CS SL2H or CS SL2H? Please help me decide!

[n3p]

Hello all,

Bit of a lurker here, and firstly I’d like to apologise in advance for a long winded post. I'm in a bit of an indecisive situation on 2 guitars I am considering buying. They are both USA Custom Shop SL2H guitars, and unfortunately I’d have to buy without trying. Custom Shops are hard to come by here in the UK (from my personal experience anyway) so I’d have to seize the opportunity to get my hands on one! I don’t doubt the quality or playability, so that isn’t an issue. The problem is purely down to deciding which one to go for (but we’ll get to that in a bit).

Before we talk about them, could anyone clear up the following:
1.Do JCS guitars have their own fancy hard case which states Custom Shop? One of these has a generic Jackson case, and I am awaiting details of the other.

2. Are certificates of authenticity also supplied for every Custom Shop guitar?

I would love to share some pictures with you, but I'm in the office at the moment so would have to show you guys later.

The first guitar is a Copperskin SL2H CS, apparently one of 12 made (can anyone verify this run?). It has a black headstock and I believe a rosewood board (awaiting proper pictures and a serial number to confirm). The seller states it comes with a CS certificate.

The second guitar is a black 2011ish (or so I was told) USA Custom Shop Masterbuilt Shannon Soloist. According to the description, it has a “tilt back thru-neck, non recessed Floyd and binding over the fretboard”. The seller has told me that that it doesn’t come with a certificate and that the case is just a Jackson one. It does, however, have Mike Shannon’s autograph on the back of the headstock, which is under the clear coat. There is a number stamped on the last fret which from the pictures looks to be J7106. If anyone can confirm this SN it would be a BIG help.

Pricewise, the Coppersnake is 25% cheaper than the Shannon (private sale vs store plays a bit part I’d imagine). The Shannon has been greatly reduced, £1165GBP off the retail price.
Anyway, this is purely a subjective matter so I’d like to hear your thoughts – Which would you choose and why? Value/Resale reasons are a bonus, but I’m struggling to decide!
If you read all of that, I applaud you! And thanks in advance for any replies

Nick

[Devotee]

However, i'm pretty sure CS J/C guitars come with either an SKB moulded case or a G&G case depending on your pick, but i've never heard of a case that says "Custom Shop" on it. FWIW though, i've seen plenty of Copper Snakesking Soloists but not many with a rosewood board...

There should be a letter prefixing that serial number, i'll take a wild guess and say it's a J.

[n3p]

Hello, thanks for the reply! Double checked the pics, and you're right the black one comes with a GG case. I am still waiting on pics of the actual copperskin, but I imagine it to look like this:



Here is the actual Shannon one:

[joshulator]

For me personally, there are two things that would help me make my decision...
1. The non-recessed Floyd...do you prefer these? I prefer mine recessed so this would push me to the Copperskin guitar. But there are plenty of guys on this board who prefer non-recessed. Which do you prefer?
2. In what situations will you be performing with this guitar and would the Copperskin finish be appropriate? In other words, while it doesn't have skulls or anything too over the top, it is not exactly a subdued finish either. If you are performing mostly in church, would it stick out too much? I personally don't play out anymore, and depending on the church, I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue anyway.

So for me, I vote for the Copperskin. And the 25% savings is a nice bonus too!!

[Prince Vultan]

Tough call.

I do love a snakeskin finish, but the rosewood board and black headstock would put me off the Copperhead. As you point out, US Jackson's are hard to come by over here but if I were spending that kind of coin I'd still want it to be just right. Personally, that would mean matching headstock and ebony board.

I'd rather spend a bit more and have the Shannon. Look at it. It's class and killer in equal measure. If James Bond were a guitar, he'd be this one. Black's always a sensible choice if you think you might ever sell it on and while Mike's signature may not add anything to the value it does put the stink of cool all over it.

You're going to end up with a nice axe whatever you decide. Have fun choosing!

[neilli]

1 - Generally, recent CS guitars come with a G&G hardcase. There's no logo on them and nothing else 'fancy' other than being a nice case, but sometimes they are coloured or have red 'leatherette' ends. Depending on the era, it could be a 'shallow' version or the newer 'deep' version. SKB cases were fairly common 6 years or so ago.

2 - No, most CS guitars don't have any certification. You'll get a hang tag but that's about it. Most of the certificated guitars I've seen have been part of a run of guitars, rather than a personal order.

From your description of the copperhead, it sounds like a small batch run rather than a true custom shop. They went through a phase of putting 'Custom Shop' logos on standard guitars if they were part of a dealer ordered small run in a different colour or graphic. One rule of thumb is that if the serial starts with a 'J' the guitar in question is a Custom Shop, if it starts with a 'U' it's not.

They made a few Shannon 2 hum guitars about 5 years ago for NAMM. These are basically built to the same specs as the original San Dimas Soloists, hence the binding nibs, non recessed Floyd, old school white logo, small control rout etc.

When it comes to the two guitars you're considering, as posted above, the first thing to consider is if you want a non recessed floyd not. Personally, I'd take non recessed every day. The binding nibs are nice to have, but to me they're a detail, not a must-have.

