Jackson Performer Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

The Mahogany body and maple neck through construction is enough for the price alone. On top of that you get Duncan Designed HB 103's which are some of the best passive pickups on the market. Next you get gold floyd rose hardware on a beautifully finished guitar. The binding and craftsmanship were excellent. All I had to do was ser the intonation. The tuners are fine except a little tight on a couple of them. Other than that, it is a flawless instrument. The only thing I might upgrade are the zinc alloy string blocks on the fr bridge but I like the way they sound for now. Just not sure if they will strip later on as zinc is a softer metal. The feel, tone and sustain is exceptional. This guitar produces the most brutal tones and I would put it up against a USA made model any day. Being made in Indonesia did not hurt the quality one bit. This guitar is a monster and my favorite 6 string.ZerovoreZ

This is a great guitar, overall, especially for the price. I replaced the pickups with Seymour Duncans, as I am partial to them…but the stock pickups are really pretty good. I will say that I was very disappointed, when I changed the pickups, to find that I had to replace the locking nut, as one of the bolt holes was stripped and I could not lock the E & A strings down. Thanks be to God, I have several extra ones on hand…but most people don't… But, having replaced the nut, and given the frets a light sanding and polish, and oiled the neck…this guitar looks and plays great! As well as any high end guitar… I also love the Jackson Floyd Rose bridges. They are great quality, and they do everything that an expensive tremolo bridge does. The bar fits tightly, it always floats right back in tune, no matter how hard you abuse it…you can do flutters, dive bombs, etc…a very good bridge in my opinion. I highly recommend this guitar for anyone who is looking for a versatile guitar (but mostly metal), and doesn't want to spend $800 on a pro series. This baby will do the job every bit as well, with a bit of TLC and the gift from God to play. Seriously.disciple7777

I bought this guitar as a mod platform. As such, some of its stock faults, while present, simply don't matter. Top to bottom: Tuners suck, swapped them within hours. Nut is plastic, will replace with my first GraphTech nut. Neck is very thin, very nice. Frets are a mixed bag, as they may need very little leveling or polishing, but the fret ends are the sharpest I've ever seen! Pickups sound surprisingly good, though I'm only barely tempted to keep them. Bridge is maybe okay, swapped it first thing. I should mention that the stock bridge was decked. This is no problem with an old campaigner like me, but a beginner would have frustrating problems with it. This is my first guitar with a conical ("compound") fretboard radius! Never knew it could feel this good! If you're buying one for a rank beginner, either set aside money for a good setup or find your newb some good lessons in maintenance on YouTube.Edwin

Great guitar for under $200 , got this for reduced price because of very faint blemish on the back of the body. This is my second Jackson , also have the Rhoads JS32 V. Been wanting this one for a while , it sounds and plays great. The tuners are fine and I lowered the action to my liking and have no fret buzz , none on my other Jackson either. These are solid guitars and build is great for the price , they're comfortable to play especially with the thin necks. They come pretty well set-up right out of the box unlike others in the same price range , the JS22 is right up there with some of my more expensive guitars , great tone and sustain. I play for a hobby and have several guitars and this is up there with my Schecter and Ibanez , this is a great guitar for a beginner or experienced player and also a nice addition to your collection. I've bought other guitars in this price range that were a mess and needed a complete set-up , for the price you can't go wrong with Jackson!Mike G.

Overall: This guitar is a real sleeper. The neck is just so nice to play really amazing and it balances really well. I have two of them when I get them I just rip out the electronics and put all new stuff. They play great out of the box though and you could use to pick up some electronics that are in them until you decide to get better stuff. The fundamentals of the guitar are almost perfect something about the angled headstock make it so the strings have just the right amount of tension on them and it plays great. The downside of this is that it doesn't come back into tune as well as a strat style headstock but since I don't use the tremolo much or even at all sometimes this doesn't bother me. I love the caramelized Maple neck it has a great feel to it the other one I have is rosewood and it's also awesome.John

