Adrian Smith USA vs SDX?

[Alissarr]

Also the new SDX collection r announced today on Jackson's FB page looks sweet!

[JacksonSDX]

Well, just to be clear, I am NOT saying my SDX could come near a USA model off the shelf. I am simply saying, I made it into the kinda guitar it is in a lot of ways. I mean had I kept the stock nut it wouldn't compare to a USA I don't imagine. But having the real Floyd rose and the USA pickups, different nut, frets are perfect, kinda hard to justify the purchase of the USA but part of me is like... just do it. lol I did sell my Les Paul's yesterday on eBay. I haven't played Les Paul's in a few years and have went fully strat/super strat so I may use that money as well.

I was keeping all my guitars but then I realized I didn't want to maintain guitars I know I'm never going to play again. Especially knowing they are worth money.

I have not seen the new SDX. I am going to look now.

[Mudlark]

The licensed Floyds will always put the imports in the backseat to a USA with an OFR.
Fortunately, for me, I only play TOM or hard tail bridges, so my guitars can hold their own with a USA right outta' the box.

Though, I did have to replace a poorly cut plastic nut with bone.
Also, it should go without saying, many imports aren't put together as well as others. Some are atrocious quite frankly.

[JacksonSDX]

The licensed Floyds will always put the imports in the backseat to a USA with an OFR.
Fortunately, for me, I only play TOM or hard tail bridges, so my guitars can hold their own with a USA right outta' the box.

Though, I did have to replace a poorly cut plastic nut with bone.
Also, it should go without saying, many imports aren't put together as well as others. Some are atrocious quite frankly.

Yeah, it's night and day man. The Floyd rose special would not hold tune at all, even with 5 springs. If I hit that bar it was gone. I cannot believe the original Floyd rose does what it does that well. It's my first one. I never dreamed I'd actually be able to play Steve Vai songs and go to that level of vibrato and not go out of tune. But I can't knock it out of tune no matter what I do. It would take like a 2 hour set of playing it to just get the low E string to go down a few cents in tuning, which still would be barely audible.

I can also still bend up a lot because of how it's floating. I'm not sure how much more a recessed Floyd like on the non USA chavels can bend up but I can bend up 2 steps in some parts of the fretboard.

I used to hate tremolo's and I never dreamed I'd be a strat guy, it all got started by that cheap 399 Squier 60's vibe, than that went to Fender HSS, then that went to the Jackson. I can't imagine ever messing with a Les Paul again. Hell they won't stay in tune for long, even if I put graphite all in the nut. Because of the way the headstock is designed. I hit a lot of pinch harmonics, just a few of those on a Les Paul and the G string is gone.

I play half step down 10-52's, only 3 springs in the Floyd, works perfectly. Intonation holds perfectly as well.

[hazar]

Well, I'm not saying it can't be out performed but I am saying, I have gotten it to a point that there is no way to get it to go out of tune no matter the intensity of the whammy bar usage, the action is set perfectly, there are no high frets, the new nut I put on there makes the strings feel much better toward the first fret, the pickups sound amazing.

Which makes me think the USA one might feel different... But it's hard to imagine it being better. I have guitars I can imagine being better. This is not one of them, I'm not sure anything could be done to make it better to a degree that would matter enough.

However, since I kinda want two of them anyway I'm curious if its possible that just because I have this guitar set up perfectly to my liking that the USA model may go to a level that I simply am not conscious of.

The only thing that matters is how it feels and sounds to you brother. I wouldnt worry about where it was made as long as you have some decent wood. The USA's seem to have more attention to the little details such as frets and finishing and better hardware but I would not say it is worth another two grand to say it is made in USA.

If your happy with your guitar and it makes you want to play then you have a winner! Sounds like you have a winner brother! Enjoy it!

[Alissarr]

Did you see it? Trans green and very mean!

Outta curiosity. Whatdya spend on the ofr upgrade and new electronics? If you're buying those brand-new, you are getting close to the cost of a used USA model anyway.

[JacksonSDX]

Did you see it? Trans green and very mean!

Outta curiosity. Whatdya spend on the ofr upgrade and new electronics? If you're buying those brand-new, you are getting close to the cost of a used USA model anyway.

The original Floyd rose was 200 dollars, I installed it myself. The pickups were 70 dollars for all 3 used on reverb.com. Was from a guy who had a Jackson USA and switched the pickups, so I was able to get all three at once for 70 dollars, he also included the pots to the USA version.

I have recently put the Jackson bridge hum bucker back into the guitar but I kept the real Fender single coils from the USA version. I actually prefer the hum bucker the SDX comes with over the Dimarzio the USA has. That might be because the change of woods, Alder vs Basswood but there is a ton of low end in the SDX version that I really like. It also has a lot of clarity, it sounds very similar to the Dimarzio but it seems to have a little bit more low end. Usually stock pickups are muddy from most companies, this one is not.

I spent 770 dollars total for the SDX and all the upgrades. That's not counting the matte black pick guard I have though but I haven't put that on there yet.

I set the intonation and all of that myself so I didn't pay anyone to do anything to it. That's also not counting shipping and handling but I think the Floyd Rose had free shipping and I don't think the pickups were more than 15 dollar shipping.

I didn't care much for the new SDX that came out but mostly because I just like white with the black pick guard. lol I've always liked that color and with Fender Strats I like the Tobacco sunburst. Always maple fretboards, can't see myself going back to ebony or rosewood.

[JacksonSDX]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nagolart/35849613972/in/dateposted-public/

Here is a picture of it, before the pickups installed, but that's the real Floyd Rose on it.