I have 4 Dinkys.. the 199.99 ones.. bcz of the shark inlays.. swaped the nuts for TUSQ.. put in Musicly Locking tuners.. Seymour Duncans Mayhem and Black Winter sets.. and Wilkins WK550ii bridges.. Bcz I love the playability.. ended up spending around $300 extra on each guitar.. but they play now like a million bucks..
The thing with the string tightening is very true... always tune from low to high. I repaired and serviced dozens of guitars for friends and i maintain my own guitars for about 18 years now. You dont need expensive hardware or even evertune. Take care of your fretboard, keep the guitar at room temperature/humidity and you're fine. Another this is: tune your lowest string about 5 cents below key especially for drop tunings. If you hit the chords, the first string is getting the heaviest hit, therefore tending to go higher frequency than you want. Keeping it lower will keep the chord in tune no matter how hard you hit the strings
@@todoelmundoapesta A cent is a unit of measure for the ratio between two frequencies. An equally tempered semitone (the interval between two adjacent piano keys) spans 100 cents by definition. An octave-two notes that have a frequency ratio of 2:1-spans twelve semitones and therefore 1200 cents.
In a nutshell: Differences in tuning over time resulting from tension vs friction cannot be avoided, but they can be minimized with optimal setup technique(s). The long -winded version of all that starts with, and **must be addressed in this order** for consistently precise results: - neck/trussrod arc being most crucial, followed by - reducing friction at the nut and saddle (i.e. the two constantly coupled points) angles, followed by - the bridge's height and intonation adjustment.
In drop C we get best tuning results tuning the A string first on up to the high E then last the low E....but yes always tune the string up as both of you said! Keeps it under tension.
8:10 in my experience, the nut is the source of 99.99999% of all action/tuning/intonation/timbre issues. if your guitar cost $500 or less, don't even waste time on any setups until you get a skilled repair specialist/luthier to replace and recut that nut. In many situations, it wont even really cost anything as this is sometimes included with a setup at a decent shop. Just my little tip that everyone should consider.
So what you are saying is before working on the nut things may be off, but post nut there will be clarity? Usually post nut clarity goes the opposite way, just another reason why guitars are better than a relationship.
Not quite.. Neck and truss rod come first, THEN the nut and bridge. No matter how well the nut is cut, you won't be able to intonate a crooked neck. - Easy way to tell if the nut is cut wrong: Once the guitar is tuned to your root standard, fret an F major barre chord at the 1st fret. Check that on some cheap guitars and then do the same with a few expensive guitars, and listen to the difference.
@@shaft9000 while i appreciate the general sentiment of your comment my point was that the **most common** issue, out of the box, is the nut. if you have a twisted neck, it wouldn't even pass qc. mass manufactured instruments are not likely to have a twisted neck on day one and if it somehow did, returning it is a much bigger concern. the nut is almost universally overlooked by qc because they measure fretboard straightness, fret level, give the truss 1/4 relief, and pack it up.
I've started just ordering a precut bone nut from amazon every time I pick up a random guitar and swapping it over before I do anything else. I've had 60s japanese guitars with stamped steel bridges and no trussrods gain remarkable tuning stability just from swapping over with no additional slot filing.
I never got the point of a budget 1980's type shred guitar with a vintage trem, or even higher end guitars with the vintage trems. Some of us want hardtail.
I agree, not to mention the stock vintage trems on these low end models are always unusable so it might as well be a hardtail. I prefer a Floyd rose even if I block it just a ergonomic preference but that's obviously not coming on a guitar in this price range
@@RX120D yes that's true but I feel like these should be hard tails from the factory and they could take a little off the price since there's no routing to be done and extra hardware. Also no extra tinkering on the consumer's end which the intended market is obviously beginners who aren't gonna know how to deal with that off the bat or people who just want a cheap guitar
I'm a drummer and I bought this guitar for when friends come over and want to jam. They all love it, and can't believe I only paid $150! Awesome beginner/ budget guitar
@@Alexander-lt6es hi! I’d like to know your thoughts about the js11 since i’m also planning on buying one. How is it in general? Do you have any gripes or concerns about it? Does anything degrade over time? This will be my second guitar after a 60$ amazon strat so I’m really excited to know as much as i can about this before I finally get it :)
I have one myself the pick ups were good too but I switched them for Seymour Duncan Sh-2n for the neck and Sh-4 (or Sh-5 not sure now) for the bridge but it made huge difference
@@DevanshRastogi I can't really help you, as I am a drummer. With that said, this guitar sounds pretty good right out the box, I think if you are going to tune the nut, replace the pick-up and whatnot. You might as well buy a better guitar. We use it for just jamming around through a distortion box (Hell Melter)and into an Orange Micro Dark Amp and a small Orange micro terror speaker. It sounds great in my living room and we mostly play metal, so it doesn't need to sound perfect, that is why we specifically chose this Jackson guitar. I will say it stays in tune for quite a long time. If I had to do anything to it I think I'd start with the nut and tuners.
@@Alexander-lt6es thanks for the reply mate! I just got the js12 cause they didn’t have the 11 in stock and it was just a $20 price difference. It plays better than the cheap guitars I have been playing with and was used to do definitely worth it for me ^^
Tightening the screw on the end of the tuner is not typically the issue here. It has to do with the tolerances of the gearing inside of the tuner itself. The screw is simply to keep the knob from slipping off laterally.
I just recently put down money on this exact same guitar in the exact same color at the pawn shop literally brand new and now I can't wait until I get it.
I just bought the guitar from the official store and honestly it was really good. I got no issues with the tuning at all like some people said. Play super well.
I got my white one 3 weeks ago. I did have to cut the nut slots lower but that's about it. I did a slight touch up on the fret ends, polished them, put a set of NYXL's on it and I swear this is an amazing guitar even if it cost 3x. You can't get a "shredder" neck i.e. Dunlop 6100 size frets, 43mm nut, and 12" flat radius. The neck alone is worth the price. The pickups scream. You need to EQ them a bit but I'm not replacing. The TUNERS, omg mine are again the best die-cast sealed tuners I've ever gotten on a sub $200 guitar. Mine keeps tune perfectly. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 💯
My Dinky is absolutely my favorite guitar. I bought a Pro Series Dinky later on but it mostly stays put away in favor of the JS22. I have 4 Jackson guitars and 2 basses manufactured from 1999-2023. Today my JS22 has Ping tuners, a Dimarzio Steve Morse bridge pickup + full size pot, and 2 additional springs. That said though, it was a great guitar out of the box for the money and decently set up. The QC was better than other Jacksons I’d had prior or after. Mine is “one of a kind” as I dropped it shortly after receiving it which left a noticeable chip missing from the soft wood the body was constructed of. Rock on, Chippy.
I have multiple JS series Jacksons, although all of mine are 32/42 models. The compound radius "speed neck" profile is one of my favorites ever. It's worth the price of admission on its own.
@@TaylorDanley i mean the jackson made pickups on the js11 are pretty much duncan jb + jazz clones. i feel like most of the sound difference you hear is probably from the acoustic sound of the guitar in the room. the virtuoso does have a different body wood and a floyd rose which means more wood is missing from the body. that doesnt translate into the recording though. when recorded i felt like they were pretty much indistinguishable. maybe the jackson felt a tiny bit more bassy.
I really appreciate the budget oriented guitar and gear videos! I love my higher end stuff but theres something satisfying about getting all the cheapest stuff you can and getting it to play and sound awesome
@@eggpod4567 thats also a big reason why I love them haha. Nothing like getting a cheap yardsale guitar and experimenting on it, playing it to death and beating it up, mix matching parts etc. I would like one or two nice 700+ guitars though because right now I have a fleet of shit sticks and a bunch of random oddball amps too it'd be nice to have something dependable to augment the goofy projects
That's kinda the point of why i got my 'budget' guitar. I figure I'm just starting, I'm honestly not going to sound good for a while. I figure, I just need to have my hands ON a guitar at first, to exercise them and build those initial callouses. I just keep practicing on this, learning all I can about guitars in general, and eventually, I will get good enough to become bothered by the absolute cheapness of my guitar, lol. But for now, I'm so novice, it really doesn't matter. It's called PLAYING the guitar, not working the guitar, isn't it? Just have fun, that's what I say. I debated the idea in my head too long, I just had to jump at some point, even if it's not the greatest guitar, just get going on the adventure. 1 month in, I have no regrets buying a $140 Amazon guitar. I'm just happy I finally started doing this after so many years of only dreaming.😃 (I'm left handed, it's tough to find a guitar facing the proper way for me, I had the money, it was on sale, now I can call myself a 'guitarist', lol)
@@peterbelanger4094 dont worry about the "sound" of the guitar, unless you are buying an acoustic there is no audible difference guitar to guitar, search up "glenn fricker pickups debunk" and "glenn fricker tone wood debunk"
I ordered a guitar off reverb recently and the seller went through FedEx. When I got the box there was a GIANT hole in it around headstock and upper part of the neck. I don't know if anything hit it, but thankfully the seller wrapped and boxed up the guitar properly. By some miracle it was unscratched. Funny enough it was also a Jackson lol
I have bought Jackson JS11 Dinky one year ago. No particular reason, I did not need another guitar for sure. It was so cheap and looked sleek so I click "buy" to see what you get for that little money. It looks absolutely killer, my little son said it looks bad-ass! It has good frets on it, quite tall and wide, good feeling. It got "the looks". BUT - it felt like a cheap guitar and sounded like one too (sorry!!!). I decided to upgrade pickups and nut (to TUSQ). After the change - still not in love with it. So I went a bit crazy and upgraded tuning machines to locking tuners, re-sprayed back of the neck with black nitrocellulose paint (looks really good and feels good to touch now). I also removed all the paint from guitar body a refinished it with a really thin lacquer (original paint was thick as hell). Somehow the guitar was still stiff. I decided to go even crazier now and scalloped fretboard from 12th fret up (as I don't have any scalloped guitar, wanted to try it out). I also added 2 extra screws to attach the neck (EVH had it on some guitars). Also none of my favourite pickup worked in the bridge position, so I changed the pickup to one with extra weak output (6kOhm humbucker) and it magically worked for this instrument. Put Elixir strings on it and... BOOM! 💣Somehow the combination worked and the guitar does not feel cheap anymore, resonates really well. I like the guitar now but I changed almost everything on it 😀it is not what you buy from the store. Also it has vibrato unit, that ALWAYS puts guitar out of tune, so I agree hardtail would be better for this cheap guitar. Thanks for your review Taylor!
