What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

[SLATQH]

Does anybody have one of these or know anything about them?

[GiantBaba]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

I believe a user here by the name of "YetAnotherOne" owns a Jazz'r.

I think they're awesome, in fact, I have the Amber Lager Burst one with P90's from Easton Guitars as my wallpaper. Hopefully I'll have it for real one day, lol.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

Yep and I was very hard on it in my initial review, too much so as it turned out. They're nice guitars for classic rock / jazz / blues / country & other similar generes but ntoe well suited for things metal.

Things I griped about that I shouldn't have griped about:

I initially griped about the action, mine was awful when I got it but it'd been through a few owners before me. I know better but I griped before letting it get acclimated to the conditions here and doing a proper setup. Having had it a while now and having done a proper setup, it plays great and the action is plenty low.

I also griped about it not having the sort of resonant tone I expected from a chambered body. I'm just going to go ahead and plead stupidity on that statement. Fact is that it is very resonant, way moreso than a normal solidbody with nice sustain and a very warm sound.

Here're a couple of pics of mine:



A couple of things to think about before you get one:

You'll note from the pics that access to the internal wiring is going to be very limited so be sure that: a) you like the way it's set up when you buy it, and b) that there are no ground problems lurking around in there.

The neck profile on this one has a very pronounced v-shape. You can feel a ridge running down the center of the back of the neck that to me felt very strange for a while. I understand that there may have been several different profiles used on this model so be sure to ask about that if it's a big deal for you (I can play equally poorly on any profile so it's not of much consequence to me).

The body is very large. Here's a shot of mine with some other Jacksons to give you an idea. I find it very comfortable to play but YMMV.

A couple of legitimate gripes about mine:

I have a ground problem ... I think. There's a bit more hum with this guitar than I get with 2H guitars with higher gain pups so I think something's not quite right. I won't fault Jackson for this though as I'm at least the 4th owner so it's been shipped around quite a bit and it's more than possible that something broke loose during transit.

There appear to be some very noticeable finish imperfections on both the front and back of the instrument. They're areas that look like drops or patterns that you'd get when water is dropped on a surface where the wood didn't dye uniformly. To me it looks like either something splashed on the wood before the dye was applied and prevented it properly absorbing in a few spots or something was splashed on the wood after it was dyed that damaged the dye. Granted it could be the nature of the wood itself but I don't think so because these areas exhibit a very different "depth" than the rest of the surface as you rotate the guitar. Not completely a deal breaker IMHO but very disappointing that something like that got out the door past QC.

Somone (I'm assuming the factory) way overtightened the ring holding the toggle in place and as a result I've already got a finish check running out from the toggle. Grrrr....

In sum:

Knowing what I know today, I'd buy it again for what I paid for it. These are very solid instruments for the money but they're clearly a different flavor than the overwhelming majority of Jacksons that are out there.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

D'oh! Wrong link up above, here's the shot of it with some other Jacksons.

[fritzreiser]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

Dang, Brad; that is one of the nicest Jackson collections that I have seen!

Brad makes a very good point about the V profile neck. I had a Bent Top with the same profile that I didn't really care for. If you are going to buy one, MAKE SURE that you know about the neck profile and if it will work for you.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

Fritz - Can you think of anything that compares with that neck profile? I'm guessing they modeled it on some vintage guitar but I've yet to run across anything quite like it.

[GiantBaba]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

That is an amazing guitar, man. One of the nicest quilts I've ever seen, period.

[SLATQH]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

WOW! Thanks for the incredibly detailed reply. That is just the kind of info I was looking for. Last week I purchased a Jazz R from Kevin Easton so I hope to see the UPS man on Fri. I will keep in mind all the things you mentioned as I Open up the case and put my hands on this beauty. What color is yours? Yours really is beautiful! Is it TSB? Mine is amber Lager burst and looks a bit more orange.

[GiantBaba]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

Is that the Amber Lager Burst with P90's from the used section?? If so, you bought one of my dream guitars, you bastard. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] j/k, Hope ya like it.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

SLATQH - Congrats on the new axe, I think you'll be very happy with it. Mine's ALB as well according to the hang tag though judging by the photos of yours at KE's site, the two do look quite a bit different. I think you'll find that the quilt will have more depth than might you expect based on the photos, or at least mine varies quite a bit depending on the viewing angle. After you've spent a little time with it please post a review and let us know what you think.

[sparky]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

Good information. About the neck profile, I have a 1976 Ibanez Flying V (lawsuit model) which also has a really pronounced V shaped neck. As for the humming, did you say it had P-90's? If so, I believe P-90's are single coil pickups (P-100's are the humbucking version), but I could be wrong.

[Grandturk]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

[ QUOTE ]
Fritz - Can you think of anything that compares with that neck profile? I'm guessing they modeled it on some vintage guitar but I've yet to run across anything quite like it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not Fritz, but the famous V necks are from Fender Strats between 54 and 58-59 before switching to a C shape. Notable modern versions of it are apparent on the Clapton sig model and the various 50's reissues. My MIJ 54 reissue has a sharp V where the bottom of the V is very pronounced.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

sparky - mine has Duncan Jazz & '59 pups rather than P90s (I believe SLATQH's has P90s).

[pitboss]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

That's some of the best pics/ info I've ever seen/ read about a Swee-tone - great job. One more question - how in the hell do you get to the electronics ?

[toejam]

Re: What about the Swee Tone Jazz R?

[ QUOTE ]
That's some of the best pics/ info I've ever seen/ read about a Swee-tone - great job. One more question - how in the hell do you get to the electronics ?

[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe through the jack plate? The new Les Paul Supremes are like that, they have a bigger jack plate and you have to go through there to get to the electronics. Seems like a big pain in the ass to wire, though. I read something about the process on the Les Paul forum not too long ago.