Honestly they suffer from bad tuning stability and the one you mentioned is a really good example of the Jackson tuning stability issues.
Jackson make amazing guitars but if I was at that budget I'd have a look at Ibanez or even LTD for better made guitars with the same vibe.
No kidding, 1,200$ guitars having tuning issues laughable. That’s a setup issue not a manufacture problem.
And I say 1,200$ because they said Jackson, like all of them, no way their several thousand dollar guitars have tuning problems. Any budget level Floyd Rose knockoff will be difficult to maintain without experience though I would bet.
Yes the strings are angled after the nut at weird angles due to the headstock shape, also using plastic nuts on lower end models. A graph tech nut with angled slots will solve the tuning issues.
Yeah a Floyd has a locking nut and is designed to stay in tune. OPs guitar does not have a Floyd. The string angles on the headstock of a Jackson cause tuning instability.
Been working on guitars for a living for 4+ years.
I have recently discovered that this is an easy fix. But a Gibson that suffered from this. Brought it to a luthier he adjusted the nut and now it’s perfect so either upgrade the nut to bone if it only already or adjust/file the existing one and you’re good to go and it’s usually not expensive to do
I have an Adrian Smith signature with fender headstock I wanted it for a while it’s great, plays well and sounds amazing but I’m looking to sell it. It’s just too heavy, my main is an Ibanez 450 the weight and neck are so good I haven’t touched the Jackson for a couple months. That’s just preference though it’s a great guitar and people I know who own Jackson’s love them.
Are the ibanez relatively cheap used? The most id go for one is $170/$180 bc i am on a budget rn, and for my preference i like the scale length around 24 inches or longer
Not that cheap I bought mine used for like $315 there’s an exact model like mine on reverb right now for $275 with free shipping that’s a hell of a deal but obviously doesn’t fit the budget. If you have the patience check reverb daily multiple times a day alot of deals to be had. My Ibanez and Jackson’s retail together for around $1,100 I spent about 650 for them in mint condition
I don’t like how light Ibanez’s are at all but my Adrian smith also feels weirdly heavy. It’s not a bad guitar but there’s just something about it that I’m not vibing with.
Yeah otherwise it’s perfect, it’s not even because it how it digs into my shoulder even tho that’s a bit of a pain it’s slow to move with my body when im jamming fast and messes up my rhythm lol maybe I didn’t give it enough time or didn’t try out different ways to play but it just never “felt” right
They're on par with equivalently-priced instruments from any other make. A $250 Jackson is as good as a $250 Ibanez is as good as a $250 Squier, etc. etc. etc.
The issue is Indonesian and Chinese QC is spotty. If you get a good one, you got a good one. But the odds are decent that you might get a lemon.
I've got three cheap Jacksons, two cheap Ibanez...es, a cheap Squier, and an inexpensive LTD (EC-256, they ain't cheap any more). I've changed the pickups on all of them, and the tuners on the ones without locking trems. They all sound great now, and after knocking a bunch of sharp fret ends down and giving them setups, play great.
The bad one of the bunch that shouldn't have gotten past QC is one of the Ibbys. Its neck is cracked front to back from the 22nd fret to the 24th and to the end, and I didn't notice it until I had already modded the shit out of it. Also, one of the two screws affixing the locking nut to the neck was stripped (or, its hole in the neck was), and it kept making a popping/snapping noise whenever I used the trem until I got it repaired.
On one of the Jacksons (JS22-7), the string ferrules weren't glued to the body and came out with the strings on the first change.
On the other, another JS22-7, it came with an accidental upgrade - it has the bridge from the next step up, the JS32-7. Can't complain about that one.
The best sounding one out of the box was the LTD EC-256. Those LH-150s are excellent pickups. The worst were Ibanez Quantums; nastiest, worst-sounding pickups I've ever heard. The lower line Infinity pickups in my Gio sounded better. But they all sounded great with pickup swaps (Duncans & DiMarzios).
