New to the forum, lots of questions (did the search)

[LEOKV2]

Hello everyone!

Finally I have found the "holy grail" of all Jackson... yay!

Now, let me introduce myself.

I'm a proud owner of a Jackson USA Select King V KV-2 in black with white bevels with EMG 81's (installed even before she left the store, that same day I bought it). I am from Peru, south america and I play in a death metal band, which you can hear through this link... www.audiostreet.net/catenas

Anyway, I travelled to Seattle, WA last year SPECIALLY to buy this guitar.

So, I'm returning to the states next year in December (2007) to buy my ultimate dream... my custom made KING V. My current guitar will be my "live" guitar and the custom made one will be kept at home for recording, adoring, worshipping, etc etc, if you know what I mean...

Before I fire away the questions, let me give you the basic layout of what the custom made KV-2 will be like, more or less...

You need to know, my intention is to make it look like if it was a stock KV-2, except when you look at it, it will have EMG's and a 3 way toggle instead of the 3 way blade switch and, the snakeskin finish. And it will be made out of mahogany, etc.

Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany (3 piece, no scarf joint)
Pickups: EMG 81's
Tuners, straplocks: Schaller
Tremolo: Floyd Original
Controls: 2 volumes, one tone and a 3 way toggle
Fretboard: Ebony, 24 frets (stainless steel), sharkfin inlays
Finish: Snakeskin graphic

Now, here are a number of questions and I hope I can get specific answers since that will be of MUCH help.

1) Regarding the finish:

a)How is the snakeskin graphic done? My guess, a layer of black paint, then airbrushing the graphic and finally the clear coat?

b)What is the regular material used for finishing USA Jacksons? Polyurethane? Nitrocellulose? Polyester?

c)Are the graphic finished Jacksons any different in terms of resistance to wear, gloss, shine, etc comapred to regular USA Select SOLID finishes?

2) Regarding the frets:

a)Reading this forum, I learned that KV-2's have medium-small frets and not Jumbo frets. What's the difference and whats the purpose of having smaller frets?

b)If I'm a rhythm guitarrist, what option should I go for, jumbo or small?

3) Regarding the neck:

a) I see there are 2 options besides the "regular" neck; 3 piece no scarf joint and multilaminate... what's the difference between them?

b)Which is best for more sustain?

c) Do regular USA Selects come with WHITE or IVOROID bindings?

4) Regarding the pickups:

Should I go with a single 9 volt cavity (1 battery for both pups) or an 18 volt cavity (a battery for each pup) ?

5) Regarding the hardware:

What's the difference between Dunlop straplocks and Schaller straplocks (function, look, reliabilty, better quality) ?

6) Regarding the wood:

a)How is alder compared to mahogany (besides weight)?

b)Should I get a maple top (even if it would not be a transparent finish) to get a brighter sound or a better, more balanced tone?

7) Regarding the cosmetics:

I was thinking on telling the guys at Jackson not to include the "custom shop" decal on the headstock... to me it doesn't look so cool, but this question is just for curiosity, do you guys who own custom made Jacksons prefer to have it and why?

8) Regarding the hardshell case:

I was thinking about getting the G&G case option the custom shop quote form has... is it any better than the standard SKB case I have with my current KV-2?

9) Regarding delivery time:

I think I will be ordering my guitar through Ed Roman Guitars in Las Vegas. Do you guys know first hand, how much time does it "usually" take for the guitar to be delivered and all?

10) Regarding care and cleaning:

I currently use the complete Dunlop cleaning kit (the Formula 65, the Carnauba wax, fretboard conditioner, etc) with ok results. BUT, I bought the other day the Fender kit by Meguiar's because I saw it came with a "swirl and haze remover" caused by pick marks, etc. Well, it didn't work, and the polish sucked.

So, what high end, quality kit do you guys use and reccomend?

11) Regarding the price:

Before they took the price quote result in the Jackson website, I remeber it said something like $4500. Question is, is that the final price or is it a "list price" meaning it will cost like $3800 or something (like for example USA Selects say $2600 list price but they cost $1999)?

Ok, I guess that's all, I really need those doubts cleared before I fully make my mind and order the Jackie. I'm sure some more questions will pop out and I hope that you guys, with your experience will help me out, I'm really glad I came accross this forum and that I can, hopefully, get some answers, share pics, and opinions.

I will post pics of my Jackson as soon as I can!

Oh, small pic request... (if possible)... please please please... I wanna see a snakeskin King V!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks guys!!!

Leo... proud KV-2 owner, best guitar in the world...

[RacerX]

Damn, Leo, talk about shot out of a cannon! :ROTF:

Whoa, boy!

1st off, ¡Bienvenidos!

You said you used the search engine already? And you couldn't find answers to any of these? Granted, they are very detailed, so good for you

9) Regarding delivery time:

I think I will be ordering my guitar through Ed Roman Guitars in Las Vegas. Do you guys know first hand, how much time does it "usually" take for the guitar to be delivered and all?

Do me a favor, put "Ed Roman" in the search and report back to me :ROTF:




Maybe you should contact a dealer here (hope I don't need to tell you where the link is) and get them to answer all these Qs for ya.