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

I bought this guitar because I wanted a new toy and because of the price – I figured I didn't have much to lose. I have three other guitars, two of them Jackson, that I play frequently, and I always wanted a guitar of this style. The natural finish is attractive and unusual. I like that. The pickups are ok, but the electronics leave a lot to be desired. The fingerboard craftsmanship is lacking attention, at least on the one I received. There are unfinished areas and one of the inlays is missing a small section. I don't know what strings they send over to China to put on this thing, but they are complete garbage. Putting some new strings on improved things a lot. This also suffers from some fret buzz. The guitar comes setup pretty well. The intonation seems to be spot on and the truss rod is adjusted properly. Action is set surprisingly well, considering the price of the guitar. However, as I mentioned above, this results in some fret buzz. I'll work with that a bit later. The neck has the same feel and playability as my higher-end Jacksons, so that's a plus. Overall, I don't think you could go wrong with this in the low price range. I'd recommend inspecting the guitar closely upon receipt to double check quality control. I wouldn't recommend this as a first guitar, unless an experienced guitarist is available to inspect. It's also not a guitar that's easy to sit and play, which is something to consider. If you get a good one and it's setup properly, this is an excellent guitar for ripping out some metal riffs or just having fun. Just don't take it too seriously.Matt

I received my guitar about three days ago, and overall I am very happy with my purchase. The guitar looks awesome – I love the wood finish with gold hardware, and have received many compliments on the instrument's overall appearance. It is incredibly light, weighing in at just about 7 pounds, making it the lightest guitar I have ever owned. I love the feel of Jackson necks, and this guitar is no exception. It has a fast action that makes speedy riffs a breeze to play. Access to the higher portion of the fret board is incredible, thanks to the V body shape. This is my first Flying V guitar, and I will definitely need to get used to handling the unique body shape as I play. Now for a couple cons that made me drop my rating from 5 to 4 stars: this guitar is top heavy. I have never owned a top-heavy guitar before, and it is super inconvenient to play standing up. You have to put in a constant effort to keep the guitar level as you play. I personally like to play with my guitar at a 45-degree upwards angle, which is much more difficult to do on this guitar then on any of my other well-balanced instruments. While the natural wood body looks awesome, it feels as if it would be easy to damage. But as long as you're careful you shouldn't run into any issues. I ordered this guitar online, and was not happy with the experience Guitar Center delivered. It said that the instrument was in stock and ready to ship, but after three days I still hadn't received a shipping confirmation in my email. I reached out to customer support and found out that the guitar was actually not in stock and I would have to wait three additional weeks before my guitar would ship. That was a bummer. All in all I would recommend this guitar, and am happy I added it to my collection!Darin

My fiance purchased this guitar for me as a early Christmas gift around october 2019. After the usual string change adjustments and tuning it sounded great and played great. Only real issue is neck dive but with this body shape you expect it and can be corrected by moving the strap button placement to the back plate or near by depending on your choice i left it and rest the top horn inside my leg like you see dimebag with his ml and many others with the v shape and non traditional shapes like the warriors king Vs and so on. I personally love the Rhoads shape and the natural finish. Other than some minor changes and upgrades knobs Tusq Nut Locking tuners and a Seymour Duncan bridge pickup upgrade and a good setup this guitar is my daily player out of the 6 i own its become my favorite im looking to buy another honestlychuck thomas

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

This guitar is a blast to play. The finish is nice and the fretwork was perfect. The only issue I had was with the tremolo not holding tune when I did extreme pulls and dives. (Not uncommon with this particular model Floyd Rose.) After installing a stop, extra spring, and restringing, it now stays in tune now matter how far I dive bomb. I also have a US made Jackson RR1, and this guitar compliments it nicely. It's a blast to play – you just have to be careful with that point sticking out in the back! 😉Tom

Let's face it. You're looking at this guitar because you want a flashy guitar and you want to rip it on the neck. Well, if that IS the case, you came to the right place. This is honestly one of the best guitars I've ever touched let alone owned. The neck is unbelievably fast and the action is perfect. The frets are almost silky smooth and is incredibly comfortable to move around on. The Seymour Duncans scream and will hold notes forever if you are able to. The bottom of the neck is also surprisingly easy to access for a V shaped guitar. It almost feels like theres no difference from reaching the bottoms frets than it is the higher frets. To cut to the chase, if you want to shred and have a comfortable guitar, this is for you.Salem Galaxy

