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Published on 07/24/11 at 20:45Jackson has been in a bit of a slump the past few years after Fender bought them out, but the newer experimental models they're releasing are pretty cool. This guitar has the following specs:
Alder body with flamed maple veneer
Bolt-on maple neck
Binding
12"-16" Compound radius
24 jumbo frets
Black sharkfin position inlays
Two humbuckers
3 way switch
Master volume, master tone
Jackson licensed floyd rose
UTILIZATION
The guitar is put together fairly decently. I noticed that the edges of the frets aren't quite as beveled as the upper models tend to be, and that's fairly common on these kinds of models. The binding is done nicely, and I didn't notice any issues regarding that. However, the biggest issue I have with this guitar is that the floyd rose that they put on this is pure trash. It's one of those really cheap pot metal ones. Over time, it won't hold like the real deal will, so I recommend replacing it with an original if you're going to keep this guitar. The Gotoh is a nice alternative as well. You'll not only get a stability benefit, but you'll also get a nice tonal benefit as I honestly feel the original floyds sound better than some of these cheaper licensed ones.
SOUNDS
The guitar has real Seymour Duncan pickups installed in it, and it really helps make it stand out compared to some of the other lower models in the Jackson line up. The JB in the bridge is a very love or hate pickup, but it's been the staple of high output pickups for the past 30+ years. It has a bitey treble and somewhat loose low end, but it lends itself to being a great "jack of all trades" pickup. It can do everything from blues to death metal. The Jazz in the neck is pretty interesting, but I find that it can be a bit bright and "clean" sounding for leads. It works nice for cleans, but under gain, it's somewhat synthetic sounding. I find that these work best in guitars like Gibsons or something with a big slab of mahogany to help support the treble spectrum that the Jazz has.
OVERALL OPINION
I recommend getting one of these, but if you do get it, replace the floyd with something that's better. Either the original or the Gotoh should fit right in without a problem, but you might want to confirm that on discussion forms before just buying and trying to install it. I also recommend buying used as you'll get a much better deal.
Alder body with flamed maple veneer
Bolt-on maple neck
Binding
12"-16" Compound radius
24 jumbo frets
Black sharkfin position inlays
Two humbuckers
3 way switch
Master volume, master tone
Jackson licensed floyd rose
UTILIZATION
The guitar is put together fairly decently. I noticed that the edges of the frets aren't quite as beveled as the upper models tend to be, and that's fairly common on these kinds of models. The binding is done nicely, and I didn't notice any issues regarding that. However, the biggest issue I have with this guitar is that the floyd rose that they put on this is pure trash. It's one of those really cheap pot metal ones. Over time, it won't hold like the real deal will, so I recommend replacing it with an original if you're going to keep this guitar. The Gotoh is a nice alternative as well. You'll not only get a stability benefit, but you'll also get a nice tonal benefit as I honestly feel the original floyds sound better than some of these cheaper licensed ones.
SOUNDS
The guitar has real Seymour Duncan pickups installed in it, and it really helps make it stand out compared to some of the other lower models in the Jackson line up. The JB in the bridge is a very love or hate pickup, but it's been the staple of high output pickups for the past 30+ years. It has a bitey treble and somewhat loose low end, but it lends itself to being a great "jack of all trades" pickup. It can do everything from blues to death metal. The Jazz in the neck is pretty interesting, but I find that it can be a bit bright and "clean" sounding for leads. It works nice for cleans, but under gain, it's somewhat synthetic sounding. I find that these work best in guitars like Gibsons or something with a big slab of mahogany to help support the treble spectrum that the Jazz has.
OVERALL OPINION
I recommend getting one of these, but if you do get it, replace the floyd with something that's better. Either the original or the Gotoh should fit right in without a problem, but you might want to confirm that on discussion forms before just buying and trying to install it. I also recommend buying used as you'll get a much better deal.