Wow you really went all out on it. I got the JS32 King for $300 and dumped almost twice the money into it as a side project for same reason. I didn’t touch the paint but everything was removed and replaced like locking tuners, Graph-tech nut and bridge. All new electronics which required drilling. New pickups. Reset the guitar neck mount to make it tighter to stay in tune. I felt it moved slightly with the string tension.
i bought a new js-11 right after the lockdowns started for $69.00 and free shipping. did a setup on it and it's been my #1 ever since. plays great and the pups sound nice.
this was my first guitar and i still use it up to date, i've already moved on to some more expensive guitars, but i still keep the js11 and i still love to play it.. i have set of strings 13-59 and it comes through just fine, only thing that pisses me off are the tuners and the bridge having exposed screws for the string action.. also, i changed the bridge pickup for more expensive one and it plays great for the value.. overall it's a good guitar
Just buy shorter grub screws for the bridge saddles, its like a few dollars and something I often do on even expensive guitars. The factory doesn't know how you are going to adjust them, so they can't just put super short ones in and risk someone not being able to get the action high enough.
Your teacher was correct about always tuning upward to notch the string in the tuner. That was some stuff an old luthier told me decades ago. Great video! Keep ‘em coming!
I bought a red js11 off a kid used for $100 a few years back and it was set up perfectly, the tuners on mine are fine, no play, maybe because its an older one? Anyhow, I bought it because it was cheap and I was gonna carry it around in the work truck with my mini katana amp as like a traveler beater, but it was more comfortable and easier to play than my plekkd Gibson SG, it out performed my mid range ibanez rg. The Strat trem on it is actually higher quality than most strat trems, has pop in arm and giant tremelo block and stays in tune pretty well, I strung the high strings backwards to get straighter string pull at the headstock that is not supposed to be used with non locking trems because the radical angle of the headstock and the trem works okay but i dont use it. I still have the JS11, its my only non mij Jackson, anyhow I traded my SG for a 2011 mij charvel socal and gave my boss the ibanez, now I have 11 or 12 mij Jacksons and the Charvel and a Fender acoustic that I love...lol
I wanted a cheap guitar to leave in my office at work; I bought a Jackson JS-11. I loved it so much I've bought three more (to repaint and use alternate tunings). The JS-11 is great for repainting because it comes with black hardware that looks good with any color paint. I think this model plays better than guitars that cost many times more. After watching this video, I might buy one more (I really like that blue paint job!).
I have the JS22, I upgraded to a graphtech nut with angled slots to solve the tuning issues. Also installed some James Hetfield active pickups, it screams now!
I had one of these from 2014 in red, I was blown away for the price. The neck, the playability, the frets, the color were amazing, and these guitars have quite a chunky, thick body. It has shielding paint and all that, the electronics are pretty bad, but man the base of the guitar is amazing.
I have 3 budget-level Jacksons (The JS22-7 Dinky [my first guitar], JS22 Monarkh, and a JS32 Warrior), and I honestly love all of them. In terms of playability, they are very close to my more expensive guitars. The 7 string has a Dimarzio Imperium in the bridge, and it sounds brutal. Jacksons can be a bit lacking in the spec department (licensed Floyds, stock pickups even in the X series), but damn if they don't play well
@KillaFXZ I got the slat8ff a few years ago. The first one had an issue with the frets or the neck and it wouldn't stop buzzing no matter what I did. Then I exchanged it for another one and for the first while I thought it was good but then I noticed that it had high frets that caused the high e strong to fret out and a couple of notes just didn't play. I think I got it from Sam Ash if I remember correctly. It sucks because if it was good to go it would've been a great guitar. I still have it and I've been meaning to take it somewhere to have it fixed. I've been wanting to try a jackson again though.
@GNRGNRGNRGNRGNR Yeah, I won't buy anything guitsr related unless it is from sweetwater I had bad luck too and even they're not 100% on point all the time but they make shit right.
Great video! I have 2 Jackson guitars, a Dinky made in Japan and RR V. I've noticed that all the Jackson guitars even the less expensive ones have good necks that are really nice.
Jackson’s budget line has been awesome for years. I had the JS-32T Rhodes and for a guitar that was about $250 when I picked it up, it sounded great and felt good. Glad you had a similar experience with this one.
Jackson has been my favorite brand for nearly 30 years. For me, the JS series and older Professional and Performer series routed for a Floyd are good upgrade platforms. A Schaller 1302 Floyd Rose tremolo (smaller and wider than an OFR and made just for recessed trems like those licensed trems commonly found on Jacksons, BC Riches, and ESP LTDs), a Floyd Rose R8 locking nut if yours needs replacement (most imported Jacksons have a narrower nut--R2/R3 are too tall), and upgraded electronics (usually using Seymour Duncan Triple Shots for series/split/parallel, Shadow killpots, and a phase switch) will get you a guitar with far more features than what is available new for about $800-1200. With active pickups your choices are a little easier. A Shadow killpot and 24 Volt Mod on a master volume only guitar is usually sufficient. EMG active tone controls should not exceed 18 volts. Seymour Duncan Blackouts should stay at 9 volts. Passive guitars give me more tones in studio. Active guitars are more set and forget, and are easier to dial in and set in a metal mix. On basses, upgrade paths are usually easier and cheaper because you don't have to worry about the bridge. Just make sure the action, playability, and frets are decent. With passive pickups, you can mess with series/split/parallel/phase wiring with DPDT push/pull pots and mini toggles. I usually gut the active tone controls since I use the tone controls on the amp. I install passive tone controls so I can use the active EQ body holes for the new switches and push/pull pots. If your guitar is a P, J, PJ, or rare PP (usually offered only by BC Rich), your choices are simpler. Most metal basses these days, especially 5+ string, use the soapbar style humbucker (not the larger Musicman style), and any number of coil types could be in those housings. Bartolini is probably the most flexible manufacturer as far as coil geometry. They are the closest tone I have ever heard to an active pickup in a passive format (bright/clear). If you go for active basses with the 24 Volt Mod and EMGs, you should have passive tone controls because their active EQs recommend only 18 volts. The regular pickups in 18/24 volts will sound similar to the X series, so you can skip the X. This opens up the used market to you since you can stick with the original and more numerous original EMG designs. Passive pickups still have their place due to their warmth and more sophisticated wiring options than most active pickups, which require special mods or specific models in EMG's case. As far as pickup form factors, I find PJs to be a little punchier and dual coil pickups like those in many 5s and 6s to be more mid scooped. Occasionally you will find J basses in 5 and 6 formats. They're usually stacked hum canceling pickups and sound a little thinner than soapbars. The thing with these extremely cheap guitars is you have to lower your expectations. A fixed bridge, dual humbucker Strat is pretty basic. That's all some people need. But you're not getting your Alexi Laiho or Randy Rhodes fix on those. I'd also go with something with a tune-o-matic or string thru bridge if I could find it just for a little better tone and easier to adjust playability. *Edit: Jackson's new cheap line is the Minion series. I would skip these because the shorter scale length will make reliable tuning more difficult and make drop tuning nearly impossible.*
I had a Yamaha RG-420S Drop 6 that I rarely played and was still in mint condition when I sold it on eBay (something I regret to this day as it was beautiful). I was super paranoid about shipping it off. I had to make a bespoke box and then find some stuff to pack around it to make sure it didn't scratch. Wrapped the body in some laminate flooring underlay because it was quite cushioned and soft and ... erm ... something else. He messaged me to thank me for packing it so well and of his shock of receiving a free curtain!!
In regards to the whammy spring noise - it would be cool to fill the hole for the trem block with a piece of wood, fit a hard tail bridge, stick some EMGs in it and use the trem cavity to put the battery in :)
anytime i see a bright blue Jackson I don't think of metal, but of jangly, chorusy new wave inspired pop. Gustavo Cerati and his blue 1985 Soloist are to blame, honestly
I got one of these today, it was my first guitar ever. I got everything I needed to start playing for a little over $200. (Mind you I didn't get a whole amp set-up, I just got a little Blackstar thing that lets you play through headphones.) I have been having an absolute blast with it. I was expecting to have to spend closer to a thousand, but to get such a quality guitar set-up that works and will last for $200? Crazy.
Please tell me after you replaces the strings i am not seeing wound up toward the top of the tuning peg. Guitars need to be wound down from the string slot. Needs to be a peg and a half or two at the most. But always wound down to the bottom of the peg. Your teacher was totally correct. Turn down to tune up. Always. Also flat head guitars need string trees. They serve a purpose. But i really dont know much about Jacksons. But the same priciple as winding strings on the peg you want downward pressure on the nut. Gibsons have angled heads. Fenders have flat heads. Gibsons dont need string trees. Fenders do. But all strings need to be wound down toward the head. With never more than two pegs length of string befoere you insert the end and start winding. Yes retuning happens even after stretching on guitars on the higher strings. Using a whammy you really need a lock nut.
