# position on the low E one winter popped up slightly causing a buzz. I'm told that due to the variance in temperature and humidity this can happen. Oddly, the neck was perfect otherwise. I read on a Jackson forum once that due to the type of wood used certain climate changes can cause the wood to expand and contract seasonally.

So you get a guitar made in a hot humid part of the country shipped to a part of the country that is cold with low humidity and wood is an organic system and sometimes things change. I eventually had a local tech (the guy who designed the white cloud guitars for prince, the amazing David Rusan) do some work on the guitar and he did a fret leveling which made it play even better than before but I now take care of keeping the guitar in my climate controlled studio where things don't vary too much between summer and winter otherwise if I stored it downstairs you could be going from about 100 degrees fahrenheit to 50 degrees or so and in the winter it can drop to well below zero.

Anyway, the electronics issue - weird - sounds like the ground wire became detached or some other electrinic issue and the description of the paint issue - could it be that you ended up with a counterfeit or used guitar that wasn't 100%?

[beardy]

so i brought the guitar back to the store today....where i live it is very cold ,today was -26c ..the guitar went from house to warm car to store ...when i opened the case at the store the fret board had cracks all over it ...i couldnt beleive what i was seeing ...anyway!!!! the tech said that has happened with jackson before because it is so dry here ...he said he will fix all the issue with the guitar and give me 300 dollars off the price.....hmmmmm should i still buy it .....or just just let them keep it...i guess i will see in a couple days when its all fixed up....a friend of mine has 3 usa jacksons that he got from pawn shops .i gave all of them basic setups when he bought them and they were all perfect not one issue with any of them...i guess i was naive to think if i bought a brand new one it would be the same quaility...oh well lesson learnt.....

thanks to everyone who said something intelligent

oh ya ...for the guy who gave me the english lesson ...here is a math lesson for you ....take the word homonym take away the last 3 letters and the answer is 'you' .... but thanks for the post

see ya

Anything can happen with guitars, whether new or used - there's no need to be a shmo about it though.

[surfreak]

The one thing I would mention about fret buzz - with the neckthru guitars with the ebony boards is that they can be sensitive to changes in the weather and humidity - I live in Minnesota and the fret at the F# position on the low E one winter popped up slightly causing a buzz. I'm told that due to the variance in temperature and humidity this can happen. Oddly, the neck was perfect otherwise. I read on a Jackson forum once that due to the type of wood used certain climate changes can cause the wood to expand and contract seasonally.

Funny.

[RacerX]

there's no need to be a shmo about it though.

shmo

[ginsambo]

Myself, I'd be worried that the poly might chip when it catched on your belt or something if it doesn't wrap around and was masked right on the edge of the back plate rout and once it starts...but if it wraps around the lip to bare wood I wouldn't worry. I can understand truss rod adjustment issues but don't understand a single fret buzz unless the store was really hot and dry or something and it lifted slightly maybe.

Although a lot cheaper, there is a new USA Pro Mod on Ebay from a store at the moment with a warped neck, so things do happen.

Humidity in stores in winter can get as low as 15%, especially when its already a freezing dry 30% outside and temperatures vary all over. I'd prefer to buy a guitar in the spring, fall or summer personally in that climate, although that said there is a lot to be said for the devil you know and if it can survive that then.... They are all made of wood afterall anyway.



I was in Virginia recently and the relative humidity was like at an all time maximum of 48% outside even when it was raining, and typically it was dry and/or cold around 30% or less... factor in the blast furnace air con heating and you can take 10% off that right off. Also that was on the coast, where its supposed to be a 'Maritime' climate...Hell, I looked forward to coming home as the dry air was doing my throat and lungs in, add to that the sunshine was making me feel way too happy, wholesome and progressive for my liking.

Maybe you might consider moving to the weather induced land of eternal cynicism...the UK. We have this weird neon green algae that grows on everything in a matter of days and it rubs off on your clothes, tannalised decking only lasts a few seasons before it mosses over and is rotten out. Even when its sleeting or freezing fog outside the humidity rarely dips below 60%. Typically its around 85-93% all year outdoors, with three layers of cloud cover and a sun that barely gets over the horizon for six months of the year and the Dewpoint is usually only a degree C or so lower than the daytime temperature.

One good thing is though, I got some humidity meters now and I've got the humidity down to between 40-50%, although the temperature still varies wildly. With a reasonably warm shop in the UK, providing it is less than 100 years old and has a damp proof course in the walls, the roof doesn't leak and its reasonably insulated, factors that aren't that common, that is what it will be more or less year round I would imagine.

On the rare occasions (Like recently) when we get the cold continental air blowing in from the Siberian east, the humidity will drop below 30% outdoors and with the radiators on all morning, it can get as low as 25% indoors. I imagine in most of mid to north eastern America this is pretty typical everyday in winter or worse and that ain't much you can do about it.

I didn't think that fretboards checked though? I know Nitro is susceptible. The temperature in my place varies between 40 and 68F, but its so badly insulted that the guitars are still cold when the heating is starting to take a nose dive again. But I never have any problems, other than two unmounted expensive aftermarket branded necks which seem to move twist a little back and forth but they are not Jackson/Charvels/Fender.

Anyway we usually get south western or north westerly weather systems. Yeah, sometimes it gets so bad that you can actually smell what all the East Coast Americans actually had to eat that day before and trust me I hate fecking chicken! Yep, America farts and we breathe it in and say thankyou very much sir, don't change the flavour.



I will say though from experience I have found Jackson/Charvels to be the most hardiest of all the guitars to standing up to the weather. I have two Japanese pro mod necks a old 90's Jackson LT neck and a Korean one, all with truss rods slack and unmounted and they never move and the frets ends are always smooth as silk and they have been through 25 -65% humidity and 40 or near freezing through 68F. Got another one too recently that was shipped all over northern USA in January by USPS for three weeks in nothing but a cardboard box with some bubblewrap and its still spot on. Trust me you could almost leave those necks out in the rain for a week and they would still be fine. If you have bad problems either you got one that got past quality control on the fretdress or the shop owner is a complete moron or your indoor humidity is way low, which is probably the reason.

Just cause there are cracks doesn't mean it won't right itself, but its something I've never heard of. Are the fretboards temporarily sealed from new like the Japanes ebony Wild Card #6 pro mods? Could it be the temporary sealer which is some type of nitro or oil checking? I know 40F does some weird shit to the olive oil in my kitchen. -26C? You're taking it to the extreme with the humidity then. The only availible humidity in the air is probably coming out of your lungs at those temperatures, those are like some extreme Scott of the Antarctic conditions or something. I got a used red Wildcard recently and from new I think the fretboard was very dry, but nothing major, but given the climate as extreme as you say it is, it probably would be. But again, a responsible dealer would discuss with the manufacturer how best to cope with the conditions.

So do you have open air concerts in the winter over there at -26C? Shit! Hardcore man.

Just had a thought - I think in those conditions you need some sort of environmental indicator in with the guitar case, something like a cheap ratt snake from a pet store or something, much in the same vain as the coalminers used to take canaries down pit to warn them of hazardous gases and oxygen levels and stuff. That way if you open up the case and its dead, you know some bad shit has happened to your guitar also.

Need pics.

[RacerX]

[toejam]

I didn't think that fretboards checked though? I know Nitro is susceptible. The temperature in my place varies between 40 and 68F, but its so badly insulted

I hate when the temperature is badly insulted!