I've had my RRX24 for about a month. I own other high end guitars and I have owned a few USA Jacksons in the past. I selected the gloss black finish with black inlays. The color combination is great for me. Jackson even includes a dark gray logo to complement the theme. The only visual drawback for me is the rather light colored rosewood fretboard. I dyed mine darker so problem solved. The neck on the RRX24 features graphite reinforcement which, at least in my case, makes the neck feel very rigid and it responds quickly to truss rod adjustments. The fret work is quite good; there were no sharp ends and I only did a very light fret level job to it. I level the frets on most every guitar I get because most all of them need it-even the USA built ones. There is binding on the neck but it's black so you really can't see it in photos but it's a nice touch. The balance of the guitar is perfect-it will not neck dive. The Duncan blackouts are hot and full of low end thunder. Love 'em. Great choice for a RR guitar as they can sound thin sometimes. The Floyd Rose Special bridge is not bad. Do be aware that the saddles may not last on the Special as they are cast zinc as opposed to the hardened steel found on the 1000 series or original Floyd's. I will probably change those out in the future. The tuners are standard Jackson branded and they work fine. You'll be locking the nut anyway. Overall, I love the guitar. It's very comfortable especially when standing up. It sounds great and looks killer. It feels like a quality instrument. I'd have no issues playing live or recording with it.T. Clyatt

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

Overall: First the guitar is very nice for the price. The neck is fantastic feels unfinished (sealed) but is actually a satin sealer on neck and unsealed board, which should age nicely. The frets are finished nicely and it's just smooth to play. The size of the neck is somewhere between an Ibanez (wizard II & III) and a Fender Strat. I think it feels better than an LTD EC 1001, probably due to no paint and compound radius.The guitar is heavier than expected but still a light guitar, it's not a thin body as some strat style guitars are. The guard is simple black but fitted nicely. The pickups aren't bad at all, personally the single coils sound mid and bass heavy, while the humbucker is more mid to bright. All in all compared to a Fender, the guitar is darker sounding, it's not bad but something I noticed.The single coils are definitely weaker (quieter) than the humbucker and not as crisp as ones in a strat. The humbucker is hot but not extremely so, I actually like it better than the ones in a comparable strat (MIM or older AM special).There are flaws though or at least in mine. First minor sanding flaw with 17th marker, smeared on board some. There's a chip in the paint on the top side of the pocket, looks like a small line about a 1/4" long. I also have some feathered pieces on the guard, where it was cut from the sheet of plastic it was made from. These are all minor things and you really have to go over the guitar to notice. It is something I expect at this price on an import guitar, just small QC stuff.Now to the major problems. The action was way high at the bridge when I received it, just under a 1/2" from top of body to bottom of the tremelo. Looking to figure out how low I could go, I noticed the neck was sitting at an angle and there was a gap in the neck pock.I removed the neck to find a shim had been placed in it. Now if this guitar wasn't heel adjust I would have just sent it back and never known but since you have to remove the neck for adjustment, figured why not. After removing shim I was able to get the bridge down to 1/8" off the body, you'll never be able to fully deck it. I also had to adjust string tension at the head to keep the lockers from turning strings sharp, not a huge deal, that's what it's there for.The newer models also don't match the picture. there is no longer a bullet plug on the head stock (where rod usually is on a strat). There is also no longer a skunk stripe on the back of the neck either. I am assuming these are cost cutting measures.The QC is an issue on these guitars I imagine, that's the biggest flaw. They are on par with most any $500 guitar, except the neck. The neck is leaps and bounds above others in my opinion. I put the guitar on the same level as a MIM strat.In the end I think it's a keeper and a decent guitar. I'd just suggest really looking over it when buying and be ready to do a little work or pay a good tech to set it up, which is common in this price range. Don't let it having a shim scare you off, it's probably rare anyways. I figure it was done as a fast way to set it up with a low board action to give people the ability to have a push pull trem, I prefer dive only or just enough for flutter. Just remember at $500, they aren't spending hours to set up a guitar, they'd never get enough out the door. I listed manufacturer support at 2 1/2 stars as I haven't used it but even if they are great I shouldn't have to need them (if they did what they should in the first place) so half way seems fair.Waylon