When you tune on the tightening you remove more slop, even with quality tuners. When you tune releasing tension, you don't have that "tightening" pull to keep things (gears) interlocked as much as possible. Your guitar teacher is absolutely right. It doesn't matter about the tuner either, there is ALWAYS manufacturing variance and quality control, even with the highest priced stuff out there.
Bought a $279 Jackson in bright blue in 2016. Basically the same as this but with an authorized FR trem and a bound fretboard with the big Jackson inlays. Overall, the guitar is incredibly well-built for under $300. Fit and finish is solid; no sharp fret edges, and the giant jumbo frets were level (amazing). Some of these big factories have gotten _REALLY_ good at making guitars, and Jackson is one of 'em.
Yeah, 25 years ago after having my home broken into and my Japanese Jackson Soloist stolen, which was my favorite guitar I've ever owned, I ended up purchasing a brand new, very inexpensive (cheap) Jackson guitar around, and it absolutely sucked. In fact, when I first started playing guitar around 45 years ago, I owned plenty of generic entry level guitars that were a hundred times better than that POS cheap Jackson I purchased. And as I pointed out, my favorite guitar I've ever owned was a Jackson, meaning I'm a HUGE fan of quality Jackson guitars, so there's certainly no bias against Jackson on my part.
Have the same model in black colour. Honestly, I’ve tried so many budget guitars from Squier, Ibanez, Epiphone etc. but this Jackson JS11 takes the lead in terms of playability. The build quality is quite good and they look awesome. Especially for a beginner, I don’t think anything else will offer more value at this price range.
I've bought this exact one almost 6 years ago and have loved it. It was my first guitar I've bought and I still rip on it today. I've made many solid mixes with this guitar. I have zero complaints. Perhaps where it lacks is that it would not hold up on a tour and requires frequent tuning as any budget guitar would.
I have Ibanez, Jackson, and an LTD. My Ibanez is a 91 USA Custom, by far my best guitar. The LTD KH 602 plays great, and I love my Jackson Dinky. I bought a budget first guitar for my daughter. $179 Jackson, similar to the one you reviewed. I must say, it plays close to the Dinky and KH. It's smooth. The action is pretty good. And sounds decent. I give it to Jackson, I think they make the best guitar under $200.
Also gotta recommend a Kramer Baretta Special. I replaced the tremolo, the nut, and put in locking tuners. Yeah I nearly doubled the cost of the guitar but it is an AWESOME little super strat now.
This was my first guitar, and I still use it to this day. Replaced the trem system, replaced the pickups, and swapped out the tuners with locking tuners, and it sounds kickass now and plays beautifully.
Have this exact guitar i got for 90 bucks on a black friday sale in store and at the time guitar center use to offer alot of custom work cheap upon purchase so i bought emg 81 and 85s and they put it in for 50 bucks this was years ago. This guitar still sounds good.
I have that model, It's the only electric one I actually have. Some of it's tuners are a little loose, some others don't, but no matter how much I change it's tune it always stays in tune. Mine has the detail that the headstock is upwards, so the thicker string has the longest distance between the peg and the nut, but I'm not shure if it makes any difference. I do use a wammy bar on it, but to minimize that spring sound I set the springs as tight as possible and It has held like that for over three years now. I also play on a 30W amp, so I'ld a waste to buy anything more expensive.
I got a jackson js32 dinky, and tbh mine was terribly manufactured, frets were sharp, g string was buzzing, finish was lacking, within 2 weeks wiring for bridge pickup gave out. Guitar had to be heavily adjusted and even though it is for a beginner market it really isnt.
I've played on a couple Jacksons and they do feel really nice. Problem I have with them as a brand is that if I want something of a comparable quality to my Legator in terms of hardware, it's quite a bit more expensive. I know the higher price is because they're just plain exceptionally made guitars, but it still hurts to see the price tag as someone who only plays as a hobby.
As someone who plays very professionally... Yeah have to agree their price point is tough for the quality of return. At that price point I could (And did) have a custom built instrument done for me that is specked out to the moon and back. Works in literally every setting I play in. And that is 3 very widely ranging styles with a fourth occasional gig with a symphony so it has to hold up. Jackson's are great. Really great. My only problem is as you get into their higher end stuff the return on price is a bit lacking to me compared to other brands
I've liked your vid but it's not 24 frets. Why would you recommend a 22 frets entry guitar of the same worth over a 24 fret guitar? Have I missed something? Thank you.
Your inconsistency in winds on the tuning keys definitely doesn't help anything. Rule of thumb my teacher taught me many moons ago: 1½ tuning key spaces for extra length in string on the wound strings, 2 tuning key spaces for the rest of the strings. If you'll try it, you'll see your guitar's tuning much more stable. Your teacher was right, btw. Always end a tune on the up, pulling slack out.
14:04 Taylor, a couple of years ago I bought my first and so far only Jackson guitar, a JS22 in natural oil. That guitar is a couple of steps above the JS11 and JS12. The JS11 and JS12 lack the "compound" radius of the JS22, and the JS11 sports only the 22 frets, and not the 24 afforded by the other two. There were 3 issues I had with that axe. The tuners lasted until I tried them; one ground and I had replacements, so I used them. The axe had the best fret job and the worst fret sprout I've seen yet. Dealt with it. The last thing was the pickups, which I almost left stock. Alnico snobbery led me to replace them, but they sounded pretty good anyway. I'm not above hanging with decent pickups if I like them well enough! I'd probably buy more Jacksons if I had more room for guitars than I do now!
It's funny that you also have to dime the treble knob when going into any power amp to get any clarity from the 5150 pedal. I run into that same issue and I'm not a fan of the pedal as a result.
I have that same Jackson in red. Oddly enough, I found it at a pawn shop out here in Philly for $275 and it came equipped with EMGs. Right away I noticed exactly what you were talking about with the tuners lol but did what you talked about with tuning down then up again and it stays in place. On mine I use Ernie Ball 11-42s and of the Jacksons I have had, this one sounds awesome and I owe it to the fact it came with the EMGs. I have only had it for a couple of months after being without a guitar for almost 6 years so this is a “re-starter” for me. I primarily play Dean and Jackson, so I am satisfied… for now. Have you tried the Seymore Duncan Black Winter pickups yet? I play black metal so I am wondering if they will be worth the investment
As a Jackson Dinky Js12 owner i would highly recommend this guitar as a your first guitar to play along with some Iron Maiden, Metallica or else. Its just perfect, im proud of being a member of Jackson Army hehe. Greetings from Chile
That tuning up to pitch to help out cheap tuners with staying in tune is something I've always done. Doesn't seem to matter as much with higher quality tuners though. Thanks to your teacher for validating my cheap tuner tuning technique!
I got this guitar as my daughter's 1st guitar. I was impressed how good this guitar is for the price, it shreds . Only knock was fret edges were sharp but wore in quick.
I think the Jackson JS and the 24 fret Dinky that are in the $200 and under price point new are seriously underrated guitars. For what you get. You can block the vintage style trem. Maybe change the tuners for locking style. I look for these used on marketplace for my own stable of guitars. I have gone through a handful of guitars in the budget-beginner range, and to me, these are the best bang for buck--- but like budget beginner guitars, they will require some work to be brought up to snuff. I think they are excellent platforms for modifying and personalizing. And I wish that the no-tremolo hardtail version was as widely available. I see these sometimes on marketplace, and I'm guessing they are past or special order model.
Another solid video mate. Imagine waking up say on Xmas day or your 14th birthday and your folks went out and got you that guitar as your 1st electric...? You'd feel like a an absolute God! Entry level guitars have come so far which is fantastic to see and certainly helps the encouragement of younger future shred lords imo
I love Jackson guitars, and have for years...the high end ones are WAY overpriced, in my humble opinion...especially when you can buy a JS 32, upgrade the pickups, and basically have a guitar that looks and plays just as great as the USA Custom. Yes, of course, there are a few details that are different...but for $4,000 more? To me, that is just ridiculous. Great video, thank you. ~Clinton
I had a Jackson dinky, satin black and i believe it was the same as the blue Jackson. I loved it, hated the tremolo bar cuz it knocked my tuning out of wack. Traded a Schecter Damian 6 with a floyed rose trem for that guitar because i hated the locking nut and trem system. I wanted something i could use and tune easier with great sound and be able to tune anywhere i wanted, so i got a Jackson. Highly recommend them!
My second guitar was a Jackson in 96 i bought it for 420 bucks had a Floyd Rose i put EMG's in it. Its been in storage about 20 years. i judge every guitar i have ever played by the standard it set and has a really nice neck profile.
17:12 Agree. I've always preferred hardtails and it's probably because I had trouble with trem systems when I was new. Beginners should go hardtail unless it's the whammy they are after.
Playing 40+ yrs here... I have always "tuned up(ward)" the way you mentioned. It seems to be a more reliable method as tuning downward does seem to allow for some minor slippage while playing.
I tried to put 10-60 gauge strings on this guitar because I wanted to play some Orbit Culture and Amon Amarth. Was as good of an idea as when Lars messed around with his snare drum on St. Anger. And yeah, the whammy bar on this guitar is not gonna let you dive bomb like Dimebag. It all goes out of tune after you jerk it more than three times. I'd say a better pick would be Jackson JS1X. Same price, same shape, but it's got 24 frets and no whammy bar.