¡Buena suerte!

[Newc]

Yeah, Ed Roman is a liar and a cheat and he builds his own knockoff fakes of real guitars.
Avoid him.

As for the graphic, I seem to recall seeing a snakeskin finish done many years ago where they used some sort of mesh that has the pattern on it, then go over that with an opposing pattern. I don't recall if it's done over black or white then the black is a 3rd mesh template.

Anyway, mahogany will have a more bassy tone than alder, but not too muddy. The maple top will mostly affect the acoustic sound. Pickups don't care what the top is made of, only what the bridge is mounted to.

A multilaminate neck has 5 pieces of 2 different woods. It's basically plywood, but made with real wood instead of pressed wood chips. It looks good, but has no effect on the sound or sustain.

If you are going to play mostly rhythm, and are using a larger string gage than 10s, get the medium jumbo frets so they don't wear down as fast. Tall skinny frets will lose their shape under heavy strings more quickly.

3-piece no scarf joint is not a good idea. The scarf joint provides extra stability for the headstock against the tension of the strings.

I would not do a battery box. It's easy enough to fit 2 batteries in the control route and you shouldn't have to change them often enough for it to be a bother.

I wanted the Custom Shop logo on mine (even though it's a custom body shape). I figure if I'm paying for a Custom, and there's no charge to put it on or leave it off, put it on.

Basically what you want is a mahogany Snakeskin KV-2 with EMGs and a 3-way toggle instead of blade switch, so you could save a ton of money by getting a KV2T instead, or just get a regular KV2 and put EMGs in it yourself, and live with the blade switch. I personally would not pay the Custom Shop price unless it had more changes than that - a custom graphic or figured top, special inlays, or a custom body shape, but the other stuff is easy to live with and change yourself in my opinion, especially for the money it will cost.

[Grandturk]

1) Regarding the finish:

a)How is the snakeskin graphic done? My guess, a layer of black paint, then airbrushing the graphic and finally the clear coat?

I was watching them paint choppers on Discovery and one guy talked about doing snakeskin patterns - he demonstrated using fishnet stockings as a mask, stretched over a black based the gas tank. Then he painted in the "scales." I don't know if they use the same technique on guitars, but I imagine something similar.

c)Are the graphic finished Jacksons any different in terms of resistance to wear, gloss, shine, etc comapred to regular USA Select SOLID finishes?

Not that I've noticed - my graphic Jackson is getting scratched the same as any other.

2) Regarding the frets:

a)Reading this forum, I learned that KV-2's have medium-small frets and not Jumbo frets. What's the difference and whats the purpose of having smaller frets?

b)If I'm a rhythm guitarrist, what option should I go for, jumbo or small?

I think it comes down to personal preference. Play a bunch of guitars and see what you like more in terms of fret size. I like big fat frets so I'd always go for jumbos.

3) Regarding the neck:

a) I see there are 2 options besides the "regular" neck; 3 piece no scarf joint and multilaminate... what's the difference between them?

A three piece neck is made of three pieces of wood glued together, traditionally with opposing grain patterns so the neck will resist warping. Gibson and Hamer did this a lot in the 70's. A multi-lam is more than three pieces, and typically uses different woods, so they would mix, say maple and mahagony to make the neck looked striped. You see this on a lot of jazz guitars, high end basses and some custom jackson - some of the Pablo Santana's have it. Very cool.

c) Do regular USA Selects come with WHITE or IVOROID bindings?

Ivoroid

4) Regarding the pickups:

Should I go with a single 9 volt cavity (1 battery for both pups) or an 18 volt cavity (a battery for each pup) ?

5) Regarding the hardware:

What's the difference between Dunlop straplocks and Schaller straplocks (function, look, reliabilty, better quality) ?

4 - for EMG's, I always go 18V - this is two 9V in series, not one for each pickup. More power, more headroom.

5 - I prefer Schaller locks - been using them for 16 years - only had one fail on me, and not disastrously.

8) Regarding the hardshell case:

I was thinking about getting the G&G case option the custom shop quote form has... is it any better than the standard SKB case I have with my current KV-2?

9) Regarding delivery time:

I think I will be ordering my guitar through Ed Roman Guitars in Las Vegas. Do you guys know first hand, how much time does it "usually" take for the guitar to be delivered and all?

8 - G&G cases are just nicers - SKB is all formed plastic.

9 - NOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!!! Take Racer-X's advise and do your homework on this guy before you buy.

10) Regarding care and cleaning:

I currently use the complete Dunlop cleaning kit (the Formula 65, the Carnauba wax, fretboard conditioner, etc) with ok results. BUT, I bought the other day the Fender kit by Meguiar's because I saw it came with a "swirl and haze remover" caused by pick marks, etc. Well, it didn't work, and the polish sucked.

So, what high end, quality kit do you guys use and reccomend?

Care and cleaning? Never heard of it.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[StukaJU87]

I am dizzy from all of this.:ROTF:

[LEOKV2]

Wow, thank you guys!!!!!

I knew this was gonna be awesome.

