Japanese Jacksons
- Thread starter WarHead
- Start date
xenophobe said:
What's your opinion of the KV4 Jackson King V? I'm not a musician but I want to purchase the guitar for my husband. It's on sale for $740 (USD.) I can't find information on this guitar anyway. Is it worth it?
Sunbane
Metalistic Madman
Natalica said:
As far as I've managed to find out, the KV-4 seems to be a neck-through construction with Duncan pickups (good). The price sounds reasonable to me, but I'm used to the (usually higher) european pricing. But I think those guitars used to retail for almost $1500 USD. You'd get more info on the Jackson forum, http://www.jcfonline.com/.
'bane
Indiooo
Member
In my opinion, the best japanese guitars were made in the 70's/80's, the famous "lawsuit models". For example, the Greco, Burny or Tokai Les Paul copies are every bit as good as the original 80's Gibsons, plus now they are aged and sell for almost nothing.
The Japanese Jackson guitars are big bang for the $$$.
For their price they offer a very good instrument with great playability and tone.
But...sorry..the USA line is NOT overrated!
I have a USA Kelly(KE2), and I have played the import Kelly guitars. While they are a kick ass guitar for not lots of money, the USA guitar is MORE than worth the price! Overall better craftsmanship, woods, a REAL floyd, Duncans as stock etc.
This was obvious from just picking up the import in a store within seconds.
I just think the Japanese Jacksons are just underrated and they blow away things in their price category.
For their price they offer a very good instrument with great playability and tone.
But...sorry..the USA line is NOT overrated!
I have a USA Kelly(KE2), and I have played the import Kelly guitars. While they are a kick ass guitar for not lots of money, the USA guitar is MORE than worth the price! Overall better craftsmanship, woods, a REAL floyd, Duncans as stock etc.
This was obvious from just picking up the import in a store within seconds.
I just think the Japanese Jacksons are just underrated and they blow away things in their price category.
I have a Jackson RX10D, which is made in Japan. It had duncan designed pickups in it and i put an 81 in the bridge, so now it smokes, but i still need to replace the neck pu with the 85. The japanese ones are good, but the USA ones are 18762891896147632187 X better, IMO. Stock pickups are always crap, no matter what guitar you buy, usually. the Pick up companies probably pay the guitar companies good money to put in crappy Pick ups so that you have to go out and buy new ones.
Dave_Mustaine84
Boogies Woogies
the japanese Charvel Model range are fucking swcheet, i have a Model 6, everything about it kicks arse 
my japanese Jackson PS-2 though, well its pickup's fucking suck, they are so empty sounding and the floyd rose copy does absolutely nothing except kill its sustain.
my japanese Jackson PS-2 though, well its pickup's fucking suck, they are so empty sounding and the floyd rose copy does absolutely nothing except kill its sustain.
Degenerate Machinery
Sole superior evil itself
i've been wanting to buy the jackson dkmg but after hearing that the stock pick ups blow, is it possible to change the pick ups and still keep the gain boost system?
Sunbane
Metalistic Madman
Yup, the pickups should be replacable with pretty much any other passive pickup. You can probably use actives as well, but I'm not sure exactly how they'd work with the preamp.Degenerate Machinery said:
You may want to give the stock pickups a chance before replacing them though. Most people I've spoken to say they blow, while others actually like them.
'bane
actually jackson electronics are not compatible with other active electronics. I have the JE-1000 gain boost, and it WILL NOT work with EMG pickups.
Bryant
Mr. Sleepy
Are you sure it's Japanese made, not Korean ? I'm not knocking Korean made stuff or putting apanese stuff on a pedestal, but it is rare America has lower-end products manufactured in Japan.
If you look at the labels on just about any "bargain" product you buy, as far as Asian countries it says made in: Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia The Philippines, or China but not often Japan. Japan has about the same standard of living as the US and only a product equal to or superior to an American product would be worthwhile having made and shipped from Japan by an American company.