@@antona.8659 yeah they’re not really made for that. This style of trem is for some very subtle vibrato… if you want dive bombs you need a locking trem like a Floyd. Most people don’t want either and companies should absolutely put hardtail bridges on beginner guitars IMO
I have a JS32 (similar but compound radius fretboard and floyd rose). You can tell they have a good idea where to spend the effort on these cheap guitars. The fretwork is perfectly serviceable and the pickups aren't too bad for the price but the things that can be adjusted and setup are where they cut the corners bcause you can just fix that yourself with little effort. In the case of mine: action and truss rod were off, pickup height was dodgy and the neck itself wasn't straight to the point the low E string was barely even playable above the 12th fret it was that misalligned. BUT, only takes a minute to loosen the neck and straighten it out. Only takes a few minutes to get the action set exactly right and give the truss rod a quarter turn. Only takes a minute to set the pickup height where it needs to be. If that's all the negatives on such a cheap guitar when all the fundamental stuff is rock solid then that's a damn good deal for the money. I only worry about people buying them as their very first guitar not knowing about guitar setup. They may see the low E string just about hanging off the fretboard entirely and think the guitar is fundamentally broken instead of the neck just needing an adjustment.
I've had the Jackson JS12 Dinky for just over a year now and it's honestly a really good guitar. The only different from the JS11 is that the 12 has 24 frets. But I'd really recommend the 11 or 12. I've used it live a couple times and it has never disappointed
man i picked up a Jackson PS1 at a pawnshop about 17 years ago for like 200$ and i love that things neck man, i play it more than my J Craft S Prestige. i broke the headstock on the PS1 doing a bitchflip back in highschool in 09, screwed it back together Frankenstein style and still shred that thing to this day lol really made me love cheap jacksons
I got a JS22 as my re-entry into guitar. Now it has the GraphTech nut, D’addario locking tuners and I just threw some Guitar Madness 1984 humbuckers in it. The little patch of microfiber towel in with the springs topped it off. I like it, but at this $$$ I can love it.
They aren’t horrible guitars by any means. I played a couple of them at guitar center and contemplated buying one and upgrading it, but after getting a Mick Thomson Soloist they really don’t hold a candle to the higher end Jackson’s. But it’s still a great guitar if you wanna begin and it could be a decent upgrade platform as you grow as a guitarist..
bought mine js11 back in 2019 since then i use it every day for hours at home, band practice and gigs, its beat up very badly but it plays awesome, very comfortable and sounds great, the guitar never been to a luthier or anything, just a basic setup in time to time
I read about dropping the string flat then tuning up to pitch. It's supposed to hold the tuning better than having a sharp tuning dropping into pitch. I can't remember where I found said info. But it seems to work.
You could always try the JS12. Same guitar basically, but with 24 frets if that's your thing. Also Jackson has a budget hardtail 7 string for about $199. I'm pretty interested in that one. I love my JS11 (red) after adding Wilkenson tuners, graph technology nut and a nicer bridge pickup,, it's my main bedroom practice guitar. For stage, I use my higher end stuff, but in a pinch I would gig my JS11. Love it.
i played in the 90s when i was a teen and gave it up until a few years ago. the first guitar i bought after coming back was a $200 jackson monarch and was amazed by the quality. then later got a prs which is just.. it's on a completely different level, and i only paid $650 off marketplace when i was a kid, jacksons were just unattainable for me. too poor. so i was pretty excited to see them for $200 even though i know it's not the same company that it was. what $200 buys you today is incredible. my first guitar was a shitty beat up squire that my mom found for about $200, and that was considered a cheap bottom of the barrel guitar back then. my jackson is so much better, even though i miss my squire because nostalgia. i'm always recommending cheap guitars to kids that are curious about learning because they are so good today. and i feel like you should earn a nice guitar by playing a cheap one for a while so you really appreciate a nice guitar when you get one
So i traded for a jackson a few months back. Traded my Agile 9 for a Chris Broderick soloist 7, hardtail. That thing... Man. I have loved guitars on first play, but never have I ever fallen SO in love with a guitar. I am shocked after all people used to tell me about Jackson falling off. This thing plays better than ESP LTD's I spent 1.7k on, it rivals my 87 epiphone in terms of shred and general feel. Same as you said though there are small things (why are the frets nickel? Why not a bone or higher quality nut?) but the general build feel for playing is nuts on these once they are set up and cared for. The previous owner didnt give this love but my god it kills once I had a few hours to fix that shit. Jackson went from not on my radar to my new start for my next guitar.
I'm so glad that the JS11 gets recognition, it's my first ever guitar and i like it a lot, got it in snow white I HAD issues with it, but you can always expect this from the cheapest guitar from a brand And most of the issues are in my fault, which it means that the Guitar is good when it's in the good hands For the nut, i can't confirm is "plastic", because it's wood. The thingy detached from the guitar because i've put 11-52s in E standard (to much tension, so it detached it) Ans yep, it's wood. So it ain't bad i guess ?
The Jackson JS22-7 I got is absolutely horrible, first, I used a special finish cloth to wipe the smudges and it actually scratched the super weak finish. The frets “fret out” have the worst fret buzz on every fret and every string throughout the whole neck, I tried to take the truss rod cover off, and the screws were insanely tight to the point where I almost stripped them, I added relief to the neck, because there was absolutely no relief and the string still buzz like crazy and kills my resonance. I’ve used some pretty nice cheap guitars in my day, but this Jackson was absolutely the worst guitar I’ve ever had, to the point where it scares me from buying a High priced or “quality” Jackson, just for the fact that they would put their name on something so horrible.
Yeah always tune up to pitch hint the phrase “tune up” I think it’s actually supposed to ensure you don’t have slack between the nut and tuning posts also especially with vintage style tremolos any slack between the nut and tuners is no bueno.
I used to have a js22 and it's one of my favorite guitars I've ever had. It made me a Jackson player for life. Definitely best bang for your buck as far as budget guitars go.
I have one. Same blue model with an FR. IMO its "all right". The pickups are not good at all. Super muddy and vocal range is just not there. The FR stays in tune sometimes, and sometimes it's out immediately (so Id steer clear of those models). Build quality is what you'd expect. Guitar is super light (worth pointing out if you're into that, I personally like a little weight to my guitars). New tuners, pickups, and a good setup Youd be in business, the fret work on mine is actually pretty good... but at that point it would probably be better just to buy something a few tiers up. hard to beat an Epiphone Les Paul at the next price point up. Ibanez also makes some really good stuff for not a ton of money. I would suggest the "cry once" method. Even as a beginner, once you get a better guitar, you'll probably never pick this thing up again.
I have to say, I bought a Dinky js 7 strings, and compared it to an american Jackson Dominion with JBs in it. they sound so close to each others!! the difference was in the dynamics of the pickups.. it's like the jackson pickup couldn't play quiet to heavy. then the other things is the quality over time.... after years, the bridge pickup stopped working properly, it's like I had a serious ground issue in the bridge pickup so I can't use it anymore.... so, you save money now, but on the long term... you will have to spend money again to make it work again :)
Go get yourself something nice, I won't tell your wife. sweetwater.sjv.io/vNMnLd
Get yourself some Stewmac nut files for that bad nut slot, my dude!
😂👍
I have 4 Dinkys.. the 199.99 ones.. bcz of the shark inlays.. swaped the nuts for TUSQ.. put in Musicly Locking tuners.. Seymour Duncans Mayhem and Black Winter sets.. and Wilkins WK550ii bridges.. Bcz I love the playability.. ended up spending around $300 extra on each guitar.. but they play now like a million bucks..
Haha I WISH! Every penny is tightly accounted for. We barely make it yall.
@@smeemusic I feel that dude. Budgeting is way more important!
The thing with the string tightening is very true... always tune from low to high. I repaired and serviced dozens of guitars for friends and i maintain my own guitars for about 18 years now. You dont need expensive hardware or even evertune. Take care of your fretboard, keep the guitar at room temperature/humidity and you're fine. Another this is: tune your lowest string about 5 cents below key especially for drop tunings. If you hit the chords, the first string is getting the heaviest hit, therefore tending to go higher frequency than you want. Keeping it lower will keep the chord in tune no matter how hard you hit the strings
5 cents? 🤔
@@todoelmundoapesta A cent is a unit of measure for the ratio between two frequencies. An equally tempered semitone (the interval between two adjacent piano keys) spans 100 cents by definition. An octave-two notes that have a frequency ratio of 2:1-spans twelve semitones and therefore 1200 cents.
@@monsterram6617 ty good sir
In a nutshell:
Differences in tuning over time resulting from tension vs friction cannot be avoided, but they can be minimized with optimal setup technique(s).
The long -winded version of all that starts with, and **must be addressed in this order** for consistently precise results:
- neck/trussrod arc being most crucial, followed by
- reducing friction at the nut and saddle (i.e. the two constantly coupled points) angles, followed by
- the bridge's height and intonation adjustment.
In drop C we get best tuning results tuning the A string first on up to the high E then last the low E....but yes always tune the string up as both of you said! Keeps it under tension.
8:10 in my experience, the nut is the source of 99.99999% of all action/tuning/intonation/timbre issues. if your guitar cost $500 or less, don't even waste time on any setups until you get a skilled repair specialist/luthier to replace and recut that nut. In many situations, it wont even really cost anything as this is sometimes included with a setup at a decent shop. Just my little tip that everyone should consider.
So what you are saying is before working on the nut things may be off, but post nut there will be clarity? Usually post nut clarity goes the opposite way, just another reason why guitars are better than a relationship.