I have been playing guitar for over 50 years and have enjoyed the work of Adrian Smith in Iron Maiden and especially the work he did on the Bruce Dickenson solo albums. I was in the market for a high quality bolt on guitar with a Floyd Rose and ebony fingerboard and this guitar comes with a DiMarzio Super Distortion pickup which I used to have on one of my old Jacksons, I feel this is an great high gain pickup. This guitar has an excellent build quality that you would expect from a USA made Jackson. The guitar has a nice feel but the tone is so satisfying especially for high gain solos, the notes seem to have a fuller sound compared to some of my other high end guitars (Ibanez J. Custom, ESP E-II and Kiesel JB24), it's a very satisfying guitar to play. Please note that there are two similar models here, evidently this is the new model and the only difference in the description is that this is the snow white model and it's a few hundred dollars more than the other Adrian Smith San Dimas USA model. I had bought the other model first because I couldn't see any difference in the description but when I got it I needed to adjust the truss rod and that's when I found out that in order to adjust the truss rod on the cheaper model you have to remove the neck, I mean seriously? After I called Guitar Center and their tech confirmed that information I called Guitar Center and they gladly processed the return and got me the proper model in couple days no problem. Just be sure that you are getting the model that is snow white and look closely at the picture to see it has the spoke wheel adjustment for the truss rod but yeah the Adrian Smith San Dimas USA Snow White guitar sounds awesome!Mark G

This guitar is a very good value for it's cost. I really like the neck, as it's finish is really good for a guitar in this price range. Frets are smooth and the ends were done nicely, no snags on the fingers. The Floyd Rose Special holds tune nicely. I made some minor adjustments in string action and trem height to get really low action. The pick ups sound great coming through my Marshall DSL 20 Head and Cab.I really like the Fender style headstock with the black hardware. Overall it's an amazing guitar for the price. I am a musician of 35+ years and have owned many, many guitars over the years. I purchased this for my 15 year old son as it was an upgrade from his first guitar, a Squire HSS Strat. He loves the instrument. There are reviews where there's mention of the 1st E coming off the fretboard during play, I or my Son have had no issues with this. Maybe it's a technique thing.. Best of wishes to all you shredders!!Old Guy In The Midwest.

I would suggest both the JS34Q (this purchase) and the similarly priced and same model series JS32QM for, in my judgement, an all around reliable and capable instrument at a moderate to economical price. The pick up configuration is the only difference between these two models. The price is about the same as well. I've had and used my Jackson JS32QM for about a year now. It stays in tune (I use the tremolo a lot) and has never failed me. But I was seeking a backup. That is why I purchased this Jackson JS34Q (here). So I expect to have the same experience with the new JS34Q as it physically is the same build as my JS32QM. So far I've had no issues, plus I think the JS34Q was already set up. I am absolutely not saying that generally any guitar brand comes set up new. It is no big deal anyway to set up a guitar. For me Floyd Rose guitars are the easiest to set up due to access and hex tools. Hard tails often have easy to damage little slot things, hard to get to and length limited range. Beginners take note. I have a hard tail Jackson Kelli too. It plays a lot like a mix of my SG and my '58 LPJr., which means great bends and chording. So therefore I can say I've had all types of guitars over the last 45 years and with all the past experience I'm a dedicated Jackson user now. So I can unreservedly suggest a Jackson, at least those I mentioned. I was expecting this new Jackson JS34Q to pretty much be a close twin to my current JS32QM, but was pleasantly surprised to find the difference in sound and play feel with just a different pickup configuration and maple neck. Both guitars have humbuckers in bridge position, but they sound totally different. I'm thinking maybe it is the maple neck? Anyway, it is a good thing, now I get that Hendrix-Trower-SRV-on sound. The Floyd Rose licensed tremolo systems are a treasure, to me anyway. Beginners take note again.Cryton Havoc