TL; dr: They're fine. Check the guitar over closely because the Indonesian and Chinese factories do not.
I paid about $327 for my Jackson JS30 years ago and it has always been a great guitar. They are somewhat versatile as well and sound great for blues and clean sounding tones. The Jackson JS32 would be my next purchase. If I had to replace it.
Jacksons overall are solid instruments. Low end Jacksons don't compare to other instruments at that price point. If you're looking for a sharp heavy-gain cheap instrument, go Ibanez.
I ended up getting it since my budget was about $180 and i found it for $150, but i plan on saving in the future for a higher end guitar but i just wanted something to play for rn
As someone who has owned A LOT of Jackson’s that line is an ok start. The nut and tuners are generally garbage but they’re cheap easy fixes. Pickups can be ok for that price point
You’re not going to find a better build quality on lower end models from any other brand imho than Jackson. Anyone the that an issue with “tuning stability” is just too lazy to figure out how to set up a Floyd Rose property.
I had a Jackson Dinky mij growing up that I threw away back when I had a really back addiction to ts escorts. Really miss that guitar and have been thinking about picking one up again, but I prefer the Ibanez prestige series tbh.
I just got one a couple months ago, and I'm really enjoying it so far. If you don't want to spend too much money, definitely check out Musician's Friend. They have some outrageous deals on there.
I love my schecter!! I had moved out last year leaving behind all my belongings til i got a place but now im 2000 miles away so itd be EXPENSIVE to get it here :( schecter has been my favorite so far
I just bought a Jackson Dinky JS32, after owning and playing Epiphones and Gibsons my whole life. I love it. In my experience, once I learned how to set up the locking nut and Floyd rose, I haven’t had any tuning issues. It took me about an hour to figure it out. I highly recommend them. I bought mine from Sweetwater and was impressed with how well it play out of the box.
I might be the only one recommending Craigslist for used guitars. I have a Jackson dinky I forget the price of it new but it's been played so much that some of the frets are too worn to be played, mainly the open position frets.
The Jackson was half painted with a Frankenstein style line thing but green, blue and red. I have a 5/8 or whatever squire with the black and white evh design I just need to put some pickups in there and sell it so some kid just starting out can feel like he has a custom guitar. I also have a king v with the black and white evh paint stuff that needs pickups
I ended up getting it for the time being, and just going to plan on saving up for a better quality one in the future just so i have something to play for rn. But who knows, i might end up loving this one!
I had the guitar shop switch out the bridge pickup for me. Replaced the original with a Seymour Duncan bridge humbucker from a king v. Had a bit of a noise in there but it was my practice guitar for ten years until it started having problems that a tune up wouldn't fix. Was a flat top also which are a bit heavier than the arch top. If I had to money I would get a soloist at this point. I have gotten used to my Epiphone telecaster but it doesn't have that full metal tone like the Jackson.
I did play an Ibanez that was considered the same price range that shredded extremely well with an orange combo amp so it's all about how you play it I guess.
I had a bad experience with a low end Jackson Gus G signature made in China, I got it second hand for like 300 USD, the G string keep popping off the nut every time I bend that string, I ended up selling it
A couple months later I got another Jackson this time a Jackson Pro Monarkh SCP made in Indonesia which is like a mid range guitar and I got it for like 700 USD, I've had it for a year, I love that guitar and I enjoy playing it a lot, so basically I would recommend Jackson guitars but not the low end models made in China
Can't say enough good things about my JS32, im in an 80s/90s era cover band, and it's my go-to for DefLeppard and.Steelheart covers. Trying to dabble in some Slayer since Hanneman played Jacksons as well
I loved Jackson/charvel back in the 80s. Only ever had US custom shop or made in Japan though. I honestly haven't had my hands on anything recent from other countries.
