NPD: Winter is here!

nexion218

New member
Finally. :)

And so is my white Black Winter set. I've always read good reviews and heard stellar demos, but what initiated the GAS was that I went into a music store where my guitar teacher and friend works and there they had an X series Soloist in taxi yellow. Despite the atrocious quality control of the X Series, the things was a joy to my hands, very comfortable and it just mesmerized the Jackson fanboy in me. Not enough though to pay it's new asking price and that color was disgusting anyways. :) So I went on a hunt for a used one and managed to get a white one with Jackson branded hardcase for around 400 USD worth of local currency. It was basically brand new: the guy barely played it, I believe he in fact hated the thing. The way it was set uo, I would've hated it too.:D

Anyways, did an upgrade on the sustain block and swapped the pot metal saddles of the Floyd Special for German ones, did some spot leveling on the frets and that's when I got the idea to make it a "winter themed" guitar: the guitar is white with black headstock and hardware, all I needed was a set of Black Winters - in white! Thanksfully my local SD distributor managed to get it as a shop floor custom (or at least I believe so, because I only had to pay around 30 USD for the custom color). The visuals turned out to be stellar and on top of it it is one of the best sounding PUPs I've ever heard. Based on my limited experience, it is a fine cross between a JB and DiMarzio's Imperium: HUGE output, cut through anything, thick and tight bass and awesome clarity/note separation. It's almost like the bass frequencies are separated in a way from the rest not to interefere with each other. Now only if that fingerboard was ebony/black too...:scratchch

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Re: NPD: Winter is here!

That looks amazing, and really glad you enjoy the BW so much. They look awesome in white, I've been thinking about getting a set of the BW with gold chrome covers soon.
 
Re: NPD: Winter is here!

Awesome Guitar! Looks innocent cuz of the white, but the script on the pups give it an evil twist... Good review of the pickups! I keep hearing good things about them.

You mention atrocious build quality on the X series... I was under the impression most all of the new Jacksons were being made pretty well for the price point. No? Just wondered
 
Re: NPD: Winter is here!

Congrats! I kinda miss my Black Winters. They're definitely my favorite passive pickup set along with the Distortion Mayhem.
 
Re: NPD: Winter is here!

Awesome Guitar! Looks innocent cuz of the white, but the script on the pups give it an evil twist... Good review of the pickups! I keep hearing good things about them.

You mention atrocious build quality on the X series... I was under the impression most all of the new Jacksons were being made pretty well for the price point. No? Just wondered

Ehh, well... Locking nut misaligned, about 0,5-1 mm hanging off from the treble side. Easy to correct if you know your way around these stuff, but for a beginner it's quite a hurdle, 15 years ago the only thing I wouldve noticed is that the high e keeps falling off the neck... Fretjob... Jackson are meant to be shredsticks, but having to raise the action to almost 3 mm is anything but shred. Again, ssome spot levelling is no big deal, if you know what youre doing. Not for the kids who are on a budget, beginning to learn the instrument. Total letdown. Then the worst is that the two srcews holding the floyds spring claw are drilled in such an angle, that they enter the pickup cavity and only two shards of wood are keeping them from poking the underside of the pickups. And these are all QC issues. I dont care about the Duncan Designed pickups or the Floyd Special. You get what you pay for. Easliy upgradable stuff and after its done you have great workhorse of a guitar. But those ****ups compromising playablity and needing a tech or luthier to correct are a shame. Especially for 800ish USD. But idiotic fanbiys like myself keep throwing money at them, so... I could go on and will do so if you wish, but Im on my phone now in the midst of family tragedy:/

Ps: im you got the by design contrast of the innocence of outer color and hellish blackness of the sound emanating from within!��
 
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Re: NPD: Winter is here!

Great-looking "Wintery" guitar! And I'm glad you like the Black Winters. IMO one of the best pickup sets out there by any manufacturer.
 
Re: NPD: Winter is here!

I just installed a set of those today for a friend.
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Re: NPD: Winter is here!

nexion218: First and foremost... Hope all is ok with the family tragedy! That doesn't sound good, so if I can lend an ear or something...

Secondly, thanks for the info! I guess I was misinformed. I was under the impression they were putting out a good product all all price points. I know corners get cut on the lower lines, but kinda surprised to hear these things..
 
Re: NPD: Winter is here!

nexion218: First and foremost... Hope all is ok with the family tragedy! That doesn't sound good, so if I can lend an ear or something...

Secondly, thanks for the info! I guess I was misinformed. I was under the impression they were putting out a good product all all price points. I know corners get cut on the lower lines, but kinda surprised to hear these things..

Thanks, but Im pretty positive that not even your ear can cure cancer.

Anyways, as Ive come to see it the thing that drives the price of the guitars most is QC. And Im pretty sure that its not just a Jackson/FMIC issue. Which is good in a way, bc most shortcomings are correctable. Ill take a not perfecrly level fretjob over twisted necks anytime. And once you reach the 1000-1500 usd range you can get all the fancy hardware, wood and electronics, but the guitars are still not immaculate. My gripe the is disguting marketing. I made a sort of experiment the other day: I read through the product pages of the same model in all their different price range, from JS to USA. They lie and hype so much that one might ask why buy a USA, when the cheap stuff is "so good", its got "Jackson DNA", "huge sound", "stellar design" blababla. Its just not true. I get it, they need tobsell their stuff. But the difference between their marketing and reality is shocking at times. I like this guitar, great player ,havent noticed real severe or uncorrectable structural issue, but I totally see why guys send back guitars to the store right away. For the price I paid for it with a hardcase ,ita a fair deal. But if i had to pay the double for it, id be furious.
 
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