Got to GC to return something and already have enough guitars and am actually selling some to make room. Well, I don't have a purple or a Jackson, and I love the HSS configuration and had a Fishman set I wanted to try, so I grebes this guitar off the wall to test it out. I'm not an import guitar snob, so I don't judge Chinese guitars harshly unless there are QC issues. I had played the red and the blue colors of this model around Thanksgiving and literally cut my hand to bleeding because I didn't check the fret ends before playing the guitars. Well needless to say, this purple one's fret job had no razor ends and was built incredibly well with a tight finish. Stock pickups are very solid, though an aftermarket upgrade is always the way to go for more articulation. I'm partial to actives now, but I think I might swap it's Fishman's I installed with my Banshee's DMZ Protrack, Alumitone, Andy Timmons AT-1 Bridge. I love the Schecter also for its Thick D neck and larger radius, but this Jackson just has this awesome bright, yet not harsh tone that comes off the strings and the neck is extremely playable. I can't say enough good things about this guitar and I'm hoping to score a mid-tier Jackson now as they belong right up there with Schecter and ESP as far as brands I can expect a consistently playable guitar, no matter the price range. Make sure to check the frets first, but play one of these next time in the store. I guarantee that if the frets are clean, this sexy beast is coming home with you.BlackwatchMei

I'm very impressed with this guitar for the price. Out of the box, the action was quite low and the intonation was almost perfect. There's no buzzing anywhere on the fretboard. The fit and finish on my guitar was flawless, even in usual problem areas like around the tremolo and pickups. Playability is excellent with one exception: when bending strings, it feels like the frets are sandpaper. Oddly, they feel perfectly smooth to the touch. This has already improved somewhat after an hour of playing, and I suspect they'll smooth out with use. This is very subjective, but through an amp it doesn't sound as good as my other electrics. I can't quite put my finger on it, it just falls flat. Not too surprising given that these are inexpensive pickups. Or maybe it's simply different than what I'm used to. Your mileage may vary. As with any three-pickup guitar, the middle single coil falls right in the way of my pick when palm muting. Again, your mileage may vary. All things considered, this is an exceptional value and would be great for any beginning or intermediate player. I suspect examples can vary widely depending on who assembled them and did the final setup, and I'm sure there are some lemons out there as evidenced by some other reviews, but mine is excellent.Ross

SUPERB guitar. It may be "entry level" but it's so well put together. Nothing about this feels cheap. Excellent finish to everything, no rough fret edges, no blemishes or chips in the finish, nice smooth neck, arrived with great low action, just needed a tune and it was ready to go. The V shape is SOOO comfortable to hold and play and come on, it LOOKS sick af. Sounds fantastic too, nice clean tone, meaty chug with distortion through my Katana and even my Fly 3 practice amp. What's really great about this guitar though is it makes you excited to pick it up and play it. It's an 80's shred beast all for under 300.MARK

Wanted to check out a flying V and a Floyd Rose on the cheap. The B-stock model was 2/3rd the cost. Took about an hour to set up. It ships with the strings loosened and that's a good thing. A few swipes on two or three fret ends and getting used to tuning and intonating the Floyd Rose was all it took to turn this into a growler. The strings themselves aren't bad, I replaced them a few weeks later once I learned the process of tuning it. Another thing to know if you practice while seated: Flying V shapes aren't easily playable sitting down without a strap. The frets are jumbos and I prefer them for bends without the Floyd Rose. While some will not like the pickups, they are hot and throaty enough for me. The rest of the guitar is superb quality for the price. I'm still trying to figure out why this is B-stock. I didn't even have to adjust the truss rod which is shocking at this price range.Cujo

I've wanted a guitar in this style but since I'm not a pro. using it to make a living I didn't mind it's price even though it cost more than the highly popular Air Guitar. I just love metal of most styles since I 1st heard Black Sabbath Paranoid followed by Uriah Heep when it just started selling in Canada anyway over 50 years ago. All great music whether it was British or American & now world wide. I can't check off the pickup question cause I had no amplifier at the time.zx12rgsxr

