crackheads dem, own a '91 grover dinky, wonderful instrument. no problems in the finish like this or any factory issues, just some wear with years of use. Was looking into getting some v-shaped guitars from jackson, thanks fuck seen this video. Will go for older used versions or pther guitar brands, cheers for the video Jed🤙
There's no way I could justify buying a new guitar these days. The prices are insanely high and keep climbing, but quality control is declining. I really wanted the Brandon Ellis Kelly, but I'm not gambling with Jackson's shitty quality control then you have the hassle of sending it back and hoping they exchange it for a good one. The whole process in theory could take months.
I hear ya, I wanted one too, the green crackle Kelly looks sick. There's already been complaints of the paint coming off, and other quality issues. For $1500 dollars that guitar should come with a hardshell and top notch electronics/ quality pots and switches, but the truth is they do not.
The Soloist that I bought back in 1990 when I was 14 is still one of my best guitars. I have other Jackson's from the last 10 years or so (all USA) top notch shit but I still favor my old one from 32 years ago.
Dude....I’ve been playing Jacksons for 30 years, own several USA models and a custom shop Kelly and I LOVE them but......$3600 for a Rhodes MJ series? Are you Fukin crazy!! You’re spot on man.....Disgusting what Jackson has become!
I started playing as a teenager in the mid-80's, during peak Hair Metal/Thrash/Shredder days. Owning a Jackson was a dream and a goal. It was the guitar every player wanted. Today it's just sort of a "me too" company. Fender did a great job revitalizing the Charvel brand but they seem content with letting Jackson wallow in the past and sit in the middle of the heard.
The problem with guitar companies is they want made in USA prices for copies made in China. Lower quality control and lower quality materials. A name on the headstock doesnt mean much anymore.
Love Jackson. I found A Jackson Dinky with Seymour duncans and a floyd trem for $100 at a pawnshop 4 years ago. Then found an 80s charvel/jackson case at another pawn later for $20. Still one of my favorite finds all these years later. It is a shame what is happening to the guitar industry with rising prices and lack of quality.
Jackson went even more insane than gibson. Charging gibson prices for Chinese garbage, and ive seen their custom shop quality leaves a lot to be desired. And for those prices, there's zero excuse for ANY flaws or workmanship issues. Im sticking with Ibanez. Have been since the late 80s
Thank you for this informative video, I was ready set to buy a Soloist SL3 but with what you're saying I'm definitely on the fence on what to buy. The black guitar you pulled out at 9:08 was what brand and model? I couldn't make out what you said. Great video, thank you.
Super genuine video dude. Not just bashing Jackson, you obviously love them along with probably everyone watching, but you pointed out some really critical issues. As of now, I don’t think I’ll ever buy a new Jackson. After a knock off strat, a js30 rr was my first “real” guitar when I was 12. Haven’t gotten another Jackson until I’ve acquired 3 off the used market in the last year. My kvxmg is okay, just that. Got a killer deal on an older rrx24 7 t. For the price I paid, can’t complain but it’s just solid enough. The one I’m most proud of is a parts guitar I made. Js30 warrior gloss black body paired with a mij dxmg neck along with all new hardware, pickups, etc. But that took a lot of time, and a lot of money. It plays great, the best neck out of my Jackson’s for sure, but is that what is takes to get a really badass Jackson these days? I guess so.
I’ve owned a couple of Jacksons over the years, including a custom shop RR, and was never impressed with the quality. Ibanez, Schecter, and ESPs are far superior in my experience.
what you think about the schecter demon 7 guitars? i had a jackson some 10 years ago i regret selling her,that one was one of the good ones at that time. but its ashame that they don't give much care for there guitars any more.
I wish I could give a double like to this video. you're not a high profile page, you gave an honest review, showcased your concerns and basically raised the same points i would make, we cant speak for everyone. but these are definitely key points to bring up on a company that was built on a name known for quality and performance.
Only 3 years ago, I ordered a Dinky USA Custom Select to my exact specs, great guitar, $2700 shipped. 3 years later, that same amount of money apparently gets me a MIJ guitar with issues. I love Jackson, have 4 custom shops, but I might be done with them for a while if this keeps up.
Anyone know about the new Jackson basses? Like the JS Spectra line. Cheap for a starter I would think. I don't know. I've played for years myself, but never had a Jackson guitar or bass.
I just planned on buying the jackson soloist slx-m. After this video i looked at guitars from esp and i just cannot afford them. The cheapest one i could find is 3'825 whilst the jackson is 611. Also i love the look of the soloist snow white and the esp ones dont really appeal to me tbh. Any advice on what to do? (It will be my first guitar in 10 years since i want to start playing again)
i have owned two usa jacksons (a soloist and a rr1). my guitar tech had to slide my locking nut over because the high e was sliding off the fretboard. even with that issue, it sounds like the 90s jacksons were far superior to the jacksons of today. i owned a number of 90s jacksons and they were almost always great guitars. you are dead on about esp and ibanez as well! youtube finally did something right by bringing me here! subbed!
Spot on brother. It’s such a shame when you’ve seen what they were like before. The only one I found to be up to scratch quality wise is the Jeff Loomis signature.
jackson used to make my favorite guitars. Now I can't ever justify buying one. There's so much better value and quality out there now. It's sad, I hope they can make it out. I really wish Dave Mustaine was able to buy them back in the day.
I thought I was gonna get pissed cause I to have always been a Jackson guy, I just got back into playing guitar after 25 years heroin addiction and now on 8 yrs sobriety, I just bought me a Jackson Dinky from China. Cause yup! I been hearing an watching bad things about Jackson, as if your paying $1,200.00 for a bootleg, so I bought me this Dinky brand new for $178.00 guitar center and it's freakin phenomenal. Wow! Blown away. But thanks for speaking truth and informing us. Jackson should be ashamed
just got my first Jackson about 6 months ago... it's a beast (!).. I truly love the guitar (7 string).. I play metal and that guitar is allot of fun.. before the Jackson I was exclusive to Ibanez - also a great guitar.. happy with the Jackson at a very reasonable price.. picking it right off the shelf at guitar center in Long Island New York.. that being said, if I played the kind of music that would require me to have a very clean sound then in that case I'm not sure if the Jackson would work for that.. the right tools for the right job..
I have a 2012 RR, and it's my first actual Jackson guitar. Seeing Vinnie Vincent's back from when he was with KISS in the early 80s made me want it more. You've hit it on the nail, and wish they'd pull their heads outta their asses, and make good quality guitars again.
Over the decade I had 3 Jackson guitars and sold them all. I loved when Megadeth played them and always wanted to get the axes. But all of them had issues popping up over time. Poor wiring, frets not leveled, crappy licensed floyd which was breaking strings at the bridge when palm muted successfully made me despise FR locking trems. Nowadays the pricing is ridiculous for what they put into their guitars. What a shame. I would love to have a nice jackson especially with sharkfin inlays.
Man, I wish they'd listen. I had an incident with a Jackson Soloist I purchased a few years ago. Brett @ customer service took care of me and I still have the replacement to this day. However, I've come to expect that anything Jackson is 50/50 to either be garbage or be usable. But 80% of the time you won't get something worthy of any kind of real pride. And that includes their American stuff. It's such a tragedy 😢
I've got a 1990 Soloist and a 1993 Concert XL and they are both some of the best instruments I've ever played and they were made long before I was old enough to hold a job. That said, it's really disappointing, damn near heartbreaking to see that what is being made now are really just the Pet Cemetery versions of Jackson guitars. This is a very detailed and informative video and thanks for taking the time to make it and explain everything. Still, it's a hard pill to get down. Looks like ESP and Ibanez are truly the best in these types of guitars these days. My most recent purchases were from those two brands.
Dude...you 100% correct...people have the power and they can use that power how they spend their money...for example, if people stopped buying $10 beers at a football game, next sunday those same beers would be $2...but sadly, people don’t realize this so the scam just keeps on rolling....good stuff my brother!!!!!
I had a few Jacksons in the 90s, after having a couple of budget guitars (a Harmony acoustic and a Peavey strat copy), and was generally pleased with them. I was convinced that would be my lifelong brand loyalty. Right around Y2K I "settled for" an ESP because I wanted a 7-string and couldn't find a price in my budget on a Jackson 7 at the time. This is when I learned brand loyalty isn't very important. Haven't bought a Jackson in decades, but just a little bit of research makes it obvious they've gone downhill.
Dude… I had an 80s Charvel (in the 80s) then got a 90s Jackson. Loved them. I excitedly picked up a Jackson 4 or 5 years ago and was appalled. I mean, it was like a $400 guitar, but it felt awful. I then went and felt a higher end one. They’re just not made for me anymore.
Ive been playing since I was a kid and always wanted a nice Jackson, but every single one I've picked up left a lot to be desired. You would think with Schecter stepping up and going above and beyond with reasonable prices in recent years, these other brands would follow suit but I guess not.
Gibson is working at bringing back Kramer. I live in Nashville an go to the Gibson Garage every now an then. They have pure shred machines. The Floyd, one Duncan an a fast neck. Basically the EVH first generation. They have an HSS thats for low end cost. Its getting bad reviews though. Kramer has the same history as Jackson. They both should come back
I got a soloist slat8 and it’s a great guitar is so much fun to play. I bought it used, but the finish is still in great shape. Neck is nice and thing, making it super playable. The cutaway is nice for getting up real high. I do wish they’d 1) Put in a TUSQXL Nut 2) Opted for Fishman > EMG 3) Locking tuners All easy enough to swap, and since I got it for $650 used, I can throw some money into it and feel okay. I never thought I’d own a Jackson, or an 8 string even, but I definitely don’t regret it.
Unfortunately I just got an LTD Arrow Black Metal with some pretty serious QC issues. The binding on the neck isn't great, there's some dust specks trapped underneath the finish and lots of cuts marking the frets. The trem cavity is poorly painted, and the area right above the trem is just bare wood which is really ugly when looking at the guitar head-on. More importantly, the Floyd Rose isn't installed well and won't return to pitch as well as it could. The bass side post is leaning away from the neck and it wiggles back and forth when I remove the bridge. The posts and knife edges have already had the paint scraped off at the contact points after a day of use, they might even be damaged for all I know. And the claw screws in the back are basically stuck so I can't even get the bridge perfectly level. Probably going to send it back.
I have been playing USA Selects and Custom Shops for over 30 years and love them to death. Went to my local music store to help one of my students pickup some gear and checked out the new Jackson stuff. Sad to say it is crap. I am with you man, Jackson has gone downhill.
No it's not, I'd put my SLX up against any US or Japanese Jackson. I know, I have/had a few. The US Jacksons have an edge in sound, in terms of better pups.. but fretwork, neck feel.. playability, they are NOT superior, certainly not at almost 4 times the price.
