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tjon901 « Hardtail King V in Jacksons new X series »
Published on 12/06/11 at 09:03I like Jacksons new X series of guitars. They are a great mid-level line of guitars. They give the player the construction, fit and finish of USA models using slightly cheaper materials and building them overseas. Instead of alder they will use basswood and instead of ebony they will use rosewood. Throw in some cheaper pickups and you have a guitar thats 1/3 the price but feels just like a USA model. This is the KVXT model and everyone knows when there is a T in the name of a Jackson that means its a hardtail. I am not a tremolo guy so I gravitate towards the hardtails. With this guitar you get the huge King V shape. The body is made out of basswood with a maple neck through neck. Neck through construction just like a USA model. The maple neck has a rosewood fretboard with a compound radius and 24 jumbo frets. The bridge is an upgraded tonepros unit for extra sustain. The pickups are a set of passive EMG front and rear. The controls are simple with a volume and tone with a 3 way toggle.
UTILIZATION
The playability you get on this guitar for the price is crazy. This guitar is only like 500 bucks but it feels like it cost 1500. The compound radius fretboard means it plays comfortably on both ends of the neck. On the low end of the neck the radius is more round so you can play chords more comfortably and on the high end of the neck the raidus is flatter so you can slam the action down and rip some leads effortlessly. The neck through design means there is no heel to get in the way when you are playing on the upper frets. The shape also helps with upper fret access. The basswood body means this guitar is super light so it feels like it is just floating.
SOUNDS
The Passive EMG pickups are alright. I know some people who like them but most dont. For a guitar of this price they are fine. If they were to put in active EMG's it probably would have added about 150 dollars to the price. It is kind of strange because some guitars in the X series by Jackson come with active EMG's and some come with passives. You have to really look out when you are looking at the models. I dont know why some models have active EMG's and some have passive. This model has passive EMG's and they are alright. They do not clean up well but they give you a good basic metal sound. If you are running a low end amp or a pedal infront of your amp these pickups are fine for a heavy sound.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the X series overall. Before all the mid to low end Jacksons were bolt ons and they didnt really retain the real Jackson feel. These guitars are built with the same methods as the USA models and they all have a similar feel to them. If you are looking for a Jackson guitar that is affordable but still has the Jackson feel you should try and get one of these guitars. I recommend you try and find one with active pickups, Blackouts or EMG's. You have to look to see which models come with them since it seems to be random but it will be worth it in the end.
UTILIZATION
The playability you get on this guitar for the price is crazy. This guitar is only like 500 bucks but it feels like it cost 1500. The compound radius fretboard means it plays comfortably on both ends of the neck. On the low end of the neck the radius is more round so you can play chords more comfortably and on the high end of the neck the raidus is flatter so you can slam the action down and rip some leads effortlessly. The neck through design means there is no heel to get in the way when you are playing on the upper frets. The shape also helps with upper fret access. The basswood body means this guitar is super light so it feels like it is just floating.
SOUNDS
The Passive EMG pickups are alright. I know some people who like them but most dont. For a guitar of this price they are fine. If they were to put in active EMG's it probably would have added about 150 dollars to the price. It is kind of strange because some guitars in the X series by Jackson come with active EMG's and some come with passives. You have to really look out when you are looking at the models. I dont know why some models have active EMG's and some have passive. This model has passive EMG's and they are alright. They do not clean up well but they give you a good basic metal sound. If you are running a low end amp or a pedal infront of your amp these pickups are fine for a heavy sound.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the X series overall. Before all the mid to low end Jacksons were bolt ons and they didnt really retain the real Jackson feel. These guitars are built with the same methods as the USA models and they all have a similar feel to them. If you are looking for a Jackson guitar that is affordable but still has the Jackson feel you should try and get one of these guitars. I recommend you try and find one with active pickups, Blackouts or EMG's. You have to look to see which models come with them since it seems to be random but it will be worth it in the end.