I have a Jackson JS30DK Dinky. I got it about 8 months or so, and I like it. It's my first electric guitar. I was playing acoustic up until I got this. I was wondering what the good people at metal tabs think of it. It cost $330 but I swindled it for $260. It never gives me problems or anything, but I wanted to see what you guys think of it seeing as how half of you are pro guitarists or w/e.

And My second question was about Humbuckers and EMGs. This guitar has Jackson CVR2 Humbuckers on the neck and bridge. Can someone tell me about these? I know nothing about them. Also I was thinking of changing them to EMGs. How would my sound change if I got some EMG Passive pickups or some EMG 81s?

EDIT: One other thing... What company makes good tube amps?

TIA

Do not get emgs unless they are active. Period. HZ is to EMG what Duncan Designed is to Seymour Duncan, only much, much worse.

Crate and Peavey make good tube amps.

i dont think u should buy passive emg's, might aswell get actives then.

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you could just go to the store and play some guitars with active and passive emgs to notice the diffrence. actually i tend to go with passive pu( not emgs) but its all up to personal taste. you could also test some usa jacksons which usually have seymour duncan invaders and full shred pus in neck pos. then you test some ibanez to check out dimarzio pus to get an overall view for the diffrences in tone and design. its very important not just to play but also get an eye for what gear is on the market what suits you best ... sounds best to you etc... and even if youre just beginning its never to early to get some decent knowledge about gear.

good pickups your should test: active emgs 81 85, 89, seymour duncan invader , dimarzio tone zone, paf pro, x2n those are the best pickups out there

concerning amps your should test amps from crate, peavy ,marshal,l engl ,framus, mesa boogie, diezel and bogner ... ascending in price order ...

just go to the store and check some amps out. even if you have to drive 2or 3 hours to the next big shop its worth it because it will widen your horizon which is always a good thing

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those sd invader and fullshred pu arent that nice, they have amazing outputt, and amazing muddyness, wich might be nice for rock or sumtin, but for metal theyre not as woohoo as they sound (namewise)

i owned a usa jackson with a fullshred ad invader so i know

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Well what kinda tone are you after? If you can tell us what kind of sound you are after people can probably give you a more accurate suggestion.

Hey man, you seem to be in the exact same situation I am. I've been playing on an acoustic for a year and I just recently bought my first electric, a Jackson JS30 Kelly(same line as yours, just a Kelly shape). I also paid $300 for it new, and I also have the Jackson CVR2 humbuckers. I love it, I just wish the pickups were a bit better. The CVR2's aren't anything to write home about but they get the job done. Everything gets too muddy with lots of chords though...

I was considering the active EMG's as a replacement for the stock pickups, but I think I might go with a Dimarzio X2n and PAF Pro set instead, since they'll be less of a hassle and will probably be more versatile. Everyone sais that the X2N sounds better than the EMG 81, I'll have to hear some soundbytes before I'm convinced, but it looks like I'll probably go with the Dimarzio passive set because they will give me a more unique tone and they won't require a battery(so my body won't need modification).

Check out the sound samples at the EMG website, I'm trying to find some samples for the Dimarzio pickups.

EMG's are excellent but might be a bit too overpriced for me, and are probably not exactly what I'm looking for. You'd be paying $100 per pickup plus installation, while I'll only be paying like $120 for both Dimarzio pickupsm and no battery required either.

If you simply have to go with EMG's, get one EMG-81 for the bridge and see how you like it, then depending on the kind of stuff you like to play, get an 89 , 60, or 85 for the neck.

the fullshred is muddy cuz its in neck but origanly build as an bridge pu and i never experienced a invader being muddy. one of my guitars has an invader in bridge an it does its job very well not only for rock and blues but also for metal.
the only thing i would change is very low midrange. at least they are worth to be checked out... better than many high output pus.

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screw emgs dimarzio is what u need. its cheaper and better.

check out humbucker from hell and the classic evo

i may be one of the few, but i really like the sound of an 85 in the bridge. sounds freakin thik and chunky

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Yeah, where the hell can I find a sample of the x2n? I saw them at GC and they are about $30 or so cheaper than an 81. I didn't get one cause I haven't heard them before.

I have a Dimarzio Tone Zone and Steve Special. And honestly, my tone sounds alot different (in a good way) than alot of shit being recorded these days. I am tired of seeing everyone and their mother getting EMGs. Then again, they ARE good. But everyone is just starting to sound the same though.

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Anyone on here will tell you that the x2n and PAF Pro are probably Dimarzio's two greatest. I doubt you'll be able to get a sample of their sound (try Dimarzio's site though), but I had never heard the p/u I have before I purhcased them. But on recommendation, I got them. So I'm suggesting you buy them, if you are still interested. You won't be disappointed.



Too bad thats the ass opposite of where it should be.

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try it, it sounds good.

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ive come to the conclusion that EMG-HZ's sole purpose is to sell emg 81's and 85's since guitars that come with emgs are prewired so you can switch from emg pickups with no saudering.


hz's are meant to suck i think.

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