So what’s you’re saying is Jackson racks disciprine? Haven’t though of that phrase in years but like 9 minutes in when you were talking about honor and stuff my brain just pulled that out from a long forgotten memory lol
Fender moved production of PRO Soloists from Japan to Indonesia around 2012. The first ones were made in the PT Wildwood factory, who also supply ESP and Schecter, with an 'IWJ' serial number prefix and the spec was classic Jackson recipe. Three-piece Maple thru neck with quarter-sawn centre section, Alder body sections and the backplates were black anodized aluminium. After a couple of years or so the Fender bean-counters switched to Samick factory, with an 'ISJ' serial number prefix, who deviated from the Jackson Soloist recipe with a two-piece scarf-jointed Maple thru neck, Mahogany body sections and plastic backplates. I do like the Jackson JS series made in China and think they are excellent value for money especially ones with compound necks. I just think some of the current Jackson PRO models aren't up to the mark and are probably overpriced .
started on a jackson kelly when i was a teen, really loved that guitar but realized after the honeymoon period wore off it was really cheap everywhere. pickups, tuners, electronics, all of it just could have been a LITTLE bit better and it would have really been a guitar. Went with schecters mostly after that. almost every schecter i have played has impressed me for the price. they had some QC issues a few years ago but it seems to have been fixed from the feedback. Jackson could really be a brand to be reckoned with, but I just don't like any of the new ones I try. They just leave me really disappointed in a world where like you said, ESP, Ibanez, Schecter are making REALLY solid guitars across the whole price range.
100% agree. 5 Years ago I picked up an $800 soloist in GC. The hardware was so cheap I put it right back, and, like you I was disappointed in what they have become. I HIGHLY suggest getting a Solar. While they are not ESP level, for the $ they are hard to beat. I got mine from the Outlet and am 100% satisfied.
I've been playing guitar for almost forty years, and while I've always felt Jackson produced some very fine instruments, the reason I never bought one is because when I went to a music shop in L.A. in '87 to buy a Soloist they had an ESP Horizon on the same wall. I compared them and there was NO way the soloist could compete. The Horizon was sleeker, more advanced, with a better neck, and sounded a lot better too. It was also about half the price of the Soloist at $700. Easy decision. I find Jackson's quality has taken a real dive in recent years. Besides that, I'd much rather get a Yamaha or a G & L or Fender and just pop in some Duncans as I always do.
@@jed_shred_guitars Yes. But I don't own it anymore. I sold it to a friend back in 1990 because by then I'd stopped using locking trems, just had it with them. But it was a great ax. My friend replaced the very crunchy but noisy DiMarzio X2N knockoff that came with it and replaced it with a Duncan JB which sounded better. But he didn't get a JB because of my advice, but because he wanted whatever Dave and Marty were using on Rust in Peace and I told him it was all JBs, which it was. Anyhow, what had happened by this time, late 80s, early 90s, is ESP had given Jackson a real wallop. ESP has smart enough to open a custom shop in Hollywood around '85 and George Lynch was one of their first big name clients. Jackson/Charvel got lazy and took for granted the large roster of players. So what happened is Lynch peeled away to ESP, and a lot of former Jackson, Kramer and Hamer players followed along. When Kirk Hammett started playing ESP it caused a wave of players in the thrash world to follow. It's just the way it was. I'll put it this way. Let's say you had the choice of a Lamborghini that does zero to sixty in 4 seconds with a top speed of 180, or a McLaren Speedtail that does zero to sixty in 3 seconds and has a top speed of 250. Let's say the Mclaren is cheaper. Prospective buyers will ask themselves, "Do I want the Lambo, which is more well known, or do I want the McLaren, which is not as well-known but nicknamed The Ferrari Killer, because that's what they were designed to do? ESPs, and the Horizon was their penultimate model in '87, were designed to take on the big boy, Jackson/Charvel. I'd say they conquered them a long time ago. They offered a much better guitar for the money and still do. My Horizon was made in Japan, which in truth had better quality control than the US. But it still made the guitar half the price of a Jackson Soloist. The craftsmanship and the design put it over the top. The Horizon had 24 frets, which also gave it an edge at the time. Yes, so did the current Soloist, but in '87 you would still find some with 22. The extra full octave of 24 frets is priceless in a shred world where every fret counts. And the design of the ESP neck joint was far superior to the Soloist. It was just easier to get access. The licensed Floyd on the Horizon was better than the standard Floyd that came on the Soloist as well. Right about this time Ibanez became huge when Vai and other shredders started playing them. They came with the knew Ibanez Edge trem which knocked the pants off a Floyd. They were simply more I gigged with between '86 and '92, my L.A. club days when I was a teenager, was my trusty candy apple red Holdsworth Charvel I bought used for $100. It was simple. Standard trem, albeit double fulcrum, mounted flush, and a single, hand would JB that sounded outrageously awesome. It was 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, black pickguard, black tuners, graphite nut. The thing NEVER went out of tune. It was amazing. I had other guitars I would take with me to gigs as backup like my Kramer Baretta or a Strat with a Hot Rail in the bridge. For amps I went from lugging my Marshall stack to getting smart and getting a Boogie 50 Cal combo which was easier and had more than enough volume. To this day I recommend combos over stacks. It just makes sense and they are easier to mic up. Also, if you face them away from you it's easier for the soundman to get you a good stage volume through the PA. Even on 2 that Boogie was very loud. But soundman were grateful for me not having a stack, or five, and believe me, some players on the scene had five stacks back then. It was crazy. Also, having on combo made it easier to set up and break down fast after a gig. I would not only move my little rig, the amp, a guitar or two and a couple pedals, but help the drummer. If you could pack the house with your friends and set up and break down fast the clubs loved you. It was all about $$$ and time for them, and in this world you must understand the nexus of time and $$$, especially in music. I learned a lot in those days. Wonderful memories. And yes, ESP crushes Jackson.
Both the Japanes and USA jacksons cost so much because of price of labor. I recently got the chinese made jackson sl3m and other than the tuners (put gotoh on them fender) the guitar was perfect. The backplates are plastic but it's all CNC cut and nice sharp edges all around. The plates were so tight that I had harder time taking them off. There is a real switch and full size pots in the cavity. The attention to detail was amazing. You know how some floyd nuts protrude little bit past the edge of the fretboard? This one was perfectly centered and the edges blended into the neck. It has real duncan pickups and korean made floyd rose which is better made than the special floyd rose. I have the rainbow crackle finish and they only make these in china and it's beautiful in person. Can't stop looking at it. I simply don't see how USA made jackson would be better made. I don't like the USA jackson heel cut, the indo and china made jackson have the proper cut. The Japanese jackson is overpriced. Now, few years ago I bought brand new jackson bolt on soloist for $110 from guitar center. It too was flawless and it even had full size trem block which is practically unheard of in this price range. I was going to convert that guitar into a floyd rose soloist but it was so pretty that I simply abandoned the idea and bought the sl3m instead. I think the best value is ibanez rg350. Mine had only two small flaws. The nut protruded from the edge about 0.5mm, which is nothing but can be felt and one small section of the edge of the backplate, the wood was slighty crunched. Other than that, the guitar was perfect. I paid full price of $1300 for the jackson sl3m and I would definitey pay that price again because the workmanship is simply outstanding. The rg350 I paid new $300 and like I've said, the best value back then and maybe even today. Ibanez made some neck through rg's like 3020 but I heard they are on the heavy side. Btw, if you can't physically examine a new guitar then just buy it from sweetwater as you can examine the pics and get a good idea about craftmanship and weight from the pics if you know what to look for. That's how I bought my sl3m and I knew it was going to be good after I looked at the pics.
It seems that the quality is and has been all over the place. I'd love to get my hands on the Brandon Ellis sig. New USA prices are insane and there have been QC issues there as well. The only recourse if you want a good Jackson is agressively searching the used market to try and get a great deal. I'm blessed and have a few really nice J's 💎
I bought a brand new USA Jackson soloist back in about 2005. It was my 3rd Jackson. The 2 I had prior were from the mid 80s. They were awesome. The 2005’s high E was so close to the edge of the board you would fret a note and it would slide off the edge and get caught between the binding and the fret because there was a gap
Dude you said it brother and we need to vote with our wallets you are right . Jackson's for me pre fender were it - it had the looks the sound and the neck. I had a RR1, KV2 with gold hardware and a WRR1 all immaculate. If I knew the QC would be a problem today I would never have sold those guitars ...
I bought the LTD Black Metal M before they bumped up the cost on everything. My only complaint is the lack of inlays. I love them tbh. They just seem to complete a guitar for me. All in all it's a phenomenal guitar. I did swap the black winter pickup for a Pegasus. I hated doing it because it was an amazing pickup it was just a little too hot for my taste. If I had the spare cash laying around I'd buy another one to have the same guitar with the black winter pickup. I've never owned a Jackson for all the reasons you've just stated. I've been to guitar center and picked them up but they just don't feel good nor do I get that feeling of, this is the one, when I pick them up. There's sadly a lot of companies who have followed in there direction. The one thing I never thought I'd do is buy Fender guitar or a Squier for that matter. They don't have that aggressive metal look but Fender and Squier are doing some great things right now, I will say.
I'm a lefty and it took half of my life to realize that I jacked neck was exactly what I was looking for, I purchased a cheap chinese-made js32 left-handed dinky two years ago and personally I could not complain for the prize... the only real issue cosmetically I seen on that guitar was on the headstock but everything else seemed to be okay... But what they are producing now has went downhill even in the last year or so. I just seen a guy on a Facebook group who had planned to repaint his x-series Jackson Kelly only to sand it down and find that the Maple veneer on top had a layer of particle board underneath followed by a back layer of Poplar, needless to say he was very upset and disappointed. Sing another guy in the same group who waited a year-and-a-half for a USA custom-made Jackson only to have some similar cosmetic and physical issues as well...
I’ve always wanted a Jackson since I started playing but never really found one that I liked enough to justify the price (to myself, no way I’m telling my girlfriend) until the end of last year. Picked up a new MJDK24 and extremely happy with it, came across a new Dinky USA custom shop that was still available and snagged it as well. I bought a USA Charvel San Dimas when they came out and the price went up $500 since then, got a heads up that there was going to be a price increase across the spectrum but that’s beyond ridiculous! I started asking retailers if they can do any better on price in the last couple of years and in most instances, they will. Bought a better case from Jackson for the MJ, the USA custom came with a slightly better one still, (basically the same as Charvel) all made in China. My original Ibanezes came with awesome TKL hard shell cases made in Canada that still look and work great.
