JACKSON VIRTUOSO OVERHYPED OR WORTH IT?! MY OPINION
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- #Jackson #jacksonguitars
In this video, we talk about the new Jackson Virtuoso guitars.
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I dig the streaked ebony has a dope character to it. Love Jackson as well.
I agree, the streak is cool as hell
Thanks Ray for the great rundown! The comparison with other Jackson’s and similar models from other brands is really helpful.
Hey I’m glad you enjoyed that part! I’ve never done that before and I think going forward thatll be a good segment
@@xanderraymondcharles Yeah it stood out - be a great segment part going forward. Nice work and thanks for the no holds bar reviews and comments. With so much gear needed to be bought online these days it’s a massive help. 🔥🎸🤘
The price comparison is an nice addition, and even comparing to custom builds, that’s awesome content right there! Cheers Ray!
Hey thanks!
Picked mine up two days ago! I absolutely love it! As a jackson guitar lover I know that their prices are insane when it comes to U.S guitars. I feel this price point is really fair and it gives us broke people a chance to own a USA Jackson 🤷🏻♂️😂.
The Charvels are amazing, necks are fantastic and come with great hardware.
These days that price seems on the fair side. I wish Jackson gave us more fixed bridge options from the X series and above
I think you're spot on with the streaked ebony commentary. Personally, I like a streaky fingerboard better, they just have more character. But pretty sure the "standard" for ebony is all dark/black, so these cuts are considered b stock and relocated to the 'lesser' guitars. But dude, that streaky ebony on the surf?!?!? Beautiful!!
I was gonna say the same thing!! I love the streaky ebony boards ^^
Played the shell pink one at a local store today. It was absolutely incredible. If I had the money I’d buy the sea foam one. I just wish they had different bridge options because I hate Floyd’s
I like both colors.
What XRC is talking about is Macassar Ebony, and yes its cheaper than Gabon ebony by about 80%. Its on guitars because there are no CITES consequences. Asian builders have access to it and it ships just fine to Europe or North America.
Some brands, like Epiphone, stain their Macassar black. I've also done it. It holds the stain really well. In terms of performance, they are identical.
As a big Jackson fan, I have to say it is definitely overhyped. If you have played or owned any of the 90's Japanese Jackson's especially the '"Professional'' Series you would know how insanely good those are for the price. I'm a big fan of the Dinky and Soloist, but it seems that they keep pushing those two designs only when they have the King V, the Warrior and the Kelly. If I could I would lend them my 1990 Fusion Professional so they can take notes on what a Jackson neck is supposed to be. Edit: If you really want something that's worth it's price and are a fan of Jackson, get a Caparison.
I bought a 93 jackson Kelly professional for 190 bucks off of Facebook marketplace a while ago. Not only does it play better than most newer guitars I’ve tried out, but it is also way more fun to play as well.
The kelly was my first guitar, tied for favorite between my 2023 Schecter Omen Eite 7 Multi-scale. THATS how much I love it.
I bought a USA made soloist in 99 that had a beautiful blue quilted maple top and Kent Armstrong JVA pickups, ebony board, no inlays and the 3x3 headstock and fixed bridge. I'd punch my grandmother to get that thing back. It was probably the best electric I've ever played. It only cost me 800 bucks, there was a minor crack in the paint in the neck pocket treble side.
@@donbishop6994 PHEWWWWW That sounds amazing.
@@ayoh4864 It absolutely was. I still wonder who ended up owning it after I sold it. I'm gonna see of I can find it after all these years. I live in a relatively small town. I can't imagine it is too far away. I have a guy I can ask that worked at the shop I sold it too. We're good friends.
Considering some of the new the ESP E-II models are starting at 3k, it’s impressive Jackson has a USA model at that price point
These guitar look great and the price point is very reasonable in my opinion!