Not quite.. Neck and truss rod come first, THEN the nut and bridge. No matter how well the nut is cut, you won't be able to intonate a crooked neck.
- Easy way to tell if the nut is cut wrong: Once the guitar is tuned to your root standard, fret an F major barre chord at the 1st fret.
Check that on some cheap guitars and then do the same with a few expensive guitars, and listen to the difference.
@@shaft9000 while i appreciate the general sentiment of your comment my point was that the **most common** issue, out of the box, is the nut. if you have a twisted neck, it wouldn't even pass qc. mass manufactured instruments are not likely to have a twisted neck on day one and if it somehow did, returning it is a much bigger concern.
the nut is almost universally overlooked by qc because they measure fretboard straightness, fret level, give the truss 1/4 relief, and pack it up.
@@zakkmylde1712 i dont think they got the joke lmao
I've started just ordering a precut bone nut from amazon every time I pick up a random guitar and swapping it over before I do anything else. I've had 60s japanese guitars with stamped steel bridges and no trussrods gain remarkable tuning stability just from swapping over with no additional slot filing.
I never got the point of a budget 1980's type shred guitar with a vintage trem, or even higher end guitars with the vintage trems. Some of us want hardtail.
Weird move for sure, I think it would be much better with a HT
I agree, not to mention the stock vintage trems on these low end models are always unusable so it might as well be a hardtail. I prefer a Floyd rose even if I block it just a ergonomic preference but that's obviously not coming on a guitar in this price range
I get you, but if you tighten the springs so it doesn't move off the body or add a block in the spring cavity what's the difference?
@@RX120D Parts
@@RX120D yes that's true but I feel like these should be hard tails from the factory and they could take a little off the price since there's no routing to be done and extra hardware. Also no extra tinkering on the consumer's end which the intended market is obviously beginners who aren't gonna know how to deal with that off the bat or people who just want a cheap guitar
I'm a drummer and I bought this guitar for when friends come over and want to jam. They all love it, and can't believe I only paid $150! Awesome beginner/ budget guitar
@@Alexander-lt6es hi! I’d like to know your thoughts about the js11 since i’m also planning on buying one. How is it in general? Do you have any gripes or concerns about it? Does anything degrade over time? This will be my second guitar after a 60$ amazon strat so I’m really excited to know as much as i can about this before I finally get it :)
I have one myself the pick ups were good too but I switched them for Seymour Duncan Sh-2n for the neck and Sh-4
(or Sh-5 not sure now) for the bridge but it made huge difference
@@milangabris9494 glad to know!
@@DevanshRastogi I can't really help you, as I am a drummer. With that said, this guitar sounds pretty good right out the box, I think if you are going to tune the nut, replace the pick-up and whatnot. You might as well buy a better guitar. We use it for just jamming around through a distortion box (Hell Melter)and into an Orange Micro Dark Amp and a small Orange micro terror speaker. It sounds great in my living room and we mostly play metal, so it doesn't need to sound perfect, that is why we specifically chose this Jackson guitar. I will say it stays in tune for quite a long time. If I had to do anything to it I think I'd start with the nut and tuners.
@@Alexander-lt6es thanks for the reply mate! I just got the js12 cause they didn’t have the 11 in stock and it was just a $20 price difference. It plays better than the cheap guitars I have been playing with and was used to do definitely worth it for me ^^
Hot tip on those tuners... Take a screwdriver to that screw in the end of the button and give it a lil tweak.
I hope he sees this comment and try’s it. It’s not a total fox every time as Jackson tuners definitely suck. BUT it does help.
Tightening the screw on the end of the tuner is not typically the issue here. It has to do with the tolerances of the gearing inside of the tuner itself. The screw is simply to keep the knob from slipping off laterally.
Jackson has great colors. Even the cheapo models look great
The finish on this is really nice regardless of price!
You can be a rock star ,save money
I have this same exact model in this colour! I absolutley love it. It's my first guitar and I enjoy playing it every time i pick it up.
I've had this guitar in black and it was great. I also daily drive a Yugo. LOL
😂 Do your humbuckers in your guitar sound better than this video ? Mine do big time ! This video makes this guitar sound shitty 😂
I just recently put down money on this exact same guitar in the exact same color at the pawn shop literally brand new and now I can't wait until I get it.
I just bought the guitar from the official store and honestly it was really good. I got no issues with the tuning at all like some people said. Play super well.
@@dindinbre Yugo rules!
Jackson guitars rule 🤘🤘🤘
I got my white one 3 weeks ago. I did have to cut the nut slots lower but that's about it. I did a slight touch up on the fret ends, polished them, put a set of NYXL's on it and I swear this is an amazing guitar even if it cost 3x. You can't get a "shredder" neck i.e. Dunlop 6100 size frets, 43mm nut, and 12" flat radius. The neck alone is worth the price. The pickups scream. You need to EQ them a bit but I'm not replacing. The TUNERS, omg mine are again the best die-cast sealed tuners I've ever gotten on a sub $200 guitar. Mine keeps tune perfectly. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 💯
My Dinky is absolutely my favorite guitar. I bought a Pro Series Dinky later on but it mostly stays put away in favor of the JS22. I have 4 Jackson guitars and 2 basses manufactured from 1999-2023.
Today my JS22 has Ping tuners, a Dimarzio Steve Morse bridge pickup + full size pot, and 2 additional springs. That said though, it was a great guitar out of the box for the money and decently set up. The QC was better than other Jacksons I’d had prior or after. Mine is “one of a kind” as I dropped it shortly after receiving it which left a noticeable chip missing from the soft wood the body was constructed of. Rock on, Chippy.
I have multiple JS series Jacksons, although all of mine are 32/42 models. The compound radius "speed neck" profile is one of my favorites ever. It's worth the price of admission on its own.
Agreed. Best neck profile by a lot.
New idea for Glenn Fricker: does washing your car affect guitar tone?
Considering the two guitars played in this video were pretty much indistinguishable, that's a big ol' no.
According to Glenn > whatever answer is going to upset more people 😂
@@TaylorDanley 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
@@TaylorDanley i mean the jackson made pickups on the js11 are pretty much duncan jb + jazz clones. i feel like most of the sound difference you hear is probably from the acoustic sound of the guitar in the room. the virtuoso does have a different body wood and a floyd rose which means more wood is missing from the body. that doesnt translate into the recording though. when recorded i felt like they were pretty much indistinguishable. maybe the jackson felt a tiny bit more bassy.
kleen car kleen toan!!!!!
I really appreciate the budget oriented guitar and gear videos! I love my higher end stuff but theres something satisfying about getting all the cheapest stuff you can and getting it to play and sound awesome
Awesome, I'm glad you enjoy it. I'm trying to incorporate it as much as I can!
And abusing the fuck at them. Cause whats a few dents on a 200 dollar guitar, compared to a 700+ one.
@@eggpod4567 thats also a big reason why I love them haha. Nothing like getting a cheap yardsale guitar and experimenting on it, playing it to death and beating it up, mix matching parts etc. I would like one or two nice 700+ guitars though because right now I have a fleet of shit sticks and a bunch of random oddball amps too it'd be nice to have something dependable to augment the goofy projects
That's kinda the point of why i got my 'budget' guitar. I figure I'm just starting, I'm honestly not going to sound good for a while. I figure, I just need to have my hands ON a guitar at first, to exercise them and build those initial callouses. I just keep practicing on this, learning all I can about guitars in general, and eventually, I will get good enough to become bothered by the absolute cheapness of my guitar, lol.
But for now, I'm so novice, it really doesn't matter. It's called PLAYING the guitar, not working the guitar, isn't it?
Just have fun, that's what I say.
I debated the idea in my head too long, I just had to jump at some point, even if it's not the greatest guitar, just get going on the adventure. 1 month in, I have no regrets buying a $140 Amazon guitar.
I'm just happy I finally started doing this after so many years of only dreaming.😃
(I'm left handed, it's tough to find a guitar facing the proper way for me, I had the money, it was on sale, now I can call myself a 'guitarist', lol)
@@peterbelanger4094 dont worry about the "sound" of the guitar, unless you are buying an acoustic there is no audible difference guitar to guitar, search up "glenn fricker pickups debunk" and "glenn fricker tone wood debunk"
I ordered a guitar off reverb recently and the seller went through FedEx. When I got the box there was a GIANT hole in it around headstock and upper part of the neck. I don't know if anything hit it, but thankfully the seller wrapped and boxed up the guitar properly. By some miracle it was unscratched. Funny enough it was also a Jackson lol
I have bought Jackson JS11 Dinky one year ago. No particular reason, I did not need another guitar for sure. It was so cheap and looked sleek so I click "buy" to see what you get for that little money. It looks absolutely killer, my little son said it looks bad-ass! It has good frets on it, quite tall and wide, good feeling. It got "the looks". BUT - it felt like a cheap guitar and sounded like one too (sorry!!!). I decided to upgrade pickups and nut (to TUSQ). After the change - still not in love with it. So I went a bit crazy and upgraded tuning machines to locking tuners, re-sprayed back of the neck with black nitrocellulose paint (looks really good and feels good to touch now). I also removed all the paint from guitar body a refinished it with a really thin lacquer (original paint was thick as hell). Somehow the guitar was still stiff. I decided to go even crazier now and scalloped fretboard from 12th fret up (as I don't have any scalloped guitar, wanted to try it out). I also added 2 extra screws to attach the neck (EVH had it on some guitars). Also none of my favourite pickup worked in the bridge position, so I changed the pickup to one with extra weak output (6kOhm humbucker) and it magically worked for this instrument. Put Elixir strings on it and... BOOM! 💣Somehow the combination worked and the guitar does not feel cheap anymore, resonates really well. I like the guitar now but I changed almost everything on it 😀it is not what you buy from the store. Also it has vibrato unit, that ALWAYS puts guitar out of tune, so I agree hardtail would be better for this cheap guitar. Thanks for your review Taylor!
