Understanding Jackson Guitars! | Buyers Guide 

One of the best things about Jackson is it'll say "Jackson" on the headstock no matter the price range. So newer players can be proud to own a guitar just like their heroes play. Love my Jackson (RR24)

Just going to put this out there, Jackson has by far the coolest headstock.

Way back in my youth, I did the inlay and fretting in 1985-1986 at Charvel/Jackson. Fun year but moved on for a career away from guitars. Those were good times for a 21 year old.

This was a really great breakdown, very clearly explained. Personally, I've always found Schecter's way of organising their ranges and shapes kind of confusing, I bet a video on them in a similar style to this would be interesting.

The King V is named after late RATT guitarist Robbin "King" Crosby who inspired the adoption of the Gibson Flying V shape in 1983. An early version can be seen in the video to "Round and Round", with a model that is pretty close to a Flying V. The video to "Lay it Down" features a white King V in its close to final design.

No matter the price range a Jackson guitar will always get the job done if the deal is playing heavy and fast music, from the cheapiest to the wildest ones, they kill it!

Build quality has improved immensely since CNC machines have become so prevalent. The biggest difference in cost these days has more to do with exotic woods, custom finishes, and top shelf hardware.

DAMN! I'm a 42 year old, guitar playing, metalhead and didn't know that Jackson was made by charvel. Or you know what I mean. Lol that's crazy. I knew that the "Rhoades" was a custom deal, but I thought Jackson was an established brand already. That's awesome man! Great story.

I slept on Jacksons for way too long, but picked up a JS32 Dinky for cheap on a whim and I was blown away. I love how it feels to hold. The carved top and quilted maple cap are beautiful, and the neck is great. Even the licensed Floyd Rose is acceptable, though I'll likely upgrade to a real FR and of course a pickup swap is in the plan, but even stock it's a great value and sounds pretty good.

jackson makes some great basses as well. they gave amazing range and can be used for anything, not only metal. rock, r&b, pretty much anything sound good on those basses

Last 2006, our church gave me a Made In Japan DK2 Jackson. It has served me well. I never believed Jackson is strictly a metal guitar brand. I used mine for fusion, soul, r&b, classic rock and of course 80s rock and metal. They are more versatile than you would think. Not letting go of that one. The Seymour Duncan JB humbucker sounds just so great. Thanks for this video, I learned a lot. BTW, before joining Ibanez, Steve Vai for a short while endorsed Jackson.

I just bought a Jackson X series bass, blue/amber burst. She picked it out. I was not familiar with the brand. Thank you for filling me in on the history.

The Jackson Dominion is the most comfortable shape i and a few friends have ever played. Whether you like Lamb of God or not i highly recommend you try it out! Its basically like a tele and an LP mixed into one with a Jackson neck, absolutely wonderful

Please cover B.C.Rich in this way, their history is equally interesting. If not as well propped up by giants like Rhodes.

I have the cheapest 7 string model jackson offers, the js22. Out of the box it's playable, but I've upgraded the pickups to duncan blackouts outs, hipshot locking tuners and bridge and a dimarzio locking strap mount. With a truss rod adjustment, the thing plays like one of their $2k models.

GREAT VIDEO! I have that same Jackson pro series. Still have my original Jackson dinky reverse from 1993.

I just pulled the trigger on the RR3 TOM bridge version in Ivory with Ebony fingerboard with black pinstripes. Thanks Randy!

I own 2 Jacksons and I absolutely love them

I repeat: This was a really great breakdown, very clearly explained. thank you man!

A Jackson always has their crushing logo. And hot humbuckers. And sweet neck. Never disappointed. 😎💯🎇💖🥁

Very informative video! 🤘🏼

The outro was YUMMY 🎆

Thanks for this video 🥺🖤

The Dinky body shape is based on the Charvel 88. The body shape and weight of a soloist is different, not just because of the neck-thru construction. When I was a kid I thought sustain should increase from bolt-on necks to set necks to neck-through construction. Later I realized this wasn't necessarily the case. It seems the quality of the wood employed is most important. Difficult to express as two adjacent trees can produce entirely different tones. Your ears are the difference, go find something you like the sound of. For me, my #1 is an '84 Baretta body with a Jackson custom shop neck I designed myself, 1 3/4" nut, 12-16 compound fretboard, 1/4 inch with 1" heel, all quarter sawn maple, Dunlop 6100 wire. As articulate as they come. The darkest day in guitar history is when Fender bought Jackson. Or when Eddie died. Definitely the two when real metal players knew things were changing, and not for the better.

