# Jackson MIJ is back: MJ Series



## T00DEEPBLUE (Jan 11, 2021)

Jackson has quietly released new Japanese-made models for the first time in 10 years!

The first batch of models is pretty small while the whole line gets off the ground.

https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/series/mj-series?sort=new



> Harkening back to the early ‘90s when import Jackson® guitars were manufactured exclusively in Japan, we introduce the all-new exciting and innovative MJ Series collection of instruments attentively crafted in Japan. The MJ Series blends Jackson’s world-renowned legacy of designing high-performance instruments with an assortment of top-tier features at a competitive price point.






































And yes, those are Gotoh 1996T Floyds you're looking at.

Tons more pics and spec lists available in the web link above.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 11, 2021)

It's looking like these are gonna be in the $2000 - $2500 price point btw.


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## mitou (Jan 11, 2021)

I really want the Soloist in black but I also kinda wanna hold out for an RR24.


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## gunch (Jan 11, 2021)

ice blue dinky and bulbocaster are cool


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## mmr007 (Jan 11, 2021)

I dig the Misha (because I like daphne blue strats) and of course I love the black soloist. But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?


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## feraledge (Jan 11, 2021)

Really interested in hearing more about the build quality on these. They’re more than EIIs which will price them out. I think it’s a good idea, but at Jackson select pricing or more, I’d like to see more about it.


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## feraledge (Jan 11, 2021)

mmr007 said:


> I dig the Misha (because I like daphne blue strats) and of course I love the black soloist. But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?


There are devout Gotoh fans. I’ve only had one before. It felt good and I like that the intonation points are off center IIRC. But they are indisputably cheaper.


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## MASS DEFECT (Jan 11, 2021)

What's up with Jackson not matching the binding for the headstock and fretboard? The black Dinky reverse have black board binding but have white headstock binding.

Logo position is kinda off as well. They have done dinkys without head trussrod access and the logo was properly placed (DK2RM).

Nitpicks aside. Good job Jackson. Strong showing this year! I hope the profit margins hold up and Jackson MIJ lasts this time and become a true competition to EII.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 11, 2021)

mmr007 said:


> But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?



it's what Suhr, Music Man, and Peavey uses on all of their guitars, IIRC. Well, when Peavey was still making USA-made Floyd-loaded guitars, their Peavey-branded bridges were just rebadged Gotohs i believe. 

Once again, it makes sense because they're cheaper. Not only because... they're cheaper in general , but it's local hardware for them.


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## mitou (Jan 11, 2021)

Gotoh also makes the Edge trems for Ibanez and they share some similarities, such as locking studs.


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## groverj3 (Jan 12, 2021)

mmr007 said:


> I dig the Misha (because I like daphne blue strats) and of course I love the black soloist. But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?


I swapped the Gotoh bridges into two of my old Dinkys. Great bridge. Functions as well as an OFR. Base plate and saddles are hardened steel. Only downside is that individual parts are harder to find. They don't sell an R3 equivalent locking nut either. So, Jackson must be using the 1000 series/special or original locking nut with these.

I'm not a huge fan of the arm on them, I know some love that push-in/internally threaded with the bushing to adjust the tension. I may give them another try, some day, but I replaced the arm and socket with a schaller one from the OFR and now they basically function exactly the same as an OFR. They're way cheaper, too.


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## mmr007 (Jan 12, 2021)

Gotoh makes the edge?

I guess I was wrong. The reason I was asking is I was always lead to believe that the knife style fulcrum point on the lo trs (as an example) was inferior in design to the slotted fulcrum point on the edge and that this causes premature wear and thus tuning issues. (see below). Anyway at $2500 USD it seems like they could manage a real FR for that price point but if it is not a worse product then I stand corrected on what I always believed


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## trem licking (Jan 12, 2021)

This is rad. MIJ and using gotoh hardware... Badass


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## Kaura (Jan 12, 2021)

Really digging those but +2K for a MIJ Jackson sounds a bit too much. I mean, you can get a MIJ Fender for less than 1K so what makes Jackson so different? Of course they have nicer specs, but still...


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 12, 2021)

mmr007 said:


> Gotoh makes the edge?
> 
> I guess I was wrong. The reason I was asking is I was always lead to believe that the knife style fulcrum point on the lo trs (as an example) was inferior in design to the slotted fulcrum point on the edge and that this causes premature wear and thus tuning issues. (see below). Anyway at $2500 USD it seems like they could manage a real FR for that price point but if it is not a worse product then I stand corrected on what I always believed
> 
> ...



Gotoh quality > Schaller quality 

The Lo-TRS (and any "TRS" marked unit) are made by Takeuchi, not Gotoh.


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## possumkiller (Jan 12, 2021)

Kaura said:


> Really digging those but +2K for a MIJ Jackson sounds a bit too much. I mean, you can get a MIJ Fender for less than 1K so what makes Jackson so different? Of course they have nicer specs, but still...


Maybe when sales are shitty because they're so expensive, they will say that's why Japanese Jacksons were always a bad idea and shut it down again.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 12, 2021)

possumkiller said:


> Maybe when sales are shitty because they're so expensive, they will say that's why Japanese Jacksons were always a bad idea and shut it down again.



Jackson fans have shown a certain resilience to premium prices. 

Considering USA stuff is once again becoming both very expensive and stupid hard to find, I see these doing well if the quality is there. These aren't much more expensive than the Elites from 10 years ago, and those sold out FAST, and that was when USA stuff was much cheaper and readily available.


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## Kaura (Jan 12, 2021)

possumkiller said:


> Maybe when sales are shitty because they're so expensive, they will say that's why Japanese Jacksons were always a bad idea and shut it down again.