My guess is that they are starting with a comparatively high wholesale price from the factory, if I am not mistaken ESP owns their own factories while Ibanez probably represents such a high portion of the total OEM production of Fujigen that they can bargain harder on the unit price (not to mention years and years of relationship). That being said definitely doesn’t look like they stand a chance vs EII.
I was excited about the Rhoads ziricote V.. Went to check it out at gc, since they said there were a few in stock, rather than just ordering it. Was completely disappointed... Granted, they only had ONE, instead of the few that they supposedly had. But... It was piss poor. Glue up the side... Extra pieces in the body... The top was a LOT lighter than the pictures. It seemed thrown together with spare parts. Like wood that didn't match even close... And glue up the side.. Thank hell I didn't just order one. So I went home and ordered a guitar unseen... Off reverb. Got an esp ltd set neck Arrow. Haven't done anything to it except adjust the springs in the back for the floyd. That's IT. Still haven't changed the strings yet... It's still on that set I got it with. It's absolutely perfect. I haven't put it down. It's a killer. And all I want to know... is why the F didn't I get one of THESE a long time ago???
I've owned Jacksons my whole life, mostly MIJ from Chushin Gakki factory, but never bought brand new. Last fall I took a chance and bought the Brandon Ellis Kelly made in China. I couldn't send it back fast enough. What a horribly made axe. I was soooo devastated. I could go on about that POS for days. I'm still pissed about it. Your vid is spot on!!
Absolutely spot on bro. I recently bought a new RRX24 (Black w/ Green bevels) back in April of last year. Sent the first one BACK, chip paint, loose pu,nope. The NEXT one came in excellent shape. Finish is Fantastic,..but STILL came with loose bridge PU (easy tweak If you're not scared 😆) anyway, you're spitting the truth. I freaking love Jackson guitars. They gotta pay attention to DETAIL. CHEERS 🍻
I have been struggling for years to find a good Jackwon guitar. Every time I try to find one or get one,either the specs dont line up to what I want or the quality isn't where I want it to be. I tried a 90s Kelly and I disliked it,even though I love explorer and the Kelly shape. I then tried a Soloist but I didn't really bond much with that guitar. I cannot say the same for the two LTDs I have now because with them it was like love at first sight.
My next guitar is going to be an ESP E-II MII that costs $2k and if it feels as good as my Jackson Concept RR24 Rhoads (also $2k) then I’ll be happy. I just feel like you are mad and I understand that. I got 3 Charvel/Jackson Pro guitars in a row from the Mexico factory and I had to return them all. However that Concept Rhoads (6-String) feels as good as a $4k PRS Custom 24 to me. So I agree they need much better Quality Control but they definitely aren’t dead. I just hope that E-II is as good as I hope it will be. I also wish it didn’t come with EMG pickups. That’s my biggest problem with ESP, I do love them but they need to move away from having so many guitars with EMGs as if that’s what most people want. Anyway I subscribed to your channel, going to checkout some more of your videos.
This take is spot on man. Seeing Joss Allen's saga with the Brandon Ellis sig actually really left me weird on Jackson, they should be putting out some damn bangers at the price point they play with. That guitar is badass and very good quality to a degree - but then when you take into account what it is, then what you're paying for it, it reeks of "what the fuck?" Let alone, Charvel are great quality guitars that are priced out of relative affordability. Fender should know better by 2022, but here we are
I appreciate your video man,I got an x series rrx247 w floyd rose Duncan design pickups reverse headstock and a hard case that has a snug fit..i paid 799.$ I'm mostly satisfied
ESP has impressed me since I started playing back in 2004. 99% of the ones I’ve played, save for the super budget ones, have been amazing. Jackson has been the exact opposite. I used to love them, but the QC and the extreme markup on MIJ pricing is insane. I have a DK2M that I got for Christmas in 2006 for $600 msrp, and that thing still sounds and plays great. Jackson has truly given up and gone for the greed.
@@nathancheung358 Agreed completely. I find the LTD logo to be rather tacky and my LTDs are excellent instruments (both are 1000 Series Arrows). Even their standards made in Japan get just the E-II logo. The ESP logo can only be found on their Original Series and Customs today.
I'm exactly like you. Loved jackson, loved the necks, the look...but man I have seen some absolutely unacceptable shit out of them online lately. Got a japanese rr24, and it is just the most perfect instrument. I don't understand what happened. Seems like alot of guitar company's too. Not just jackson.
I'm the same, loved and drooled over Jackson's back in the 90's. This year I jumped back into them, brought two dinky's one with Floyd and quilted maple top, cost me $700 Australian dollars, sold it within two weeks, just brought a cheaper dinky with a roasted maple neck at $500 AU, and it plays and feels great? WTF? Seems very inconsistent!
I recently bought a Jackson Pro and it's pretty much flawless, I have to say. Just one little glitch in the upper horn. I had many problems with the Ibanez like half a year ago: Scratches from polishing all over the guitar. The nut was not properly cut, shitty intonations, glitches from tools on the headstock... I orded the same model two times more. Same shit. Also asked my guy at the music store and he said, that almost every guitar no matter the brand, has flaws nowadays.
I just got a pro series soloist hardtail, its the nicest guitar I’ve ever held among gibsons, schecters, esp, all of them. I’ve never held a custom shop, but this thing is blowing me away. Not understanding the hate here
5 years ago, I bought one of those Jackson Dinky Archtops in satin black (looked so badass). I know they're way cheaper, but you still expect everything to work right out of the box, but it had pickup switching issues right away. Every time I was in the bridge position, if I played any volume above soft, the neck pickup would engage like I'm in the middle position. I took it apart and cleaned it, but I couldn't find out what was causing it, and I didn't want to replace any parts on a $400 guitar, so I just sold it for almost all my money back and got an LTD M403 ht, since I already had a guitar with a floyd anyways. The LTD was soooo much better quality. It was a bit more expensive at the time, but the reason it was better wasn't only because of fit and finish and stuff, it's mainly just because it worked like it was supposed to, unlike the Jackson. I recently bought a Fender Player Plus Strat (I'm not only into metal, I play jazz and rock too) and it's FANTASTIC for the price. The neck is amazing. Thinner than most strats, but with amazing rolled edges. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but fender and Jackson are the same company now, so I cannot understand why build quality, materials, attention to detail, and all of that are so different. Doesn't make sense. Edit: forgot to say - there's a reason Dave Mustaine changed from Jackson to Gibson. It's sad to see him not play a Jackson anymore, honestly. But Gibsons are dope...just a bit pricey.
There is an LTD for $700 at the pawn shop near my house. It is great! It’s almost exactly the same guitar as my Schecter. Same pickups , same look, same feel. Are they made by the same People? I would love to have that guitar.
@@Imokyourok440 I'm pretty sure they are not related companies. I could be wrong, but I've never heard that either schectere or ltd were the same company. Esp owns LTD though. It's sort of like Fender and Squier, but LTD's are generally way better quality than a squier would be. The ESP guitars are pretty expensive. And the LTD's are a lot more affordable, but still super good. If you're into metal style guitars, schectere and ltd are both great choices.
@@Casey3-P-O I’m gonna look into that. Same pickups, paint job, almost exactly alike. Damn good guitars. My Dad bought my Schecter for me at a pawn shop for $200 and it came with a fender practice amp. Dad knew nothing about guitars. The pawn shop owner was a good man. He knew I was struggling and Dad wanted to help me. If it was a hunk of junk, I would still love it. It’s great though. Dad passed away a few years ago, so it means even more now.❤️😢
Just got an Adrian Smith SDX a few weeks ago. There's one blemish on the body that took me a day to notice. It plays great and the fretwork is awesome. I don't have any complaints about it, especially for the price. I've never had a strat type that I could fall in love with until now, including my old American standard.
I received a base level, and barely finished Ibanez GRG121DX. It is built and sounds beautifully. It does have a chunky neck it is the same thickness nut to heel. But I like that. It is like a classical but joins the body at feet 18. Holds tune and setup really well. $199.99 free shipping. I love it.
I made an ESP/Jackson Frankenstrat and I love it. ESP body , Jackson 2008 neck , Floyd Rose trem , EMG 91/85 and a custom active harness because the ESP wasn't clean enough for my liking. It is now my favorite guitar.
Not sure, I’ve only see one. There are good and bad of every brand. Some just have more or less. Jackson these days has more bad than good depending on you define that.
I thought the same thing!!!! And my first real guitar was a Jackson and I was loyal to Jackson then I switched to ESP after buying a Alexi Signature, the ESP model not LTD, I was hooked! It was the best sounding and playing guitar I ever owned, no contest!
If you like Jackson Quality and enjoyed 90s MIJ Jacksons, try Caparison guitars. I believe it their owner was one of the luthiers that undertook the whole Pre-Fender Jacksons to be made in Japan. They knew it had to be good import quality for the 90s Jacksons. I love my Tat-ii model, like a Soloist, similar neck carve and great wood and paint. Glossy black mirror ebony fretboard.
I used to love Jackson. Owned many over the years. My top 3 were the Marty Friedman Musicians friend 1 of 100, the Jenna Jameson V, and the Professional series Dinky made in Japan. I bought all 3 for a total of just under $1000. Yes all were pre-owned but the Jenna and Friedman were unplayed. Great guitars. Today's Jackson's don't compare and the prices are laughable.
I bought the mid tier (X series) Warrior recently - holy hell, I couldn't believe how much work it needed, compared to my LTD EC 1000 which needed *zero*. Given that the price difference is roughly the cost of replacing the stock pickups with something decent, 100% go with LTD. I always wanted a Jackson and this was so disappointing. LTD is putting a high end guitar in your hands for a reasonable price, and Jackson is just seeing what they can get away with. Ultimately, my Warrior will be the way I want it, but it's costing way more than I would have liked. Disappointing to say the least.
This sucks. I thought about buying an X series Warrior recently, but ended up buying a 1996 Japanese made Warrior instead off of eBay. It had clearly been played, lots of dents in the paint work etc etc, but from a quality perspective you can really really feel it. I also have a David Davidson Jackson PRO 7 string, which I really like, but the quality of the older guitar shines through.
I used to be a Jackson dude when I was growing up but I always wanted an ESP ever since I seen Metallica play them. You barely ever see any metal guys endorsing with Jackson anymore either. You're right man, it is a shame.
Very true! I remember in the early 2000’s esp was sponsoring everybody. They have some killer signature models. I was looking through their website the other night. The sd-2 looks insane.
@@jed_shred_guitars I know I want an actual ESP but they're so ridiculously priced now and the LTD 1000 series is plenty good for me. I have two. One from Korea and one from Indonesia and they are both great. I really don't know how the playability could get any better or be worth the extra $4-5,000 bucks....lol. Maybe one day 🤔.