Much more affordable than I expected them to be
I read somewhere (maybe on warmoth’s site or the precision guitar kits site) that solid black ebony was getting increasingly rare. Ebony with streaks is much more common. They were offering something (I think it’s called obsidian ebony-it might have a dye or something) that is solid black if that’s what you’re after. I just got a warmoth neck about a month ago. It’s ebony and mostly black but there’s a good size reddish streak that goes the length of 10 frets or so. Still looks gorgeous though
Ebony has always been like that.
The problem is the spiralling price and concerns over the terrible environmental impacts harvesting African ebony trees means the true black wood with no mineral deposits (tool wrecking and cosmetic blemishes that mineral deposits in the heartwood) is getting very pricey indeed.
Ebony is notorious for shrinkage and cracking when drying too.
I wish more people would adopt the man made alternatives which have gotten very, very good.
Instead of trashing and wasting all the wood that isn't streaked, they are using it. I have a GS Mini that is the same way. I think it looks great.
wow - you just sold me a Kiesel guitar instead.
hey awesome! enjoy your new guitar!
You are probably correct on the fretboard, there may be a higher supply of the stripped ebony and if the demand is low then the price will be too. Also, I could be wrong but the difference between caramelized maple and roasted maple is the process they use to change them from maple.
I agree.. I was stuck deciding on buying this Jackson or the Charvel Jim Root, after watching your Jim Root Charvel vid I went with the Charvel.. can't wait until Monday when it gets here lol
I believe (pls correct me if I am wrong) the original “Jackson USA” line were actually built in their custom shop they were just built to a standard spec. If you wanted a different colour or spec from what they offered you had to do a custom shop order.
My guess is this was too expensive on production costs and created a lot of pressure on custom orders - it costs a lot to have your top builders working on a “standar series and the throughput is lower due to the time and attention given to each instrument.
Im guessing that the new “american series” are USA built but on a standard production line like most other brands. This frees up the custom shop to focus on custom orders only.
Dude, love the Bizkit clip.
The green and shell pink really make that guitar pop. Love it!
It is a lot form my stand point but I also have not played an American made guitar before. Prices are going up and I think some brands like Harley Benton are going to do better in the long run
American and Japanese guitars are far superior in quality compared to Indonesia and China. I'm fine with spending extra if the builders are going to spend extra time on crafting it, making sure the quality is good and if the feel is right. Korea makes some good guitars but still fail compared to Japanese and American guitars
I have the white MJ soloist and love it. Much better deal than the Virtuoso IMO. The Gotoh bridge feels superior to any FR I've ever played and it's neck through. I swapped the JB/Jazz out for a Black Winter set and couldn't be happier. Only downside is it comes in white or black only so no shell pink for you.
I understand all of the the old ones this and that and the price points but I got the shell pink with FU tone upgrades and brother. It's for me. Doesn't mean it's for everyone. But to me i love this guitar. I left a note on the side literally that reads "don't sell". I have a terrible selling/trading habit. Anyways just my opinion. It works for me.
LUV my school bus yellow Jackson strat circa 88 still shreds after all these years.
I don't care for the streaked ebony but it does keep the cost down a bit. If you play around with Kiesel custom builder they charge more for not streaked ebony.
In germs of Jackson's own line. They speced the pro pollus series better and they are 600-700 less. I still find schecter and esp/ltd more desirable in this range. Same with Charvel.
Agree. The Esp E-2 m-1 looks insane and it is also priced at 2 k. It is still expensive, but at least they seem premium guitars compared to the virtuoso, which to me looks like the tribute series gibson put out, maybe they are good guitars, but are not what the real deal brand guitars are
They gotta bring out more then just super-strats. Pointy guitars are coming back in the metal community and why Jackson seems to be stuck in the 2010’s super-strat era is beyond me.
Jackson sent out guitars to artists and youtubers for review. So that's why you see it everywhere. But it's a good guitars so I don't blame them for trying to get as much exposure as possible for it.
May seem picky, but it needs sharkfin inlays. I understand the whole 80s throw back, but it just seems off. I prefer the soloist released last year.
