What new models would you like from Jackson ?

[Nagash02]

That's also something I've been thinking for quite some time. We already have ESP that make the Eclipse series with dual EMGs, now I'd like a Jackson LP-style with Duncans (since Jackson always use Duncans ^^). You know what ? I'm sure they'd make them with alder bodies...

[guitardudeluke]

i think jackson need a single cut guitar to compete with all the other manufacturers

[toejam]

be gone with the creme binding

Their production models don't have creme binding. It's an off-white called ivoroid, but it's still not as yellowed as creme.

[Nagash02]

def more models with TOM and less crappy wood. be gone with the creme binding, and some more lively finishes on the bodies. Also match hardware colors better...chrome sucks

SO true ^^. Chrome looks nice with some finishes but it's fugly with most trans finishes IMO. We need more black and gold !

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I've said it before... I'd love to see the JT580LP trashed in favor of volume discounts on the FR2000. Maybe put the JT580 on the JS stuff.

[racnis]

also didnt jackson re-work their tremolos, more like a FR-pro now. a nice upgrade but still doesnt justify 90% of their models having Trems

[racnis]

def more models with TOM and less crappy wood. be gone with the creme binding, and some more lively finishes on the bodies. Also match hardware colors better...chrome sucks

[Nagash02]

That's the spirit ^^

[Advv]

More ebony and more binding. Oh and more MOP inlays

[pro-fusion]

I won't answer Veniculum's previous reply to me point by point...it's too late at night for that.

Just a couple points, though. I'm about the same age, and when I started buying guitars in the '80s there weren't any cheap Jacksons. One store in town (the cool store) carried them, but they didn't let just any snot-nose try them out, since they were the most expensive instruments in the store, apart from maybe BC Rich. The Charvel Models had just come out, and I couldn't even afford the black cherry Model 5 that I so badly wanted. Those weren't cheap, either. They were price- and quality-wise way above the cheapies and even the equivalent Kramer Focus series. My first Jackson was a San Dimas Soloist that I bought used in 1989 for the then-princely sum of $900. (I was more into Gibsons for most of the '80s, to be honest)

So really, the notion of Jackson having starter guitars isn't in keeping with the glory days of the brand. The business has changed a lot; people buying mid-range guitars now expect first-rate hardware and appointments, even if the wood underneath is green and tone-dead, and the fretwork is subpar. ESP and Schecter use their cheaper manufacturing base to make their LTDs and Diamond Series guitars look a lot better than they sound or play, while Jackson has bland low- and mid-range guitars that are convertible into nice instruments with a little hardware swapping. Despite the corner cutting, Jackson's mid-range guitars are still more expensive than the competition, due to their Japanese origin. I fear that eventually Jackson is going to have to cave in and move their import production out of Japan and accept lower quality as the price of competition.

Well, actually I don't fear it for personal reasons, since Jackson hasn't regularly made Soloists the way I like them (non-recessed trems & angled necks) since 1989. I buy old '80s ones at not-cheap prices. If Jackson introduced a production Shannon Soloist model, I'd buy one tomorrow. I'm fortunate to be in a position in life where I can afford multiple used USA Jacksons from the '80s, and I've been playing more than long enough to know the difference. I could afford a new USA Select Series, but they don't make anything I want. I could probably swing a Custom Shop Soloist with San Dimas features if I was willing to sell off all my other guitars, but I'm not willing to do that just to have a new version of what I already own. So, no, I'm not browsing GC looking to buy LTDs and Schecters, or whatever.

For all we know, FMIC is perfectly happy with the financial performance of Jackson. It would be easy enough for them to shift production to China and "bling up" the imports to make them look like LTDs. FMIC already contracts for guitar manufacturing in China, and I'm sure it would be simple enough for them to tool up for Jacksons and Charvels. They've owned the company for about 8 years and haven't done so, which tells you something.

Why do I go into GC and strum a few import whatevers? Curiosity. I mostly go there to check out the used guitars and buy strings and accessories.

[alex9152]

I wish that they would make more basses. Especially the Concert V. I would myself buy one if they would.

Seconding this.

And, they should offer a Kelly with soapbars in the JS and then neck-thru with EMGs in the Pro about equivalent to a 5-series as an alternative to the Epi and Gibson Thunderbirds.

