An absolute KILLER For a steal of a price.

It's worth noting that this guitar is no longer in production, so realistically, you'll be paying for one with second hand prices, which for this guitar, is a steal.

I own the pre-2003 model which featured Duncan designed pickups instead of actual Seymour Duncan's, Which doesn't bother me, as the Duncan Designed pickups in this guitar sound absolutely killer!

They were made in japan under a now defunct manufacturing contract, and their quality aligns with other high end production Japanese guitars. The good: The guitar features an amazing neck, which features 24 frets on a rosewood fretboard. This rosewood isn't cheap rosewood either, its more comparable to ebony than it is rosewood. The neck is bound with a cream coloured binding which is also great as it gives off a classic 80s vibe from the guitar.

The paintjob is killer, albeit not in line with USA Jackson's with Eerie dess swirl, but this is expected from an import guitar. Its a real head turner that looks even more beautiful under stage lighting.

The Alder body is light and very well balanced. It stays in place well on a strap when playing standing up.

Cases are regularly available for this guitar. Jackson make both hard cases and gig bags for this model of guitar, so transporting it will never be an issue. Aftermarket modifications for this guitar is also a breeze, as it has a HSS Configuration meaning it will accept almost all Strat pickup sets. There is enough space in the cavity for a 9 volt battery too if you wish to upgrade it with EMG's or other active pickups.

The guitar is incredibly versatile too, which is somewhat rare from heavy metal / shred oriented guitars, which have a love / hate reputation for sounding too harsh or for breaking down a clean tone too easily. The H/S/S Pickup configuration essentially makes it a Stratocaster with a ballsier bridge tone.

They were produced in numerous different pickup configurations, finishes, and orientations over the course of 10 years, meaning there's plenty of variety in finding the right one for you. From a simple gloss black, a flashy neon orange, 2 different variations of hod rod flames, Eerie dess (As described in the picture) and Crimson Swirls, and even the classic jackson "pile of skulls" finish as made famous by Death metal lead guitarists in the 90's!

The bad: I can't comment on the build quality too much as I got mine second hand in a fairly beat up condition. The tremolo is incredibly stiff, however this might not be down to the tremolo itself, more use and possible lack of care from previous owners. It holds tuning fairly well still, but it doesn't bounce around like a floyd should. I believe this could be due to previous use or lack of care however due to my Jackson Pro KE3, which features almost the same tremolo but in black, is fully bouncy as a floyd should be.

Other than that, the guitar is essentially flawless from what I can gather.

Overall opinion: This guitar is absolutely amazing, and what I've heard and seen, there is a strong consistency in quality from them, as expected from these japanese jacksons. If you want a guitar for hard rock and metal, play lead or solos, and want a sharp sounding, overall ergonomic guitar, without sacrificing versatility like most metal oriented guitars do, Then seek one of these out as soon as possible!

Sweet Japanese Jackson

I HATE "traditional" guitar body shapes, especially the Stratocaster style, so I never thought I'd buy a Dinky. But when I saw this beat-up gem in a pawnshop, I couldn't help thinking "Maaaan.... a Jackson neck and three Seymour Duncan pickups for $80? Maybe I should....." Talked it over with the lady, slept on it, and went back to pick it up the next day. Bought new strings and a whammy bar to replace the missing one, tore it down to get everything cleaned up (according to the neck pocket, it's a 2007), reassembled everything, strung it, tuned it, and now it's my girl's favorite out of all my guitars! The gorgeous trans-blue finish helps - the maple top is just a veneer, but that's probably a good thing since the combination of the alder body, maple bolt-on neck, and Duncan JB/STK-1/STK-1 pickups are bright enough that a full maple cap would probably be too bright.

Pros: Jackson necks are among the fastest you can buy, especially from the factory. Hardware selection is perfect for a Super-Strat; this sucker nails literally every 80's (and much of the 90's) tone I could ever ask for. The JT580LP bridge turned out to be really good quality, it's super-stable to the point that I don't see any need for a whammy stabilizer despite abusing it constantly. While I've had great experiences with my Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese guitars, the Japanese dual-obsession with high-precision engineering and artistic soul really stand out here.

Cons: It's shaped like a Strat. And I guess I would prefer chrome hardware on a beautiful transparent finish, but that's a very, very minor complaint.

Guitarra sensacional e linda

Não sou guitarrista mas sempre quis ter uma Jackson. Essa se encaixou em tudo que eu queria, desde a cor, captadores SD, ponte Gotoh e um braço muito gostoso de tocar.