My Dream 24 Fret Usa Rr Arrived To Home!!!

[kinde69]

FIRST I WANT TO THANK MATT (www.mattsmusic.com) WHO HELPED ME TO ACHIEVE MY REAL DREAM GUITAR!!! I´m sure that Matt has been working with this guitar even MORE hours than some people at Jackson factory!!! MILLION THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND PATIENCE MATT!!!

I will get my camera at the weekend so now I have to post only the pics what I got from Matt...soon you will get MORE guitarporn, don´t worry :grin:

First a little bit of history...it´s a long story so relax and wellcome to my journey :hey: At 80´s I saw Roope Latvala playing in Stone and I thought that black RR with yellow bevels are the coolest finish option in the world!!! Then I thought that it would be VERY nice to have that kind of finish with the black binding and the yellow matching logo. Don´t get me wrong...I love the blonde... ...colour in binding and logo but I thought that it would be definately something different if I will order my RR with that kind of finish. The years passed by and I didn´t order my own custom RR because I got so many other cool custom RR´s in other deals.

Today I´m the proud owner of the third ever made black RR with yellow bevels () This was made just after Roope´s guitars:
Roope´s first Jackson with 22 frets
Roope´s classic RR with 24 frets
I guess that most of you guys have seen this option first in Alexi Laiho´s guitar I thought that I really need to order my dream RR...

In the October of 2005 I FINALLY placed my own custom order to Matt. I thought that then was the time to make my dream guitar. Here is my specs:
- neck-thru RR from korina (neck and body)
- black colour with yellow bevels
- JE-1000 active electronics with push & pull volumeknob (NO miniswitch)
- J50-BC pickup
- black bindings in the neck and in the headstock
- matching yellow colour in logo, made in U.S.A. and custom shop text´s
- stoptail bridge
- Sperzel tuners (these will hold the tuning with stoptail bridge very good)
- scalloped frets (21-24, just like Steve Vai and Mr. Latvala)
- Iommi cross inlays but with thin construction => no from the bigger to the smaller like "normally"...
- oilneck
- golden hardware
- NO truss rod cover at all
- black nut made from the bone

About after 8 months Matt told me that my RR is ready!!! :excited: I was really happy!!! :victory: I got pics from Matt what he got from Jackson factory:

YES!!! So far, so good!!! :headbang: It´s looking excellent!!!
Then I opened the other picture:

:shock: :shock: :shock: WTF??? :shock: :shock: :shock: There was "a little bit mistakes"...
:disappointed:
- wrong nut (NOT white, it should be black)
- the inlays was made with the wrong way...
- what was the other knob!?! There should be only the volumeknob
- where was the last inlay???
This was a really BIG disappointment to me...I placed my first custom order and it was f***ed up...I thought that should I get it or should I ask another guitar...I didn´t want to make any compromises with my dream so I asked another guitar (eventhough that now I know that there is almost another one RR just like my dream RR....) from Jackson.

It was a really huge suprise for me that there was so many mistakes in my guitar...I thought that they didn´t want to add the 21. inlay because of scalloping...Here is some RR´s what they made with scallopings...



I thought that I really don´t want to take that kind of result to my DREAM RR!!! What´s the point to order a custom guitar if you don´t get Your custom guitar I thought at the moment...

People at Jackson told that they will build another RR and they will do it fast! They kept their words because after 5 months Matt told me that my RR was READY!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I have too much letters and pics in my thread so I will add another post...the story continues...)

[kinde69]

You can imagine what kind of feeling I had when I saw the first time pics from 24RR´s!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

NOW my RR with yellow logo and black binding wasn´t so unique anymore... :disappointed: On the other hand I felt disappointed that now my custom RR doesn´t look so unique as I wanted....BUT on the other hand I feel that my RR is a prototype to this 24RR black with yellow bevels They liked "my" () idea so much at Jackson that they copied my specs Yeah, I know that this is too much for you guys and maybe only my own daydream but at least I will think with this way :P

After some waiting I had a great news from Matt!!! My RR arrived to Matt!!! :excited: Here is the pics:
YES!!!! EVERYTHING IS EXCELLENT SO FAR!!!

AAARGH!!! They sent that first version to Matt!!! With the closer look I founded more "mistakes" in this guitar:

There was a miniswitch and NO scalloping at ALL :disappointed: I guess that they didn´t put the last inlay because this guitar was supposed to have those scalloping...but it never ended to that guy who make those scallopings...

DON´T GET MY MESSAGE WRONG!!! I´m sure that this first made RR is REALLY AWESOME GUITAR!!! I´m sure that someone will be VERY HAPPY WITH THIS AXE!!! It´s just NOT MY dream and when you are ordering your dream guitar you want it all or nothing...at least this is my approach to this thing...maybe I´m just a d**k???