Sounds amazing and easy to play once you get use to it ,,, love it . Very beautiful and was very happy with packing and shipping it here .. 100 %roarne_0

All in all, this is a great guitar. It buzzed a little when I first picked it up, but this is easily fixable. The neck feels great, I don't have to reach too much around it, the guitar aesthetics wise looks amazing. the special floyd rose doesn't give me any issues, and the locking nuts keep it in tune fairly well. It has some pretty cool features like the kill switch. It's an amazing guitar besides a couple problems I have for how much it costs. The pickups are a little soft, and if you're into death metal and things like that, these pickups aren't the best for it. They are good, but there are better out there. Second, I'm not a fan of how there aren't any inlays on it, but there are inlays on the side of the neck. If I had to rate this guitar out of 10, I would give it an 8/10. Pickups could've been better given the price. But it's a great guitar and if you have the money, I would invest in it. I would put it up there with Ibanez's higher end guitars.Josh

I have 12 guitars in my collection & 9 of them being Jackson guitars. The Chris Broderick soloist is the best guitar I have no doubt about it. This thing can take a lick and keep ticking & still be in tune. Trust me buy one you will be happy you did.Rick

I picked up my Kelly a few years ago. It came with a Bengal tiger finish. Not only is the paint job totally killer, but this is everything a Jackson Kelly is cracked up to be. Killer neck, playability, thick sound, fast neck, no problems staying in tune, The neck is fast and comfortable. Yes it is expensive, yes you are going to have to wait, yes are going to have second thoughts plunking down all the money when you can buy guitars for much cheaper. After you unbox and play it, you will not have any regrets. Period.Jay

Overall: I'm kinda bias on this one.. since I started playing when I was a teenager I always looked up to this guitar. The one guitar shop in town was loaded with Jackson and metal guitars. So I always wanted one. Thanks to zZounds they made it possible for me to get one. I love the way everything feels on this guitar. Now I'm no artist or anything just a below amateur trying to get back into it..Chase

I own a quite a few guitars. This Jackson Kelly has quickly became my favorite to play. I really like the feel of maple fret boards. That has been hard to find in a Jackson Kelly. I was excited when I first seen this guitar. And it did not disappoint. It is the best playing guitar that I own, and it looks great as well. I would buy another if it was offered in a different color with the maple fret board.Matt

It has a cool design and plays pretty smooth (after setting it up myself.) The main issue I have with this guitar its particularly at the 1st fret high E. When playing I keep slamming my finger into the sharp corner of the bone nut. That is really the kicker of it all. The pick ups are pretty good and have a pretty balanced sound that let you play clean cleans and dirty articulated lows. Holds tune pretty well. The feel of the neck is pretty smooth and doesn't feel like a 2×4 with strings on it..3-alch3mist-3

I've played a six string for 22 years and this is my first foray into the world of seven string guitars. I was a little intimidated thinking it would feel completely alien to me. I was also worried about the multiscale neck, for not having ever played one before. Taking all of that into consideration, this guitar feels fantastic. The tone is excellent and it feels great in my hands. I was able to learn a lot of new songs in no time. I would recommend this guitar to anyone thinking about switching over to a seven string.JOHN

Overall: This guitar is ideal for tunning under drop A, I play it in drop G and it is just made for great range. You can chug all day and solo like a shredder on the top. The tension on all the strings is great. You will need to get it set up so if you can do set ups yourself that is great, will not take long at all. The rail pickups are new to me but they cut the muddy freqs quite well! they are hot and clear. The pictures also do not do this guitar justice! In person the fretboard looks amazing and the finish is a nice dark red. Its a metal machine and the rounding of the neck joint is very nice to have!Vaughn

Guitar has an incredible finish that feels amazing the guitar is lightweight so it is great for shows, the neck through design along with the solid bridge makes it sustain for days even on high notes the dynamics really come through with the pickups on this guitar my pinch harmonics sound better than ever. It feels like this guitar is a higher priced piece but it comes in at an affordable price. 9/10 because the volume knob is a bit easy to turn and really close to the strumming area i tend to hit it more than i should.Cookie

Stunning looking guitar and was a bit on the fence with it as the price was cheap but having played it I wasn’t disappointed sounds amazingNeil R.