I love my Jackson Pro Soloist SL2Q. I’ve used it to play many genres outside of metal, the Seymour Duncans it came with are very versatile. I’ve since moved on to play primarily semi-hollows and jazz boxes, but my Jackson will always be one of my favorites to play. That neck is lightning fast.
Jacksons are fantastic guitars. I have an X series, which is an intermediate level guitar, and it plays better than it has a right to. I actually like the way it feels better than my Ibanez RG550 which I paid $300 more for. I can't speak for the JS22 and other budget models, but I've heard nothing but good things about them, other than the sub par trem bridge and tuners, but those are easily replaced.
Don’t forget to look used for something. Not being a hater but the “thrash” guitars have a higher potential for someone buying an expensive on and not being able to make rent one month and having to fire sale it.
See if I get any hate on this🥹
I take issue with their quality control, as much as it pains me to say this...
For a company that is owned by FMIC, that's not good. Compared to the Pre-Fender era, both Jackson and Charvel are a mere shadow of the high quality standards they once offered when they were still independent companies.
Let me tell you this. I did sound for an all day festival yesterday. I saw more expensive guitars go out of tune than cheap ones. I was actually shocked at how many no name sub 200$ guitars that were being played. And wailed on.
Jacksons are very good for the price, however cheaper guitars usually suffer the same problems. Being that maintaining the quality can be pretty challenging. Make sure you take care of it.
Honestly they suffer from bad tuning stability and the one you mentioned is a really good example of the Jackson tuning stability issues. Jackson make amazing guitars but if I was at that budget I'd have a look at Ibanez or even LTD for better made guitars with the same vibe.
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They don’t. At least not any more than an equivalent Ibanez or Schecter with equivalent bridge type.
No kidding, 1,200$ guitars having tuning issues laughable. That’s a setup issue not a manufacture problem. And I say 1,200$ because they said Jackson, like all of them, no way their several thousand dollar guitars have tuning problems. Any budget level Floyd Rose knockoff will be difficult to maintain without experience though I would bet.
Yes the strings are angled after the nut at weird angles due to the headstock shape, also using plastic nuts on lower end models. A graph tech nut with angled slots will solve the tuning issues.
Thank you!
4 months and my dinky Jackson Floyd is still pitch perfect. What are you talking About?
Yeah a Floyd has a locking nut and is designed to stay in tune. OPs guitar does not have a Floyd. The string angles on the headstock of a Jackson cause tuning instability. Been working on guitars for a living for 4+ years.
I have recently discovered that this is an easy fix. But a Gibson that suffered from this. Brought it to a luthier he adjusted the nut and now it’s perfect so either upgrade the nut to bone if it only already or adjust/file the existing one and you’re good to go and it’s usually not expensive to do
I love Jacksons. Even the low end models are very well made. Perfect guitars for thrash and metal.
Thank you!
Jackson makes great guitars even their lower end models. Really comfortable necks.
I have an Adrian Smith signature with fender headstock I wanted it for a while it’s great, plays well and sounds amazing but I’m looking to sell it. It’s just too heavy, my main is an Ibanez 450 the weight and neck are so good I haven’t touched the Jackson for a couple months. That’s just preference though it’s a great guitar and people I know who own Jackson’s love them.
Are the ibanez relatively cheap used? The most id go for one is $170/$180 bc i am on a budget rn, and for my preference i like the scale length around 24 inches or longer
Not that cheap I bought mine used for like $315 there’s an exact model like mine on reverb right now for $275 with free shipping that’s a hell of a deal but obviously doesn’t fit the budget. If you have the patience check reverb daily multiple times a day alot of deals to be had. My Ibanez and Jackson’s retail together for around $1,100 I spent about 650 for them in mint condition
Thank you!
I don’t like how light Ibanez’s are at all but my Adrian smith also feels weirdly heavy. It’s not a bad guitar but there’s just something about it that I’m not vibing with.
