Whats with Jackson making mostly cheap shitty axes nowadays?!?!?

[ginsambo]

What about "Jackson-y" a new lower end range of models Made In China? They would have a Jackson logo on them, but have an extra apostrophe and a y at the end of the script, also they could be made of packaging crates and plywood.

[Newc]

So there's only cheap-shit imports and Custom Shop Jacksons? Since when? Oh that's right, there's the USA Select line, as well as the high-end neckthrough import models, right?

Maybe the 2-year-wait on Customs wouldn't be a 2-year-wait if people wouldn't waste Jackson's time making a reverse-head version of a regular production model, ever think of that? Maybe the people who want a one-hum Rhoads can just NOT FLIP THE FUCKING SWITCH on a standard RR1? Or maybe those who want a H-S Soloist can simply replace the 5-way blade with a FUCKING 3-WAY BLADE SWITCH, completely bypassing the middle coil? Maybe those candy-ass nitpicky bitch orders are what's clogging up the process?
Nah, that can't possibly be the reason my Custom-body-design WarAngel took 18 months! They're all sitting around in a circle jerk instead of working, right?

And no, the same people who make the Customs are not making the Selects. That was changed a few years ago, as I understand it, so that Customs are made by the most-experienced in a separate process, while the USA Selects are still made in batches by the "working stiffs". It's similar to the Fender "Masterbuilt" process, IIRC the brief mention of it made by a Jackson rep on here some years ago.

And to clarify what I said before about Jackson losing money on used sales, who in their right mind would pay $600 for a new import when many of the older 90s import neckthroughs can be had for that, and the bolt-ons for about half that, on a regular basis? I see dealers on Ebay - and even private sellers - trying to get full MSRP for Mortons. $1300+ for that, or $1300 for a 1990 USA-quality neckthrough Pro? Hmmmm.

That's where Jackson is losing money on imports, because you can always find someone dumping an older MIJ model that was built to a higher level than the newer ones.

And who gives a fuck about Alexi "leaving" Jackson? As I understand it, he was never "with" them, he merely had 2 Customs, just like any other shmoe. When I heard that they were "stolen", and "Jackson wouldn't churn out replacements in a week", it sounded more like he just wanted an excuse to jump on the ESPee Freebie Bandwagon like all his friends. He was probably also butt-hurt that Jackson wouldn't put a pussy-notch on the Rhoads for him like ESPee would.
Randy Fucking Rhoads didn't need a pussy-notch, and he was a fucking dwarf!

[Devotee]

So there's only cheap-shit imports and Custom Shop Jacksons? Since when? Oh that's right, there's the USA Select line, as well as the high-end neckthrough import models, right?

Maybe the 2-year-wait on Customs wouldn't be a 2-year-wait if people wouldn't waste Jackson's time making a reverse-head version of a regular production model, ever think of that? Maybe the people who want a one-hum Rhoads can just NOT FLIP THE FUCKING SWITCH on a standard RR1? Or maybe those who want a H-S Soloist can simply replace the 5-way blade with a FUCKING 3-WAY BLADE SWITCH, completely bypassing the middle coil? Maybe those candy-ass nitpicky bitch orders are what's clogging up the process?
Nah, that can't possibly be the reason my Custom-body-design WarAngel took 18 months! They're all sitting around in a circle jerk instead of working, right?

And no, the same people who make the Customs are not making the Selects. That was changed a few years ago, as I understand it, so that Customs are made by the most-experienced in a separate process, while the USA Selects are still made in batches by the "working stiffs". It's similar to the Fender "Masterbuilt" process, IIRC the brief mention of it made by a Jackson rep on here some years ago.

And to clarify what I said before about Jackson losing money on used sales, who in their right mind would pay $600 for a new import when many of the older 90s import neckthroughs can be had for that, and the bolt-ons for about half that, on a regular basis? I see dealers on Ebay - and even private sellers - trying to get full MSRP for Mortons. $1300+ for that, or $1300 for a 1990 USA-quality neckthrough Pro? Hmmmm.

That's where Jackson is losing money on imports, because you can always find someone dumping an older MIJ model that was built to a higher level than the newer ones.

And who gives a fuck about Alexi "leaving" Jackson? As I understand it, he was never "with" them, he merely had 2 Customs, just like any other shmoe. When I heard that they were "stolen", and "Jackson wouldn't churn out replacements in a week", it sounded more like he just wanted an excuse to jump on the ESPee Freebie Bandwagon like all his friends. He was probably also butt-hurt that Jackson wouldn't put a pussy-notch on the Rhoads for him like ESPee would.
Randy Fucking Rhoads didn't need a pussy-notch, and he was a fucking dwarf!

[ginsambo]

Randy Fucking Rhoads didn't need a pussy-notch, and he was a fucking dwarf!

[RacerX]

who in their right mind would pay $600 for a new import when many of the older 90s import neckthroughs can be had for that, and the bolt-ons for about half that, on a regular basis? I see dealers on Ebay - and even private sellers - trying to get full MSRP for Mortons. $1300+ for that, or $1300 for a 1990 USA-quality neckthrough Pro? Hmmmm.

Amen, brother Newc: my last NGDs were: a white USA RR1 and a black MIJ RR1-J2 Jackson Stars (n/t, 24 frets, ebony), both $ 500 EACH. Sco-ore!

[Newc]

It is for that reason Jackson's imports are starting to decline in quality (down to the level of "everyone else"). Years of making top-quality imports has come back to bite them in the ass. Even after the neckthrough Pros were "scaled down", they were still one of the best-made guitars you could get in that price range. While everyone else cut corners evenly on their affordable models, Jackson cut deeper in the hardware and electronics so they didn't have to cut as deep in the wood and build-quality and attention to detail.