@@manicmurph Yeah i thought the same, but i bought an actual ESP custom shop few months ago. ( Alexi Laiho Blacky ) Yeah, i can assure you, the difference between a 1000€ LTD and 4000€ ESP is night and day, it's like comparing your 1000€ LTD to a 150€ entry level guitar, it's unbelielable There is a reason why professional plays on on high end model and not mid range level, the difference is just breath taking, you really have to try it to understand it.
FUCK YES, THANK YOU JED!!! EXACTLY what I've been thinking for 5 years. Once I started to see their $1000+ guitars coming from Indonesia, I knew it was only a matter of time. Like gramma's ratty old terrier that just refuses to kick the bucket. It's already dead, but just doesn't know it yet. RE: The haters: Fuck 'em! If you can't express an honest, experienced, opinion of the gear you like/dislike without someone blowing a gasket, they needn't be here. I appreciate you taking the time to give honest feedback so I don't have to pull the trigger and waste my precious $$. Thanks brother! Subbed cuzza this video!
While I definitely agree Jackson’s QC and pricing is silly these last couple years, and it’s a major bummer, other brands make really nice $1000+ guitars in Indonesia (ex some of LTD 1000 series are made there as are Ibanez premiums). So it’s not necessarily a country of origin issue but more so a lack of standards issue like Jed touches on in the video.
@@Andrew_182 Normally I would agree, however each country that hasn't spent YEARS crafting guitars has this issue and is shows starkly in their QC. I remember in the 80s it was Japan, then Mexico, then South Korea. But today, all of these countries have been making guitars for long enough, there's a healthy pool of qualified workers. Today it's Indonesia, China, etc.
Again, Ltd and Ibanez are making some of their mid to higher end guitars in Indonesia (1000 series and premiums respectively) and both those company’s have a good reputation for making quality instruments with the former (1000 series) widely being held up currently as the kings of quality and specs for a good price. And it’s not as if Cort (the factory in Indonesia where those two as well as Jackson’s and others like PRS are made) is a fly by night operation, they have been making guitars for quite awhile. For China, Epiphone and other brands are making very decent guitars there too. It’s the best time ever to be buying entry level guitars as they are better now than ever since the majority of guitar manufacture is automated these days and China has plenty of manufacturing experience. It really comes down to what brands are asking of the factories and the standards they set. Any of the major manufacturers can put together a good instrument if allowed to do so, but it’s pretty clear Jackson is wanting to just pump them out with little care for QC. If they wanted to however they could have Cort manufacturer instruments on par with LTDs 1000 series or ibanezs premium line in terms of both quality and spec, but they aren’t because at this point Fender is just cashing in on the name with little care for it’s history. Prioritizing margins over quality. This is all from my experience, but if you’re wanting a much more knowledgeable take, go listen to Phil McKnight talk about all this. He has a podcast/you can watch the video on here called “country of origin is a outdated way to label quality” where he outlines exactly what I’m saying. And he’s been in the industry for a long time as a guitar dealer and tech and has toured a large number of these factory’s.
I too am scratching my head about Jackson and it's antics. When a friend of mine said he bought a Jackson and asked if I wanted to check it out ,I was so excited you would have thought it was me that just bought it .. ha. Sounded great walking into the house looked ok but when he handed it to me I thought for sure he got ripped off.. body felt hollow hardware not grover and the nut was a soft plastic . Frets were jagged and Floyd Rose wasn't holding the whammy bar .. the back plate didn't even say Jackson.. I'm a drummer and he was happy so I didn't pop his bubble .. Wtf Jackson!!!!!!!
My ‘86 Jackson soloist is the best guitar I ever played. Sad to say that no other Jackson especially the recent ones have come within miles of touching the guitar. For the money the Ibanez genesis series are the best shred guitars for the money right now imo
Problem right now is the supply chain issues and factorys having to double up production to meet the shortcomings of the last 2 years so that the company can make that money back, both those issues also result in the price being higher but the quility being hit hard too. Jackson are not the only brand to be hit by this, it's a lot of brands. It's sad, but things will balance out again in a couple of years. Think thats why pretty much everyone had a very limited NAMM season release this year. Normally it's like a whole new roster of instruments from all the manufacturers but this year they mostly stayed the same as last years models and brought out like only 10 models overall. Sucks. Always love the neck on a Jackson. It's like the sweetspot between ESP's Thin-U and the paper thin Ibanez wizard necks.
Jackson has been going downhill for a long time. The pandemic surely added to it, but esp and other brands are putting out mostly fantastic guitars. And innovating, and selling for competitive prices, and coming out all kinds of new models. Another commenter called Jackson a “novelty brand” and they were right. Jackson needs to hit rock bottom and have popular opinion be that they suck now to improve.
@@jed_shred_guitars can’t say I share the same opinion. Played one of those newer 7 string soloists with the fishmans and it was impeccable. Had a wee go on the MIJ Misha strat too and loved it. Fit and finish was damn near perfect. Shame though that they’re going though this period.
Totally agree I recently bought a Kramer nightswan and even though it looks stellar the amount of manufacturing issues are ridiculous like off centerfield floyd, creaking lock nut which is also off center and cheap tuners misaligned humbuckers the high E to close to the edge of the fretboard and rolls off but as long as we keep putting up with it the more they do it
I must have gotten lucky with my soloist. I got one of the x series with crackle finish and it was on par with all the guitars i looked at as far as finish quality. There were a couple cracks in the clear over the binding at a couple frets but this was disclosed when I bought it. It is also a common occurrence on many guitars. I will say that out of all my guitars my mid 2000s Carvin C22 has he best fit and finish.
Sometimes you will get lucky like that. I have a similar experience with my 2011 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It actually has great binding, a perfectly bookmatched top and no quality issues. This normally wouldn't be a big deal but it was made during a time when Gibson notoriously had terrible quality on everything they made. I can't even find any from the same year on Reverb that aren't screwed to hell and it can easily be seen in the photos. Maybe our instruments were made by someone who was happy with their job before they figured out that they have to pay for their own coffee.
I own two. A MIJ Mustaine King V Pro, and a Dinky Reverse, both early 90's, and they're both absolutely fantastic instruments. The King V is on another level though. I want a 90s USA Soloist next. I was looking at new, but man the prices are insane, and I bet the older ones are nicer anyways.
Those old 90's MIJ Jackson are as good as the USA ones. they have real MOP inlays and IF they did not have professional on the headstock and say made in japan you would never know they were not USA made!
I have been done with Jackson as far as new since 2020, just after getting back into guitars after having been out a while. I went to 4 GC looking for a Soloist, I forget the model, but the purple one with hot rails. I tried everything Jackson from China/Korea/Indo and from the super cheap to the high on the wall Winterstorm Pro Sololist tagged $1000. The horrible QC is why I went to 4 stores, and no, I'm not including any probems caused in store, only QC issues. Crooked trems, bad paint line on the neck transition of the soloist, a Kelly that had something so wrong no setup could have fixed, and worst of all, the $1000 soloist had a massive crack going from the trem post through the entire bridge cavity, front and back. I knew I shouldn't have strayed from Ibanez and having started thinking I'd spend $400-500 on a soloist on sale, I just bought a Ibanez Premium rg6pgmltd that had been hiding in the store 2 years. Unbelievable guitar, and my first high end NEW Ibanez since a RG570 in 1992. Then they put out that MJ and the specs are crap compared to a Prestige. It baffles me they're built in the same factory and Ibanez can still drop a Prestige with Fishmans for hundreds less. They must have different QC people for Ibanez and Jackson too, because Ibanez Indo have been great for years. I can't speak to ESP, just haven't seen many that grabbed me. I'll stick to Ibanez until a miracle happens and Peavey magically returns to the US with some shred machines haha.
I have a 2018 model kv pro (same as yours but has 59/jb on it) and the finishing job is just shit when my 300€ js32t has better qc than the 1000€ there is a problem. Furthermore thank you for saying what I've been thinking (and probably all the real Jackson fans as well) I agree with 100% of this video and I'll buy esp (because I didn't own one) or ( E-II cause i am not that rich ) but so far the ec-256 alexi and ex 200 I ve tried weren't bad guitars but I wanna play something a bit more higher end to really see how it realy is.
I totally agree. I bought a soloist slx and the knob from the pickup selector eventually just came off after a few shows smh lol They need to make something revolutionary to get the customers back. I seen a custom headless jackson they made for an artist sometime in 2019 and i really don’t understand why they can’t mass produce a high quality guitar like that one with an affordable price. Instead they make half assed guitars with ridiculous pricing same models over n over again lol might as well buy a strandberg or keisel with that money
The Pro Rhoads models are now $1500+ and made in China. Somebody is smokin' some reeaaaalllly good stuff over at Jackson!
Yeah dude they are out of their minds
crackheads dem,
own a '91 grover dinky, wonderful instrument. no problems in the finish like this or any factory issues, just some wear with years of use. Was looking into getting some v-shaped guitars from jackson, thanks fuck seen this video. Will go for older used versions or pther guitar brands, cheers for the video Jed🤙
I just bought a pro Rhoads and it was made in Indonesia. Not China.
@@Noah-wj4rd Only the ones with crackle finishes are made in China.
@@Mezziah777 I actually have an orange crackle and it is made in China.
I've played $7000 guitars from the Gibson Custom Shop that were hilariously bad. Price does not equate to quality. Quality equates to quality.
There's no way I could justify buying a new guitar these days. The prices are insanely high and keep climbing, but quality control is declining. I really wanted the Brandon Ellis Kelly, but I'm not gambling with Jackson's shitty quality control then you have the hassle of sending it back and hoping they exchange it for a good one. The whole process in theory could take months.
Yeah it’s getting wild. It’s driving used prices up really high too
Damn, everything going up. You can say the same for cars/trucks.
I hear ya, I wanted one too, the green crackle Kelly looks sick. There's already been complaints of the paint coming off, and other quality issues. For $1500 dollars that guitar should come with a hardshell and top notch electronics/ quality pots and switches, but the truth is they do not.
It was never any cheeper to buy a good guitar.
And what's funny is the budget guitar quality has gone up.
The Soloist that I bought back in 1990 when I was 14 is still one of my best guitars. I have other Jackson's from the last 10 years or so (all USA) top notch shit but I still favor my old one from 32 years ago.
Yes those are desired. Especially early to mid 90s models. Mmm mmm good.
Thank you for being NORMAL on camera, and for telling the TRUTH, you rock dude 🤘
Dude....I’ve been playing Jacksons for 30 years, own several USA models and a custom shop Kelly and I LOVE them but......$3600 for a Rhodes MJ series? Are you Fukin crazy!!
You’re spot on man.....Disgusting what Jackson has become!