It is possible Japan bought heavily into the Jackson company and decided to make a "middle of the line" guitar, but it would seriously surprise me if they made a guitar that is of inferior quality. I proudly buy merican products including guitars, but a BIG exception to that are Takamine acoustics. I wouldn't dream of playing anything else live.
Bryant
If you look at the labels on just about any "bargain" product you buy, as far as Asian countries it says made in: Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia The Philippines, or China but not often Japan. Japan has about the same standard of living as the US and only a product equal to or superior to an American product would be worthwhile having made and shipped from Japan by an American company.
It is possible Japan bought heavily into the Jackson company and decided to make a "middle of the line" guitar, but it would seriously surprise me if they made a guitar that is of inferior quality. I proudly buy merican products including guitars, but a BIG exception to that are Takamine acoustics. I wouldn't dream of playing anything else live.
Bryant
Sunbane
Metalistic Madman
I understand your concern, but it's accurate that Jackson's mid-range guitars are built in Japan. Their old low-end line however (Performer series) was built in Korea for the most part. Now their current low-end guitars (JS series and some of the X-series) are built in India (!). The Indian guitars are of very uneven quality and I wouldn't recommend buying one period.Bryant said:
While the japanese Jackson plant is capable of putting out excellent guitars, Jackson are paying them for high volume production: They have to keep the pace up - so sometimes a few bad ones get by quality control. However, the biggest cost-cutting factors in the japanese models (I believe) are the pickups, the bridge, the lack of luxury features (no ebony and mother-of-pearl) and the electronics. Usually the level workmanship is very good, as you'd expect of a japan made guitar.
Btw - back in the early 90's, there was a line of japanese Jacksons that had all the features of the USA guitars - neck-thru, schaller trem, active electronics, bound ebony fretboard, MOP sharkfins and MOP inlay logotype on the headstock. They sold like hot cakes and are still regarded as being just as good as the american ones. Apparently they sold so well that Jackson decided to pull the line to get their USA series to sell better. The japanese factory still makes high-end guitars, but for the japanese market only (under the names "Jackson Stars" and "Grover Jackson"). Among other things, they've had a 24-fretted equivalent to the USA RR-1 Rhoads for several years now - something the international market has never seen, despite there being a demand for it.
'bane
xenophobe
Active Member
The DXMG/T series comes with an EMG TurboCharger boost board, as per the Jackson site. I'm pretty sure this is Afterburner, I remember hearing disucssion on the Jackson/Charvel Forum about it.Degenerate Machinery said:
The Afterburner, as well as all the other EMG Guitar boost/eq boards can be used with either Passive or Active pickups.
Check it out here. It sure sounds like the same thing 0-20 db gain boost:
http://www.emgpickups.com/displayproducts.asp?section=Accessories&categoryid=32&catalogid=69
So you should be able to keep it.
By the way I have one of those Early RX10D, it has a great SChaller Floyd Rose, looks and built exactly like an Original except for the baseplate, and it truley is the best Tremolo/ Guitar I have played hands down, It's my Child, It's great, I'm not sure if the previous owner modified it (I bought it used) I live in CHicago, bought it online from Music go round in Oklahoma,It came with Kent Armstrong Distortions (great) I switched the Bridge with a Bill Lawrence L 500 Xl, with a coil split option on it, and it truley is the best ever perfect match, sounds like they were made for each other ..... Well Bill Lawrence did teach Kent how to make pickups that's probably why. But thet're the best IMO, the pickups, Umm I'm new to this forum, SO I don't know anything htat goes on here, But Screw EMG !, and by the way I think the HZ's sound better than the actives, if the HZ's to you sound Flat than 81's will sound flatter than flat look into Bill Lawrence, the XL rocks any EMG's socks, it truley is the better EMG read the harmony central forum threads (Sorry i'm too lazy to keep typing about it)
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