i want the Jackson X Series Soloist SLX DX Camo, Laurel Fingerboard, Winter Camo i fell in love with it .. going to buy it for sure

I'm an Ibanez guy. Played a Jackson today and I'm seriously considering getting one. The neck just spoke to me.

the jackson warrior is actually quite ergonomic, the bottom back fin can hook on your leg for a nice playing angle and its short enough that it doesnt stab into the chair so you dont have to sit on the edge of a seat like you do with a flying v also the back top fin works great as an arm rest its also not so extreme of a shape that you couldnt use it for multiple genres, although the back top fin and front bottom horn are disproportionately large in my opinion, it would look a lot cooler if they were shortened to give the body a less slanted look

I bought a 1991 12th anniversary limited edition 005 out of 200 built,,, simply just a beautiful guitar. Love the inlays and brazian rosewood neck.

One thing nobody told me and I wish I knew is that ALL JS series guitars come with massive bolt-on necks and have poor high fret access, while if you pay the little extra for X, you get neck thru on the corresponding models and sculpted heels on Dinky and other bolt-on models. This is for me the biggest thing to say about this subject.

The used market can be a great way to get Jackson's at fractions of the price if you want something good too. I have a JTX Std from 1994 (made in Japan) that is on par with the MJ series they make today and I got it for 225 USD. Best guitar I have ever played.

owned a sl1 custom shop with silver swirl finish, the best fretboard wood I ever seen and play

Absolutely amazing video ty!!!

I have a Jackson dinky I like it. On cheap side but sounds and plays very nice. And looks great too.

The bolt on neck compared to neck through body are arguable when it comes to sustain 👍🏼

I have a MIJ soloist with EMGs.I play Dire Straits/J J Cale laid back blues style on it.People freak when I bring it out at the blues club with its metal looks and reverse pointy headstock.It has a beautiful mellow bell like sound to it through my Fender twin.I don’t think I have ever overdriven it like on the demos.I have a Marshall half stack and I have never plugged the Jackson in it.I don’t think I have even turned the Marshall on in ten years.Makes a nice bit of furniture though.

Just came across this video after looking up and buying a Jackson/"jacksonbacker" bass lol I love it. Never thought I'd buy a Jackson least of all a Jackson bass but this is a great instrument. As for guitars I'm no shredder so definitely not for me but thought this video was pretty cool and educational.

7:09...that was a dope ending! Nailed that note!

Iv had Gibson les Paul’s, fender Stratocasters, evh etc etc, and the 2 guitars I always picked up no matter what was near was my Jackson js 11, absolutely amazing guitar for 130 pounds uk price, the other is my Martin Ed Sheeran edition, both necks were absolutely perfect to me, but the cheap as chips Jackson was always the electric guitar I picked up and still do. it will be with me until the end 😊

I've got the Soloist Silverburst, equipped with the Kerry King EMG kit, and it's a beast! I love it. Some of the more senior players say it's got a wide neck, and that Schecter is better, so I'd like to try one those out because of my small hands problem, but as it is I don't even notice. It's a great guitar.

Just to point out, it’s not just the pro series made in Indonesia, I have a Scott Ian signature x series, also made in Indonesia. Fantastic build quality, plays amazing, just generally great.

JACKSON : KING OF POP and METAL !

Great video bro

The real reason why soloists are not featured in the JS series is mainly due to procuction costs. And a neck-through soloist has no intonation problems at all. Intonation is adjusted through the string saddles and yes, also by adjusting the neck via truss-rod. And soloists are equipped with truss-rods, too. So, no problems there at all.

