Members GAS Man Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I'm not much of a shred guitar player, but I like the way they play and feel. I have a Jackson DK2S modified and an Ibanez JS-100 modified. I feel like I have a bias for the Jacksons, even though part of me thinks the Ibanez might be technically a hair better on the whole. But I think my bias comes from preferring the feel of the Jackson in my collection over the Ibanez in my stable. I got to thinking about this cuz I have this hankering for another Jackson, the DK2M in Transparent Black, but I have a hard time thinking it should cost me $685 sans case. What's your brand / model pref and why?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rock-lobster Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 my personal preference would be ibanez. unless we are talking about usa soloists, which are better IMO to any ibanez, bar maybe the JEM or J-customs (though i've never played a j-custom, just heard of their greatness). i bought a jackson DK2 a while ago, but for the same price i could have gotten a prestige RG1570, which i would have liked a hundred times more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 59humbucker Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 For me, Ibanez. But thats only because I was able to get a great, Jap made Ibby for a very reasonable price, and the only Jacksons you can get really in the UK are the lower end imports, which I imagine is far from a fair comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I prefer Jacksons myself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndersonTech Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 Get a US Soloist and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peavey_impact Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I love Jacksons and they certainly feel more substantial than any Ibanez I've played, but since I got my old school RG560 its hard to choose....I love that Ibanez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 Get a US Soloist and be done with it.What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LoboR1 Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 Jackson. I have a weird dislike of Ibanez shreddy guitars. It stems back to when I started playing back in 1987 and all the guys that played Ibanez guitars talked tons of {censored} about how anyone not playing an Ibanez were either stupid, uncool, or crappy players. I have tried some recently and didn't like the feel of them. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squidly Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 ive had a few jacksons over the years, and I keep buying them for some reason. the necks usually kick ass for what I play.that said I CAN NOT STAND the volume knob placement. its frequently right below the bridge pickup and in such a position that I am constantly whacking it, and turning it down. I currently have an Ibanez S520, and while the pickups kind of suck the ZR trem is just dreamy. still, I prefer the maple neck of my old ash body jap jackson. dollar for dollar I would say that the higher end ibanez's are a better guitar... unless you are talking about the older american or japanese jacksons and charvels.. then its no contest because they kill everything for shredding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Barnacled Buoy Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I used to have a similar used DK with duncans that was played for an hour next new ibanezs in the store. I walked out with the jackson because the neck is so thin, and the alder body with direct mount pickups sounded much nicer. I only recently sold it for an Ibanez seven string, which I prefer because the string gaps are much closer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr Wanker Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 The volume knob on my Jackson Soloist is right under the trem arm, just like the one in your picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aloha Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 See that's odd. The Jackson neck always feels more substantial to me, whether on usa or japanese/korean models, than Ibanez. So, they get my vote (i like 'em big). I think i also like Jackson's wood better, but YMMV. Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Inazone Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I have the exact guitar you're looking at, a trans black DK2M, and it would have been a great buy even at $1000. It's one of only a few guitars that I ever thought were worth the expense of buying brand new. If you already have a DK2S and are happy with it, I can't imagine you not liking the DK2M. Is your DK2S one of the older versions with basswood body and Duncan Designed pickups, or the current alder model with JB/Jazz pickups? Here is mine at a gig. The first guitar I've owned in a long time where I've been completely satisfied with a JB in alder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I have 4 U.S.A. soloists( late 1980s) and have owned many more. Still my alltime favorite guitar for the comfort of playing, especially the thin neck with the carved heel. People either love this guitar or they hate it. Im not so keen on the looks of them (pointy headstocks) and don't have as much use for the metal, harder-edged rock, and hairband rock tones as I used to, but they are still about the best built, most solid and great playing guitars there are, in my opinion. I am biased though because I Lived that era, and these were the weapons of choice by alot of the guitarists that inspired me in those days.It just seemed like Jackson U.S.A. soloists were the Feraris of that time, and everything else was somewhat less of a guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metalheadUK Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I like the old 80's modek series Charvels.