Jackson KE2 - Cavities. Is this normal?!!

[MarceloBR]

Even my SLXT (india) has shielding paint in the cavities.

[RacerX]

Even my SLXT (india) has shielding paint in the cavities.

Ouch

[busdriver]

That's weird, almost all of my Jacksons have had shield paint in the cavities, and none that looked that rough...

Same here. Every of my Jackson/Charvel guitars' pickup cavities is fully painted with conductive shielding paint.

[1337storm]

You're wrong. Jackson>you

Could you please explain why?

Then answer me this why did Jackson do it?
Google Faraday cage that might answer your question.

How good do you think a Faraday cage built out of non conductive bare wood will work...?
Google wood and conductivity and that might answer your question.

[MarceloBR]

[walshula]

On second thought, that does look rather nasty in there!!!

I would just sell it... to meeee!!!!

[killerburst]

Could be my screen, but that looks like copper paint to me (i.e. CuproCote). If you have a meter, check for ground continuity between the paint in the bottom of the pickup cavity and the screw. I'd be curious to hear the results. As for the roughness, I don't typically expect to see the inside of a pickup cavity finish sanded. The "wax" residue you see is probably buffing compound.

Hi Jackson and Charvel enthousiasts,

Most recently I decided to complete strip down the hardware of my KE2 because I had some problems with the electronics. This was the ideal moment to shield everything as I experienced some problems with feedback.

When I opened up the guitar I was amazed with how badly everything was made... And I'm wondering whether this is normal? The pickups cavities are very rough and as the shielding cables are attached to bare wood, I guess they are completely useless... In the bridge pickup cavity you can see some wax residue, does anyone have an idea what this is?



Thanks in advance for all the information and input! I'm pretty furious to find this kind of finish in such an expensive guitar....

[xenophobe]

It looks like someone butchered/carved it down so they could get a little more clearance.

[Wizard of Ozz]

I've owned a bunch of USA and Custom Shop Jacksons... I've never seen anything like that. Was this guitar bought new/used? Are you the original owner?

Those ground wires in the pickup cavities are not grounding anything as wood is an non-conductive material. The only way those wires could ground pickups would be if there was another metal wire in the body of the guitar touching the screws, that terminated to the bridge/spring claw/etc to ground the circuit when your body touches it. That looks like something someone did as a project.

[Axegrinder87]

Tell me something guys. In a proper guitar, does the conductive paint in the neck pickup pocket share continuity with the conductive paint in the bridge pickup pocket?

[Wizard of Ozz]

Possibly... But I wouldn't rely on it for a ground. Every proper ground is most always made to the bridge or trem or some part there of. Your body completes the circuit and runs the signal to ground. I've had guitars with the shielded paint in the control cavity, but I still cover the control cavity with copper tape... and you can easily hear the difference.