My First Jackson (Whoo-Hooo!)

[Big Red]

Hi Folks,

I just took delivery of my first Jackson today… a DK2T. Here are a few pics:




The above is my “Blue-Man Group”. Yes, they are blue (even though they look black). LOL


After much consideration, I decided not to go with a DKMGT for the time being as per my original thread:

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65470

In any case, I ordered the DK2T a few days after I posted that, and it finally came in yesterday afternoon. Here are my thoughts on it;

Headstock: The adolescent in me has always LOVED the shape of this headstock. I like the reverse (e.g. like the DKMGT’s) even better. The tuners are Jackson and I haven’t heard too much about them at this point (any feedback would be appreciated). I restrung the guitar with Daddario’s (9-42) and threw away the factory NPS strings. The tuners seem to be fine, and the guitar has held its tuning stability in spades. If the tuners become a problem, I can always put in Gotoh brand.

Neck: It fits my small hands (no jokes please….heh-heh) pretty nicely, and is comfortable. It is not as fast as the neck on my RGA121H CDO, but then again, what is? I rate this neck a higher than a Wizard II, and I’m sure that I will enjoy it more once it gets worn in a bit. The string-spacing is good for my playing style, and I can easily jump from this guitar to my RGA, to my Lado Earth, and back to this guitar without to much fuss. What I don’t like about this neck is how the last fret looks like it has been added on as an after-thought….there is a last bit of fret-board that is hanging in mid-air. There is also a regular block-type of neck joint, which is noticeable after spending time with my RGA.

Body: not much to say, but it’s bright due to the alderwood….perfect for playing this guitar on more commercial sounding songs. It is a nice contrast to the deep, throatiness of my all mahogany RGA 121H (the H means all-mahogany). It’s as comfortable to “wear” as my old RG320FM, and the string-thru set-up is a nice touch…. I don’t miss changing strings on my old Edge III-equipped RG320FM. However, the black plastic pickup rings seem pretty cheap and out of place on this mid-range guitar.

Pickups: Oh boy….here we go. I know that this is subjective, but this is the guitar’s failing. I don’t like the Seymour JB’s in my Lado Earth, and I don’t like the factory JB/Jazz combo in this guitar. Even though alderwood is not as shrill as the all-maple construction of my Lado Earth, is it STILL too bright of a tone-wood for these pickups…at least to these ears. Also, they don’t have enough oomph, they don’t have enough sustain, and the sheer tonal quality (which can’t be merely measured by numbers) is not my taste; the Dimarzio Super Distortion/Paf-Joe combo in my RGA smokes this Duncan combo in all areas. And I know it isn’t just the guitar…I faced all of these problems with the Duncans in my Lado. I played the guitar with the stock pickups for a few hours to give it a fair chance, but I just couldn’t get into it. So, I installed a Dimarzio Super 3 in the bridge, and a Super 2 in the neck. The Super 3 removes some of the bottom end off of the Super Distortion, and makes up for it with a HUGE midrange. This guitar now has a bridge-tone for days, and the highs are perfect instead of an ice-pick. The Super 2 is just a monster, even though it is bright and articulate. I had to lower it so that it is almost flush with the guitar’s body, and that is while the Super 3 in the bridge position is raised to about 2mm from the strings (while depressed at the 24th fret); it is that hot. I played a Xiphos the other day since I was curious about the D Activator pickups… and that neck pickup (lower rated output than the Super 2), has nothing on the Super 2. I would hate to see what an X2N in the neck position would do. I have also played an RG2620, and Ibanez claims that the Dimarzio/IBZ neck pickup in that is derived from the Super 2….it also has nothing on the full-on Super 2 (it is probably a mid-output version).


Lastly, in spite of what I had originally thought/assumed about Jackson quality levels in comparison to Ibanez quality levels (as per my original thread), I can undoubtedly say that a made in Japan Jackson, like my new DK2T does not equal a made in Japan Ibanez. Spending time with this guitar and my RGA back-to-back confirms this. But, it still feels better to me than several RGT42’s I’ve tested in the past.

