Jakko Jakszyk

Jakko Jakszyk has been using the Vox Series 55 guitar on a number projects. Here he shows us some playing examples and runs through some the guitar's features.

I like that PRS makes modern guitars with vintage vibe and feel. I was playing a Custom 22, and we thought it would be cool to create an instrument specifically to play on the King Crimson tour. As a statement of intent, I asked PRS how they felt about putting the iconic artwork from the first King Crimson album on a guitar. A friend of mine got the artwork together, and I gave them some specs regarding the neck and the pickups. They were up for it.

“It looks amazing because the turquoise-blue finish is like porcelain. It was their suggestion to use clear plastic knobs so you could see through to the design. They came up with the lovely maple edging and the almost luminescent bird inlays on the ebony fingerboard. The moon man design on the back is from the inside sleeve of the original album gatefold.
“I went with the P24 because it has higher access and a different feel. The 22 feels like a mandolin to me now—the neck feels tiny. The body is mahogany. The pickups are kind of basic—I don’t like overwound, hot-rodded pickups. That’s too much fizz for me. I’m after a more old-school PAF sound. But I did ask them to put a piezo pickup in the bridge and include a separate output that I send to the monitors.

“I love having the piezo’s additional attack and clarity available. It gives the tone a nice high-end presence. I generally mix it on clean sounds, such as ‘A Scarcity of Miracles,’ but lately I’ve started using it with overdriven sounds as well. For example, Robert plays a long, angelic melody in ‘Level Five,’ and I play the chords behind it using a pretty hefty sound. I’ve started bringing in the piezo so it’s not such a mush. Zappa used a transducer in the neck for similar purpose—adding presence to heavy sounds.”

In a number of photos on Tony Levin's site, Jakszyk can be seen with a Paul Reed Smith Standard 24.

In this image, Jakszyk can be seen with a Parker Fly.

I like that PRS makes modern guitars with vintage vibe and feel. I was playing a Custom 22, and we thought it would be cool to create an instrument specifically to play on the King Crimson tour.

The solo was recorded at my own studio that I used to have when I lived in a village in Hertfordshire. I played it on my Steinberger with the trans trem through a Trace Elliot TVT9 160 watt valve top though one of those weird 3 speaker reflector cabs they used to make. It was miked with an SM58.

I've been playing a red Parker Fly Deluxe for a couple of years. I really like the way it feels. The neck is flat and very thin. It has a stereo out which splits the signal. One output is the conventional magnetic pick up selection the other output is the piezo pick up in the bridge which gives a pretty convincing acoustic sound. The combination of the two is fantastic.

I have started to rebuild a small collection again and have just purchased an early '70's Black Les Paul custom.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

The solo was recorded at my own studio that I used to have when I lived in a village in Hertfordshire. I played it on my Steinberger with the trans trem through a Trace Elliot TVT9 160 watt valve top though one of those weird 3 speaker reflector cabs they used to make. It was miked with an SM58.

My signal runs from my custom PRS into a Kemper Profiler head and a PRS Stealth 2x12 cabinet. As you can see, right now it’s on the JCM 800 Drive preset. I’m using a Line 6 Pod HD500X as a MIDI controller for the Kemper. I have a bank setup for each song. Take “Nightmare.” I’ve got my basic heavy sound, one that’s slightly louder, and one with a wah on it, which I manipulate via the HD500X’s footpedal.

My signal runs from my custom PRS into a Kemper Profiler head and a PRS Stealth 2x12 cabinet. As you can see, right now it’s on the JCM 800 Drive preset. I’m using a Line 6 Pod HD500X as a MIDI controller for the Kemper. I have a bank setup for each song. Take “Nightmare.” I’ve got my basic heavy sound, one that’s slightly louder, and one with a wah on it, which I manipulate via the HD500X’s footpedal.

To be honest, I haven’t had it long enough to really get into it, but here’s the basic premise: Set up your favorite amp and get the desired sound. Mic up the amp run the cord into the back of the Kemper. Hit “Profile,” and it saves a pretty realistic emulation of that amp’s tone. I started doing it, but I didn’t have enough time. I’ve got a Vox Night Train that sounds fantastic, so I did that and some of the PRS heads.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

My signal runs from my custom PRS into a Kemper Profiler head and a PRS Stealth 2x12 cabinet. As you can see, right now it’s on the JCM 800 Drive preset. I’m using a Line 6 Pod HD500X as a MIDI controller for the Kemper. I have a bank setup for each song. Take “Nightmare.” I’ve got my basic heavy sound, one that’s slightly louder, and one with a wah on it, which I manipulate via the HD500X’s footpedal.

As for amps, well as I rarely play live these day’s I’ve been using Pod’s and The Korg Ax1000G amp modeler. The longer I use them the less I like them and the less realistic they sound to me.

I use a variety of pedals these days including the valve driven Hughes and Ketner Leslie simulator, a whammy pedal and the excellent Line 6 Delay line modler.

I use a variety of pedals these days including the valve driven Hughes and Ketner Leslie simulator, a whammy pedal and the excellent Line 6 Delay line modler.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

The solo was recorded at my own studio that I used to have when I lived in a village in Hertfordshire. I played it on my Steinberger with the trans trem through a Trace Elliot TVT9 160 watt valve top though one of those weird 3 speaker reflector cabs they used to make. It was miked with an SM58.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.

This article lists Jakko’s gear in his Silesia Sound Studios, including this one.