Matt told that my REAL dream RR is on the way too and it should be arrive pretty soon...Then I got pics from Matt:

Phew...so far, so good....why I felt a deja-vu feeling??? :grin: ....then I opened the other picture and I holded my breath....

YES!!! IT WAS PER.......wait......WRONG NUT??? :disappointed: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!!!!!!!!!! What else is wrong with this RR??? With the closer look it looked otherwise perfect...everything but the nut is correct...well, how about the pickup and the electronics because I knew that JE-1000 + J50-BC was sold out...I got a picture from Matt


YES!!! :excited: Only the nut is wrong but everything else is RIGHT!!! I asked from Matt what we shall do and he was REALLY FAIR with me!!! Matt told that he will change the nut to black for free!!! He did it with the professional luthier and here is the picture from the result:


:love: GREAT!!! :love: And here is the whole truth from my dream:



:love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love:
MY DREAM WAS FINALLY ACHIEVED!!!! NOW THAT RR WAS JUST PERFECT!!!

I confirmed to Matt that it´s ok and after one hour this RR was on it´s way to Finland!!!??? REALLY FAST SHIPPING MATT!!!

Today is THE DAY :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: I got my DREAM RR FINALLY TO HOME!!! I played hour after another with it!!! IT IS JUST PERFECT!!!! :headbang: :love: :headbang: Because of Sperzel tuners and the stoptail bridge the bending is tough but I get used to it pretty fast. The weight is REALLY light, it feels that there is nothing on your shoulder when you play this one. The sound is REALLY HEAVY!!! The sustain is just awesome!!! The playablility is excellent, the neck profile is a standard Rhoads. I have to get used to those scalloping because this is my first guitar with the scalloping. I will go soon play again and I will post more comments later

LESSONS LEARNED FROM ALL OF THIS:

1. Jackson make as good quality guitars nowadays as they did in the 80´s and 90´s. I have RR´s from all decade so I could compare them.

2. The skills to make these guitars is REALLY PERFECT in Jackson factory but they will need development with their projectmanagement!!! There must be a lack of communication in the factory because my custom guitar had so many "mistakes" in the first version...

3. HOW TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY??? Before people at Jackson factory will do something they could send some pics to the dealer who could deliver them to customers (to us). We could confirm that yes, they are doing the right way on the next step and the people at the factory will start their working after this...YES, I KNOW that this will delay their work and our orders and someone don´t like this idea at all...this is just my suggestion so keep on reading.... In the same time we will get awesome pics from our custom order guitars how they are made in step by step. With this way Jackson DON´T make mistakes which means that there are no loss in their profitability (at least not so much as today)!!! The economical results will be better and people at the factory don´t be frustrated because they don´t have to make again the same guitar...don´t forget the dealers in between!!! The pressure what they will face today is maybe too much! If Jackson will continue to act with this way they will have more unhappy customers who are complaining to dealers (because I don´t have a direct communication to factory)...the dealers will get also complaining from the factory because they will probably blame on dealers that they didn´t communicate clear enough what their customers needs...this will probably lead to that the dealers are not willing to deliver orders to Jackson which will mean in the worst horror scenario that we can´t order our dream guitars anymore...

Will I order another custom Jackson in the future??? DEFINATELY!!! Should I recommend to order custom guitar from Jackson??? DEFINATELY!!! Just prepare to face some difficulties and remember that they are just human beings who work in the Jackson factory!!! I believe that we forget this point of view because they have done so much excellent work!!!

Sorry about my mistakes in writing...I´m really tired (BUT HAPPY) at the moment because of my work...

Tommi

[hippietim]

Congrats! That looks very nice.

[Sinistas]

Sucks that Jackson screwed the pooch TWICE on your order, but I'm happy it turned out the way you wanted (with Matt's help). Congrats!

[toejam]

Because of Sperzel tuners and the stoptail bridge the bending is tough but I get used to it pretty fast.

You can always raise the stoptail a little for less tension and easier bending on the strings.

Congratulations on a such a beautiful guitar!!

[neilli]

Great stuff Tommi - glad to see it was worth the wait!

[kinde69]

You can always raise the stoptail a little for less tension and easier bending on the strings.

Congratulations on a such a beautiful guitar!!

Thanks for the advice!

[Nazgul]

Cool guitar Tommi! I like it!

[toejam]

Thanks for the advice!

You're welcome.
A lot of people on the Les Paul forum feel that keeping the stoptail down on the body is better for the sustain, so they'll even top wrap the strings over the stoptail for the same string tension effect and not have to raise it... like Zakk Wylde does.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...8/PA040137.jpg

[Special-K]

Really great guitar CONGRATS!!!!

[kinde69]

Thanks Guys!!!

[jwoods986]

Congrats, that looks cool!

[daisp]

Well it certainly kicks ass...too bad about the mixups...seems to be the norm these days.

[shadowcat]

Phew, what a read... CONGRATS!!!

[jcm800x]

Funny story but thankfully a happy ending! Congrats on owning your dream guitar!