Jackson Fusion

The Jackson USA versions of these are probably the best Fusion models you can get. The Professional Series are pretty solid guitars in their own rights, but it was the USA models that really utilized some of my favorite wood combos and really neat effects. This guitar has the following specs:

Alder body
Maple neck with an ebony fretboard
24 extra jumbo frets with sharkfin inlays
Original floyd rose
HSS configuration
Mid sweep knob
Volume knob
Tone knob
Five way switch


UTILIZATION

The fretwork on this is great. The guitar itself is showing some age, but the frets themselves are in great condition. There's very little fret wear, and the crowning was done properly. They're also fairly level. I was able to get low action without any issues of fretting out. The bridge on this is an original floyd rose, and they happen to be one of my favorite floyds out there on the market. They flutter great, stay in tune and seem to really last. The newer ones aren't quite as good as the old ones, but they're still fairly solid. The inlay work was great, the ebony was nice and dark, and there wasn't much of a neck joint gap like you can sometimes find on the lower end Japanese versions.

SOUNDS

This had the stock pickups in it still. These pickups have covers on them almost like EMGs, but they don't really sound like EMGs to me. The bridge pickup has a strong output, and it reminds me almost of a JB at times. It can do tons of genres, and it's very versatile. It also combines nicely with the middle pickup. Combined with the middle, you can get a great spank for clean tones and funk tones. The middle pickup is something I never use alone, but with the neck pickup, I got a sick clean tone and old school quack like on the strats. The neck could use a bit more output, but it was still good for leads and cleans. The mid sweep on this guitar allows you to really fine-tune the frequency you're looking for in your guitar. You can get that Michael Schenker tone without an issue.

OVERALL OPINION

These are awesome guitars, and if you happen to come across one, pick it up. I actually think the stock pickups in these are fairly solid, but there are other pickups out there that are better, honestly. Either way, you shouldn't be too disappointed if you happen to find one of these for a great price. Keep in mind that it's a shorter scale.