Honest opinion needed

[Slartibartfarst42]

Ok, so this might not be the most objective place to ask but I'm buying a new guitar and I have it narrowed down to two; the Jackson Pro DK2MQ with Floyd bridge and the PRS SE Floyd Custom 24.

Try as I might, I just can't make up my mind. I've had a Jackson SL3 before from Japan and I really liked it but the maple neck-thru was a pig to get pickups to work in and that's why I'm looking at the Dinky this time. The JB sounds great in alder but it was awful in the Soloist. I've also had a PRS SE Custom 24 before and frankly, it was at least as good quality as my Japanese Jackson and arrived with a much better set up for rather less money. I'm finding these guitars impossible to split. The Jackson has a better maple cap and I prefer the neck (though the PRS is fine) and the pickups are really good. Conversely, the PRS starts slightly cheaper, though I admit it will need new pickups, it will probably hold its value a bit better and as I'm 50 and no shredder, I prefer its more restrained looks. What I really want is a Dinky or even a Soloist with the Fender style headstock and a slightly more restrained overall look but I don't have the money for an Adrian Smith USA and the cheaper version only has a Floyd Rose Special. I looked at the Charvels but they also only have the Special Floyd Rose for the same money as the Pro DK2 and there's no tone control, which is something I use a lot. Try as I might to find an alternative, it's between these two.

How does this Pro DK2MQ stand up against a PRS SE Floyd Custom 24?

What's the deal with this flat-sawn neck; is it any good?

Are there any issues with this model?

[Slartibartfarst42]

I tell a lie, the upper end of the Charvel range does use a Floyd Rose 2000, though there's still no tone control unfortunately. This raises a couple more questions:

1) Where is the Pro Mod So-Cal Style 1 and San Dimas made?

2) What's the difference between these and the Jackson I'm looking at as although the Charvel comes in £20 cheaper, I would lose the quilted top, get worse upper fret access and lose the tone control? It does have the quartersawn neck but I'm unclear if that is necessarily better than the Jackson.

3) As it uses a pick guard like the Fender, how easy would it be to add a tone control?

[BigE13]

I have 2 of the PRS Custom 25 SE models. They have outstanding build quality. Great necks and good weight to them. The pups are OK. Not anything to make you jump up and down but decent. I upgraded both of mine. The first with a Gibson 498/490 set and that guitar is a killer! The second I put in Doug Aldrich Suhr pups and while it has a different tonal flavor it sounds amazing too! So I am a big fan or the SE guitars. That being said I do love my DK2Ms too. One has the Mick Thompson EMTY Balckouts in it. She is a wicked player, the other is stock with the JB/Jazz or 59 combo. It also sounds great so to be honest you cannot go wrong. I do play the SEs a bit more. Those patent thin necks are the first I have found to rival a good Model series neck.

[Confuse-a-Cat]

Tough choice. I have two of the Japanese DK2Ms and love them, and I'm very tempted to get one of the new ones (or three); but I'd also happily buy an SE Custom 24 and/or a So-Cal. I think whichever way you go, you'll be getting a quality guitar. Sorry if that doesn't help much!

Would the different scale length matter to you, with the 25.5" on the J/Cs and 25" on the PRS?

I tell a lie, the upper end of the Charvel range does use a Floyd Rose 2000, though there's still no tone control unfortunately. This raises a couple more questions:

1) Where is the Pro Mod So-Cal Style 1 and San Dimas made?

2) What's the difference between these and the Jackson I'm looking at as although the Charvel comes in £20 cheaper, I would lose the quilted top, get worse upper fret access and lose the tone control? It does have the quartersawn neck but I'm unclear if that is necessarily better than the Jackson.

3) As it uses a pick guard like the Fender, how easy would it be to add a tone control?

The current run of Charvel Pro-Mods are made at FMIC Mexico, the same place as the DK2Ms. I suppose if you look at it like that, on paper their specs do seem a bit lacking compared with the DK2Ms. But the Pro-Mods have lots of fans who rate them as supremely comfortable to play, though I'm not sure quite how well the current Mexican ones compare with the old USA & Japanese ones. I haven't tried one, unfortunately, so I can't offer an opinion there. I'd expect that it would be pretty easy to add a tone control to a So-Cal, so long as you know what you're doing with a soldering iron.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Mmmm, I've just noticed that the Charvel So Cal uses Duncan Distortion pickups while the San Dimas uses a JB/59 set like the Jackson. I prefer the look of the So Cal as the white one looks very similar to the Adrian Smith Jackson but I have no interest in Duncan Distortions so they'd have to go, adding to the cost. If I looked at a San Dimas in white instead, would I still be able to add a tone pot and could I also easily fit a black scratchplate to the white one to get that Adrian Smith look?

Finally, could someone please explain to me what the deal is with these quartersawn vs. flatsawn necks is? From what I've read on other threads I've found, it seems like a flatsawn neck isn't as good and is potentially far weaker. This would obviously be a concern but as I don't really have any idea what the difference is, I don't understand how big an issue this could be.