Wow you really went all out on it. I got the JS32 King for $300 and dumped almost twice the money into it as a side project for same reason. I didn’t touch the paint but everything was removed and replaced like locking tuners, Graph-tech nut and bridge. All new electronics which required drilling. New pickups. Reset the guitar neck mount to make it tighter to stay in tune. I felt it moved slightly with the string tension.
i bought a new js-11 right after the lockdowns started for $69.00 and free shipping. did a setup on it and it's been my #1 ever since. plays great and the pups sound nice.
What kind of setup may I ask?
@@NoOneAlive_ i set the neck relief,action and intonation to my taste. 20 minutes tops.
this was my first guitar and i still use it up to date, i've already moved on to some more expensive guitars, but i still keep the js11 and i still love to play it.. i have set of strings 13-59 and it comes through just fine, only thing that pisses me off are the tuners and the bridge having exposed screws for the string action.. also, i changed the bridge pickup for more expensive one and it plays great for the value.. overall it's a good guitar
Great feedback. There are definitely some small improvements that could be made, but for the money I can't complain!
Just buy shorter grub screws for the bridge saddles, its like a few dollars and something I often do on even expensive guitars. The factory doesn't know how you are going to adjust them, so they can't just put super short ones in and risk someone not being able to get the action high enough.
Your teacher was correct about always tuning upward to notch the string in the tuner. That was some stuff an old luthier told me decades ago. Great video! Keep ‘em coming!
I bought a red js11 off a kid used for $100 a few years back and it was set up perfectly, the tuners on mine are fine, no play, maybe because its an older one? Anyhow, I bought it because it was cheap and I was gonna carry it around in the work truck with my mini katana amp as like a traveler beater, but it was more comfortable and easier to play than my plekkd Gibson SG, it out performed my mid range ibanez rg. The Strat trem on it is actually higher quality than most strat trems, has pop in arm and giant tremelo block and stays in tune pretty well, I strung the high strings backwards to get straighter string pull at the headstock that is not supposed to be used with non locking trems because the radical angle of the headstock and the trem works okay but i dont use it. I still have the JS11, its my only non mij Jackson, anyhow I traded my SG for a 2011 mij charvel socal and gave my boss the ibanez, now I have 11 or 12 mij Jacksons and the Charvel and a Fender acoustic that I love...lol
tighten the screw on the top of the tuning key. my $200 js22-7 was awesome. my first guitar, i loved it
my man, I just commented the same thing...
Beginner here and Im super happy with my JS22 Dinky. Around the same price range and its super comfy to play. Great video
I wanted a cheap guitar to leave in my office at work; I bought a Jackson JS-11. I loved it so much I've bought three more (to repaint and use alternate tunings). The JS-11 is great for repainting because it comes with black hardware that looks good with any color paint. I think this model plays better than guitars that cost many times more. After watching this video, I might buy one more (I really like that blue paint job!).
I have the JS22, I upgraded to a graphtech nut with angled slots to solve the tuning issues. Also installed some James Hetfield active pickups, it screams now!
I have that 5150 Overdrive and it's awesome. By far my favorite Overdrive that I own
I had one of these from 2014 in red, I was blown away for the price. The neck, the playability, the frets, the color were amazing, and these guitars have quite a chunky, thick body. It has shielding paint and all that, the electronics are pretty bad, but man the base of the guitar is amazing.
I have 3 budget-level Jacksons (The JS22-7 Dinky [my first guitar], JS22 Monarkh, and a JS32 Warrior), and I honestly love all of them. In terms of playability, they are very close to my more expensive guitars. The 7 string has a Dimarzio Imperium in the bridge, and it sounds brutal. Jacksons can be a bit lacking in the spec department (licensed Floyds, stock pickups even in the X series), but damn if they don't play well
I miss the old x series, they used to almost always come with name brand pickups. It is what it is though, the x series is still cool though.
Agreed! Fixed bridge would be better for a budget. Might even bring the price down with less labor involved.
All Jackson's are good! I have a 2011 JS32R dinky reverse, and it's honestly one of my all time favorite guitars.
They make great stuff.
Not the one I got.
@GNRGNRGNRGNRGNR bummer dude what one did you get and where at?
@KillaFXZ I got the slat8ff a few years ago. The first one had an issue with the frets or the neck and it wouldn't stop buzzing no matter what I did. Then I exchanged it for another one and for the first while I thought it was good but then I noticed that it had high frets that caused the high e strong to fret out and a couple of notes just didn't play.
I think I got it from Sam Ash if I remember correctly. It sucks because if it was good to go it would've been a great guitar. I still have it and I've been meaning to take it somewhere to have it fixed.
I've been wanting to try a jackson again though.
@GNRGNRGNRGNRGNR Yeah, I won't buy anything guitsr related unless it is from sweetwater I had bad luck too and even they're not 100% on point all the time but they make shit right.
Have one of these, great guitars. That into hx stomp, headphones out. Perfect for late night practice.
💪
Great video! I have 2 Jackson guitars, a Dinky made in Japan and RR V. I've noticed that all the Jackson guitars even the less expensive ones have good necks that are really nice.
Jackson’s budget line has been awesome for years. I had the JS-32T Rhodes and for a guitar that was about $250 when I picked it up, it sounded great and felt good. Glad you had a similar experience with this one.
Jackson has been my favorite brand for nearly 30 years.
For me, the JS series and older Professional and Performer series routed for a Floyd are good upgrade platforms. A Schaller 1302 Floyd Rose tremolo (smaller and wider than an OFR and made just for recessed trems like those licensed trems commonly found on Jacksons, BC Riches, and ESP LTDs), a Floyd Rose R8 locking nut if yours needs replacement (most imported Jacksons have a narrower nut--R2/R3 are too tall), and upgraded electronics (usually using Seymour Duncan Triple Shots for series/split/parallel, Shadow killpots, and a phase switch) will get you a guitar with far more features than what is available new for about $800-1200.
With active pickups your choices are a little easier. A Shadow killpot and 24 Volt Mod on a master volume only guitar is usually sufficient. EMG active tone controls should not exceed 18 volts. Seymour Duncan Blackouts should stay at 9 volts.
Passive guitars give me more tones in studio. Active guitars are more set and forget, and are easier to dial in and set in a metal mix.
On basses, upgrade paths are usually easier and cheaper because you don't have to worry about the bridge. Just make sure the action, playability, and frets are decent.
With passive pickups, you can mess with series/split/parallel/phase wiring with DPDT push/pull pots and mini toggles. I usually gut the active tone controls since I use the tone controls on the amp. I install passive tone controls so I can use the active EQ body holes for the new switches and push/pull pots. If your guitar is a P, J, PJ, or rare PP (usually offered only by BC Rich), your choices are simpler.
Most metal basses these days, especially 5+ string, use the soapbar style humbucker (not the larger Musicman style), and any number of coil types could be in those housings. Bartolini is probably the most flexible manufacturer as far as coil geometry. They are the closest tone I have ever heard to an active pickup in a passive format (bright/clear).
If you go for active basses with the 24 Volt Mod and EMGs, you should have passive tone controls because their active EQs recommend only 18 volts. The regular pickups in 18/24 volts will sound similar to the X series, so you can skip the X. This opens up the used market to you since you can stick with the original and more numerous original EMG designs.
Passive pickups still have their place due to their warmth and more sophisticated wiring options than most active pickups, which require special mods or specific models in EMG's case.
As far as pickup form factors, I find PJs to be a little punchier and dual coil pickups like those in many 5s and 6s to be more mid scooped. Occasionally you will find J basses in 5 and 6 formats. They're usually stacked hum canceling pickups and sound a little thinner than soapbars.
The thing with these extremely cheap guitars is you have to lower your expectations. A fixed bridge, dual humbucker Strat is pretty basic. That's all some people need. But you're not getting your Alexi Laiho or Randy Rhodes fix on those. I'd also go with something with a tune-o-matic or string thru bridge if I could find it just for a little better tone and easier to adjust playability.
*Edit: Jackson's new cheap line is the Minion series. I would skip these because the shorter scale length will make reliable tuning more difficult and make drop tuning nearly impossible.*
I had a Yamaha RG-420S Drop 6 that I rarely played and was still in mint condition when I sold it on eBay (something I regret to this day as it was beautiful). I was super paranoid about shipping it off. I had to make a bespoke box and then find some stuff to pack around it to make sure it didn't scratch. Wrapped the body in some laminate flooring underlay because it was quite cushioned and soft and ... erm ... something else. He messaged me to thank me for packing it so well and of his shock of receiving a free curtain!!
In regards to the whammy spring noise - it would be cool to fill the hole for the trem block with a piece of wood, fit a hard tail bridge, stick some EMGs in it and use the trem cavity to put the battery in :)
anytime i see a bright blue Jackson I don't think of metal, but of jangly, chorusy new wave inspired pop. Gustavo Cerati and his blue 1985 Soloist are to blame, honestly
I got one of these today, it was my first guitar ever. I got everything I needed to start playing for a little over $200. (Mind you I didn't get a whole amp set-up, I just got a little Blackstar thing that lets you play through headphones.) I have been having an absolute blast with it. I was expecting to have to spend closer to a thousand, but to get such a quality guitar set-up that works and will last for $200? Crazy.
