Quality of build

[Cootermanjaro]

Obviously there is a down side to ordering a custom ... you get what you get whether you like it or not, I'm talking sound and playability, i.e. action, sustain, tone. The obvious up side to picking a guitar off the wall is you get to play it before you buy it, although it may not have the exact graphics, exotic wood, electronics you may be looking for ... So my question is, in my quest to having the best of all worlds (playability, tone, appearance/electronics) what are the odds I'm possibly sacrificing the things that are most important to me (action, sustain, tone) by ordering a custom Jackson? or should I be rest assured that their quality of build is so high on their custom jobs I shouldn't be too worried? And when I say quality of build, I mean the man made construction that contributes to the things I mentioned, and quality of materials; obviously type of wood, bridge, pick-ups also contribute to this, and there is no doubt you can get a dead, lifeless guitar with the best construction. I assume most of you with customs aren't collecters but players; mine will be played, so if some of you don't mind chiming in, have your customs been disappointing in the way of playability? How about tone? Thanks.

Don't bust my chops,
Cooter

[charvel750]

In terms of quality and structure you will get the finest made guitar possible. That is virtually true of any USA Custom shop. Carvin will do true customs and they are probably the most inexpensive but their quality is ultra high. Now, you may get a guitar that "sounds" different from what you'd expect, this is all subjective and there's no way to build a great guitar and guarantee that everyone who plays it will be overwhelmed by the tone qualities. But in terms of playability (action, set up, etc.) you will have the best.

There are a few guys here who are true collectors and could care less about tonal quality. But most are players (and then there's the players/collectors) and they would be concerned with tonality.

Despite this, there have been times when Jackson has made certain Custom Shop runs where the basics were challenged. I won't get into the details, but the original JCF Series had some that came out less than desireable. However, you could return your Custom and ask for correction, that option is always there.

I myself have purchased only 2 Custom Shop Jacksons, and haven't been disappointed by either in all regards. Well, except that the Jackson 24 fret neck through Explorer has IMPOSSIBLE upper fret access past around the 21st fret!!! That's what I sacrificed for the body style!

[Drsracing]

remember there's always an upcharge?

[Zerberus]

All of my Customs so far have been outstanding in every regard.

.... Carvin will do true customs and they are probably the most inexpensive but their quality is ultra high. ...

*offtopic*

I don´t consider Carvin a "Custom Shop" in any sense of the word. You get predefined choices from which to choose a customIZED version of one of their designs, but you are totally SOL if you want ANYTHING they don´t already offer. There´s nothing custom about that IMO. "CUstom" denotes something that can be done specifically to order, speced 100% by the customer. Carvin may leave that Impression, but again as soon as you want something even minutely different such as a Kahler, or other pickups, or a different neck profile, they will balk.

Referring to Carvin as a "Custom Shop" is nothing but an insult to all of the people and companies worldwide that actually DO custom work. It´s like saying a stock Triumph is a "Custom bike" because it was painted black. THen look at the stuff 357 does and tell me who really makes "custom" bikes. Exact same thing, different industry

*return to regularly scheduled programming*

[Carbophos]

It´s like saying a stock Triumph is a "Custom bike" because it was painted black. THen look at the stuff 357 does and tell me who really makes "custom" bikes. Exact same thing, different industry

well... If you order Jackson CS exactly the same US Select one but with say just different solid color shade and reversed headstock, you will have to pay extra half of the price US Select. Carvin approach gives an opportunity to get all those minor but desirable for someone adjustments without paying too much.

[shredmonster]

I have a Custom. Like Charvel750 said - you will get the finest guitar possible.

But you have to spell out every detail. There is where you could have issues.

Everything - specify where you want the tone knobs, if you want a string tree, nut width - every thing.

[surfreak]

In my opinion none of the replies so far are to the point.

Yes, when you order a CS guitar you can get a tone turd. Best construction and materials don't automatically assure 100% success in terms of tone and playability.
Just like regular production, not-super-high-end guitars are not automatically lemons.

I've had a very expensive CS guitar, which looked great and was impeccably built, which had several structural dead spots and simply didn't have any soul, tone-wise.
I've also had, actually I still own, a factory guitar, made overseas, which looks boring and cheap, yet it plays and sounds fantastic, and it's a keeper.

Bottom line, if what you're looking for is tone and playability, then play first the guitar you will choose, possibly through your own rig, there is no other option.

[xenophobe]

If you know exactly what you want, then order it exactly. Of course there is the possibility that it won't come out exactly the way that you want, but it should come pretty damned close. Pay close attention to what you want your neck to be, and take measurements. The custom shop nailed the spec that I wanted, and that alone makes the guitar 1000% enjoyable... all the other features I ordered were secondary to the neck specs, which I had to detail with exact notes and measurements, as well as general shape.

I've never played a USA select that I've liked as much as any of the custom shop Jacksons I've owned, because the neck profile isn't standard.

Anyways, if you are fine with a standard Jackson profile neck, then a USA select may just be what you need. If there are some other things that you absolutely want or need (like me, one hum, non-recessed), then definitely don't be afraid to order a CS. After owning 20+ USA Jacksons, the CS guitars were almost always the best in feel, finish and neck shape. You DO get a better guitar if they build it one-off.