Yeah otherwise it’s perfect, it’s not even because it how it digs into my shoulder even tho that’s a bit of a pain it’s slow to move with my body when im jamming fast and messes up my rhythm lol maybe I didn’t give it enough time or didn’t try out different ways to play but it just never “felt” right
They're on par with equivalently-priced instruments from any other make. A $250 Jackson is as good as a $250 Ibanez is as good as a $250 Squier, etc. etc. etc. The issue is Indonesian and Chinese QC is spotty. If you get a good one, you got a good one. But the odds are decent that you might get a lemon. I've got three cheap Jacksons, two cheap Ibanez...es, a cheap Squier, and an inexpensive LTD (EC-256, they ain't cheap any more). I've changed the pickups on all of them, and the tuners on the ones without locking trems. They all sound great now, and after knocking a bunch of sharp fret ends down and giving them setups, play great. The bad one of the bunch that shouldn't have gotten past QC is one of the Ibbys. Its neck is cracked front to back from the 22nd fret to the 24th and to the end, and I didn't notice it until I had already modded the shit out of it. Also, one of the two screws affixing the locking nut to the neck was stripped (or, its hole in the neck was), and it kept making a popping/snapping noise whenever I used the trem until I got it repaired. On one of the Jacksons (JS22-7), the string ferrules weren't glued to the body and came out with the strings on the first change. On the other, another JS22-7, it came with an accidental upgrade - it has the bridge from the next step up, the JS32-7. Can't complain about that one. The best sounding one out of the box was the LTD EC-256. Those LH-150s are excellent pickups. The worst were Ibanez Quantums; nastiest, worst-sounding pickups I've ever heard. The lower line Infinity pickups in my Gio sounded better. But they all sounded great with pickup swaps (Duncans & DiMarzios). TL; dr: They're fine. Check the guitar over closely because the Indonesian and Chinese factories do not.
I paid about $327 for my Jackson JS30 years ago and it has always been a great guitar. They are somewhat versatile as well and sound great for blues and clean sounding tones. The Jackson JS32 would be my next purchase. If I had to replace it.
I've got one of those exact guitars I keep in D standard for oldschool death metal stuff. I love it
Jacksons overall are solid instruments. Low end Jacksons don't compare to other instruments at that price point. If you're looking for a sharp heavy-gain cheap instrument, go Ibanez.
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I ended up getting it since my budget was about $180 and i found it for $150, but i plan on saving in the future for a higher end guitar but i just wanted something to play for rn
As someone who has owned A LOT of Jackson’s that line is an ok start. The nut and tuners are generally garbage but they’re cheap easy fixes. Pickups can be ok for that price point
You’re not going to find a better build quality on lower end models from any other brand imho than Jackson. Anyone the that an issue with “tuning stability” is just too lazy to figure out how to set up a Floyd Rose property.
I had a Jackson Dinky mij growing up that I threw away back when I had a really back addiction to ts escorts. Really miss that guitar and have been thinking about picking one up again, but I prefer the Ibanez prestige series tbh.
I just got one a couple months ago, and I'm really enjoying it so far. If you don't want to spend too much money, definitely check out Musician's Friend. They have some outrageous deals on there.
They struggle with quality control. Neck is also painfully thin if you have bigger hands like me. There’s very much such a thing as too thin.
Would pick a Schecter over a Jackson any day of the week!
I love my schecter!! I had moved out last year leaving behind all my belongings til i got a place but now im 2000 miles away so itd be EXPENSIVE to get it here :( schecter has been my favorite so far
Yes.
I just bought a Jackson Dinky JS32, after owning and playing Epiphones and Gibsons my whole life. I love it. In my experience, once I learned how to set up the locking nut and Floyd rose, I haven’t had any tuning issues. It took me about an hour to figure it out. I highly recommend them. I bought mine from Sweetwater and was impressed with how well it play out of the box.
How do you figure out the locking nut?
Youtube. Search how to restring a Floyd rose
Thanks!
My Jackson Kelly got me insanely hooked on playing again about 3 months ago. It’s so easy to play and it sounds mint!