I started playing as a teenager in the mid-80's, during peak Hair Metal/Thrash/Shredder days. Owning a Jackson was a dream and a goal. It was the guitar every player wanted. Today it's just sort of a "me too" company. Fender did a great job revitalizing the Charvel brand but they seem content with letting Jackson wallow in the past and sit in the middle of the heard.
Very true. They have some great looking models, but they ads mostly throwbacks to try golden days. They aren’t innovating like esp.
True as can be. Fender leaves Jackson in the dark and doesn’t care at all about improving them.
The problem with guitar companies is they want made in USA prices for copies made in China. Lower quality control and lower quality materials. A name on the headstock doesnt mean much anymore.
Love Jackson. I found A Jackson Dinky with Seymour duncans and a floyd trem for $100 at a pawnshop 4 years ago. Then found an 80s charvel/jackson case at another pawn later for $20. Still one of my favorite finds all these years later.
It is a shame what is happening to the guitar industry with rising prices and lack of quality.
Damn! Great scores!
Jackson went even more insane than gibson. Charging gibson prices for Chinese garbage, and ive seen their custom shop quality leaves a lot to be desired. And for those prices, there's zero excuse for ANY flaws or workmanship issues. Im sticking with Ibanez. Have been since the late 80s
Thank you for this informative video, I was ready set to buy a Soloist SL3 but with what you're saying I'm definitely on the fence on what to buy. The black guitar you pulled out at 9:08 was what brand and model? I couldn't make out what you said. Great video, thank you.
agreed.. What's you're thoughts on the MIM Charvels at $999-$1100
Super genuine video dude. Not just bashing Jackson, you obviously love them along with probably everyone watching, but you pointed out some really critical issues. As of now, I don’t think I’ll ever buy a new Jackson. After a knock off strat, a js30 rr was my first “real” guitar when I was 12. Haven’t gotten another Jackson until I’ve acquired 3 off the used market in the last year. My kvxmg is okay, just that. Got a killer deal on an older rrx24 7 t. For the price I paid, can’t complain but it’s just solid enough. The one I’m most proud of is a parts guitar I made. Js30 warrior gloss black body paired with a mij dxmg neck along with all new hardware, pickups, etc. But that took a lot of time, and a lot of money. It plays great, the best neck out of my Jackson’s for sure, but is that what is takes to get a really badass Jackson these days? I guess so.
The only guitar I have is a JS12 Dinky from 2014 it has been a great companian so far.
Can you comment on Cort guitars?
I’ve owned a couple of Jacksons over the years, including a custom shop RR, and was never impressed with the quality. Ibanez, Schecter, and ESPs are far superior in my experience.
what you think about the schecter demon 7 guitars? i had a jackson some 10 years ago i regret selling her,that one was one of the good ones at that time. but its ashame that they don't give much care for there guitars any more.
I wish I could give a double like to this video. you're not a high profile page, you gave an honest review, showcased your concerns and basically raised the same points i would make, we cant speak for everyone. but these are definitely key points to bring up on a company that was built on a name known for quality and performance.
Only 3 years ago, I ordered a Dinky USA Custom Select to my exact specs, great guitar, $2700 shipped. 3 years later, that same amount of money apparently gets me a MIJ guitar with issues. I love Jackson, have 4 custom shops, but I might be done with them for a while if this keeps up.
Anyone know about the new Jackson basses? Like the JS Spectra line. Cheap for a starter I would think. I don't know. I've played for years myself, but never had a Jackson guitar or bass.
What genuine reviews do is bring out genuine and valuable comments. Thanks!
What do you think of the Kiesel shop guitars?
I just planned on buying the jackson soloist slx-m. After this video i looked at guitars from esp and i just cannot afford them. The cheapest one i could find is 3'825 whilst the jackson is 611. Also i love the look of the soloist snow white and the esp ones dont really appeal to me tbh. Any advice on what to do? (It will be my first guitar in 10 years since i want to start playing again)
Look at Ltd guitars made by esp. it’s they’re more budget brand, and more in the price range you are looking at. Try to buy in person if you can.
Lots of good LTD's out there, or a used Charvel pro mod? Schecter has some great offerings too.
Great vid! just subbed. what's the Solar controversy ?
i have owned two usa jacksons (a soloist and a rr1). my guitar tech had to slide my locking nut over because the high e was sliding off the fretboard. even with that issue, it sounds like the 90s jacksons were far superior to the jacksons of today. i owned a number of 90s jacksons and they were almost always great guitars. you are dead on about esp and ibanez as well! youtube finally did something right by bringing me here! subbed!
Spot on brother. It’s such a shame when you’ve seen what they were like before. The only one I found to be up to scratch quality wise is the Jeff Loomis signature.
jackson used to make my favorite guitars. Now I can't ever justify buying one. There's so much better value and quality out there now. It's sad, I hope they can make it out. I really wish Dave Mustaine was able to buy them back in the day.
I thought I was gonna get pissed cause I to have always been a Jackson guy, I just got back into playing guitar after 25 years heroin addiction and now on 8 yrs sobriety, I just bought me a Jackson Dinky from China. Cause yup! I been hearing an watching bad things about Jackson, as if your paying $1,200.00 for a bootleg, so I bought me this Dinky brand new for $178.00 guitar center and it's freakin phenomenal. Wow! Blown away. But thanks for speaking truth and informing us. Jackson should be ashamed
just got my first Jackson about 6 months ago... it's a beast (!).. I truly love the guitar (7 string).. I play metal and that guitar is allot of fun.. before the Jackson I was exclusive to Ibanez - also a great guitar.. happy with the Jackson at a very reasonable price.. picking it right off the shelf at guitar center in Long Island New York.. that being said, if I played the kind of music that would require me to have a very clean sound then in that case I'm not sure if the Jackson would work for that.. the right tools for the right job..
I have a 2012 RR, and it's my first actual Jackson guitar. Seeing Vinnie Vincent's back from when he was with KISS in the early 80s made me want it more. You've hit it on the nail, and wish they'd pull their heads outta their asses, and make good quality guitars again.
Great video. Glad I watched this before pulling the trigger on a concept series. Sticking with my ltd’s.
I purchased the DINKY DK2 green glow about 7 months ago and the volume pot is already going out…🤦
Over the decade I had 3 Jackson guitars and sold them all. I loved when Megadeth played them and always wanted to get the axes. But all of them had issues popping up over time. Poor wiring, frets not leveled, crappy licensed floyd which was breaking strings at the bridge when palm muted successfully made me despise FR locking trems. Nowadays the pricing is ridiculous for what they put into their guitars. What a shame. I would love to have a nice jackson especially with sharkfin inlays.
Man, I wish they'd listen. I had an incident with a Jackson Soloist I purchased a few years ago. Brett @ customer service took care of me and I still have the replacement to this day. However, I've come to expect that anything Jackson is 50/50 to either be garbage or be usable. But 80% of the time you won't get something worthy of any kind of real pride. And that includes their American stuff. It's such a tragedy 😢
I've got a 1990 Soloist and a 1993 Concert XL and they are both some of the best instruments I've ever played and they were made long before I was old enough to hold a job. That said, it's really disappointing, damn near heartbreaking to see that what is being made now are really just the Pet Cemetery versions of Jackson guitars. This is a very detailed and informative video and thanks for taking the time to make it and explain everything. Still, it's a hard pill to get down. Looks like ESP and Ibanez are truly the best in these types of guitars these days. My most recent purchases were from those two brands.
Dude...you 100% correct...people have the power and they can use that power how they spend their money...for example, if people stopped buying $10 beers at a football game, next sunday those same beers would be $2...but sadly, people don’t realize this so the scam just keeps on rolling....good stuff my brother!!!!!
I had a few Jacksons in the 90s, after having a couple of budget guitars (a Harmony acoustic and a Peavey strat copy), and was generally pleased with them. I was convinced that would be my lifelong brand loyalty.
Right around Y2K I "settled for" an ESP because I wanted a 7-string and couldn't find a price in my budget on a Jackson 7 at the time. This is when I learned brand loyalty isn't very important.
Haven't bought a Jackson in decades, but just a little bit of research makes it obvious they've gone downhill.
Dude… I had an 80s Charvel (in the 80s) then got a 90s Jackson. Loved them. I excitedly picked up a Jackson 4 or 5 years ago and was appalled. I mean, it was like a $400 guitar, but it felt awful. I then went and felt a higher end one. They’re just not made for me anymore.
Thank you for the in-depth review, showing all the little quality issues. It helps. Most people just talk about how it plays.
Ive been playing since I was a kid and always wanted a nice Jackson, but every single one I've picked up left a lot to be desired. You would think with Schecter stepping up and going above and beyond with reasonable prices in recent years, these other brands would follow suit but I guess not.
Gibson is working at bringing back Kramer. I live in Nashville an go to the Gibson Garage every now an then. They have pure shred machines. The Floyd, one Duncan an a fast neck. Basically the EVH first generation. They have an HSS thats for low end cost. Its getting bad reviews though. Kramer has the same history as Jackson. They both should come back
I got a soloist slat8 and it’s a great guitar is so much fun to play. I bought it used, but the finish is still in great shape. Neck is nice and thing, making it super playable. The cutaway is nice for getting up real high. I do wish they’d 1) Put in a TUSQXL Nut 2) Opted for Fishman > EMG 3) Locking tuners
All easy enough to swap, and since I got it for $650 used, I can throw some money into it and feel okay.
I never thought I’d own a Jackson, or an 8 string even, but I definitely don’t regret it.
Unfortunately I just got an LTD Arrow Black Metal with some pretty serious QC issues. The binding on the neck isn't great, there's some dust specks trapped underneath the finish and lots of cuts marking the frets. The trem cavity is poorly painted, and the area right above the trem is just bare wood which is really ugly when looking at the guitar head-on. More importantly, the Floyd Rose isn't installed well and won't return to pitch as well as it could. The bass side post is leaning away from the neck and it wiggles back and forth when I remove the bridge. The posts and knife edges have already had the paint scraped off at the contact points after a day of use, they might even be damaged for all I know. And the claw screws in the back are basically stuck so I can't even get the bridge perfectly level. Probably going to send it back.
I have been playing USA Selects and Custom Shops for over 30 years and love them to death. Went to my local music store to help one of my students pickup some gear and checked out the new Jackson stuff. Sad to say it is crap. I am with you man, Jackson has gone downhill.
No it's not, I'd put my SLX up against any US or Japanese Jackson. I know, I have/had a few. The US Jacksons have an edge in sound, in terms of better pups.. but fretwork, neck feel.. playability, they are NOT superior, certainly not at almost 4 times the price.
So what’s you’re saying is Jackson racks disciprine?