[neilli]

I agree: The CS guitars I own are 'better' instruments than the production guitars. In the instances of these instruments, the guitars all sound great, feel great and the build quality is absolutely top-notch. Only one of these was actually ordered by me, but they nailed everything I'd spec'd - with one unfortunate 'addition' to what I'd requested.

I have heard of a couple of issues relating to quality (less than inspiring tops, lacquer cracks / lifting) but these are relatively few and far between. However, I have experienced and also heard quite a lot of comment about guitars made which have deviated from what has been spec'd, though I've been reassured that processes have been put in place to catch these before completion. In each case, Jackson have offered to make it right buy building another guitar, but obviously this would mean an extended wait, so it's not all roses.

[Carbophos]

The reason why I ordeded CS is basically the tonewood combination - maple neck-thru with mahogany body and 3mm maple top which is not available on USA Select. All other details were just fine tuning to my tastes and a bit of experiment.

As for quality, I'd say that CS shows a bit more attention to details. In general level was just the same as regular production.

So, if in case of Fender ordering a CS version of production model will give serious improvement in tone equal to the price difference, ordering Jackson CS must have real need in custom options (wood,pups, hardware, finish, whatever) behind it.

[Cootermanjaro]

Thanks for the responses. I'm glad to hear all the good stories because at this point, after pondering all the options and getting the list to my dealer, anything else I could get as a production model would be a compromise. The wait is going to be the worst part. I guess, pay the deposit and forget about it.
Coot

[hippietim]

All of my Customs so far have been outstanding in every regard.



*offtopic*

I don´t consider Carvin a "Custom Shop" in any sense of the word. You get predefined choices from which to choose a customIZED version of one of their designs, but you are totally SOL if you want ANYTHING they don´t already offer. There´s nothing custom about that IMO. "CUstom" denotes something that can be done specifically to order, speced 100% by the customer. Carvin may leave that Impression, but again as soon as you want something even minutely different such as a Kahler, or other pickups, or a different neck profile, they will balk.

Referring to Carvin as a "Custom Shop" is nothing but an insult to all of the people and companies worldwide that actually DO custom work. It´s like saying a stock Triumph is a "Custom bike" because it was painted black. THen look at the stuff 357 does and tell me who really makes "custom" bikes. Exact same thing, different industry

*return to regularly scheduled programming*

Sorry, I've got to disagree with you. Have you actually contacted Carvin yourself for a custom instrument? They will do considerably more than is available on their web site once you actually talk with them. They have a bunch of limitations of course. They don't do custom body shapes or crazy inlays or whatever. Jackson/Charvel has plenty of limitations too.

However, Carvin offers the sorts of customizations that most customers want anyhow. They provide an enormous number of options on their guitars from finishes to bridges to electronics to woods. And they do it for a far more reasonable price than Jackson/Charvel. And they deliver much, much, much, much quicker. Their instruments are extremely well made - you can not like them for whatever reason but the quality is all there. My Carvin Holdsworth is every bit as good as any Jackson I have in terms of build quality and fit and finish (actually my Carvin came in much better shape than a couple of my Jacksons).

We hear over and over how every USA Jackson/Charvel is basically a custom shop guitar because they're made by the same people. Yet if I want to have a pickup added/eliminated or something else pretty reasonable that requires just a little thought process you can't have that without going the "full blown" route.

People are always asking if they can get some seemingly simple options on standard models and are always told they need to order a custom shop guitar. So most people just settle for a standard model in the end because a custom shop Jackson costs a lot of fucking money.

So most people can't get a Jackson guitar that is customized for them. But most people can get a Carvin guitar that is customized exactly how they want it.

And besides Ed Roman and ESP, who will build you anything you want? Gibson won't. Jackson won't. Fender won't. Hamer won't. Suhr won't. Anderson won't. etc.

[hippietim]

As for the original question about questioning the quality of the instrument, it's a tough call.

Jackson/Charvel sure have made a lot of great guitars of fantastic quality over the years (including plenty of current guitars). They look great, play great, and sound great.

At the same time an alarming number of folks have received guitars with poor workmanship, poor fit and finish, poor paint jobs, wrong cases, etc.

I know I've had conversations with a number long standing strong Jackson/Charvel supporters that are very nervous about the quality they will get on the custom shop guitars they have on order.

I suggest you browse through the forum here and do some research. It's a lot of money and will take a long time so it's worth taking the time and getting educated on things here.

[pro-fusion]

The playability is almost certain to be there from a CS guitar. Tone is a tougher matter to address, however, since you're talking about a number of different pieces of wood interacting together. I imagine the CS has guys who are expert at picking out just the right pieces of wood from the lumber pile, but that's an art not a science, so I'm sure it's possible to end up with a guitar that's not a tone monster for your $3500 or so. Probably not all that likely, though.

[xenophobe]

And besides Ed Roman and ESP, who will build you anything you want? Gibson won't. Jackson won't. Fender won't. Hamer won't. Suhr won't. Anderson won't. etc.

Jackson will. Unless you're talking about body shapes they're not allowed or can't do.