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 Jackson. I have a weird dislike of Ibanez shreddy guitars. It stems back to when I started playing back in 1987 and all the guys that played Ibanez guitars talked tons of {censored} about how anyone not playing an Ibanez were either stupid, uncool, or crappy players. I have tried some recently and didn't like the feel of them. Oh well. Didn't see your post before. I agree 100% and after all the trash talking, the Jackson players were( in general with a few acceptions) always better players, leagues above the players of the Ibanez guitars.I'm not saying that the guitar made you play better, its just that the better players I knew and saw almost always chose Jackson over Ibanez, and when they didn't, it was usually 100% about saving money. I'm basing this on the HUNDREDS of guitar players I knew playing the circuits in those days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sylvesterlowery Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 Ibanez!!! I own 4 RGs and love all of them, this one in particular: RG 570 with an Original Wizard Neck. Nothing else feels like it, even if you can't shred worth a damn() you still just wanna haul ass on it. I also own a Jackson with a super thin neck but it just doesn't feel quite as good. Plus, the original Edge trems kick major ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wah wah Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I've never owned either. But Ibanezs look like imports. Jacksons don't, even if they're made overseas. And I don't like basswood. So I'd go with Jackson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crownman Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 I've had an Ibanez or two but always returned to my faithful Jackson Dinky Reverse that I got new in 1995. To this day it's still going strong and has been the most confortable guitar I've owned. My hands are kind of small so the thin necks of the early to mid 90's are freakin' sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sixstringmuse Posted September 6, 2007 Members Share Posted September 6, 2007 jacksons all the way. i love my rhoads and im getting another soon =) i have a bit of a bias against ibbys tho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted September 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 7, 2007 I have the exact guitar you're looking at, a trans black DK2M, and it would have been a great buy even at $1000. It's one of only a few guitars that I ever thought were worth the expense of buying brand new. If you already have a DK2S and are happy with it, I can't imagine you not liking the DK2M. Is your DK2S one of the older versions with basswood body and Duncan Designed pickups, or the current alder model with JB/Jazz pickups? Here is mine at a gig. The first guitar I've owned in a long time where I've been completely satisfied with a JB in alder. Yours looks absolutely wonderful. GAS meter just went up another notch. I have the older DK2S, and I've actually never been totally happy with it. It did have some kinda crappy sounding DD pups in it, but I really like the feel of the neck and fretboard and the damn thing has great sustain (and I'm talking with the sustainiac off). I replaced the pups but I think I sorta F'd up. I put a SD Classic Stack in the middle, which really doesn't thrill me, but I know some higher end Jacksons use that pup there, and for the bridge I sucked in on some HCEG advice and put in a Custom Custom - me no likey that pup at all in that guitar - not near enough lows and highs for me, but with a lot of OD it produces a good brown sound. So I'm thinking that I might get this DK2M and guess it will sound better with that pup configuration and then I'll either sell off the DK2S or just eventually find a bridge pickup better suited for my tastes, maybe a JB, Custom or Tone Zone. But the pickup change in the DK2S also F'd up the sustainiac. It threw off the balance and now it doesn't work very well at all. But I still need to mess with the internal gain screw adjustment to see if I can tweak it. The early sustainiacs were not as good as the newer ones. Jackson had some deal where you could pull the unit, ship it to them and they'd mod it for you for the cost of S&H. I'm not sure if that deal is still out there. I have a few too many guitars and so I get behind on some of my fix-it projects and just move on to another axe. But I still pull out the Jackson now and then for that feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted September 7, 2007 Members Share Posted September 7, 2007 ...I put a SD Classic Stack in the middle, which really doesn't thrill me, but I know some higher end Jacksons use that pup there,...My SL-1 came with that pup neck/middle. It's just an awful sounding pup. Other than being noiseless I've no clue what SD was trying to accomplish with that pup. Frankly, I'd take a good old humming single coil over that turd any day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mustaine-who? Posted September 7, 2007 Members Share Posted September 7, 2007 Put a Full Shred in the bridge. Thank me later. Tonal bliss in alder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted September 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 7, 2007 My SL-1 came with that pup neck/middle. It's just an awful sounding pup. Other than being noiseless I've no clue what SD was trying to accomplish with that pup. Frankly, I'd take a good old humming single coil over that turd any day! I'm glad to hear you say that. I think I have a pretty good ear for tone but that pickup just wasn't speaking to me. Just sounds a bit lifeless and a little dull, but then when I see it on their USA models, it made me wonder if I just wasn't "getting it". Overall, I really haven't had great luck with my mods using Duncans (although I like some of guitars quite well that have come stock with Duncans). Seems like my DiMarzio and Fender pickup mods have been more successful on average. And unfortunately, I don't do a lot of modding cuz I'm a pussy and afraid of soldering, so I pay for techs to do it for me, which I hate to do as well. I'm kind of a "classic rock" guy and love my good cleans too. Do you have any thoughts of what would be good replacements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BadgerMolester Posted September 7, 2007 Members Share Posted September 7, 2007 I'd rate Jackson over Ibanez, personally, because the necks are a little more substantial. I hate the RG profile. Ibanez wins for anything 7 string though. The fastest guitar I've ever owned was an early 90s Jackson USA Fusion... 24.75" scale length bolt-on although the stock pups were crappy. Soloists are really nice, mmm. However, I've currently got a Carvin DC-135 and the neck on that baby is almost in the Soloist league, I kid you not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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