Haven’t though of that phrase in years but like 9 minutes in when you were talking about honor and stuff my brain just pulled that out from a long forgotten memory lol
Hahahaha
Fender moved production of PRO Soloists from Japan to Indonesia around 2012. The first ones were made in the PT Wildwood factory, who also supply ESP and Schecter, with an 'IWJ' serial number prefix and the spec was classic Jackson recipe. Three-piece Maple thru neck with quarter-sawn centre section, Alder body sections and the backplates were black anodized aluminium. After a couple of years or so the Fender bean-counters switched to Samick factory, with an 'ISJ' serial number prefix, who deviated from the Jackson Soloist recipe with a two-piece scarf-jointed Maple thru neck, Mahogany body sections and plastic backplates.
I do like the Jackson JS series made in China and think they are excellent value for money especially ones with compound necks. I just think some of the current Jackson PRO models aren't up to the mark and are probably overpriced .
started on a jackson kelly when i was a teen, really loved that guitar but realized after the honeymoon period wore off it was really cheap everywhere. pickups, tuners, electronics, all of it just could have been a LITTLE bit better and it would have really been a guitar. Went with schecters mostly after that. almost every schecter i have played has impressed me for the price. they had some QC issues a few years ago but it seems to have been fixed from the feedback.
Jackson could really be a brand to be reckoned with, but I just don't like any of the new ones I try. They just leave me really disappointed in a world where like you said, ESP, Ibanez, Schecter are making REALLY solid guitars across the whole price range.
I have aluminum plates on my shannon soloist. I always thought it was dumb at least on the trem cover id rather have slots to adjust my claw screws
Yep. ESP is killing it and them. Big time
saved me a trip to L and M's and frankly our community NEEDS more dudes like dis guy
100% agree. 5 Years ago I picked up an $800 soloist in GC. The hardware was so cheap I put it right back, and, like you I was disappointed in what they have become. I HIGHLY suggest getting a Solar. While they are not ESP level, for the $ they are hard to beat. I got mine from the Outlet and am 100% satisfied.
I've been playing guitar for almost forty years, and while I've always felt Jackson produced some very fine instruments, the reason I never bought one is because when I went to a music shop in L.A. in '87 to buy a Soloist they had an ESP Horizon on the same wall. I compared them and there was NO way the soloist could compete. The Horizon was sleeker, more advanced, with a better neck, and sounded a lot better too. It was also about half the price of the Soloist at $700. Easy decision. I find Jackson's quality has taken a real dive in recent years. Besides that, I'd much rather get a Yamaha or a G & L or Fender and just pop in some Duncans as I always do.
Did you buy that horizon?
@@jed_shred_guitars Yes. But I don't own it anymore. I sold it to a friend back in 1990 because by then I'd stopped using locking trems, just had it with them. But it was a great ax. My friend replaced the very crunchy but noisy DiMarzio X2N knockoff that came with it and replaced it with a Duncan JB which sounded better. But he didn't get a JB because of my advice, but because he wanted whatever Dave and Marty were using on Rust in Peace and I told him it was all JBs, which it was. Anyhow, what had happened by this time, late 80s, early 90s, is ESP had given Jackson a real wallop. ESP has smart enough to open a custom shop in Hollywood around '85 and George Lynch was one of their first big name clients. Jackson/Charvel got lazy and took for granted the large roster of players. So what happened is Lynch peeled away to ESP, and a lot of former Jackson, Kramer and Hamer players followed along. When Kirk Hammett started playing ESP it caused a wave of players in the thrash world to follow. It's just the way it was. I'll put it this way. Let's say you had the choice of a Lamborghini that does zero to sixty in 4 seconds with a top speed of 180, or a McLaren Speedtail that does zero to sixty in 3 seconds and has a top speed of 250. Let's say the Mclaren is cheaper. Prospective buyers will ask themselves, "Do I want the Lambo, which is more well known, or do I want the McLaren, which is not as well-known but nicknamed The Ferrari Killer, because that's what they were designed to do? ESPs, and the Horizon was their penultimate model in '87, were designed to take on the big boy, Jackson/Charvel. I'd say they conquered them a long time ago. They offered a much better guitar for the money and still do. My Horizon was made in Japan, which in truth had better quality control than the US. But it still made the guitar half the price of a Jackson Soloist. The craftsmanship and the design put it over the top. The Horizon had 24 frets, which also gave it an edge at the time. Yes, so did the current Soloist, but in '87 you would still find some with 22. The extra full octave of 24 frets is priceless in a shred world where every fret counts. And the design of the ESP neck joint was far superior to the Soloist. It was just easier to get access. The licensed Floyd on the Horizon was better than the standard Floyd that came on the Soloist as well. Right about this time Ibanez became huge when Vai and other shredders started playing them. They came with the knew Ibanez Edge trem which knocked the pants off a Floyd. They were simply more I gigged with between '86 and '92, my L.A. club days when I was a teenager, was my trusty candy apple red Holdsworth Charvel I bought used for $100. It was simple. Standard trem, albeit double fulcrum, mounted flush, and a single, hand would JB that sounded outrageously awesome. It was 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, black pickguard, black tuners, graphite nut. The thing NEVER went out of tune. It was amazing. I had other guitars I would take with me to gigs as backup like my Kramer Baretta or a Strat with a Hot Rail in the bridge. For amps I went from lugging my Marshall stack to getting smart and getting a Boogie 50 Cal combo which was easier and had more than enough volume. To this day I recommend combos over stacks. It just makes sense and they are easier to mic up. Also, if you face them away from you it's easier for the soundman to get you a good stage volume through the PA. Even on 2 that Boogie was very loud. But soundman were grateful for me not having a stack, or five, and believe me, some players on the scene had five stacks back then. It was crazy. Also, having on combo made it easier to set up and break down fast after a gig. I would not only move my little rig, the amp, a guitar or two and a couple pedals, but help the drummer. If you could pack the house with your friends and set up and break down fast the clubs loved you. It was all about $$$ and time for them, and in this world you must understand the nexus of time and $$$, especially in music. I learned a lot in those days. Wonderful memories. And yes, ESP crushes Jackson.
Both the Japanes and USA jacksons cost so much because of price of labor. I recently got the chinese made jackson sl3m and other than the tuners (put gotoh on them fender) the guitar was perfect. The backplates are plastic but it's all CNC cut and nice sharp edges all around. The plates were so tight that I had harder time taking them off. There is a real switch and full size pots in the cavity. The attention to detail was amazing. You know how some floyd nuts protrude little bit past the edge of the fretboard? This one was perfectly centered and the edges blended into the neck. It has real duncan pickups and korean made floyd rose which is better made than the special floyd rose. I have the rainbow crackle finish and they only make these in china and it's beautiful in person. Can't stop looking at it. I simply don't see how USA made jackson would be better made. I don't like the USA jackson heel cut, the indo and china made jackson have the proper cut. The Japanese jackson is overpriced.
Now, few years ago I bought brand new jackson bolt on soloist for $110 from guitar center. It too was flawless and it even had full size trem block which is practically unheard of in this price range. I was going to convert that guitar into a floyd rose soloist but it was so pretty that I simply abandoned the idea and bought the sl3m instead.
I think the best value is ibanez rg350. Mine had only two small flaws. The nut protruded from the edge about 0.5mm, which is nothing but can be felt and one small section of the edge of the backplate, the wood was slighty crunched. Other than that, the guitar was perfect. I paid full price of $1300 for the jackson sl3m and I would definitey pay that price again because the workmanship is simply outstanding. The rg350 I paid new $300 and like I've said, the best value back then and maybe even today. Ibanez made some neck through rg's like 3020 but I heard they are on the heavy side. Btw, if you can't physically examine a new guitar then just buy it from sweetwater as you can examine the pics and get a good idea about craftmanship and weight from the pics if you know what to look for. That's how I bought my sl3m and I knew it was going to be good after I looked at the pics.
It seems that the quality is and has been all over the place. I'd love to get my hands on the Brandon Ellis sig. New USA prices are insane and there have been QC issues there as well. The only recourse if you want a good Jackson is agressively searching the used market to try and get a great deal. I'm blessed and have a few really nice J's 💎
I bought a brand new USA Jackson soloist back in about 2005. It was my 3rd Jackson. The 2 I had prior were from the mid 80s. They were awesome. The 2005’s high E was so close to the edge of the board you would fret a note and it would slide off the edge and get caught between the binding and the fret because there was a gap
Dude you said it brother and we need to vote with our wallets you are right . Jackson's for me pre fender were it - it had the looks the sound and the neck. I had a RR1, KV2 with gold hardware and a WRR1 all immaculate. If I knew the QC would be a problem today I would never have sold those guitars ...
I bought the LTD Black Metal M before they bumped up the cost on everything. My only complaint is the lack of inlays. I love them tbh. They just seem to complete a guitar for me. All in all it's a phenomenal guitar. I did swap the black winter pickup for a Pegasus. I hated doing it because it was an amazing pickup it was just a little too hot for my taste. If I had the spare cash laying around I'd buy another one to have the same guitar with the black winter pickup.
I've never owned a Jackson for all the reasons you've just stated. I've been to guitar center and picked them up but they just don't feel good nor do I get that feeling of, this is the one, when I pick them up. There's sadly a lot of companies who have followed in there direction.
The one thing I never thought I'd do is buy Fender guitar or a Squier for that matter. They don't have that aggressive metal look but Fender and Squier are doing some great things right now, I will say.
I'm a lefty and it took half of my life to realize that I jacked neck was exactly what I was looking for, I purchased a cheap chinese-made js32 left-handed dinky two years ago and personally I could not complain for the prize... the only real issue cosmetically I seen on that guitar was on the headstock but everything else seemed to be okay... But what they are producing now has went downhill even in the last year or so. I just seen a guy on a Facebook group who had planned to repaint his x-series Jackson Kelly only to sand it down and find that the Maple veneer on top had a layer of particle board underneath followed by a back layer of Poplar, needless to say he was very upset and disappointed. Sing another guy in the same group who waited a year-and-a-half for a USA custom-made Jackson only to have some similar cosmetic and physical issues as well...
I’ve always wanted a Jackson since I started playing but never really found one that I liked enough to justify the price (to myself, no way I’m telling my girlfriend) until the end of last year. Picked up a new MJDK24 and extremely happy with it, came across a new Dinky USA custom shop that was still available and snagged it as well. I bought a USA Charvel San Dimas when they came out and the price went up $500 since then, got a heads up that there was going to be a price increase across the spectrum but that’s beyond ridiculous! I started asking retailers if they can do any better on price in the last couple of years and in most instances, they will. Bought a better case from Jackson for the MJ, the USA custom came with a slightly better one still, (basically the same as Charvel) all made in China. My original Ibanezes came with awesome TKL hard shell cases made in Canada that still look and work great.