So, basically, what I learned from all this is:

-(I'm a bit confused on this one)... 3 piece no scarf is a BAD or GOOD idea? And, multilaminate is better? worse? (The neck will be painted, by the way).

-18 volt series configuration... you can ask this when you order the custom made guitar I guess right (as well as not putting the custom shop logo)?

-Maple top... so, what exactly will happen to my tone? Will it sound better than plain mahogany? will it sound more uniform, balanced? I didn't get the "acoustic" thing...


-I thought of the KV2T, but I hate the headstock, block inlays and the fact it doesn't have a Floyd Rose. Second, I did that to my current KV2, meaning, EMG's, but, thing is, it's ok, but I don't like the blade switch, too uncomfy for me, and I think mahogany will resonate and sound punchier.

-Ed Roman. Wow, I will do a search right now, sounds like the's not good at all. I remember calling his store last year and some salesman telling me about modding the KV2T to fit a Floyd Rose, or making a custom shop Roman guitar that will look like a Jackson, for a lesser price, but I didn't knew he actually cheated or forged.

DEALERS:

Okay, getting Roman out of the way, here is my situation:

I will be living in UTAH since December to the first days of April. What is the BEST possible dealer (honest, fast and guaranteed) that I can find AROUND the area? I know there are NO Custom Shop dealers in UTAH, so I would have to travel to California, Texas, Colorado, whatever is nearby and has a Dealer. Any reccomendation from past experience?

Finally, any input on delivery time (by personal experience) over a Custom Jackson not as "special", kinda like mine?

Thanks...!

[thetruthguy]

Leo ... you could've had 100 posts by now if you would have just broken up your first one into smaller posts! Welcome, BTW.

Oh, and where's the mandatory pics of your KV2?

[nateb]

I will be living in UTAH since December to the first days of April. What is the BEST possible dealer (honest, fast and guaranteed) that I can find AROUND the area? I know there are NO Custom Shop dealers in UTAH, so I would have to travel to California, Texas, Colorado, whatever is nearby and has a Dealer. Any reccomendation from past experience?

Goto the dealers section of the board. They treat us right.

-Nate

[Bengal65]

I'll answer 1 b) since my head is still spinning from all the questions. Jackson uses a Polyester basecoat and Polyurethane topcoats. They use products formulated by PPG for them and also Fender or FMIC. They are very tough and more resistant to scratching than Nitro finishes. For oiled necks they use Birchwood-Casey Tru-oil.

Stay away from Ed Roman!

[Bengal65]

I'll add here that the dealers on this board can ship the guitar to you in Utah or anywhere you are at the time the guitar is ready for you.

[dg]

You don't need to see the dealer face-to-face to order a custom. There tends to be quite a bit of back and forth communication needed between all 3 parties to finalize an order. It just doesn't happen in one face-to-face visit. The guitar is going to be shipped no matter who you buy from, plus you can get the benefit of no state sales tax if you order from an out-of-state dealer. If I were you, I'd start the process right now via email or with a phone call to one of the dealers here. I've dealt with Matt (Matt's Music) and had a great experience, like dozens of other guys here.

[shreddermon]

A multilaminate neck has 5 pieces of 2 different woods. It's basically plywood, but made with real wood instead of pressed wood chips. It looks good, but has no effect on the sound or sustain.

If you are going to play mostly rhythm, and are using a larger string gage than 10s, get the medium jumbo frets so they don't wear down as fast. Tall skinny frets will lose their shape under heavy strings more quickly.

3-piece no scarf joint is not a good idea. The scarf joint provides extra stability for the headstock against the tension of the strings.

Oh brother.

A five piece multi-laminate is not a piece of plywood. It is just about the strongest and most stable neck construction you can get. And a 3 piece with no scarf joint is basically as strong as a 5 piece.

To make a long story short, a 3 piece neck is superior because one piece will have the grain running opposite to the other two. So the wood's natural warping tendencies will effectively try to cancel each other out. In addition, as stange as it sounds, a "glued-together" neck-through like this will actually be stronger and more stable throughout the whole neck vs. a single piece of wood.

(I believe what Newc is incorrectly confusing a 3 piece neck with is one with a single piece of wood neck and no scarf joint. Those are less stable than one with a scarf joint, as the glued-together scarf joint adds strength and stability to the tilt-back pointy headstock design. But a 3 piece / no scarf neck is superior to both one-piece designs with and without a scarf joint.)

A 5 (or even 7 ) piece neck would be marginally stronger than a 3 piece but, for the most part, these are done for looks. i.e., 2 or 3 pieces of the neck are made of some other (usually more exotic) piece of wood, and look hella cool contrasting the other pieces. Think maple-koa-maple-koa-maple, for example. It's badass.

[LEOKV2]

Cool!

So basically, if I will paint my neck, like snakeskin or whatever, then the multilaminate isn't that important, and the 3 piece will be alright? Or is it BETTER anyway to have a multi?

[Bengal65]

The 3 piece would be excellent, painted, no problems

[Elfastball7]

Nice of you to search before posting, I wish I did that.

And Welcome