Overall: First the guitar is very nice for the price. The neck is fantastic feels unfinished (sealed) but is actually a satin sealer on neck and unsealed board, which should age nicely. The frets are finished nicely and it's just smooth to play. The size of the neck is somewhere between an Ibanez (wizard II & III) and a Fender Strat. I think it feels better than an LTD EC 1001, probably due to no paint and compound radius.The guitar is heavier than expected but still a light guitar, it's not a thin body as some strat style guitars are. The guard is simple black but fitted nicely. The pickups aren't bad at all, personally the single coils sound mid and bass heavy, while the humbucker is more mid to bright. All in all compared to a Fender, the guitar is darker sounding, it's not bad but something I noticed.The single coils are definitely weaker (quieter) than the humbucker and not as crisp as ones in a strat. The humbucker is hot but not extremely so, I actually like it better than the ones in a comparable strat (MIM or older AM special).There are flaws though or at least in mine. First minor sanding flaw with 17th marker, smeared on board some. There's a chip in the paint on the top side of the pocket, looks like a small line about a 1/4" long. I also have some feathered pieces on the guard, where it was cut from the sheet of plastic it was made from. These are all minor things and you really have to go over the guitar to notice. It is something I expect at this price on an import guitar, just small QC stuff.Now to the major problems. The action was way high at the bridge when I received it, just under a 1/2" from top of body to bottom of the tremelo. Looking to figure out how low I could go, I noticed the neck was sitting at an angle and there was a gap in the neck pock.I removed the neck to find a shim had been placed in it. Now if this guitar wasn't heel adjust I would have just sent it back and never known but since you have to remove the neck for adjustment, figured why not. After removing shim I was able to get the bridge down to 1/8" off the body, you'll never be able to fully deck it. I also had to adjust string tension at the head to keep the lockers from turning strings sharp, not a huge deal, that's what it's there for.The newer models also don't match the picture. there is no longer a bullet plug on the head stock (where rod usually is on a strat). There is also no longer a skunk stripe on the back of the neck either. I am assuming these are cost cutting measures.The QC is an issue on these guitars I imagine, that's the biggest flaw. They are on par with most any $500 guitar, except the neck. The neck is leaps and bounds above others in my opinion. I put the guitar on the same level as a MIM strat.In the end I think it's a keeper and a decent guitar. I'd just suggest really looking over it when buying and be ready to do a little work or pay a good tech to set it up, which is common in this price range. Don't let it having a shim scare you off, it's probably rare anyways. I figure it was done as a fast way to set it up with a low board action to give people the ability to have a push pull trem, I prefer dive only or just enough for flutter. Just remember at $500, they aren't spending hours to set up a guitar, they'd never get enough out the door. I listed manufacturer support at 2 1/2 stars as I haven't used it but even if they are great I shouldn't have to need them (if they did what they should in the first place) so half way seems fair.Waylon

Wonderful action. If you’ve not used Floyd Rose before a little learning is required. Superb sound, fun, great looking and wonderful guitar for any collection. An absolute keeper. Had to wait a little while for it to be in stock, but PMT kept me updated about this.benjamin a.

As a long time Iron Maiden fan, I always wanted to try out Adrian's signature guitar, a couple of years ago I purchased the Dave Murray fender signature and I have been very happy with it. I haven't tried the USA version so I can't compare, but I couldn't find any significant flaws on the craftsmanship of the Indonesian version. When I first played it out of the box, felt the edges of a couple of frets a little rough, but somehow it disappeared after a couple of weeks. I immediately replace the pickups with the fenders SCN and the Seymour Duncan JB TB4(To make it closer to the USA model) it wasn't easy to find the fenders SCN, actually I could only find the ones with the aged white covers(actually they don't look bad, I would replace the covers if I can ever find them black ones, these are not standard single coils), pickup selector switch, pots and strings, since I read that the single coils stock pickups sucked but the HB was good. I don't think I played the guitar more than a couple of minutes with the stock pickups. I can't find any difference between the original Floyd and the special, (my fender Dave Murray has original Floyd) this guitar stays in tune, the fretboard and neck feel great, and I am digging the tone of the fender SCNs and SDuncan JB on this guitar. Like I said I haven't tried the USA version, but I can't afford it either, and I am really happy with this so far and in the end that is what matters, this guitar looks, plays and sounds great.Carlos T