My guess is that they are starting with a comparatively high wholesale price from the factory, if I am not mistaken ESP owns their own factories while Ibanez probably represents such a high portion of the total OEM production of Fujigen that they can bargain harder on the unit price (not to mention years and years of relationship). That being said definitely doesn’t look like they stand a chance vs EII.
I was excited about the Rhoads ziricote V..
Went to check it out at gc, since they said there were a few in stock, rather than just ordering it.
Was completely disappointed... Granted, they only had ONE, instead of the few that they supposedly had. But... It was piss poor. Glue up the side... Extra pieces in the body... The top was a LOT lighter than the pictures. It seemed thrown together with spare parts. Like wood that didn't match even close... And glue up the side..
Thank hell I didn't just order one.
So I went home and ordered a guitar unseen... Off reverb. Got an esp ltd set neck Arrow.
Haven't done anything to it except adjust the springs in the back for the floyd. That's IT. Still haven't changed the strings yet... It's still on that set I got it with. It's absolutely perfect. I haven't put it down.
It's a killer.
And all I want to know... is why the F didn't I get one of THESE a long time ago???
I've owned Jacksons my whole life, mostly MIJ from Chushin Gakki factory, but never bought brand new. Last fall I took a chance and bought the Brandon Ellis Kelly made in China. I couldn't send it back fast enough. What a horribly made axe. I was soooo devastated. I could go on about that POS for days. I'm still pissed about it. Your vid is spot on!!
Absolutely spot on bro. I recently bought a new RRX24 (Black w/ Green bevels) back in April of last year. Sent the first one BACK, chip paint, loose pu,nope.
The NEXT one came in excellent shape. Finish is Fantastic,..but STILL came with loose bridge PU (easy tweak If you're not scared 😆) anyway, you're spitting the truth. I freaking love Jackson guitars. They gotta pay attention to DETAIL.
CHEERS 🍻
I have been struggling for years to find a good Jackwon guitar. Every time I try to find one or get one,either the specs dont line up to what I want or the quality isn't where I want it to be. I tried a 90s Kelly and I disliked it,even though I love explorer and the Kelly shape. I then tried a Soloist but I didn't really bond much with that guitar. I cannot say the same for the two LTDs I have now because with them it was like love at first sight.
I’m glad you found a good alternative
My next guitar is going to be an ESP E-II MII that costs $2k and if it feels as good as my Jackson Concept RR24 Rhoads (also $2k) then I’ll be happy. I just feel like you are mad and I understand that. I got 3 Charvel/Jackson Pro guitars in a row from the Mexico factory and I had to return them all. However that Concept Rhoads (6-String) feels as good as a $4k PRS Custom 24 to me. So I agree they need much better Quality Control but they definitely aren’t dead. I just hope that E-II is as good as I hope it will be. I also wish it didn’t come with EMG pickups. That’s my biggest problem with ESP, I do love them but they need to move away from having so many guitars with EMGs as if that’s what most people want.
Anyway I subscribed to your channel, going to checkout some more of your videos.
This take is spot on man. Seeing Joss Allen's saga with the Brandon Ellis sig actually really left me weird on Jackson, they should be putting out some damn bangers at the price point they play with. That guitar is badass and very good quality to a degree - but then when you take into account what it is, then what you're paying for it, it reeks of "what the fuck?"
Let alone, Charvel are great quality guitars that are priced out of relative affordability. Fender should know better by 2022, but here we are
I feel this man I bought one of the mj series matte black ash dinky and every time I used the Floyd it would go flat unless I pulled it back up.
I appreciate your video man,I got an x series rrx247 w floyd rose Duncan design pickups reverse headstock and a hard case that has a snug fit..i paid 799.$ I'm mostly satisfied
I’m glad you are having a great experience!
ESP has impressed me since I started playing back in 2004. 99% of the ones I’ve played, save for the super budget ones, have been amazing. Jackson has been the exact opposite. I used to love them, but the QC and the extreme markup on MIJ pricing is insane. I have a DK2M that I got for Christmas in 2006 for $600 msrp, and that thing still sounds and plays great.
Jackson has truly given up and gone for the greed.
The only thing I hate about ESP/LTD is their logo. Its cartoonish and looks cheapo af. I went ibanez for a long time just because of that
@@nathancheung358 Agreed completely. I find the LTD logo to be rather tacky and my LTDs are excellent instruments (both are 1000 Series Arrows). Even their standards made in Japan get just the E-II logo. The ESP logo can only be found on their Original Series and Customs today.
I'm exactly like you. Loved jackson, loved the necks, the look...but man I have seen some absolutely unacceptable shit out of them online lately. Got a japanese rr24, and it is just the most perfect instrument. I don't understand what happened. Seems like alot of guitar company's too. Not just jackson.
This...It's pretty much all companies doing it. If the consumer keeps paying they will keep pumping out garbage....really it's the consumers fault.
I've been really having good luck with Ibby's. Have a few of them ,all from the last few years and they are all perfect!
Wide string spacing, yes but they fall off the side of the neck on both E strings.
I'm the same, loved and drooled over Jackson's back in the 90's. This year I jumped back into them, brought two dinky's one with Floyd and quilted maple top, cost me $700 Australian dollars, sold it within two weeks, just brought a cheaper dinky with a roasted maple neck at $500 AU, and it plays and feels great? WTF? Seems very inconsistent!
Indo's are back & forth on quality. The late 80s early 90s Japanese ones are great.
@@scottdurflinger8527 yea I had a dinky in 1994 back as a teen, and she was fantastic, same with a warlock, and everything just got bad in the 2000's
I recently bought a Jackson Pro and it's pretty much flawless, I have to say. Just one little glitch in the upper horn.
I had many problems with the Ibanez like half a year ago: Scratches from polishing all over the guitar. The nut was not properly cut, shitty intonations, glitches from tools on the headstock... I orded the same model two times more. Same shit.
Also asked my guy at the music store and he said, that almost every guitar no matter the brand, has flaws nowadays.
I just got a pro series soloist hardtail, its the nicest guitar I’ve ever held among gibsons, schecters, esp, all of them. I’ve never held a custom shop, but this thing is blowing me away. Not understanding the hate here
Yikes! Thanks for the info!
5 years ago, I bought one of those Jackson Dinky Archtops in satin black (looked so badass). I know they're way cheaper, but you still expect everything to work right out of the box, but it had pickup switching issues right away. Every time I was in the bridge position, if I played any volume above soft, the neck pickup would engage like I'm in the middle position. I took it apart and cleaned it, but I couldn't find out what was causing it, and I didn't want to replace any parts on a $400 guitar, so I just sold it for almost all my money back and got an LTD M403 ht, since I already had a guitar with a floyd anyways. The LTD was soooo much better quality. It was a bit more expensive at the time, but the reason it was better wasn't only because of fit and finish and stuff, it's mainly just because it worked like it was supposed to, unlike the Jackson.
I recently bought a Fender Player Plus Strat (I'm not only into metal, I play jazz and rock too) and it's FANTASTIC for the price. The neck is amazing. Thinner than most strats, but with amazing rolled edges. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but fender and Jackson are the same company now, so I cannot understand why build quality, materials, attention to detail, and all of that are so different. Doesn't make sense.
Edit: forgot to say - there's a reason Dave Mustaine changed from Jackson to Gibson. It's sad to see him not play a Jackson anymore, honestly. But Gibsons are dope...just a bit pricey.
There is an LTD for $700 at the pawn shop near my house. It is great! It’s almost exactly the same guitar as my Schecter. Same pickups , same look, same feel.
Are they made by the same
People? I would love to have that guitar.
@@Imokyourok440 I'm pretty sure they are not related companies. I could be wrong, but I've never heard that either schectere or ltd were the same company. Esp owns LTD though. It's sort of like Fender and Squier, but LTD's are generally way better quality than a squier would be. The ESP guitars are pretty expensive. And the LTD's are a lot more affordable, but still super good. If you're into metal style guitars, schectere and ltd are both great choices.
@@Casey3-P-O I’m gonna look into that. Same pickups, paint job, almost exactly alike.
Damn good guitars. My Dad bought my Schecter for me at a pawn shop for $200 and it came with a fender practice amp. Dad knew nothing about guitars. The pawn shop owner was a good man. He knew I was struggling and Dad wanted to help me. If it was a hunk of junk, I would still love it. It’s great though. Dad passed away a few years ago, so it means even more now.❤️😢
@@Imokyourok440 sorry to hear about your dad. That was very cool of him to get you that though. Schecters are super cool looking.
what is this controversy with Solar? I heard nothing nor found anything online.
Just got an Adrian Smith SDX a few weeks ago. There's one blemish on the body that took me a day to notice. It plays great and the fretwork is awesome. I don't have any complaints about it, especially for the price. I've never had a strat type that I could fall in love with until now, including my old American standard.
That’s awesome!
I received a base level, and barely finished Ibanez GRG121DX. It is built and sounds beautifully. It does have a chunky neck it is the same thickness nut to heel. But I like that. It is like a classical but joins the body at feet 18. Holds tune and setup really well. $199.99 free shipping. I love it.
Jackson is owned by Fender now so I wouldn't be surprised if they're cutting corners with Jackson to preserve their own namesake
I made an ESP/Jackson Frankenstrat and I love it. ESP body , Jackson 2008 neck , Floyd Rose trem , EMG 91/85 and a custom active harness because the ESP wasn't clean enough for my liking. It is now my favorite guitar.
When the video ended, I got an ad for Fender. That should sum up this story perfectly.
Hahahah pretty much
Keisel guitars any good ?
Not sure, I’ve only see one. There are good and bad of every brand. Some just have more or less. Jackson these days has more bad than good depending on you define that.
Dang ya straight up said the most real things I have ever heard!!🤘🤘🤘
I thought the same thing!!!! And my first real guitar was a Jackson and I was loyal to Jackson then I switched to ESP after buying a Alexi Signature, the ESP model not LTD, I was hooked! It was the best sounding and playing guitar I ever owned, no contest!
If you like Jackson Quality and enjoyed 90s MIJ Jacksons, try Caparison guitars. I believe it their owner was one of the luthiers that undertook the whole Pre-Fender Jacksons to be made in Japan. They knew it had to be good import quality for the 90s Jacksons. I love my Tat-ii model, like a Soloist, similar neck carve and great wood and paint. Glossy black mirror ebony fretboard.
I used to love Jackson. Owned many over the years. My top 3 were the Marty Friedman Musicians friend 1 of 100, the Jenna Jameson V, and the Professional series Dinky made in Japan. I bought all 3 for a total of just under $1000. Yes all were pre-owned but the Jenna and Friedman were unplayed. Great guitars. Today's Jackson's don't compare and the prices are laughable.