[Confuse-a-Cat]

Mmmm, I've just noticed that the Charvel So Cal uses Duncan Distortion pickups while the San Dimas uses a JB/59 set like the Jackson. I prefer the look of the So Cal as the white one looks very similar to the Adrian Smith Jackson but I have no interest in Duncan Distortions so they'd have to go, adding to the cost. If I looked at a San Dimas in white instead, would I still be able to add a tone pot and could I also easily fit a black scratchplate to the white one to get that Adrian Smith look?

Finally, could someone please explain to me what the deal is with these quartersawn vs. flatsawn necks is? From what I've read on other threads I've found, it seems like a flatsawn neck isn't as good and is potentially far weaker. This would obviously be a concern but as I don't really have any idea what the difference is, I don't understand how big an issue this could be.

Adding a tone pot to the San Dimas should be doable if you don't mind drilling the body. The control cavity looks to be big enough to take another pot, but you'd obviously have to drill the hole for it to stick through the front. Same thing goes if you wanted a pickguard on it, you'd have to drill the holes for the screws. And it wouldn't look quite the same, because the jack would still be on the side rather than on the top.

It seems quite an extreme way to do things when it could be done on a So-Cal without drilling the body. All you'd need to do would be to drill the pickguard for the extra pot and wire it in. Change the pickups, sell the distortions, but that's up to you.

For the necks, quartersawing generally makes sure that the grain runs along the length of the wood rather than across it, which can make it stronger and more stable. It's been the traditional way that J/C have done their necks. A plain flat-sawn neck would probably be weaker and less stable, but that's where the graphite reinforcement comes in. Graphite can be very stiff, and will make sure that the neck is up to scratch. I'd also guess that it will be less affected by temperature and humidity than a regular (only wood) neck, so it probably wouldn't need adjusting as often. As to why they're doing it, it's probably cheaper because they can use a lesser grade of maple. And I imagine that stating graphite reinforcement on the spec sheet seems fancy!

[Slartibartfarst42]

So, from what you're saying, the neck on the Jackson isn't 'worse', it's just 'different'.

You're right, of course, that adapting the SoCal would be easier and I could then make it even more like the Adrian Smith guitar by loading it with DiMarzios or get a custom set made by The Creamery, which is where I normally get pickups. One of their '83 Classics in the bridge and Creamery '59 in the neck would be great. I'll try a Charvel, Jackson and PRS at the weekend, side by side and see from there.

[MartinBarre]

Hmm, I don't know...I have an SL3 and it's the best guitar I've ever played. The stock JB sounds incredible and it's actually the pickup that got me into buying Duncans in the first place so....not sure about your issues there.
On the other hand, you can't go wrong with a Dinky.
In saying that, I have a PRS Custom 24 SE (not the Floyd one, just regular) and...I love that too! DiMarzio Super D in the bridge, the stock neck pup is great and it came with a microswitch for splitting the coils. Perfect guitar for playing some Jethro Tull OR putting the Super D on full force and playing some Slayer!

I guess what I'm saying is: you can't go wrong with any of them!

You mention some Charvels but I think they'll be 22 frets - if you want 24 frets then that could be an issue to consider.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Well, there just been an added complication and a VERY unusual one but first let me summarise where I am. By the time I add tone controls etc. to the Charvels I see no advantage over the Jackson, which is pretty much fine the way it is. I can pick up the Jackson for £575. The other option, as indicated, is the PRS with a Floyd, which I can get for £545 but I would need to change the pickups so I'm looking at about £150 taking it up to £695. That makes it quite a bit more than the Jackson, though eventually I'd be able to sell them so I'd get £75 of that back. Either way, the Jackson looks great value. Now for the complication!

I was looking at Sterling guitars; specifically the JP100D. I'm not a particular Petruccci fan so I was purely drawn to the guitar as an instrument. The specification is similar to the other guitars I'm looking at but two things concerned me. Firstly was the cost, as at £675 it's a lot more than the Jackson and at that price, the bridge, which isn't OFR, won't be as good. I asked some questions about the trem system on the Music Man forum and the Vice President of the company contacted me to address my concerns. Very impressive! He advised me to contact the UK distributor about trying a guitar as absolutely nobody stocks them. I did so and also asked if anything could be done about the price as the guitar was so much more than the opposition. Due to a major mix up at their end that I won't bore you with, I received quite an abusive email in reply and consequently ended my interest in the guitar but on Friday evening, just when I was about to order the Jackson, Sterling contacted me and said they would be sending a guitar to my local store to try and if I liked it, I should let them know and that I shouldn't worry about the price. I'm guessing they're thinking of matching the price on the Jackson, which in one sense is great because I'd be getting a JP100D for £100 less than anywhere else in Europe but conversely, I'd still have a guitar with an inferior bridge to the Jackson. It's not like I particularly need a locking tremolo but I do need one that is sturdy and reliable. I can't really pre-judge this too much until I try it next to the Jackson and the PRS but to me, the Sterling would need to be cheaper than both. Has anybody tried a JP100D and can tell me how it stacks up to a PRS SE or Jackson Pro?