4:52 I have this exact guitar, it’s treated me very well so far

When i was just starting out learning guitar. A family friend leant me one of their beat up guitars. Back then I was probably around 14 or 15 years old. I didnt know who the brand really were but I never forgot the guitar I was handed to learn on... -It was 'wine red' (although more brown looking...) with a black pickguard. Jackson Soloist/Soloist XL.- *Actually it wasnt the XL. It was a 91' or 93' Soloist SL1' he had.* He had used the guitar for a very very long time playing with his band and he had too many guitars so gave me that one to borrow and learn on when my parents didnt want to stump up the cash. I remember many many years later when I was more proficient at playing. I went back to him and asked him if he was willing to sell it as a joke. He laughed and said he could possible be talked into it but I was still young, still in school and didnt have much money to my name. I wish I had asked my parents for money because that Jackson would be worth maybe 3 or 4 times more than whatever I paid for it and this guy was willing to let it go for almost nothing back then. My parents still thought it was too expensive. Which is rather ironic because they later got me a first gen PRS Santana SE which I think cost somewhere around £600-700. Both are amazing guitars but I still still think about the jackson.

I love my Jacksons, but it would have been helpful to point out that most Jacksons come with a Floyd Rose trem as well as a hardtail bridge option. For new guitar players I would say that a Floyd Rose is a terrible choice. They are a pain to setup and maintain. The quality of the JS series "Licensed Floyd Rose" trems are not that great and you are much better off getting a hardtail at that price point.

up to speed for guitars. very nice. i love it. subbed

Sounds dope dude

Cool video I have a js32q Jackson and it's great for the price.

I've always wanted a monarkh neck on a dinky body. I'm not got the money for a custom guitar but I would definitely be in line to buy a production model.

Best cost / quality ratio of all manufacturers

Nice video. Thanks

Jackson Charvel is in my blood!

I played Ibanez rgs for years, and then I bought an older Jackson professional, and it changed my playing abilities,Jackson is the superior guitar for metal.. soloing/shredding...has never been so easy....

got three, japanese dnky2 floyd rose, jackson hss pickups, a jackson fusion offset dot markers in antique burst dimarzio pickups floyd rose, japan made, and newest one is a jackson dk2m pro series made in mexico with floyd rose and seymours in silverburst, all three are magnificent solid dependable and play like butter.

Awesome! Now if we only get to know a bit more about the pickups they get, and what other to choose , should you want to change it.

Brilliant vid...I hacve a late 90's KV1 and a KV3 and I wouldn't change them for the world...:)

Nice video, please do a similar one about ESP/LTD too

Got me a (Dinky) Performer PS-1 in H-S-H config. From Indonesia in the late 90's as far as I can figure out. Great guitar - has a better Strat sound than a lot of Strats I've played. And the Rock just Rocks!

That very JS Rhodes(string through tho) goes onstage with me and sounds consistently powerful. It definitely got my foot in the metal door.

Never faced any tuning stability problems in my SLX Solist..steady even after whammy bar dives....

Im not a fan of the Flame maple and burled tops these days, and when i think of Jackson its a solid color of maybe a custom graphic. I will say that the Wildcard Flame maple does have a really cool look. The maple binding is almost neon looking and the thing just pops. I do wish that they got more uniform in the models and where theyre built. I feel like you can get a great intermediate level jackson and get a crappy $1700 one. Im getting a Loomis Kelly tomorrow, my fingers are crossed that its one of the good ones

Me just originally liking Jackson just for the fact that I am named after the brand but now I am in love with the brand

I have a 1996 warrior wrxt and I play it along with my vintage les paul daily

Jackson still are my weapons of choice i love them!

As a Jackson owner of a few pre fender usa soloists to js32 dinkies, they all play well and the necks are pretty dang consistent.

I am more of a Gibson, fender traditionalist however I wanted to play around with a more metal guitar. I picked up the Chris Broderick soloist and it did not disappoint. Made in Indonesia I was a little bit skeptical and actually went to return it. When I got to the guitar store I tried about seven or eight other metal guitars and ended up leaving with my original Jackson. Keep up the good work. I think the DiMarzio pick ups are amazing. And the build quality from Indonesia is remarkable. There is not a flaw on this guitar and it sounds amazing.

I have a rare machine with two of them emgs and it has crunch and pound thank for the input my friend 😴

I'm a Warrior fan. Love it🤘🤘🤘

Wish Jackson should make more HSS pick up configuration guitar or just a Single coil neck & a Humbucker bridge guitar. Sure gonna get some crazy tones out of it... And i always been a Jackson fan from Malaysia.