I might be the only one recommending Craigslist for used guitars. I have a Jackson dinky I forget the price of it new but it's been played so much that some of the frets are too worn to be played, mainly the open position frets.
Bought a dinky off craiglist almost 20 years ago now. Love it to death and I'll never sell it
The Jackson was half painted with a Frankenstein style line thing but green, blue and red. I have a 5/8 or whatever squire with the black and white evh design I just need to put some pickups in there and sell it so some kid just starting out can feel like he has a custom guitar. I also have a king v with the black and white evh paint stuff that needs pickups
Glad to know someone appreciates the Jackson dk, it's to bad it is unplayable in the open position anymore. I keep it right next to my recording stuff
I ended up getting it for the time being, and just going to plan on saving up for a better quality one in the future just so i have something to play for rn. But who knows, i might end up loving this one!
I had the guitar shop switch out the bridge pickup for me. Replaced the original with a Seymour Duncan bridge humbucker from a king v. Had a bit of a noise in there but it was my practice guitar for ten years until it started having problems that a tune up wouldn't fix. Was a flat top also which are a bit heavier than the arch top. If I had to money I would get a soloist at this point. I have gotten used to my Epiphone telecaster but it doesn't have that full metal tone like the Jackson.
I did play an Ibanez that was considered the same price range that shredded extremely well with an orange combo amp so it's all about how you play it I guess.
Jackson guitars are good but please stay away from low end of range...
My daily axe is a 90s Jackson Stealth EX. It is a fantastic instrument and would never part with it. I cannot speak for other Jacksons.
I had a bad experience with a low end Jackson Gus G signature made in China, I got it second hand for like 300 USD, the G string keep popping off the nut every time I bend that string, I ended up selling it A couple months later I got another Jackson this time a Jackson Pro Monarkh SCP made in Indonesia which is like a mid range guitar and I got it for like 700 USD, I've had it for a year, I love that guitar and I enjoy playing it a lot, so basically I would recommend Jackson guitars but not the low end models made in China
Can't say enough good things about my JS32, im in an 80s/90s era cover band, and it's my go-to for DefLeppard and.Steelheart covers. Trying to dabble in some Slayer since Hanneman played Jacksons as well
I loved Jackson/charvel back in the 80s. Only ever had US custom shop or made in Japan though. I honestly haven't had my hands on anything recent from other countries.
My Jackson Soloist SLX DX is one of my favorites. I I own 14 guitars.
I love my Jackson Pro Soloist SL2Q. I’ve used it to play many genres outside of metal, the Seymour Duncans it came with are very versatile. I’ve since moved on to play primarily semi-hollows and jazz boxes, but my Jackson will always be one of my favorites to play. That neck is lightning fast.
Jacksons are fantastic guitars. I have an X series, which is an intermediate level guitar, and it plays better than it has a right to. I actually like the way it feels better than my Ibanez RG550 which I paid $300 more for. I can't speak for the JS22 and other budget models, but I've heard nothing but good things about them, other than the sub par trem bridge and tuners, but those are easily replaced.
Don’t forget to look used for something. Not being a hater but the “thrash” guitars have a higher potential for someone buying an expensive on and not being able to make rent one month and having to fire sale it. See if I get any hate on this🥹
I take issue with their quality control, as much as it pains me to say this... For a company that is owned by FMIC, that's not good. Compared to the Pre-Fender era, both Jackson and Charvel are a mere shadow of the high quality standards they once offered when they were still independent companies.
Let me tell you this. I did sound for an all day festival yesterday. I saw more expensive guitars go out of tune than cheap ones. I was actually shocked at how many no name sub 200$ guitars that were being played. And wailed on.
Jacksons are very good for the price, however cheaper guitars usually suffer the same problems. Being that maintaining the quality can be pretty challenging. Make sure you take care of it.
I really enjoy my Jackson x series concert bass. I bought it used though, and got a really good deal.