I'd take the Shannon because I like the n/r Floyd, plus it's not part of a run of guitars, and having a 'custom' that's one of 12 seems kind of 'half-way-house' to me.

[n3p]

Thanks for the replies so far, I have got pictures of the copper snake now and it's just making my decision harder! I was wrong before, the fretboard is ebony. There is a signature behind the headstock... anyone know who it is?

For me personally, there are two things that would help me make my decision...
1. The non-recessed Floyd...do you prefer these? I prefer mine recessed so this would push me to the Copperskin guitar. But there are plenty of guys on this board who prefer non-recessed. Which do you prefer?
2. In what situations will you be performing with this guitar and would the Copperskin finish be appropriate? In other words, while it doesn't have skulls or anything too over the top, it is not exactly a subdued finish either. If you are performing mostly in church, would it stick out too much? I personally don't play out anymore, and depending on the church, I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue anyway.


So for me, I vote for the Copperskin. And the 25% savings is a nice bonus too!!

Hello, thanks for the reply. To be honest a recessed is generally my preference (or what I am more used to), but I am not an extreme user of a floyd these days. Recessed or not, both are fine for my playing. As far as looks go, my current main guitar is a PMC JEM (see pic) so I look like an idiot anyway!





You may mock, but it plays like a demon

Tough call.


I do love a snakeskin finish, but the rosewood board and black headstock would put me off the Copperhead. As you point out, US Jackson's are hard to come by over here but if I were spending that kind of coin I'd still want it to be just right. Personally, that would mean matching headstock and ebony board.


I'd rather spend a bit more and have the Shannon. Look at it. It's class and killer in equal measure. If James Bond were a guitar, he'd be this one. Black's always a sensible choice if you think you might ever sell it on and while Mike's signature may not add anything to the value it does put the stink of cool all over it.


You're going to end up with a nice axe whatever you decide. Have fun choosing!

Now that I know the rosewood is in fact ebony it makes the choice harder! I thought the black headstock would annoy me too, but from the pictures i don't think it actually looks too bad. I'm liking the Bond comparison though!

1 - Generally, recent CS guitars come with a G&G hardcase. There's no logo on them and nothing else 'fancy' other than being a nice case, but sometimes they are coloured or have red 'leatherette' ends. Depending on the era, it could be a 'shallow' version or the newer 'deep' version. SKB cases were fairly common 6 years or so ago.


2 - No, most CS guitars don't have any certification. You'll get a hang tag but that's about it. Most of the certificated guitars I've seen have been part of a run of guitars, rather than a personal order.


From your description of the copperhead, it sounds like a small batch run rather than a true custom shop. They went through a phase of putting 'Custom Shop' logos on standard guitars if they were part of a dealer ordered small run in a different colour or graphic. One rule of thumb is that if the serial starts with a 'J' the guitar in question is a Custom Shop, if it starts with a 'U' it's not.


They made a few Shannon 2 hum guitars about 5 years ago for NAMM. These are basically built to the same specs as the original San Dimas Soloists, hence the binding nibs, non recessed Floyd, old school white logo, small control rout etc.


When it comes to the two guitars you're considering, as posted above, the first thing to consider is if you want a non recessed floyd not. Personally, I'd take non recessed every day. The binding nibs are nice to have, but to me they're a detail, not a must-have.


I'd take the Shannon because I like the n/r Floyd, plus it's not part of a run of guitars, and having a 'custom' that's one of 12 seems kind of 'half-way-house' to me.

Very informative, thanks for the reply. I think you are correct regarding the small batch run, from the Hi Res photo I made out a U at the beginning of the S/N so that means the coppersnake isn't a true Custom Shop.


So far it's 2 to 1 in favour of the Shannon. Maybe I should start a poll? heh. Despite not being a true Custom Shop, it hasn't really made the Coppersnake any less desirable, it still looks awesome to me. On the other hand, the Shannon looks sleek and classy if not a bit subdued. Aaaargh! It's a nice position to be in, but a very tough decision to make. Any more thoughts are welcomed!


Cheers,


Nick

[stevoc]

That copperhead was probably part of the batch run done through the board and Matt's music. There are others here that absolutely love theirs.

I don't have a soloist, but do have a copperhead snakeskin DK1...the finish is amazing in person. The ebony board is the best as well.

[wilkinsi]

Be different. Its a CS you want. I dunno, at least give it a reversed headstock. Make it worth your money and patience.

[Prince Vultan]

Oof. Yeah, the Copperhead looks great in those shots. Sell the JEM and get both.

[neilli]

Given the copper snake is pretty standard fare and there are others around, that's another big plus for the Shannon (for me at least)...

[thebigz]

I'd say the shannon as well. I almost bought one about a year ago. For me it mostly comes down to the non-recessed trem

[Maiden89]

The copper head is bad ass! I'd get that.

[Force]

Copper for me too.

I see on the Shannon it has 'Made In USA' under the logo instead of after it. How often does that happen?

[neilli]

Old style San Dimas logo..