I think the reason they say “caramelized” versus “roasted” is because the roasted look is caused by the sap in the wood caramelizing during the roasting process. I feel like it’s a lot less questionable just saying “roasted maple”, so maybe Jackson is using “caramelized” to stand out.
Really loving these guitars man, i agree with all your points although im not a fan of the pink!! 😂 stay metal bro!
I would like to know if the USA Jackson prices are so high due to the increased cost of labor and materials caused by inflation, or because the guys owning the company know that the now iconic brand will attract customers regardless of overpriced guitars.
Nowadays even chinese made guitars, if properly set up, are awesome and have genuinely decent materials and quality, so premium guitar for 2K should be perfect and awesome in everyway. The fact that the fingerboard has the stripe kinda looks cheap, like they had that specific type of wood and wanted to use it regardless. Also it doesn't have any binding and it's bolt on, so it's basically a "cheap" guitar to produce.
The bolt-on is a great feature. Cheaper and there are enough people who have proven that a neck-thru does NOT bring more sustain. And the Charvels are NOT the same guitar. They are 22 frets.
I am not sure about the thing about neck-thru. Sustain can increase with distorsion, but the attack and resonance of a neck thru can't be faked IMO. Also the neck body joint is smooth as hell.
I think my big beef is for $2000, its the little things like not having a hardshell case, A jim root strat for $50 more will get you that. I understand, apples to apples they aren't the same guitar, but at that price point, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Taking into consideration that the mexican plant is now offering compound radius (like in the Jim Root Charvel Model) that to me would be the biggest thing, plus I'd save 500 bucks, I can eat the cost of a hard case here. It left a sour taste in my mouth with the American Soloist, so I'm happy to see they've lowered the price for this model. Still a really cool guitar and I'd buy it.
Just can't justify the price tag on this one unless the mindset is 'Made in USA' equals superior quality which historically with big brands is not necessarily the case...
thing is - its not made in the US - it says - America. That means somewhere in the Americas - Mexico etc. These are just merely assembled at the corona factory - they aren't custom built there like their USA Line.
@Ibanezguy2007 Bingo! I was thinking the same thing.
Lol it says corona, California… which is USA. Made in USA is better like 95% of the time with guitars
@@mreyes8519 Is it though?
@@mreyes8519he did say where it was assembled so idk what you're going on about.
If you are paying 1500 for a guitar anything above that should be some kind of crazy paint job and figured wood. You get a JB and a 59 inside an Alder body. Every start up Strat is usually Alder and to my ear it's a very flat sounding wood with pickups that everyone should have heard of. It's a very predictable guitar and with a solid paint finish it's over priced. These aesthetics remind me of the Ibanez Gio line of affordable guitars. Thick, flat looking poly paint. Even starter guitars, Ibanez Geo GRX70QATRB, these days come with figured veneers and you could upgrade every part on it to sound as good or better. Lots of affordable guitars come with roasted wood as well now. Even a Strandberg Boden Standard comes in at around 1500 leaving 500 for pickups and other upgrades. Second hand guitars particularly Ibanez would give you a steal if you shop around enough.
for people in US that may be a thing, otherwise I've seen simply bad USA made Jacksons, seems like the quality is the same regardless of origin, considering the price, thats not good.
I think the old korean/Japan SLSMG were actually pretty cool guitars, consisent quality, sound and quite and affordable.
Charvel can be cool once they improve neck wood stability (drying in some climates) and finish (unless you like super stainy almost unfinished maple, though I've seen they are using caramelized one lately). Also some people, including me, had the guitar with weak floyd springs leading to really weird setup.
I went Charvel MIM. Great price, same specs, and plays Great. Why over pay 🤷♂️🙂
For anyone wanting to understand why streaked ebony is becoming more common, Bob Taylor (Taylor Guitars) has a great explanation on what ebony harvesting has done to the environment and why more manufacturers are embracing streaked ebony: ruclips.net/video/anCGvfsBoFY/видео.html
I own a pre-Fender Jackson DK2 and I just don't see why I would be happier with a $2000 "Assembled in the USA" Virtuoso over my $400 Ibanez RG42FM. Nevermind that fact that a Kiesel is actually made in the USA.