Please tell me after you replaces the strings i am not seeing wound up toward the top of the tuning peg. Guitars need to be wound down from the string slot. Needs to be a peg and a half or two at the most. But always wound down to the bottom of the peg.
Your teacher was totally correct. Turn down to tune up. Always. Also flat head guitars need string trees. They serve a purpose. But i really dont know much about Jacksons. But the same priciple as winding strings on the peg you want downward pressure on the nut. Gibsons have angled heads. Fenders have flat heads. Gibsons dont need string trees. Fenders do. But all strings need to be wound down toward the head. With never more than two pegs length of string befoere you insert the end and start winding. Yes retuning happens even after stretching on guitars on the higher strings. Using a whammy you really need a lock nut.
I’ve been playing Jackson for many years. Currently played with the ole Dinky JS32R with stock pickups. Simple but super effective.
It’s nice when you vote for a specific video idea and then it shows up in your recommended. Thanks mane
When you tune on the tightening you remove more slop, even with quality tuners. When you tune releasing tension, you don't have that "tightening" pull to keep things (gears) interlocked as much as possible. Your guitar teacher is absolutely right. It doesn't matter about the tuner either, there is ALWAYS manufacturing variance and quality control, even with the highest priced stuff out there.
Bought a $279 Jackson in bright blue in 2016. Basically the same as this but with an authorized FR trem and a bound fretboard with the big Jackson inlays. Overall, the guitar is incredibly well-built for under $300. Fit and finish is solid; no sharp fret edges, and the giant jumbo frets were level (amazing). Some of these big factories have gotten _REALLY_ good at making guitars, and Jackson is one of 'em.
Yeah, 25 years ago after having my home broken into and my Japanese Jackson Soloist stolen, which was my favorite guitar I've ever owned, I ended up purchasing a brand new, very inexpensive (cheap) Jackson guitar around, and it absolutely sucked. In fact, when I first started playing guitar around 45 years ago, I owned plenty of generic entry level guitars that were a hundred times better than that POS cheap Jackson I purchased. And as I pointed out, my favorite guitar I've ever owned was a Jackson, meaning I'm a HUGE fan of quality Jackson guitars, so there's certainly no bias against Jackson on my part.
Have the same model in black colour. Honestly, I’ve tried so many budget guitars from Squier, Ibanez, Epiphone etc. but this Jackson JS11 takes the lead in terms of playability. The build quality is quite good and they look awesome. Especially for a beginner, I don’t think anything else will offer more value at this price range.
FYI always take the plastic off the truss rod cover in any plastic out from underneath volume knobs etc. detailing it makes it feel loved!!!
I've bought this exact one almost 6 years ago and have loved it. It was my first guitar I've bought and I still rip on it today. I've made many solid mixes with this guitar. I have zero complaints. Perhaps where it lacks is that it would not hold up on a tour and requires frequent tuning as any budget guitar would.
I have Ibanez, Jackson, and an LTD. My Ibanez is a 91 USA Custom, by far my best guitar. The LTD KH 602 plays great, and I love my Jackson Dinky. I bought a budget first guitar for my daughter. $179 Jackson, similar to the one you reviewed. I must say, it plays close to the Dinky and KH. It's smooth. The action is pretty good. And sounds decent. I give it to Jackson, I think they make the best guitar under $200.
Also gotta recommend a Kramer Baretta Special. I replaced the tremolo, the nut, and put in locking tuners. Yeah I nearly doubled the cost of the guitar but it is an AWESOME little super strat now.
But now you probably have a guitar that plays and sounds FOUR times its price
This was my first guitar, and I still use it to this day. Replaced the trem system, replaced the pickups, and swapped out the tuners with locking tuners, and it sounds kickass now and plays beautifully.
Have this exact guitar i got for 90 bucks on a black friday sale in store and at the time guitar center use to offer alot of custom work cheap upon purchase so i bought emg 81 and 85s and they put it in for 50 bucks this was years ago.
This guitar still sounds good.
Bro your editing is hilarious. Great work!
Glad you enjoyed it!
How about a comparison of JS11, JS12 and JS22. Is there anything worth upgrading from the JS 11 (old tiny hand beginner😅l
I have that model, It's the only electric one I actually have. Some of it's tuners are a little loose, some others don't, but no matter how much I change it's tune it always stays in tune.
Mine has the detail that the headstock is upwards, so the thicker string has the longest distance between the peg and the nut, but I'm not shure if it makes any difference.
I do use a wammy bar on it, but to minimize that spring sound I set the springs as tight as possible and It has held like that for over three years now.
I also play on a 30W amp, so I'ld a waste to buy anything more expensive.
Did you tighten up the tuners? By tightening the screw on the tuner knob? Just asking for my own benefit..
I got a jackson js32 dinky, and tbh mine was terribly manufactured, frets were sharp, g string was buzzing, finish was lacking, within 2 weeks wiring for bridge pickup gave out. Guitar had to be heavily adjusted and even though it is for a beginner market it really isnt.
I've played on a couple Jacksons and they do feel really nice. Problem I have with them as a brand is that if I want something of a comparable quality to my Legator in terms of hardware, it's quite a bit more expensive. I know the higher price is because they're just plain exceptionally made guitars, but it still hurts to see the price tag as someone who only plays as a hobby.
As someone who plays very professionally... Yeah have to agree their price point is tough for the quality of return. At that price point I could (And did) have a custom built instrument done for me that is specked out to the moon and back. Works in literally every setting I play in. And that is 3 very widely ranging styles with a fourth occasional gig with a symphony so it has to hold up. Jackson's are great. Really great. My only problem is as you get into their higher end stuff the return on price is a bit lacking to me compared to other brands
I've liked your vid but it's not 24 frets. Why would you recommend a 22 frets entry guitar of the same worth over a 24 fret guitar? Have I missed something? Thank you.
I had a JS11in black I regret selling it but needed the money for rent.I plan to get another one soon.I love the neck on these.
How good is it for clean tones ?
Your inconsistency in winds on the tuning keys definitely doesn't help anything. Rule of thumb my teacher taught me many moons ago: 1½ tuning key spaces for extra length in string on the wound strings, 2 tuning key spaces for the rest of the strings. If you'll try it, you'll see your guitar's tuning much more stable. Your teacher was right, btw. Always end a tune on the up, pulling slack out.
14:04 Taylor, a couple of years ago I bought my first and so far only Jackson guitar, a JS22 in natural oil. That guitar is a couple of steps above the JS11 and JS12. The JS11 and JS12 lack the "compound" radius of the JS22, and the JS11 sports only the 22 frets, and not the 24 afforded by the other two. There were 3 issues I had with that axe. The tuners lasted until I tried them; one ground and I had replacements, so I used them. The axe had the best fret job and the worst fret sprout I've seen yet. Dealt with it. The last thing was the pickups, which I almost left stock. Alnico snobbery led me to replace them, but they sounded pretty good anyway. I'm not above hanging with decent pickups if I like them well enough! I'd probably buy more Jacksons if I had more room for guitars than I do now!
It's funny that you also have to dime the treble knob when going into any power amp to get any clarity from the 5150 pedal. I run into that same issue and I'm not a fan of the pedal as a result.
I have that same Jackson in red. Oddly enough, I found it at a pawn shop out here in Philly for $275 and it came equipped with EMGs. Right away I noticed exactly what you were talking about with the tuners lol but did what you talked about with tuning down then up again and it stays in place. On mine I use Ernie Ball 11-42s and of the Jacksons I have had, this one sounds awesome and I owe it to the fact it came with the EMGs. I have only had it for a couple of months after being without a guitar for almost 6 years so this is a “re-starter” for me. I primarily play Dean and Jackson, so I am satisfied… for now. Have you tried the Seymore Duncan Black Winter pickups yet? I play black metal so I am wondering if they will be worth the investment
As a Jackson Dinky Js12 owner i would highly recommend this guitar as a your first guitar to play along with some Iron Maiden, Metallica or else. Its just perfect, im proud of being a member of Jackson Army hehe. Greetings from Chile
That tuning up to pitch to help out cheap tuners with staying in tune is something I've always done. Doesn't seem to matter as much with higher quality tuners though. Thanks to your teacher for validating my cheap tuner tuning technique!
I just got my first Jackson--a 1990 "Stars" mij soloist. I am not a metal guy, and I really like it. Great review and demo!
I got this guitar as my daughter's 1st guitar. I was impressed how good this guitar is for the price, it shreds . Only knock was fret edges were sharp but wore in quick.
I think the Jackson JS and the 24 fret Dinky that are in the $200 and under price point new are seriously underrated guitars. For what you get. You can block the vintage style trem. Maybe change the tuners for locking style. I look for these used on marketplace for my own stable of guitars. I have gone through a handful of guitars in the budget-beginner range, and to me, these are the best bang for buck--- but like budget beginner guitars, they will require some work to be brought up to snuff. I think they are excellent platforms for modifying and personalizing. And I wish that the no-tremolo hardtail version was as widely available. I see these sometimes on marketplace, and I'm guessing they are past or special order model.
Another solid video mate. Imagine waking up say on Xmas day or your 14th birthday and your folks went out and got you that guitar as your 1st electric...? You'd feel like a an absolute God!
Entry level guitars have come so far which is fantastic to see and certainly helps the encouragement of younger future shred lords imo
I know that feeling man ! That Jackson is indeed, my first guitar and it felt like it was christmas, even though i'm not 14, and that it was July 🤣
Hello! Please tell me which is better to buy, this Jackson or cort KX100?