My main guitars are two modded Jackson Kellys. Seymour Duncan PATB-2 in the bridge and Sustainiac in the neck for both, and my Ferrari Red KEX has Super Jumbo stainless steel frets. Not only are they visually striking, they’re great modding platforms. IMO the ultimate metal guitar 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

I own 16 guitars , my OG and most comfy to play is still “JackyBoy” my JS22 dinky ….. I love that guitar and I’d recommend a Jackson dinky as a great beginner guitar over everything else

Great video! I currently have a Pro SL2 in Metallic Black and a 94 fusion EX (highly mixed) with a 24.75" Scale.

THE coolest headstock

😂9:27 - 9:36 Good one!! Great review too. 🤘

So the thing is with a bolt on neck, if you ever run into problems and can't get your action just right you could always add a shim/or sand the the neck pocket . you just have more adjustability with the bolt on then you would with a neck through my opinion is,it's not worth the trade off For having a neck thru with a little more dave mustsustain lol

Been playing and collecting Jackson guitars since the 80s and have owned literally 100s of them. Most have been USA San Dimas models but plenty of import ones as well. Early 90s made in Japan Jackson guitars are some of the best they ever made as far as the import lines go. I still have my made in Japan 92 Fusion H-H Jackson and I will never sell it. Still have my 86 USA San Dimas Jackson one humbucker super strat and play it all the time. I have owned some of the early USA Charvels and they were fantastic guitars as well. The current import line doesn't do a lot for me and still go for the originals.

Oh I wonder if that Black Japanese Jackson is made by the same guys who made Ibanez? The tremolo bridge looks very similar to an Edge-Zero bridge

I like how good the stock pups handle distortion but the JS' stock pups really lack mids

What's the clean sound on these guitars? Why nobody ever plays them clean?! I tried to search for jackson clean sound but nothing comes up.

I have no idea about music or guitar , and when i saw the black jackson i fell in love, i have a budget of 220$ which jackson do you recommend me to get at that price range and thank you

What’s the story with the performer guitars? I have an old one from many years ago that I put new hardware and pickups in - cool guitar!

Can u compare Jackson js 22, pacifica 212vqm, affinity strat and schecter banshee-6 FR SGR basing on the Action and tones. Which one will u recommend (I mostly play clean, crunchy and Rock) ??

I missed the AR series also built in Japan. The first models were built to Jackson U.S. standards. I never understood why they closed shop in Japan and opened a factory in China.

My favorite Jackson of all time and is the holy grail of Jacksons for many Jackson fans who platy metal is the Death angel Rob Cavastany from Death Angel's signature guitar he designed himself. It is only available as a custom shop order they should make it a production model.

I have a dinky dk3xr and want to change pick ups to better ones any suggestions?

What is deference between dd2 Mexico and dr3 Japan are they both pro series?? I know R is for reverse headstock

I have a jackson dinky, it’s awesome

Scored a 1996 Made in Japan Jackson Dinky and it plays like a dream. $399 and it was complete steal :P

Awesome

I LOVE JACKSONS SO MUCH ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

What is that model in the 2nd picture of the custom shop guitars? Looks like some form of bastardised Rhoads. I kinda like it. 😀

Nice guitar have one just like it all black and it does have some moment punch just like a boy said love it 🎸

Video is factually incorrect right out of the gate. Wayne Charvel never manufactured a single guitar - not even the pre-pros. The closest thing he did was some assembly. ALL Charvel guitars were manufactured under Grover Jackson after he bought Wayne out. Wayne didn't even have the equipment to make a neck. What we know of Charvel today, and what we knew of Charvel 40 years ago is all about what Grover did after buying Wayne out.

I❤️Jackson!

Hello Is it true that Grover Jackson lines of guitars were the student line of Jackson Japan !? Thanks

I talk with my jackson guitar. This helps me understand it.

Can the guy who played please make a video on "how to write killer riffs" thank you

I love the sound of jackson guitars 😀😀😀😀

I’ve been looking for a new guitar and have been looking into models I haven’t played before including Jackson (huge Megadeth and Marty Friedman fan). I know next to nothing about Jackson so this video was a HUGE help. Thank you for taking the time to make this. Do you have any other makes of guitars you do these videos with.? Thanx again.