New Pro series!

[xenophobe]

What we have come to find is that anything made by World Guitars in Korea is a high quality guitar, probably the highest quality import outside of Japan. These guitars are all made in South Korea and most have "E" serial numbers. Those BC Rich's are made by World Guitars in South Korea and do have E Serial Numbers.

Without realizing it, you're doing a really good job pushing me into buying one of those 7-string Stealths.

I have the same exact experience every time I go to Guitar Center nowadays. I head straight for the used guitars and rarely ever veer over to look at the new guitars.

I do regularly stop at GC. That's exactly what I do. I pull in. I walk in, as I'm walking in, I make sure to check behind the sales desk and quickly scan along the top of wall until I hit the used section, then I scan quickly and then walk out. I'm usually in there for about 2-3 minutes unless I need to pick up picks or strings, then I'm out of there. GC's used selection used to be pretty decent from time to time, but it's gotten pretty bad there in the last few years.

LOL, there's a reason for this. You see, Floyd Rose himself had a whole bunch of different patents on different parts and designs on the Floyd Rose Original trem. He would only license out a few of those patents to the companies making "Licensed By" Floyds. Therefore, the "Liscensed By" trems could never be as good as Floyd's "Original". His 25 or 30 year patents have all expired now and so he decided to try to keep a step ahead of the other companies and that's why he made these new models look just like the real thing. Since he no longer has exclusive patents to protect himself, he figured he would go ahead and build cheaper models. If he could make them look just the "Original" and have "Floyd Rose" stamped on them just like the "Original", he could corner the market.

I don't think there's anything really wrong with a OFR or Schaller, they're still high quality trems... my only real gripe is that in 25+ years, nothing has really been improved. And there are a couple of other really high end copies with a few newer features, but then there is the Gotoh. Finally a trem that has been modernized and brought up to date...

[Morgray]

I don't think there's anything really wrong with a OFR or Schaller, they're still high quality trems... my only real gripe is that in 25+ years, nothing has really been improved. And there are a couple of other really high end copies with a few newer features, but then there is the Gotoh. Finally a trem that has been modernized and brought up to date...

How about the Steinberger TransTrem...or the Vigier Schaller trems that float on needle bearings instead of knife edges. Or the ABM Katana 5400 and 5500 http://www.abm-mueller.com/PDF/Mail_2_2011.pdf . Even the regular Kahler is pretty damn awesome in my opinion. There are plenty of awesome tremolos out there...but nobody really notices unless people on forums are raving about it.

[Whoopu2]

Any confirmation these are made in Indonesia yet?

[lepard]

Without realizing it, you're doing a really good job pushing me into buying one of those 7-string Stealths.

Do it ! Do it before you start seeing "Made in Indonesia" or "Made in China" on the back of those headstocks which will surely happen over the next couple years just to keep up with other brands and pricing.

Just as 86-93 Japanese Charvels and Jacksons are looked at today, I think you will see 05-12 higher end Korean World Guitars and UnSung models looked at in the future. I have bought quite a few of them in the past couple years. Many of these guitars are neck-thru, have EMG's and Original Floyd Rose trems. In the used market, they are the bigtime steal because people haven't figured it out yet.

A couple years from now, people will be posting on these Forums about the gool 'ol days when high quality guitars were made in Korea.

[xenophobe]

How about the Steinberger TransTrem...or the Vigier Schaller trems that float on needle bearings instead of knife edges. Or the ABM Katana 5400 and 5500 http://www.abm-mueller.com/PDF/Mail_2_2011.pdf . Even the regular Kahler is pretty damn awesome in my opinion. There are plenty of awesome tremolos out there...but nobody really notices unless people on forums are raving about it.

None of those are direct replacements though, are they? There's also the Graph Tech with piezo saddles which looks interesting and high quality... but Gotoh has been supplying other parts for decades, and now they have their own version of the Floyd, it's kind of a no-brainer. The Gotoh is product improved in almost every category except for intonation adjustment. Someone needs to figure out a better way to do micro-adjustments...

Do it ! Do it before you start seeing "Made in Indonesia" or "Made in China" on the back of those headstocks which will surely happen over the next couple years just to keep up with other brands and pricing.

lol. OK. Sold. Probably. Lemme go check ebay.

[guitarguy2237]

I like these quite a bit. Even the aluminoid inlays. Now if they'd just do a kelly in that sexy chlorine burst....

[lepard]

lol. OK. Sold. Probably. Lemme go check ebay.

Or do what I do. Wait 2 years until you can get a used one on eBay for 1/3rd of what they sold for new. I'm cheap that way

[Nightbat]

we are all complaining about J/C and what THEY have done wrong, name another brand that hasn't done the same thing.

Well THAT is why we're complaining, Jackson -before this stunt- wasn't like the others

J/C has become just another turd floating in the bowl with the rest of the crap

Though do not put to much emphasis on my analogy
If these new Pros are like my MiK BCR (with the same pricetag), they IMO are still quality instruments

As long as Jackson doesn't build low-end axes for old Japanese Pro prices a lot of us will probably tone down our critisism
but there is the real fear that, when it comes to maximizing profit, usually the first thing flying out the window (apart from expensive employees) is quality
the times when trying to supply as much quality(/Product) as possible, while remaining affordable, have changed in trying to squeeze as much profit from as low as possible costs

[Rich#6]

Can we blame the Japan factory closing on Fender if so then I agree. (at least J/C didn't keep the same price level like EVH/Fender did on the wolfgangs or whatever they are called even with making them in China).
I haven't been impressed with the Indonesian Ibanezs so I sure hope these Jacksons are better.

[The Rossness]

I was looking at some of the specs and noticed the RR models have a speed neck profile. One thing that always kept me away was that i never liked the RR/ Soloist necks. Maybe I'll like these instead. I hope its not a misprint.

[Whoopu2]

Can we blame the Japan factory closing on Fender if so then I agree.

From what I understand (could be wrong), the Japanese factory closing down had more to do with the crappy economy and poor exchange rate.

[xenophobe]

From what I understand (could be wrong), the Japanese factory closing down had more to do with the crappy economy and poor exchange rate.

It had to do with Fender taking advantage of a fixed price contract and a change in the exchange rates and then Fender not re-upping the contract. One minute they were at full capacity, the next day they had nothing to do. They had no choice but to close down.

[Nightbat]

It had to do with Fender taking advantage of a fixed price contract and a change in the exchange rates and then Fender not re-upping the contract. One minute they were at full capacity, the next day they had nothing to do. They had no choice but to close down.

We don't know that
though it very possible rising cost in Japan made Fender relocate production
looking at FMIC's operating profit, having to cut costs on production -even if japanese prices remained the same- and move to cheaper countries
seems like a very necessary measure

Either way, the Japanese line got the short end of the shitstick

[xenophobe]

We don't know that

Don't know what specifically?

This was reported to us in some detail in another thread a while back. One minute they were at full capacity, the next minute they had absolutely no orders to fulfill.

[kuerbo]

A bitchy rant, no doubt, but man I really hope I'm not the only one who is upset with the direction that things have been going in the past few years.

Well, count me out. I'm actually REALLY happy with the direction things have been going in the past few years. We have way more options than before, and people outside our little world is actually starting to recognize the brand and logo on my guitars when they see it! I think it's a nice change...
I love my 1996 RR1, but i also like the new guitars, yes, even the chinese and indonesian made ones, and they are affordable and cool.
Just my .02
Over and out.