Jackson: Japan vs USA Clips

[Lasse Lammert]

Hey.....
k, often people complain that any EMG equipped axe sounds like the next one...BULLSHIT!
the quality of the wood is so fucking important, no matter which pickup you're using.

I've often claimed that although I like japanese ESPs (al lot!), I'm not a fan of Japanese Jacksons.....
yes, they're built nicely and they feel very good...they are nice guitars for the price, but there IS a difference in quality.....here comes the proof.

I recorded this wee clip using the same amp and settings etc, as well as the same strings (both new) and the same pickup (EMG81)...it's actually the very same pickup, I put it in one guitar first and then in the other one....
everything is the same, alder body, bolt on maple neck, floyd rose trem.....

differences:
one is white/black and a USA made dinky, the other one is all black and a japanese dinky...

but hear for yourselves

Japanese Dinky

USA Dinky

the springs on the japanese weren't as nicely dampened apparently, hence the ring in the end, but it should be clear to everyone how much more clear and articulated the USA model sounds

 

[Pxz]

I hate that spring noise on floyd equiped guitars, im surprised on how little ring the us made one has.In terms of tone the us dinky sounds more defined but im not sure if that is equal to more articulated , both sounded kinda similar .

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I think it's like a night and day difference..IMO the Jap sounds muddy as fuck compared to the US (listen to the palm mutes in the beginning)

 

[Jaymz]

Yeah much more low mids happening on the jap...the US sounds more aggressive in the high mids too.

Though some people would call the jap "muddy" and some would say "fuller/thicker".

I dig the US model personally.

 

[Skinny Viking]

hmmmm

there seems to be a slight amount of extra clarity in the USA clip but I can't say that its a night and day difference. More like a night to dawn difference maybe

crappy pc speakers here!

 

[midget donkeys]

I wonder if the difference in tone comes from the US and japanese factories using different supplies of Alder wood.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I wonder if the difference in tone comes from the US and japanese factories using different supplies of Alder wood.

yeah, pretty sure the quality of the wood used for the american Jacksons is better

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Holy shit!!!! Wow, that is really unbelievable!

 

[egan.]

Does the Japanese dinky have a different floyd though? That makes a significant difference. I agree with the thesis though: The greatest difference between the lines is QC- from start to finish. No doubt that the USA sounds better.

 

[guitarguru777]

Ehhhh ... I would rather hear an EMG equipped Alder vs as EMG equipped Mahogany guitar....

The difference is negligible, but the US does sound better. Still hate the sound of EMG's. Gimme a JB any day

EDIT:
Oh and for the record I bet the difference would be much more noticeable on a guitar with passives.

 

[Robert W]

There's a difference, yes, but the difference in those clips sounds like the difference you'd get from turning the tone on a TS from full to 50%.

 

[JonWormwood]

I always feel my jap jacksons have muddy low end

 

[JoergieN]

I feel like on real amps it makes a big difference. On amp sims I'm not too sure. No joke, when using POD Farm I can't tell the difference between pickups, my ltd sounds the same as my a strat.

 

[AD Chaos]

I also have a jap Jackson ''professional'' (I guess that's another name for Dinky)

Never have liked the muddiness and sterile tone (from the 81 bridge- 81 neck actually is good for cleans and all)
However it does have more bottom (glad to see I'm not the only one with that problem)

To me Jacksons are a thing of the past anyways, and pretty much died once Fender took over IMO

 

[Jevil]

Not so big difference in tone IMO. But yes, the spring noise is a shit.

I've been playing a jap Jackson RR4(w/EMG) on stage for the last 12 years and I'm very happy with it, confortable, easy to play and it sounds very good.
For the spring noise I put a hair rubber around them and problem solved.

 

[deLuther]

What is exactly name of japan Jackson Dinky model and year of production?
And how about DIs?

 

[viralz]

I've owned lots of japan made jacksons (KVX10,RR5,RR3,DX10D,Kevin Bond signature Rhoad) , then I got myself a USA KV2. The tonal difference and playability is like night and day. Japanese Jacksons now feel like a piece of wood with strings, but the USA ones feel like a real instrument.

 

[deLuther]

I've owned lots of japan made jacksons (KVX10,RR5,RR3,DX10D,Kevin Bond signature Rhoad)

But most is cheap Jackson`s. There is also Jackson Stars/Grover Jackson/Charvel (Jacksons for Japan internal market), many models are superior to international export models. Unfortunately I`m only tried poplar soloist Jackson Stars SL-138 (not top of the line, but superior to SL-3) and two ash Charvel SDK (equivalent to Charvel Fusion Plus of 90-91).

 

[Skinny Viking]

I also have a jap Jackson ''professional'' (I guess that's another name for Dinky)

Never have liked the muddiness and sterile tone (from the 81 bridge- 81 neck actually is good for cleans and all)
However it does have more bottom (glad to see I'm not the only one with that problem)

To me Jacksons are a thing of the past anyways, and pretty much died once Fender took over IMO

"professional" just means its japanese made, not the model of guitar

as far as I know the USA models never have "professional" written on the headstocks

 

[MarkG]

I'm not sure the difference between this USA and Jap dinky is any greater than the difference between two USA or two Jap models. Guitars, regardless of make always sound a little (to a lot!) different.

I do agree that the USA model sounds clearer here. Just not sure its due to USA make.