I bought the mid tier (X series) Warrior recently - holy hell, I couldn't believe how much work it needed, compared to my LTD EC 1000 which needed *zero*. Given that the price difference is roughly the cost of replacing the stock pickups with something decent, 100% go with LTD. I always wanted a Jackson and this was so disappointing. LTD is putting a high end guitar in your hands for a reasonable price, and Jackson is just seeing what they can get away with. Ultimately, my Warrior will be the way I want it, but it's costing way more than I would have liked. Disappointing to say the least.
Disappointing indeed
X Series are junk. I wouldn't go below Pro
This sucks. I thought about buying an X series Warrior recently, but ended up buying a 1996 Japanese made Warrior instead off of eBay. It had clearly been played, lots of dents in the paint work etc etc, but from a quality perspective you can really really feel it. I also have a David Davidson Jackson PRO 7 string, which I really like, but the quality of the older guitar shines through.
All hail ESP LTD!
Supreme leaders of the metal axe world 🙌
I used to be a Jackson dude when I was growing up but I always wanted an ESP ever since I seen Metallica play them. You barely ever see any metal guys endorsing with Jackson anymore either. You're right man, it is a shame.
Very true! I remember in the early 2000’s esp was sponsoring everybody. They have some killer signature models. I was looking through their website the other night. The sd-2 looks insane.
@@jed_shred_guitars I know I want an actual ESP but they're so ridiculously priced now and the LTD 1000 series is plenty good for me. I have two. One from Korea and one from Indonesia and they are both great. I really don't know how the playability could get any better or be worth the extra $4-5,000 bucks....lol. Maybe one day 🤔.
@@manicmurph Yeah i thought the same, but i bought an actual ESP custom shop few months ago. ( Alexi Laiho Blacky )
Yeah, i can assure you, the difference between a 1000€ LTD and 4000€ ESP is night and day, it's like comparing your 1000€ LTD to a 150€ entry level guitar, it's unbelielable
There is a reason why professional plays on on high end model and not mid range level, the difference is just breath taking, you really have to try it to understand it.
FUCK YES, THANK YOU JED!!! EXACTLY what I've been thinking for 5 years. Once I started to see their $1000+ guitars coming from Indonesia, I knew it was only a matter of time. Like gramma's ratty old terrier that just refuses to kick the bucket. It's already dead, but just doesn't know it yet. RE: The haters: Fuck 'em! If you can't express an honest, experienced, opinion of the gear you like/dislike without someone blowing a gasket, they needn't be here. I appreciate you taking the time to give honest feedback so I don't have to pull the trigger and waste my precious $$.
Thanks brother! Subbed cuzza this video!
I appreciate the feedback!
While I definitely agree Jackson’s QC and pricing is silly these last couple years, and it’s a major bummer, other brands make really nice $1000+ guitars in Indonesia (ex some of LTD 1000 series are made there as are Ibanez premiums). So it’s not necessarily a country of origin issue but more so a lack of standards issue like Jed touches on in the video.
@@Andrew_182 Normally I would agree, however each country that hasn't spent YEARS crafting guitars has this issue and is shows starkly in their QC. I remember in the 80s it was Japan, then Mexico, then South Korea. But today, all of these countries have been making guitars for long enough, there's a healthy pool of qualified workers. Today it's Indonesia, China, etc.
Again, Ltd and Ibanez are making some of their mid to higher end guitars in Indonesia (1000 series and premiums respectively) and both those company’s have a good reputation for making quality instruments with the former (1000 series) widely being held up currently as the kings of quality and specs for a good price. And it’s not as if Cort (the factory in Indonesia where those two as well as Jackson’s and others like PRS are made) is a fly by night operation, they have been making guitars for quite awhile.
For China, Epiphone and other brands are making very decent guitars there too. It’s the best time ever to be buying entry level guitars as they are better now than ever since the majority of guitar manufacture is automated these days and China has plenty of manufacturing experience.
It really comes down to what brands are asking of the factories and the standards they set. Any of the major manufacturers can put together a good instrument if allowed to do so, but it’s pretty clear Jackson is wanting to just pump them out with little care for QC. If they wanted to however they could have Cort manufacturer instruments on par with LTDs 1000 series or ibanezs premium line in terms of both quality and spec, but they aren’t because at this point Fender is just cashing in on the name with little care for it’s history. Prioritizing margins over quality.
This is all from my experience, but if you’re wanting a much more knowledgeable take, go listen to Phil McKnight talk about all this. He has a podcast/you can watch the video on here called “country of origin is a outdated way to label quality” where he outlines exactly what I’m saying. And he’s been in the industry for a long time as a guitar dealer and tech and has toured a large number of these factory’s.
Very spot-on commentary! Fender has fell into this Jackson syndrome as well.
The newer Gus G model , made in Mexico is simply badass ! $399 .
Try one and prepare to be blown away . The price makes it hard to believe .
I too am scratching my head about Jackson and it's antics. When a friend of mine said he bought a Jackson and asked if I wanted to check it out ,I was so excited you would have thought it was me that just bought it .. ha. Sounded great walking into the house looked ok but when he handed it to me I thought for sure he got ripped off.. body felt hollow hardware not grover and the nut was a soft plastic . Frets were jagged and Floyd Rose wasn't holding the whammy bar .. the back plate didn't even say Jackson.. I'm a drummer and he was happy so I didn't pop his bubble .. Wtf Jackson!!!!!!!
My ‘86 Jackson soloist is the best guitar I ever played. Sad to say that no other Jackson especially the recent ones have come within miles of touching the guitar. For the money the Ibanez genesis series are the best shred guitars for the money right now imo
Problem right now is the supply chain issues and factorys having to double up production to meet the shortcomings of the last 2 years so that the company can make that money back, both those issues also result in the price being higher but the quility being hit hard too.
Jackson are not the only brand to be hit by this, it's a lot of brands. It's sad, but things will balance out again in a couple of years. Think thats why pretty much everyone had a very limited NAMM season release this year. Normally it's like a whole new roster of instruments from all the manufacturers but this year they mostly stayed the same as last years models and brought out like only 10 models overall. Sucks.
Always love the neck on a Jackson. It's like the sweetspot between ESP's Thin-U and the paper thin Ibanez wizard necks.
Jackson has been going downhill for a long time. The pandemic surely added to it, but esp and other brands are putting out mostly fantastic guitars. And innovating, and selling for competitive prices, and coming out all kinds of new models. Another commenter called Jackson a “novelty brand” and they were right. Jackson needs to hit rock bottom and have popular opinion be that they suck now to improve.
@@jed_shred_guitars can’t say I share the same opinion. Played one of those newer 7 string soloists with the fishmans and it was impeccable.
Had a wee go on the MIJ Misha strat too and loved it. Fit and finish was damn near perfect.
Shame though that they’re going though this period.
Totally agree I recently bought a Kramer nightswan and even though it looks stellar the amount of manufacturing issues are ridiculous like off centerfield floyd, creaking lock nut which is also off center and cheap tuners misaligned humbuckers the high E to close to the edge of the fretboard and rolls off but as long as we keep putting up with it the more they do it
I must have gotten lucky with my soloist. I got one of the x series with crackle finish and it was on par with all the guitars i looked at as far as finish quality. There were a couple cracks in the clear over the binding at a couple frets but this was disclosed when I bought it. It is also a common occurrence on many guitars.
I will say that out of all my guitars my mid 2000s Carvin C22 has he best fit and finish.
Those carvins are really nice. I’m glad you got a good soloist!
Sometimes you will get lucky like that. I have a similar experience with my 2011 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It actually has great binding, a perfectly bookmatched top and no quality issues. This normally wouldn't be a big deal but it was made during a time when Gibson notoriously had terrible quality on everything they made. I can't even find any from the same year on Reverb that aren't screwed to hell and it can easily be seen in the photos. Maybe our instruments were made by someone who was happy with their job before they figured out that they have to pay for their own coffee.
I own two. A MIJ Mustaine King V Pro, and a Dinky Reverse, both early 90's, and they're both absolutely fantastic instruments. The King V is on another level though. I want a 90s USA Soloist next. I was looking at new, but man the prices are insane, and I bet the older ones are nicer anyways.
Those old 90's MIJ Jackson are as good as the USA ones. they have real MOP inlays and IF they did not have professional on the headstock and say made in japan you would never know they were not USA made!
I have been done with Jackson as far as new since 2020, just after getting back into guitars after having been out a while. I went to 4 GC looking for a Soloist, I forget the model, but the purple one with hot rails. I tried everything Jackson from China/Korea/Indo and from the super cheap to the high on the wall Winterstorm Pro Sololist tagged $1000. The horrible QC is why I went to 4 stores, and no, I'm not including any probems caused in store, only QC issues. Crooked trems, bad paint line on the neck transition of the soloist, a Kelly that had something so wrong no setup could have fixed, and worst of all, the $1000 soloist had a massive crack going from the trem post through the entire bridge cavity, front and back. I knew I shouldn't have strayed from Ibanez and having started thinking I'd spend $400-500 on a soloist on sale, I just bought a Ibanez Premium rg6pgmltd that had been hiding in the store 2 years. Unbelievable guitar, and my first high end NEW Ibanez since a RG570 in 1992. Then they put out that MJ and the specs are crap compared to a Prestige. It baffles me they're built in the same factory and Ibanez can still drop a Prestige with Fishmans for hundreds less. They must have different QC people for Ibanez and Jackson too, because Ibanez Indo have been great for years. I can't speak to ESP, just haven't seen many that grabbed me. I'll stick to Ibanez until a miracle happens and Peavey magically returns to the US with some shred machines haha.
I have a 2018 model kv pro (same as yours but has 59/jb on it) and the finishing job is just shit when my 300€ js32t has better qc than the 1000€ there is a problem. Furthermore thank you for saying what I've been thinking (and probably all the real Jackson fans as well) I agree with 100% of this video and I'll buy esp (because I didn't own one) or ( E-II cause i am not that rich ) but so far the ec-256 alexi and ex 200 I ve tried weren't bad guitars but I wanna play something a bit more higher end to really see how it realy is.
Sounds like the 1000 series would be a good fit. They are the best value in guitars right now as far as I’m concerned.
@@jed_shred_guitars thank you for the response :)
Wasn´t Jackson bought by Fender bout 10 yrs ago?
I totally agree. I bought a soloist slx and the knob from the pickup selector eventually just came off after a few shows smh lol
They need to make something revolutionary to get the customers back. I seen a custom headless jackson they made for an artist sometime in 2019 and i really don’t understand why they can’t mass produce a high quality guitar like that one with an affordable price. Instead they make half assed guitars with ridiculous pricing same models over n over again lol might as well buy a strandberg or keisel with that money