I've been playing guitar for around 3 years and I think it's time to invest into a decent one. I'm been looking around a lot and the Jackons were the ones that caught my eye the most.

My first big question is... is Jackon a reliable name? Can I trust them to deliver me a Guitar I will be satisfied with? (I play metal, but I want a guitar that can offer me at least a bit varitey if I want it)

The specific guitar im looking at is the Jackson DKMG dinky (http://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/...rtno=DKMG_Dinky). The main thing that caught my eye was the price (im on sort of a low bugjet) and the humbuckers.. EMG HZ

But I dont even know if they're worth it. I hear they're EMGs leading passive pickup... but are its competitiors any better? (seymour duncan etc) Another thing is, should I just consider upgrading to the active pickups? The idea of sticking batteries in my pickups doesn't sound appealing.. but is the different that much more noticable?

Another Thing Id like to know is: is there a LARGE difference between ebony and rosewood fingerboards? I notice all the more expensive guitars have ebony them.

Also, are Die Cast Tuners top quality? or can I get better. If I can get better, is it worth it?

lol, sorry for all the questions. I know Im new, but I can assure you im not gunna take the information and not give back to the community.

ps, ill probably have alot more questions in the furture but I need to know this information some how right?

sure, you can get variety, if you get nice pickups



yes, of course. I hear that EMG's passive pickups are crappy. But, you say you're on a budget, so you're not gonna be able to afford a guitar with high-quality pickups just yet. What you can do is get the guitar, then swap em out with better pickups of your choice later.
Also, you should know pickups are up to the opinion of the buyer. there's no universal awesome pickup. some people love active EMGs, and some people hate em.



here's an FAQ of emg active pickups:
http://www.emgpickups.com/faq.html

you're batteries should last at least a month, if you keep your guitar plugged in the whole time.

you don't stick the batteries IN the pickup, you stick em in the back of your guitar, where the wiring junk is.



no large difference, small difference in tone. expensive guitars have ebony, cause ebony is more expensive than rosewood, and some think it looks nicer.



i think they are, but i'm not really that sure. if you want, you can ask at projectguitar.ibforums.com , they surely know a lot about that 'cause they build guitars as a hobby

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Thx, I appreciate your help

I don't think you'd be too disappointed with a Jackson. If you're unsure, i toughing it out a little longer and waiting till you can buy a higher quality Jackson.

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I was thinking about that, but then I thought... Instead of getting a Higher Quality Jackson why just just get an ESP?

I dunno, I think esps are sick.. but that jackson soloist looks pretty damn tasty too.

Top of the line Soloist is my dream guitar.....just a mere mention of it makes me drool.

ESP's are pretty nice guitars though.......apparently they aren't made anymore though, it's only LTD's.

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wrong, ESP are the american made's. the other are from korea or something, and they suck. they got the LTD label on them.

the ESP's are american made, either custom or they're a signature model. real ESP's are expensive. LTD's aren't THAT expensive.

if you gotta choose between a Jackson (dkmg) or LTD. they're both from korea! but the Jackson has a better neck.

if you save up for an American Jackson however... you're out much cheaper then an american ESP, plus I prefer the Jackson....

I've heard from a friend who's big into guitars that ESP had stopped making ESP brand guitars...and by that of course i mean their regular models, i'm sure you can still get custom ESPs, but that's $$$...instead they've resorted to making the cheaper LTDs.

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have not heard that before. if so, shitty. i liked ESP's.

Get a stealth EX, that's what I have, and it's a fuckin' great guitar!!

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do the emg 81, 85 need batteries? i went to look it up at that site that atif posted but all the links from that page are dead for me.

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I believe the EMG 81, 85 do use a 9v battery, or 18v parrarel (longer battery life).
All EMG active pick-ups use batterys, i think.

Umm Esps are made in Japan. Not shit sweat shops, like custom shops in Japan. they are great guitars if you buy top of the line ($2500+). Micheal Ammot (Carcass, Arch Enemy) is going to have a signature model but only available in Japan.

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For anyone who's wondering:

Active = batteries

Passive = no batteries.

Both 81's and 85's are active pickups. Make sure to unplug your patch cord everytime you're done using your guitar or else it'll eat up the battery. A good brand 9V battery should last about 1000 hours.......so do the math, it's not bad.

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If the guitar is not madefor active bateries, how do I get space for the batery? Carv a hole in my guitar?

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Space shouldn't really be an issue. Jackson KE3s have some of the smallest electronics cavities I've seen, and it was no problem for me to get a battery in there. Maybe I could even put another one in there too. So if you've got a strat, or an rg (I'm not sure of it, but I think so), or even better, a les paul style guitar, you should be fine.
But yes, if there's not enough room, you're going to have to rout out some new cavity.

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Thanks!
I am actualy thinking of buying a Jackson KE3, but I think the pic ups are good enough. But I could like to upgrade later. I have a fat-strat, but I would like to have double humbuckers...

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you can also run 3 batterys wired in series to power it at 27 volts. but the difference between 27 and 18 is hardly noticable.

Yeah, I got a hold of the ESP 2003 product catalogue, and i saw that all the ESP models were gone, except for ones coming from the custom shop. Now they have these LTD deluxe models you can get that are pretty pricey, and probably pretty good, but it's not the same to me without the ESP logo.

Whatever, I prefer Gibsons anyway

I can't speak much to ESPs ... but I have 2 Jacksons right now. The RR3 (w/ Seymour Duncan Invaders and SH-4s) and a Jackson Kelly (w/EMG 81/85). I love the way that they feel and play. They are pretty light, the neck is nice and smooth, and they just feel good. Everyone is different I suppose, but there is no reason for you not to like the Jackson.

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If you going to go with a jackson go with the DK-2 reverse neck but if your getting an esp check out the jeff hanneman.

Nah, man I didnt say anything about Jacksons, in fact, I also love Jacksons. I own an RR3 as well, its great

Are Jacksons really lightweight?

The Jackson KE3 Kelly I have tried (a lot!) is not much heavyer, maybe lighter than my mexican Fat-strat. I have seen complains about the heavy KE3 in reviews, but it is no proplem for me...

I think I can say they are not to heavy at least...

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I have a Jackson SL-1 and my only complaint is the neck is to thin. I have very long skinny fingers. So thin necks are like grabbing onto a knife. I need something to fill out my palm. I really like the neck on my platnium BC Rich V.

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I tend to go for thinner necks.....but jacksons arent really light, in fact some of them are pretty heavy

Jacksons and ESPs are pretty sweet. They sound pretty good, they look cool, and they look like they'd be pretty comfortable to play. Kirk Hammett plays ESPs and Randy Rhoads played a Jackson. Those are the only people I can think of right now but good luck with your guitar.

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You should look on ebay. I just bought a DKMG for $429.99 brand new still in the box. There is another one on there to.