You can get a made in Japan Ibanez prestige with a lo pro and name pickups for about 1300-1500
Imo made is Japan is better or at least as good as made in America
The cheapest prestige I see are for 1500, and that's the cheap RGR652 that comes with crappy fusion edge pickups. The other prestiges cost anywhere around 1700-1900. I used to own a prestige (and still miss it) but I also own a jackson MIJ rhoads and USA SL2 Mick thomson model and they're all very close.
Maybe the neck color refers to a stain (can't call it roasted if it's not). American made sounds fishy to me. Seems pretty broad in fine print. South, Central or North American? That could be a cost influence as well.
In my humble opinion…. Overhyped. The Jeff loomis sig is almost 500 dollars cheaper and speced out to the brim. And also in 7. This virtuoso, is a 1k guitar that jackson makes you spend an addition thousand just because it’s “American made” the guitar is rad an the colab video they did for the ad was absolutely stellar….. but the price just isn’t the right fit.
Streaked ebony is really cheap even cheaper than some rosewood alternatives. But if it Streaks in a nice way it can be big money like pale moon.
Does Jackson not make guitars with emg 81s or any active emg at all in them? Not everyone is interested in SD and passive pickups. Pretty whack honestly. I really want the soloist which looks way better than anything that has come out just from the frets and fingerboard alone. But the 3 pickups and them being sd I believe ruins the guitar for me. Jackson needs more options for guitars, not just bunch of colours with cheaper parts.
2:19 this is more like "pig pink". 😅 From these the 'Specific Ocean' is the only color I like. It's just my opinion but although "American" is good marketing, look at what kind of Schecter or LTD you can buy for this much or less money. (I understand that the steel frets are not important to everyone but the advantages are clear.)
Killin it with that joe dirt beard!!
I wouldn't put a 1500 on my Firefly much less a filthy expensive guitar
Really?
I’ve only had great experiences with the 1500. I have it on my Jim Root Charvel sig and it is absolutely rock solid. Floyd Specials are a completely different story though
for 2k Id lean towards Ibanez. But I prefer flatter necks.
Looking at virtuoso ht
Wondering why they are cannabalising the MJ series in this way. Only thing that has going for it is the Gotoh trem. And ofcourse that you can get a RR24 with yellow pinstripes.
Why did you remind me i sold my japanese RR24 for 500 euros some years ago 😢😢
They look great. I just think a Charvel is a much better deal for the money.
For that price it should be an original Floyd. also, those frets better be stainless steel.
Remember their not really Jackson guitars they still carry the name but they are made buy fender: fender think's their stuff should run more, like I've seen fender stratocaster guitar's run 1400 1500$ dollar's I don't think any fender stratocaster guitar should run more than six hundred dollars. They are rather basic for the high price they ask. Jackson are okay quality I would only say that they shouldn't really run over 800$ for a good soloist though. And I like bolt on neck better because if something goes wrong with a neck you can change it out with a bolt on can't do it set neck. But I like the set neck because of the comfort of it and easy higher fretboard access.
Tired of generic double cuts from Jackson. We need more King Vs, warriors, Kelly’s. I’m compensating, I need big guitars.
A lot of the ebony that you see that is consistent color is just stained. This is more it’s natural state.
If the play as good as my Fender American Pro did i would say they are not over hyped and $2000 is a fair price.
I prefer charvel guitar because of their price , the tone . However , this new jackson $1999 , really ? The price is a big haiyaa
They are not the “exact same guitar” as mexican Charvels. I have had 4 Charvel pro mod mexican guitars. All 4 had either fret issues or grounding/shielding noise. I love the old Charvels but I am done with Charvel and now I have a Korean Jackson Pro Series and it is so much better quality. I have an Indonesian Jackson, and it is better than the mexican Charvels.