As for the guy who got burned with the Kramer Striker, I'm pretty sure Focus was the Japanese line, Strikers were Korean, and yes, Korean-made stuff in the late 80s/early 90s was crap.

[Hosedawg]

I wish that they would make more basses. Especially the Concert V. I would myself buy one if they would.

[veniculum]

I'm kinda tired of beating a dead horse...and I'm sure everyone is sick of reading the same thing...so I'll drop it after this...you guys are free to have the last word.

I don't know what the internet sales are. And it is certainly fair to say that internet sales may be a much more important part of sales and marketing than it was even a few years ago. But at the end of the day, I am going to assume the bulk of sales are still in the stores. Not everyone has an internet connection..shocking, but true. And then for vast majority of people who do have access to the internet, many don't necessarily want to drop a couple hundred...or especially a couple grand on, not just guitars..any product that has as much personal significance as something like a guitar...(guns, motorcycles, cars...any other high value collectible).

I'm not sure why it's so hard to assume that the buying public want to see, feel, taste, touch a product before purchase....and I'm not saying this is the case with everyday items. But a guitar is something that is very personal to it's buyer. Sure....if you've done the research, played another guitar of the same model, read reviews, etc...perhaps that's enough to make a decision. I bought a PC-1 online without ever seeing one in person. I was lucky...my $2K + purchase was well worth it. But not everyone is so bold. Sure...you can return it (in most cases)...but do you really want to go through the trouble...and then most likely incur the shipping charges on that return.
So regardless of the reality of things right now...Honestly...isn't it much better when you can try something out...make a decision based on experience instead of what others say?...once again..opinion..want to make that clear..it's an opinion.

And this brings me back to the issue at hand. I don't know what internet sales are...I don't know what sales numbers Jackson is pulling in the stores. Can I find out?..sure...I can research it and get exact numbers....anyone could. Once again...FMIC is a publicly traded corporation, and therefore, their sales numbers are made public in the interest of the stock holders.
I don't understand where the confusion here is..I'm making a statement based on what I see. Could I be wrong based on my assumptions....sure....could I find out for certain...yes. Is the trouble worth it because of a debate on a message board? No. If I decide at some point to buy stock in the company, then you bet I'll do my research.

Perhaps I should clarify...and I do apologize if I've been unclear on this...any comments made about marketing, sales numbers, how Jackson is represented, what FMIC is doing in terms of the Jackson/Charvel brand...I'm stating opinion...and my opinion is that Fender is not doing their job to market this brand. Why do I make this statement?...because I don't see a Jackson presence...in the magazines, in the stores, on stages, etc. Am I biased...sure..I love the brand, and I hate to see it not getting the notoriety it got 20 years ago during its heyday. Why does this bother me and why am I bothering to write so much on the subject...because I fear the same fate for Jackson before the FMIC buyout....which basically left Jackson/Charvel for dead. Had Fender not bought them out, we probably wouldn't have the opportunity to discuss the models/potential models that are the very subject of this thread.

So if any of my previous statements have been left unanswered...all of it is based on what I see and my own experience in the music industry, of which I've had an interest in for over 25 years. If any of has been taken any other way, I apologize.
And with that...iff you still wanna debate what I'm saying...go for it. You win

[VitaminG]

You've got your point across about your feelings on Jackson's marketing approach just fine. What you seemed to take umbrage with wasn't someone's inability to respect your opinion, but their calling you on what you stated as a fact.

As to the continued success and growth of the brand - sure, it'd be nice to see the company do well. But in the end it means little to me. It is just a company making a product. Like many through time, it may come to a point where it can't feasibly go on. That won't affect my enjoyment of the guitars I already own. And why am I here? Initially, (more than a decade ago) to find out about an unusual secondhand Jackson I had just acquired. Now, because I've found I enjoy shooting the shit with the membership here. There are some good people here who I would consider friends despite having never met them in person. My participation here has become less and less about the guitars over the years. My enjoyment of the guitars has not diminished but my desire to talk all day about them has.

[Hellbat]

While you may not see many guitar centers with USA Jacksons in stock, it's actually easier to find them in retail now compared to the mid-late 1980's where I am. We never had a guitar "big box" type store and there was only a single local dealer that was (AFAIK) authorized to carry USA Jacksons. The Charvel model series was a bit more widespread.

I would love to have more available and have them easier to get, but floor space is getting harder and harder to find as the world switches to an Internet economy.