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STRINGS!
So I finally pulled the trigger on this one... I've been eyeing the Warrior shape for a long time now and never had a 7-string. At first I was hesitant, because having someone else's name on my guitar is not my cup of tea, but thankfully it is only present on the truss rod cover. That, and that awesome looking ash top, the shape and the Jackson fanboy in me made me do it...
First the good:
- the top is simply gorgeous to my eyes. Depending on the lighting, it goes from grey to reddish brown
- I kinda like that they omitted the bevels - it is in line with the raw, natural look of the whole thing
- I also like the piranha- or whatever they call it- inlays. The classic sharkfin looks out of place on the wider 7 string fretboards and also the small inlays mean more wood, less "mother of toilet seat"
- the DiMarzio Imperiums (or as my friend likes to call them: DiCaprios) kick major ass. They are every bit as good as advertised. No point in writing more about them, look up some videos of Dave Davidson demoing them, everthing he says is true about them. Only complaint is that the black plastic bobbins look kinda cheap with some plastic burrs on the edges
- the neck... Well that is one of the best neck I have ever grabbed. Somehow they managed to find a perfect compromise between the width of the seven string and the profile of the back of the neck. I was first a bit afraid how I would reach over the whole thing, but it needs less effort than my Dinky, especially around the heel.
- left the low B at 1,75 mm, high e around 1,2 mm, relief somewhere between 0,2-0,25 mm and surprisingly no buzz through the amp... The low B flaps around a bit acoustically, but the factory set is 09-54, so not surprised.
Now the bad... The QC, or rather the lack of it, is really disheartening...I was expecting the need to polish the frets, but wasnt expecting the half assed crowning and toolmarks at the upper frets. I guess the guy ran out of time dedicated to one guitar or just got plain bored at around the 17th fret...
Head, neck and body are bound in black, albeit with small imperfections. No big deal really but it is the part of the truth.
Also, the locking nut had a small burr which prevented the high E from sitting properly int he „V” and produced a slight sitar-like ringing. Tuning machines are kinda wonky, but doesn’t disturb much given the locking nut. Most probably I will change those for open gear Hipshots anyways, that way getting rid of the cheap Jackson branded ones and at the same time putting my mark on the guitar, as I like to do with all my axes I have (Hollow Points, different pickups rings, different pickups etc.).
Altogether I love the thing, feels really solid, comfortable to play and growls like a beast, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone uncomfortable with putting the finishing touches on a guitar. But after a good setup, fret polishing and the removal of the fine burr no the nut, it became a great instrument. Sad, but true. 1000-1500 USD won’t get a perfect instrument, period. That being said, I still don’t feel the price of USA/Custom Shop Jacksons justified, But I won’t be throwing cash at them like this either. Will rather get what I want used for half the price. Getting a used instrument to top form is way more rewarding that doing the same with a rather expensive new one..
Here is Frater Fraxinus for you to behold:
So I finally pulled the trigger on this one... I've been eyeing the Warrior shape for a long time now and never had a 7-string. At first I was hesitant, because having someone else's name on my guitar is not my cup of tea, but thankfully it is only present on the truss rod cover. That, and that awesome looking ash top, the shape and the Jackson fanboy in me made me do it...
First the good:
- the top is simply gorgeous to my eyes. Depending on the lighting, it goes from grey to reddish brown
- I kinda like that they omitted the bevels - it is in line with the raw, natural look of the whole thing
- I also like the piranha- or whatever they call it- inlays. The classic sharkfin looks out of place on the wider 7 string fretboards and also the small inlays mean more wood, less "mother of toilet seat"
- the DiMarzio Imperiums (or as my friend likes to call them: DiCaprios) kick major ass. They are every bit as good as advertised. No point in writing more about them, look up some videos of Dave Davidson demoing them, everthing he says is true about them. Only complaint is that the black plastic bobbins look kinda cheap with some plastic burrs on the edges
- the neck... Well that is one of the best neck I have ever grabbed. Somehow they managed to find a perfect compromise between the width of the seven string and the profile of the back of the neck. I was first a bit afraid how I would reach over the whole thing, but it needs less effort than my Dinky, especially around the heel.
- left the low B at 1,75 mm, high e around 1,2 mm, relief somewhere between 0,2-0,25 mm and surprisingly no buzz through the amp... The low B flaps around a bit acoustically, but the factory set is 09-54, so not surprised.
Now the bad... The QC, or rather the lack of it, is really disheartening...I was expecting the need to polish the frets, but wasnt expecting the half assed crowning and toolmarks at the upper frets. I guess the guy ran out of time dedicated to one guitar or just got plain bored at around the 17th fret...
Head, neck and body are bound in black, albeit with small imperfections. No big deal really but it is the part of the truth.
Also, the locking nut had a small burr which prevented the high E from sitting properly int he „V” and produced a slight sitar-like ringing. Tuning machines are kinda wonky, but doesn’t disturb much given the locking nut. Most probably I will change those for open gear Hipshots anyways, that way getting rid of the cheap Jackson branded ones and at the same time putting my mark on the guitar, as I like to do with all my axes I have (Hollow Points, different pickups rings, different pickups etc.).
Altogether I love the thing, feels really solid, comfortable to play and growls like a beast, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone uncomfortable with putting the finishing touches on a guitar. But after a good setup, fret polishing and the removal of the fine burr no the nut, it became a great instrument. Sad, but true. 1000-1500 USD won’t get a perfect instrument, period. That being said, I still don’t feel the price of USA/Custom Shop Jacksons justified, But I won’t be throwing cash at them like this either. Will rather get what I want used for half the price. Getting a used instrument to top form is way more rewarding that doing the same with a rather expensive new one..
Here is Frater Fraxinus for you to behold:
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