The way I see it if you buy this guitars and keep it about 3 years and sell it the worse you can do is break even. It means you had the equivalent of a free rental. If you buy an Asian or MIM made guitar and sell it in 3 years you lose money.
The virtuoso is not made in tge states. Its assembled here
I would get that $1000 charvel, a floyd pro and then get it plecked with the change over buying that jackson.
jackson is jyped but i have seen not one player that was hyped. nontheless improvement over price vs specs it is. still jackson premium though.
They are the American series BUT are they truly made in america for that price? If so who makes them? As far as i know all the top Jackson guys are making Custom orders for the next 3-5 years so who is making these guitars? Maybe someone should do some investigative youtube journalism on this matter. =)
Fender in Corona California
"The all-new Jackson American Series is the next chapter in Jackson's storied legacy, marking the first made-in-Corona flagship product line for the brand.", so apparently it's made at Fender in California.
I'm only hyped for USA and Japanese made Jackson guitars.
I think I will be buying an Ibanez.
Honestly I really hooked on the price it's just for me when it comes to Jackson all their choices are just boring visual.
The marketing for this thing is out of control, looks like a jackson to me idk how hype you can make this
Surely a good guitar but I wanted an ORIGINAL Floyd rose for 2000 bucks
nineteen ninty nine bebe 😂
Every piece of gear shit priced over $1000 is overhyped by definition, maybe even lower than that.
Ignorance. Build one yourself and come back and tell us how much it's worth.
These are similar to charvel
i think it has ss frets, i think ss frets are a gimmick in a way, i never have had issues with regular jumbos, i dont feel or hear a difference on my ss fret guitars
Prefeer Charvel, .much more versatile instrument
You look a bit mafioso with those glasses, Ray.
2 grand for a bolt on ? I'm out
jp 15... evh Wolfgang...
I can't stand Floyd Rose guitars but this is a really good price for an American made guitar in today's market
Floyd’s are great.
I own the slime green sl3. It’s an incredible guitar. Worth every penny. I paid £1699 brand new. It pisses all over the pro series that I tried out.
Its 1999 baby😂😂
Everything Jackson has done for the last fifteen years has been overhyped. The Pro series is mediocre at best, the USA models were unobtainable until very recently, the Custom shop is a joke with insane prices and back orders, and the Custom Selects were laughable…
The Pro series of the 90’s and early to mid-00’s were amazing. Sad that they’re long gone and used prices have gone way up. Also, I would bet money that the MIJ Jackson’s play better than the MIA and the difference between the latter and the MIM is probably negligible.
PS: stainless steel frets are super, super overhyped and you’re fooling yourself - it’s just marketing.
I agree that the early Jackson’s were amazing but it’s crazy to think stainless steel is marketing. Why would anyone want frets to be basically consumable like guitar strings? Nickel wears down pretty fast, stainless is a much better option unless you want to constantly re level crown and polish every year or 2 until you need a refret.
Man those colors are meh
The pink looks too fleshy
For that price they need to change the colors to something a little more eye catching.
The guitars actually say assembled in the USA not made in the USA
interesting as it says usa made on the website on the cover page. who knows lol
@@xanderraymondcharles I only brought that up because Ola reviewed the guitar and that’s what he said when he was reading off the specs. I thought it was kind of odd, but I also could have misheard him.
Ola doesn’t like the pink,watched his video on it this morning 😂
I agree with you. 1900 for a USA made Jackson (yes they're made in the USA) is pretty good. I tried all different types of USA jacksons and they're all amazing. But I spent 3300 for a used Mick Thomson SL2 that has minor scratches and a ding. I also tried the American series SL3 and it's very close in quality and feel. So to see this for 1900 is a great deal. I also find Stainless steel frets to be overrated. They're nice to have but dont make a difference in tone or feel. I have a Jackson Dinky MIJ from 1998 and the frets are still amazing. Not sure why everyone is angry over not putting stainless steel frets.
mexican made and bolted together + QC in america... it's a total rip-off
Naw it's pink