My original assumption:

IBANEZ......................JACKSON

Japan (J-Custom)........USA (Select Series)
Japan (Prestige).........Japan (Pro and MG Series)
Korea (RGT42 etc.).....Japan (X Series)
Indon.(RG 3-series).....India (JS Series)


Here is what I think now:

IBANEZ.......................JACKSON

Japan (J-Custom).........USA (Select Series…maybe???)
Japan (Prestige)...........none
Korea (RGT42 etc.).......Japan (Pro and MG Series)
Indon.(RG 3-series).......India (X Series)
?????? (Gio series)......…India (JS Series)

Sorry about the long review. As always, your mileage may vary. Any contrasting-comments/corrections are welcome.


Cheers

[screamndemon69]

Congrats.

I think you did good to get the string thru version as the tremmed version doesn't have an OFR. I've always had a soft spot for the USA Soloist series and the SLS USA series.

[funkdubious]

Nice guitar.At the moment I'm putting together a Jackson.
I have the DK2 body with the H/S/S config,a DKMG neck(reverse with the piranah inlays).I'm going to put a Gotoh Floyd on it,and have Screamin Demon and Coolrails pups.Thinking of putting a pickguard on it to cover up the middle pup,then use a push/pull volume knob.

[quiksilverdew]

I never liked my Jackson much, they are good guitars but I found myself playing my Kramer and Ibanez more...so I sold it. I actually really like yours though, and I like bright combos like JB in Alder so I might check it out.

[RGM]

Heres my first jackson which i got recently:





Shocking images from my camera phone!

It's a DK2 with a fairly uncommon finish, hand painted by a Japanese factory worker...He signed the guitar, i just can't read Japanese.

It's nice, slightly bright but the tone helps to warm it up a bit.

This one plays good too, similar to my 1570 i guess, i love the jackson neck though..

[Gtr4000]

Originally Posted by Big Red

Hi Folks,

I just took delivery of my first Jackson today… a DK2T. Here are a few pics:




The above is my “Blue-Man Group”. Yes, they are blue (even though they look black). LOL


After much consideration, I decided not to go with a DKMGT for the time being as per my original thread:

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65470

In any case, I ordered the DK2T a few days after I posted that, and it finally came in yesterday afternoon. Here are my thoughts on it;

Headstock: The adolescent in me has always LOVED the shape of this headstock. I like the reverse (e.g. like the DKMGT’s) even better. The tuners are Jackson and I haven’t heard too much about them at this point (any feedback would be appreciated). I restrung the guitar with Daddario’s (9-42) and threw away the factory NPS strings. The tuners seem to be fine, and the guitar has held its tuning stability in spades. If the tuners become a problem, I can always put in Gotoh brand.

Neck: It fits my small hands (no jokes please….heh-heh) pretty nicely, and is comfortable. It is not as fast as the neck on my RGA121H CDO, but then again, what is? I rate this neck a higher than a Wizard II, and I’m sure that I will enjoy it more once it gets worn in a bit. The string-spacing is good for my playing style, and I can easily jump from this guitar to my RGA, to my Lado Earth, and back to this guitar without to much fuss. What I don’t like about this neck is how the last fret looks like it has been added on as an after-thought….there is a last bit of fret-board that is hanging in mid-air. There is also a regular block-type of neck joint, which is noticeable after spending time with my RGA.

Body: not much to say, but it’s bright due to the alderwood….perfect for playing this guitar on more commercial sounding songs. It is a nice contrast to the deep, throatiness of my all mahogany RGA 121H (the H means all-mahogany). It’s as comfortable to “wear” as my old RG320FM, and the string-thru set-up is a nice touch…. I don’t miss changing strings on my old Edge III-equipped RG320FM. However, the black plastic pickup rings seem pretty cheap and out of place on this mid-range guitar.

