jackson stars SL2HT info needed

[spider murphy]

does anyone have any info on jackson stars? i've been offered a jackson stars SL2HT in a trade, and don't know much about these guitars. i know that they are for the japanese market only, and that they can't use the name jackson because they let the rights run out when fender ate jackson(they do obviously use the name jackson, but with stars added). are these guitars considered to be in the jackson family, or are they a separate entity making versions of jacksons guitars? i do know that the factory making them(Chushin Gakki?) is producing, or had produced the import models in the jackson lineup.

[jim777]

Those are nice guitars, absolutely. Are you more concerned with the guitar's quality or lineage?

[spider murphy]

mostly quality, but i am interested in lineage for academic reasons.

[jim777]

It's a Japanese Jackson, made by 'Jackson Japan', if you will. You can get them new on the 'Net, obviously, but they also have a custom shop if you want. I've heard of people ordering 7 strings from them because its cheaper than getting one from the US Custom Shop.

[corey j grieve]

Dealers in Japan compare them to ESP japan,very high quality.
You will be getting alot of guitar for your money,very good value & japanese quality!

[psychoshredder]

I own one Jacksonstars SL2J, Soloist with Schaller bridge and seymour duncans.
I have been an Ibi fan do many years, and never looked back..but I know someday I must own a soloist for some reason. I need to compare it to my RG family.
So here she comes, a Japanese Jackson Soloist SL2.
From my understanding, the Japanese Jackson specification : for example SL1 and SL2 different from US Jackson.
US SL 1 : HSS, ebony, ori floyd.
US SL 2 : HH, ebony, ori floyd
Japan SL 1 : HH, ebony, ori floyd
Japan SL 2 : HH, striped ebony, schaller.
There are basic ingredients, woods material can be changed depends on year of production and some short of limited run or something..

I don't know much about Jackson, so feel free to correct me or add something here.

so, what about my SL 2 J ?
my first impression : she was light! very good for live performance.
my second impression : what the neck! it was thin.. not as thin as original wizard but it's thin enough and narrower than Ibi wizard. at some point, I feel like ..I found a new home.. don't worry mates... my original home is still wizard.

tonewise:
I don't know what kind of duncans they put in, but it was perfect for her.
to play percussive attack , palm mute down stroke, palm mute alternate picking, this is the one... the note is solid, punchy, and mean... none of my RG can do this things as good as the soloist, I think it must have something to do with the material of the bridge ( schaller).

playing solos.... RGs win. Big time.
With RG, I can feel and hear some might says.."souls' on every note..?
with soloist, they all plain.....
It has nothing to do with my playing damn it... I played the same song and same notes.

Oh yeah..one more thing... strings feel more tight on soloist( schaller) compared to RG with edge/lo pro... I used same brand of strings : D'addario XL120 09-042.

value for the money:
She was expensive though.. but prooved to be an excellent addition to my collection.

conclusion :
If I was in a metal band, I will use the soloist much more for rhythm stuffs, doubling parts, etc, and live performance.

[spider murphy]

thanks for the info guys. sounds like i can't go wrong here. i'm going to move forward with the trade. will probably post pics, and a brief review if/when the trade is complete.

[jim777]

Jackson makes some superb instruments, I don't think anyone here will give you a look for saying that. I've had a number of Jacksons myself, and my personal favorites have always been the '90 Pros, and I might get some looks for that There's nothing wrong with loving a Jackson. I have Jackson bumper stickers on my car
Something to keep in mind though, was that the original Japanese Jacksons (with just "Jackson" on the headstock, that were so crazy amazing) made between '90 and 9'4 were all overseen by Itaru Kanno, who eventually left to start his own company, Caparison Guitars.

[psychoshredder]

Originally Posted by spider murphy

thanks for the info guys. sounds like i can't go wrong here. i'm going to move forward with the trade. will probably post pics, and a brief review if/when the trade is complete.

Btw, the model you are taling about SL-2HT, I think it's string through body model, not a tremolo equipped.
Do you aware about this ?
I just want to make sure before you do the trade.

[spider murphy]

yes, it's a string through hard tail. i'm ok with that as i have enough guitars with trems to get by. i play les pauls quite a bit so i don't mind the lack of a trem.