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Hatsubai « Basswood Jackson »
Published on 06/24/11 at 14:54These guitars are meant for those looking for a totally budget guitar with similar features to the famous Jackson models that are made in the states. This model has the following specs:
Basswood body
Maple bolt-on neck with a rosewood fretboard and 24 extra jumbo frets
Reverse sharkfin inlays
Licensed Jackson floyd rose
Two humbuckers
One volume, one tone and a three way switch
UTILIZATION
This guitar had a few issues with both fretwork and the actual neck joint. For one, the neck joint had a slight gap. This can hinder tone, and it can be a real pain when the neck shifts and your high e starts falling off the fretboard. You'll want to pin the neck if something like this happens. The frets were a bit sharp, but the worst part was that there were a few low frets. This meant that they wouldn't produce any sounds when you start lowering the action. The guitar would also start fretting out with bending when it was set to lower action. If something like this happens to you, have a luthier go over the frets. A simple level and crown are usually all that's needed to fix this issue. Also, the Jackson floyd on this thing isn't good at all. If you're going to keep this guitar, I recommend replacing it with an original floyd rose as it'll improve both tone and tuning stability.
SOUNDS
The guitar didn't sound that great. I think it had Duncan Design pickups in it, but I can't be sure. The bridge itself was pretty muddy and undefined. The neck reminded me of a poorly wound Duncan '59 or something. It seemed to have that similar vibe, but it never really could achieve that great tone of the Duncan '59. The guitar itself didn't seem to resonate too well, and I personally have an issue with basswood Jacksons. I love my basswood Ibanez guitars, but a basswood Jackson seems very wrong to me.
OVERALL OPINION
I don't really recommend getting one of these guitars. They're not the best, quality wise. If you do get one, be sure to have a luthier go over it to make sure the frets are perfectly level. Also, replace the bridge with an original floyd rose, and replace the pickups with something that work nicely with basswood. DiMarzios tend to go best with basswood, in my experience.
Basswood body
Maple bolt-on neck with a rosewood fretboard and 24 extra jumbo frets
Reverse sharkfin inlays
Licensed Jackson floyd rose
Two humbuckers
One volume, one tone and a three way switch
UTILIZATION
This guitar had a few issues with both fretwork and the actual neck joint. For one, the neck joint had a slight gap. This can hinder tone, and it can be a real pain when the neck shifts and your high e starts falling off the fretboard. You'll want to pin the neck if something like this happens. The frets were a bit sharp, but the worst part was that there were a few low frets. This meant that they wouldn't produce any sounds when you start lowering the action. The guitar would also start fretting out with bending when it was set to lower action. If something like this happens to you, have a luthier go over the frets. A simple level and crown are usually all that's needed to fix this issue. Also, the Jackson floyd on this thing isn't good at all. If you're going to keep this guitar, I recommend replacing it with an original floyd rose as it'll improve both tone and tuning stability.
SOUNDS
The guitar didn't sound that great. I think it had Duncan Design pickups in it, but I can't be sure. The bridge itself was pretty muddy and undefined. The neck reminded me of a poorly wound Duncan '59 or something. It seemed to have that similar vibe, but it never really could achieve that great tone of the Duncan '59. The guitar itself didn't seem to resonate too well, and I personally have an issue with basswood Jacksons. I love my basswood Ibanez guitars, but a basswood Jackson seems very wrong to me.
OVERALL OPINION
I don't really recommend getting one of these guitars. They're not the best, quality wise. If you do get one, be sure to have a luthier go over it to make sure the frets are perfectly level. Also, replace the bridge with an original floyd rose, and replace the pickups with something that work nicely with basswood. DiMarzios tend to go best with basswood, in my experience.