Pickups: Oh boy….here we go. I know that this is subjective, but this is the guitar’s failing. I don’t like the Seymour JB’s in my Lado Earth, and I don’t like the factory JB/Jazz combo in this guitar. Even though alderwood is not as shrill as the all-maple construction of my Lado Earth, is it STILL too bright of a tone-wood for these pickups…at least to these ears. Also, they don’t have enough oomph, they don’t have enough sustain, and the sheer tonal quality (which can’t be merely measured by numbers) is not my taste; the Dimarzio Super Distortion/Paf-Joe combo in my RGA smokes this Duncan combo in all areas. And I know it isn’t just the guitar…I faced all of these problems with the Duncans in my Lado. I played the guitar with the stock pickups for a few hours to give it a fair chance, but I just couldn’t get into it. So, I installed a Dimarzio Super 3 in the bridge, and a Super 2 in the neck. The Super 3 removes some of the bottom end off of the Super Distortion, and makes up for it with a HUGE midrange. This guitar now has a bridge-tone for days, and the highs are perfect instead of an ice-pick. The Super 2 is just a monster, even though it is bright and articulate. I had to lower it so that it is almost flush with the guitar’s body, and that is while the Super 3 in the bridge position is raised to about 2mm from the strings (while depressed at the 24th fret); it is that hot. I played a Xiphos the other day since I was curious about the D Activator pickups… and that neck pickup (lower rated output than the Super 2), has nothing on the Super 2. I would hate to see what an X2N in the neck position would do. I have also played an RG2620, and Ibanez claims that the Dimarzio/IBZ neck pickup in that is derived from the Super 2….it also has nothing on the full-on Super 2 (it is probably a mid-output version).


Lastly, in spite of what I had originally thought/assumed about Jackson quality levels in comparison to Ibanez quality levels (as per my original thread), I can undoubtedly say that a made in Japan Jackson, like my new DK2T does not equal a made in Japan Ibanez. Spending time with this guitar and my RGA back-to-back confirms this. But, it still feels better to me than several RGT42’s I’ve tested in the past.

My original assumption:

IBANEZ......................JACKSON

Japan (J-Custom)........USA (Select Series)
Japan (Prestige).........Japan (Pro and MG Series)
Korea (RGT42 etc.).....Japan (X Series)
Indon.(RG 3-series).....India (JS Series)


Here is what I think now:

IBANEZ.......................JACKSON

Japan (J-Custom).........USA (Select Series…maybe???)
Japan (Prestige)...........none
Korea (RGT42 etc.).......Japan (Pro and MG Series)
Indon.(RG 3-series).......India (X Series)
?????? (Gio series)......…India (JS Series)

Sorry about the long review. As always, your mileage may vary. Any contrasting-comments/corrections are welcome.


Cheers

pix and info on the lado please!!!!

[Big Red]

Originally Posted by Gtr4000

pix and info on the lado please!!!!

Sure.....I posted on here it a few months ago. Here is the link to it:

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60567

I initially liked the Seymours in it (as per my original linked-review), but after living with them for a while, I have changed my opinion of them.


Cheers

[jim777]

Originally Posted by Big Red

Hi Folks,

I just took delivery of my first Jackson today… a DK2T. Here are a few pics:


Cheers

Congrats!

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by RGM

Heres my first jackson which i got recently:





Shocking images from my camera phone!

It's a DK2 with a fairly uncommon finish, hand painted by a Japanese factory worker...He signed the guitar, i just can't read Japanese.

It's nice, slightly bright but the tone helps to warm it up a bit.

This one plays good too, similar to my 1570 i guess, i love the jackson neck though..

Those are the same picks i use! nice color

[Lefty Robb]

I was very happy with my DK2L after ripping all the electronics out and locking the crappy bridge down.

[Big Red]

Thanks folks. RGM, that is a wild color scheme you have going there!!!

Like I said before, I am done with floating bridges (my Lado has a non-floater, and therefore easy to deal with), and Jackson seems to offer a more interesting variety of fixed-bridge guitars. If I ever go back to floaters, Ibanez would obviously be my first choice though.


Cheers

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by Big Red

Thanks folks. RGM, that is a wild color scheme you have going there!!!

Like I said before, I am done with floating bridges (my Lado has a non-floater, and therefore easy to deal with), and Jackson seems to offer a more interesting variety of fixed-bridge guitars. If I ever go back to floaters, Ibanez would obviously be my first choice though.


Cheers

You could install a tremolno in your floaters, ive found that the springs from a blocked tremolo add a particular type of resonance that i really like, although i often mute the springs when im using the trem:P

[Flobanez]

Nice Soloists! I've always wanted one of those. Ever since the days when Def Leppard's Phil Collen was playing his white Soloist and his Soloist customs. Congrats!

[jim777]

I need to get one of those HRF DK2s, I love those flames and you can't beat 'em for the price

[Wild_Child]

I've always found the heel on bolt-on jacksons to be a little obtrusive, only their neck-thru models appeal to me. Does the square joint bother you guys at all?