There is obviously a lot more difference in sound between the 2 guitars, but to see it you have to switch to clear sound. It's not honest !
Yes! The string tension, (at 10:30) drop then tune up, my teacher taught me the same thing. And it makes sense.
You can adjust tuners with the screw on the top.
I love Jackson guitars, and have for years...the high end ones are WAY overpriced, in my humble opinion...especially when you can buy a JS 32, upgrade the pickups, and basically have a guitar that looks and plays just as great as the USA Custom. Yes, of course, there are a few details that are different...but for $4,000 more? To me, that is just ridiculous.
Great video, thank you.
~Clinton
I had a Jackson dinky, satin black and i believe it was the same as the blue Jackson. I loved it, hated the tremolo bar cuz it knocked my tuning out of wack. Traded a Schecter Damian 6 with a floyed rose trem for that guitar because i hated the locking nut and trem system. I wanted something i could use and tune easier with great sound and be able to tune anywhere i wanted, so i got a Jackson. Highly recommend them!
How do you fix the bridge with glue? What's the process? I'm confused 😭
My second guitar was a Jackson in 96 i bought it for 420 bucks had a Floyd Rose i put EMG's in it. Its been in storage about 20 years. i judge every guitar i have ever played by the standard it set and has a really nice neck profile.
i just recently got this guitar my first electric!
GOOD. You definitely started off on the right foot, great guitar for the money.
@@BeeBeeCJr thanks man i really appreciate it
17:12 Agree. I've always preferred hardtails and it's probably because I had trouble with trem systems when I was new. Beginners should go hardtail unless it's the whammy they are after.
Playing 40+ yrs here... I have always "tuned up(ward)" the way you mentioned. It seems to be a more reliable method as tuning downward does seem to allow for some minor slippage while playing.
Could you answer me if this model is heavy?
I tried to put 10-60 gauge strings on this guitar because I wanted to play some Orbit Culture and Amon Amarth. Was as good of an idea as when Lars messed around with his snare drum on St. Anger. And yeah, the whammy bar on this guitar is not gonna let you dive bomb like Dimebag. It all goes out of tune after you jerk it more than three times. I'd say a better pick would be Jackson JS1X. Same price, same shape, but it's got 24 frets and no whammy bar.
@@antona.8659 yeah they’re not really made for that. This style of trem is for some very subtle vibrato… if you want dive bombs you need a locking trem like a Floyd. Most people don’t want either and companies should absolutely put hardtail bridges on beginner guitars IMO
I have a JS32 (similar but compound radius fretboard and floyd rose). You can tell they have a good idea where to spend the effort on these cheap guitars.
The fretwork is perfectly serviceable and the pickups aren't too bad for the price but the things that can be adjusted and setup are where they cut the corners bcause you can just fix that yourself with little effort.
In the case of mine: action and truss rod were off, pickup height was dodgy and the neck itself wasn't straight to the point the low E string was barely even playable above the 12th fret it was that misalligned. BUT, only takes a minute to loosen the neck and straighten it out. Only takes a few minutes to get the action set exactly right and give the truss rod a quarter turn. Only takes a minute to set the pickup height where it needs to be. If that's all the negatives on such a cheap guitar when all the fundamental stuff is rock solid then that's a damn good deal for the money.
I only worry about people buying them as their very first guitar not knowing about guitar setup. They may see the low E string just about hanging off the fretboard entirely and think the guitar is fundamentally broken instead of the neck just needing an adjustment.
Hi, Amazing videos. Can you please tell me what kind of wall mount are you using?? Thanks!!
I've had the Jackson JS12 Dinky for just over a year now and it's honestly a really good guitar. The only different from the JS11 is that the 12 has 24 frets. But I'd really recommend the 11 or 12. I've used it live a couple times and it has never disappointed
man i picked up a Jackson PS1 at a pawnshop about 17 years ago for like 200$ and i love that things neck man, i play it more than my J Craft S Prestige. i broke the headstock on the PS1 doing a bitchflip back in highschool in 09, screwed it back together Frankenstein style and still shred that thing to this day lol really made me love cheap jacksons
I got a JS22 as my re-entry into guitar. Now it has the GraphTech nut, D’addario locking tuners and I just threw some Guitar Madness 1984 humbuckers in it. The little patch of microfiber towel in with the springs topped it off. I like it, but at this $$$ I can love it.
They aren’t horrible guitars by any means. I played a couple of them at guitar center and contemplated buying one and upgrading it, but after getting a Mick Thomson Soloist they really don’t hold a candle to the higher end Jackson’s. But it’s still a great guitar if you wanna begin and it could be a decent upgrade platform as you grow as a guitarist..
I have owned 3 Jacksons and all 3 of them have been killer guitars. I love my Mick Thomson Signature Soloist and spend a lot of time chugging with it
bought mine js11 back in 2019 since then i use it every day for hours at home, band practice and gigs, its beat up very badly but it plays awesome, very comfortable and sounds great, the guitar never been to a luthier or anything, just a basic setup in time to time
I read about dropping the string flat then tuning up to pitch. It's supposed to hold the tuning better than having a sharp tuning dropping into pitch.
I can't remember where I found said info. But it seems to work.
You could always try the JS12. Same guitar basically, but with 24 frets if that's your thing. Also Jackson has a budget hardtail 7 string for about $199. I'm pretty interested in that one. I love my JS11 (red) after adding Wilkenson tuners, graph technology nut and a nicer bridge pickup,, it's my main bedroom practice guitar. For stage, I use my higher end stuff, but in a pinch I would gig my JS11. Love it.
i played in the 90s when i was a teen and gave it up until a few years ago. the first guitar i bought after coming back was a $200 jackson monarch and was amazed by the quality. then later got a prs which is just.. it's on a completely different level, and i only paid $650 off marketplace
when i was a kid, jacksons were just unattainable for me. too poor. so i was pretty excited to see them for $200 even though i know it's not the same company that it was.
what $200 buys you today is incredible. my first guitar was a shitty beat up squire that my mom found for about $200, and that was considered a cheap bottom of the barrel guitar back then. my jackson is so much better, even though i miss my squire because nostalgia.
i'm always recommending cheap guitars to kids that are curious about learning because they are so good today. and i feel like you should earn a nice guitar by playing a cheap one for a while so you really appreciate a nice guitar when you get one
So i traded for a jackson a few months back. Traded my Agile 9 for a Chris Broderick soloist 7, hardtail. That thing... Man. I have loved guitars on first play, but never have I ever fallen SO in love with a guitar. I am shocked after all people used to tell me about Jackson falling off. This thing plays better than ESP LTD's I spent 1.7k on, it rivals my 87 epiphone in terms of shred and general feel.
Same as you said though there are small things (why are the frets nickel? Why not a bone or higher quality nut?) but the general build feel for playing is nuts on these once they are set up and cared for. The previous owner didnt give this love but my god it kills once I had a few hours to fix that shit. Jackson went from not on my radar to my new start for my next guitar.
I'm so glad that the JS11 gets recognition, it's my first ever guitar and i like it a lot, got it in snow white
I HAD issues with it, but you can always expect this from the cheapest guitar from a brand
And most of the issues are in my fault, which it means that the Guitar is good when it's in the good hands
For the nut, i can't confirm is "plastic", because it's wood. The thingy detached from the guitar because i've put 11-52s in E standard (to much tension, so it detached it)
Ans yep, it's wood. So it ain't bad i guess ?
The Jackson JS22-7 I got is absolutely horrible, first, I used a special finish cloth to wipe the smudges and it actually scratched the super weak finish. The frets “fret out” have the worst fret buzz on every fret and every string throughout the whole neck, I tried to take the truss rod cover off, and the screws were insanely tight to the point where I almost stripped them, I added relief to the neck, because there was absolutely no relief and the string still buzz like crazy and kills my resonance. I’ve used some pretty nice cheap guitars in my day, but this Jackson was absolutely the worst guitar I’ve ever had, to the point where it scares me from buying a High priced or “quality” Jackson, just for the fact that they would put their name on something so horrible.
Yeah always tune up to pitch hint the phrase “tune up” I think it’s actually supposed to ensure you don’t have slack between the nut and tuning posts also especially with vintage style tremolos any slack between the nut and tuners is no bueno.
I used to have a js22 and it's one of my favorite guitars I've ever had. It made me a Jackson player for life. Definitely best bang for your buck as far as budget guitars go.
I have one. Same blue model with an FR. IMO its "all right". The pickups are not good at all. Super muddy and vocal range is just not there. The FR stays in tune sometimes, and sometimes it's out immediately (so Id steer clear of those models). Build quality is what you'd expect. Guitar is super light (worth pointing out if you're into that, I personally like a little weight to my guitars). New tuners, pickups, and a good setup Youd be in business, the fret work on mine is actually pretty good... but at that point it would probably be better just to buy something a few tiers up. hard to beat an Epiphone Les Paul at the next price point up. Ibanez also makes some really good stuff for not a ton of money. I would suggest the "cry once" method. Even as a beginner, once you get a better guitar, you'll probably never pick this thing up again.
I have to say, I bought a Dinky js 7 strings, and compared it to an american Jackson Dominion with JBs in it. they sound so close to each others!! the difference was in the dynamics of the pickups.. it's like the jackson pickup couldn't play quiet to heavy. then the other things is the quality over time.... after years, the bridge pickup stopped working properly, it's like I had a serious ground issue in the bridge pickup so I can't use it anymore.... so, you save money now, but on the long term... you will have to spend money again to make it work again :)