Excellent guitar, out of thenbox plays well. It sounds great, the pickups have a nice clarity even on dirty tones. Value wise, I think you could get a cheaper jackson and still get the same quality, maybe not the evertune bridge which bumped the price up on this one though. There were a couple of tiny factory marks on the guitar out of the box, a very small mark on the headstock, a very small dent in the edge of the fretboard on one of the higber frets and on the uper side of the nexk, one of the fret edges isnt as well filled as the rest. None of which affects playabiltiy or aound. However for the price, i would have expexted it in pristine condition. Im still happy with it as those marks are barely viaible and dont affect function.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I got my 2019/20 Misha Pro HT6 in the Matte Frost Blue in the mail today. The GC packing was pretty poor, the jackson packing was sketchy but it arrived in one piece with no damage or world ending flaws. The only issue I had was changing the strings the nut popped off, but I glued it back on with some wood glue and all is well. The fret work is good, no sharp edges so no complaints. The finish feels and looks amazing as does the neck profile, flat but a litte rounded, kind of like a LTD neck, just a hair fatter. String alinement is good. Pickups sound good and no issues with the input jack. The roasted maple neck is really nice and comfy. Jackson tuning machines hold well and have better grip on the screws than some of my name brand ones. Comes with Dunlop strap locks.Tyler

Listen to the other 1 star review about this product. This thing should cost $400 brand new MAX. The pickups were one of the worst attributes. They felt and sounded like they were made out of plastic. The "locking" tuners screwed down to secure the strings but did very little to increase tuning stability. I've played much cheaper guitars for $200 and below that have stayed in tune and sounded much better. I guess this is Misha's attempt in taking advantage of newbie djent hopefuls that think by buying this guitar they will be able to recreate his tone. This product will frustrate you if you're looking for a decent guitar. If you're looking for Misha Mansoor replica memorabilia to hang on your wall, this is for you. I took mine back to the store.Mark

Love this guitar!!!!I was looking at guitars in a higher price range and struggling to find exactly what I wanted….hardtail, simple looks, black hardware, satin bare neck, and really visible fret markers! ( I use these a lot!) and then I saw this. It ticked ALL my boxes, except the pickups weren't as high end as the pricer models, however I decided i could always upgrade if I liked how it felt, but not the sound! But I think it sounds great, & this feels just as good to play as some of the higher spec models I tried. I am super glad with my choice to spend less, as this guitar looks, feels and sounds excellent.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

In 2003 I bought a brand new MIJ Jackson DXMG Black. I loved that guitar, super well made, great value, etc. But the volume knob was right under the bridge pickup so I ended up not using it that much and eventually selling it. I have many guitars in my collection, several are high ones, modern and vintage Charvels and some are cool 80's and 90's vintage ones, but always missed my DXMG. A few weeks ago I saw this beautiful Cobalt guitar with hot pink pickups and I had to give it a try. This guitar is really well made! Solid and light body, perfect paint job, and a fantastic neck. The unfinished neck has rolled edges from the factory and no binding. The frets are shiny and well set, no sharp edges. The volume knob is where it should be!!! And those ceramic humbuckers really roar, by the way, the HH is my favorite configuration. This guitar wants to be play hard and fast. The heel access allows you to easily reach the highest frets. The heel itself is rounded and very comfortable. This is a Metal guitar that loves high gain amps and distortion, if you are looking for a very clean pristine sound, maybe this is not for you or you'll need to get different pickups, but if your think is fast picking, heavy distortion, palm mutting and abusing a Floyd Rose trem, this guitarbis for you.Mario