Most import Jacksons for the last 15+ years only needed a pickup and hardware upgrade to make them kick-ass guitars for the working musician. Nobody else could say that, except maybe Fender (legendary rock-solid build of the Mexi-Strat).

How many Permormer Kellys are out there right now for sale? They usually go really cheap, right? A pair of Duncans and a Schaller Floyd and it's ready for gigging. Swap the neck with a sharkfinned model if the dots disturb you and it's equal to a Pro-series Kelly (KE3, etc). All that and you've still spent less than or equal to the new imports and got a guitar that kicks ass.

[Newc]

Re-reading the first page, it seems the issue is one of snobbery; people want Jackson to focus on higher-quality only.

That business model does not work.

You do want a kid looking for his first guitar to buy a Jackson-branded model, not a Ibenhad, LTD, or Fender.
You do want working/gigging musicians to buy a Jackson import, not passing them up because they can get a better price on a worse guitar from another company.
You do want a "Jackson in every home", because "exclusivity" is bad for business, and it's all about the business.

A Jackson should not be some "life achievement", it should be a right. A USA Jackson or Custom Shop, that's your "life achievement". That's the thing you strive for, like starting out with a Epi or Mexi Strat, then moving up to a real Gibson or Fender one day. You have to have a Jackson starting point, and that's the low-end JS models.

If these bother you because of their lower quality, spend the same amount on a used one from a higher quality range. I picked up an older DK2 (HSS) a while back for $350.

But, there again, we run into one of the core problems; they made the older ones too good for their own good.
I wouldn't touch a mid-90s Ibanez EX350 today, even though I loved the one I bought new in '95. I am suspicious of how it's held up over the years.
I would not hesitate to buy a '95 Jackson import, because I know it's held up over the years.

[1neeto]

I must say that my 90's MIK PS-4 looks like I just got it off the showroom floor. Other than some fret wear, that thing doesn't look like a 15+ year old guitar. I know that many believe that if it's not a MIJ 90's import it's crap, but I have living proof that the Koreans built fine Jacksons in the mid late 90's.

And ESP's are great guitars, they're in no way shape or form inferior to Jacksons. Even some of their lower end LTD's are very nice. A friend of mine just showed me his ebay LTD score a few weeks ago. The model escapes my mind but it had a quilted maple top, neck-through, 81/85's, bound fretboard, string-through-body. In short, it looks and feels like a $1000+ instrument and he got it for $350 brand spanking new because it had a tiny damage on the back of the headstock. My guess the street price for that guitar is about $500. I can't think of a comparable Jackson for that price.

But for real Fender needs to take the Jackson name off their $250 dinky's.

*edit* Found that LTD guitar

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar

[Wizard of Ozz]

And who gives a fuck about Alexi "leaving" Jackson? As I understand it, he was never "with" them, he merely had 2 Customs, just like any other shmoe. When I heard that they were "stolen", and "Jackson wouldn't churn out replacements in a week", it sounded more like he just wanted an excuse to jump on the ESPee Freebie Bandwagon like all his friends. He was probably also butt-hurt that Jackson wouldn't put a pussy-notch on the Rhoads for him like ESPee would.
Randy Fucking Rhoads didn't need a pussy-notch, and he was a fucking dwarf!

ROTFLMAO!!! I just spit water all over my screen. Pussy-Notch.

[Nightbat]

And ESP's are great guitars, they're in no way shape or form inferior to Jacksons. Even some of their lower end LTD's are very nice. A friend of mine just showed me his ebay LTD score a few weeks ago. The model escapes my mind but it had a quilted maple top, neck-through, 81/85's, bound fretboard, string-through-body. In short, it looks and feels like a $1000+ instrument and he got it for $350 brand spanking new because it had a tiny damage on the back of the headstock. My guess the street price for that guitar is about $500. I can't think of a comparable Jackson for that price.

*edit* Found that LTD guitar

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar

You know there may be an ironic chance this guitar has been made at the same plant where current NT Jackson Pros are coming from?

[Hamner1]

I must say that my 90's MIK PS-4 looks like I just got it off the showroom floor. Other than some fret wear, that thing doesn't look like a 15+ year old guitar. I know that many believe that if it's not a MIJ 90's import it's crap, but I have living proof that the Koreans built fine Jacksons in the mid late 90's.

And ESP's are great guitars, they're in no way shape or form inferior to Jacksons. Even some of their lower end LTD's are very nice. A friend of mine just showed me his ebay LTD score a few weeks ago. The model escapes my mind but it had a quilted maple top, neck-through, 81/85's, bound fretboard, string-through-body. In short, it looks and feels like a $1000+ instrument and he got it for $350 brand spanking new because it had a tiny damage on the back of the headstock. My guess the street price for that guitar is about $500. I can't think of a comparable Jackson for that price.

But for real Fender needs to take the Jackson name off their $250 dinky's.

*edit* Found that LTD guitar

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar

And for about $20 less you get the same features on a Jackson SLX with a Floyd. If you want String through that's $70 less than the LTD. And I have yet to play an LTD that made me want to jump ship or pick one up. I wont say they are/were firewood, but I certainly would not put them above the Jackson's in the same price range.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...-guitar/h76638

And unless I just lucked out on 2 different X series Jacksons, these things just kick butt. I tend to play these more than my 90s era King V. Mainly because I am wanting to keep the King pristine, but these Xs can hang with it in playablity & tone. That might be because EMGs can make a 2x4 sound good , but none the less they still play great. I will say the King has some better features such as MOP inlay.