To change or not to change Custom Shop spec..

[Nidec]

It's been about 4 months since I've ordered my custom shop Jackson. This one thing bothers me and I just can't get over it. So here it goes..

I've been ONLY playing my 86' San Dimas Jackson Soloist for about 9 years? 10 years? so my hands, feeling and thoughts kinda got used to it, as something like a 'Standard'. Incredible thing about this guitar is that I've never touched the truss-rods. I've only opened the truss-rod cover to clean it up and that was it. That being said, I've never had problems with the neck on this thing even when I went for higher string gauge and extra floyd spring. It's kinda suprising because this guitar was in pretty bad shape when I bought this one off of ebay.

So, I've ordered my custom Jackson with 'standard' neck option by the thought every Jackson neck would be just perfect as this one. Recently, however, I've found out stadard Jackson neck was 3 piece laminate back in the day and this thing is making me nervous...

I would like to hear some thoughts on today's 'standard' Jackson neck built by custom shop.

[murkat]

You can not clone wood.
whatever is being made for you per spec will not be the same as you are use too.
But, that is the beauty of multiple guitar ownership.

[MetalDaze]

I wouldn't worry about it. Aside from edge cases, you don't hear stories about Jackson necks going all wonky. The standard will be quartersawn maple, which is considered a stable choice.

My 2007 Custom Shop Soloist has a standard neck and it's great. I haven't subjected it to extreme climate changes, but I also haven't needed to adjust it after the inital setup after I bought it.

[neilli]

I have 4 1986 Soloists and they all feel different, so it's tough to call a 'standard' from even that time. And I have 2 recent customs both spec'd with 'Soloist' neck profiles which feel quite different. So to some extent, there's gonna be some 'luck of the draw' going on..

[Nidec]

Thank your for your replys guys. I don't exactly know what you guys meant by 'feel' but I was more concerned about 'stability of the neck' rather than 'feel'.

[MetalDaze]

Neilli is referring to the overall neck profile and/or thickness. Since there are human hands doing the final shaping, not every neck comes out identical, eventhough they should be close. This is probably even more true for the older ones.

Did you order the neck painted or oiled? You'll find debates on this topic too, but typically a painted neck will be more stable.

[neilli]

Oh right - well, by 1986 they'd moved to a one piece neck with scarf join so you have nothing much to worry about.

[Nidec]

I was worried if scarf joint would be somewhat 'unstable' compare to 3 piece multi laminate.

Well, this one would be quite different from my 86 soloist. I did specifically mention the thickness and shape which would be very similar to Swee-Tones(.900 on 3rd, .950 on 12th). So, I guess I wouldn't have to worry about the stability right?

And.. the neck would be painted

[xenophobe]

You don't need to worry about neck stability. A glued wood joint is generally stronger than the wood.

What you do have to worry about is them getting the profile close. No matter how exact your description, it's unlikely you'll get exactly what you want.

Jackson is kinda horrible about nailing a neck profile unless you're going for a standard or speed neck.

[shreddermon]

The issue is moot. Generally, J/C won't allow a change to a work order, once the order has been placed. You're pretty locked in at that point.

As to the neck construction, yes a 3-piece neck will be stronger. But a quartersawn neck with a scarf joint is a plenty strong design itself. It's like comparing "super strong" vs "very, very strong". And, as Neilli said above, your '86 has this same neck construction. Almost all neck-through Jacksons made since the very early 80s have used this construction method. I would not be concerned about neck stability at all. The painted neck will help, too, as it will be pretty impervious to humidity/seasonal changes with a hard finish like that.

Stop worrying and enjoy the anticipation for your new cool guitar.

[Nidec]

The issue is moot. Generally, J/C won't allow a change to a work order, once the order has been placed. You're pretty locked in at that point.

As to the neck construction, yes a 3-piece neck will be stronger. But a quartersawn neck with a scarf joint is a plenty strong design itself. It's like comparing "super strong" vs "very, very strong". And, as Neilli said above, your '86 has this same neck construction. Almost all neck-through Jacksons made since the very early 80s have used this construction method. I would not be concerned about neck stability at all. The painted neck will help, too, as it will be pretty impervious to humidity/seasonal changes with a hard finish like that.

Stop worrying and enjoy the anticipation for your new cool guitar.

Well, thats good to know. Thank you!