I guess it's a niche market. People who are too poor to afford an USA model go with the Pro Series or whatever and people who have the cheddar go for USA models. Shame because these look like solid guitars.


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## Celtic Frosted Flakes (Jan 12, 2021)

I like the black Soloist, but kinda expensive. Guess you can get a used USA in mint condition for the same price.


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## possumkiller (Jan 12, 2021)

I guess it's not so crazy in a world where indo guitars are going for 1700 and 2k without a case...


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## mitou (Jan 12, 2021)

Kaura said:


> I guess it's a niche market. People who are too poor to afford an USA model go with the Pro Series or whatever and people who have the cheddar go for USA models. Shame because these look like solid guitars.



USA is custom shop now. If you want a new premium Jackson and don't want to wait 18 months, this is what you get.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 12, 2021)

Celtic Frosted Flakes said:


> I like the black Soloist, but kinda expensive. Guess you can get a used USA in mint condition for the same price.



Those are quickly evaporating. 

Now you're looking at something between 10 and 20 years old. Condition is variable.


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## jaxadam (Jan 12, 2021)

T00DEEPBLUE said:


>



Well I see my next guitar.


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## olejason (Jan 12, 2021)

Celtic Frosted Flakes said:


> I like the black Soloist, but kinda expensive. Guess you can get a used USA in mint condition for the same price.



You'd be surprised. I've been looking for a bare bones USA SL2 for a few months and they're pretty hard to find. When they do come up they sell pretty much immediately. This is what I'm looking for, you'd think it would be super common right? https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/jackson-usa-soloist-sl2h-black-2001-1128588


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## Swarth (Jan 12, 2021)

I hope this series takes off in hopes that would allow them to create more models and options. I would be very interested in grabbing a MIJ RR if it came with the Floyd


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## Fierce_Swe (Jan 12, 2021)

No stainless steel frets......


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## Matt08642 (Jan 12, 2021)

mmr007 said:


> I dig the Misha (because I like daphne blue strats) and of course I love the black soloist. But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?





mmr007 said:


> Gotoh makes the edge?
> 
> I guess I was wrong. The reason I was asking is I was always lead to believe that the knife style fulcrum point on the lo trs (as an example) was inferior in design to the slotted fulcrum point on the edge and that this causes premature wear and thus tuning issues. (see below). Anyway at $2500 USD it seems like they could manage a real FR for that price point but if it is not a worse product then I stand corrected on what I always believed
> 
> ...



The low E edge being squared off was a patent/licensing thing IIRC, same with the old licensed FR designs being a gross trapezoidal shape:




I think I recall Ibanez got around this by designing the edge/lopro/edge pro to still be trapezoidal in shape to satisfy the licensing requirements, but also have a taper that makes it look better (IMO). It also seems like they satisfied the "One of the knife edges on your licensed Floyd Rose needs to be flat" part of the agreement by making the knife edge itself flat, and then adding metal around it that is not part of the knife edge for symmetry.




So associating these features with bad trems is because most of the trems that were licensed and designed under these guidelines were bad (Shitty materials), but the design itself is not inherently flawed or worse than the OFR.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 12, 2021)

Matt08642 said:


> The low E edge being squared off was a patent/licensing thing IIRC, same with the old licensed FR designs being a gross trapezoidal shape:
> 
> View attachment 88891
> 
> ...



Keep in mind, Ibanez designed the Edge models to install in thier own guitars, while Floyds were meant to be "one size fits most", which is why there was one curved edge to keep the bridge in place, and one flat to be able to slot into multiple post spacings.


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## groverj3 (Jan 12, 2021)

olejason said:


> You'd be surprised. I've been looking for a bare bones USA SL2 for a few months and they're pretty hard to find. When they do come up they sell pretty much immediately. This is what I'm looking for, you'd think it would be super common right? https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/jackson-usa-soloist-sl2h-black-2001-1128588


Once upon a time, 10 years ago, they were.


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## LCW (Jan 12, 2021)

The blue burst burl dinky and the misha strat are definitely on my radar. Just picked up a Wildcard MiK Soloist, so I'm very very intrigued by the Japan models since this Wildcard is one of the best built guitars I've owned.


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## zimbloth (Jan 15, 2021)

feraledge said:


> Really interested in hearing more about the build quality on these. They’re more than EIIs which will price them out. I think it’s a good idea, but at Jackson select pricing or more, I’d like to see more about it.



you likely know the build quality. Fujigen, the same company who makes Ibanez Prestige, FGN, Fender Japan, etc is building these. They'll be good!


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## Spaced Out Ace (Jan 16, 2021)

Aged, yellowed "white" pickups and a white as fuck pickguard.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 16, 2021)

For me the thing that kills the Misha Strat is the headstock. This is one of the few times a matching headstock makes the guitar look cheap.

Misha's OG looked SO much better with the bare wood headstock and lighter roasted maple.


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## Hoss632 (Jan 16, 2021)

That Misha signature model is just about as perfect a guitar as I've seen. I have a squier strat at home that I'm likely turning into a project and wanted to do a H/S/S with BKP in there.


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## mitou (Jan 16, 2021)

Ya know what, I really like the Misha sig now that I've spent some time looking at it. I bet that thing looks cool as hell IRL. 

What's weird though is that the description on the Jackson site says it's got a flame maple fingerboard. Looks like regular maple to me.


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## gnoll (Jan 16, 2021)

zimbloth said:


> you likely know the build quality. Fujigen, the same company who makes Ibanez Prestige, FGN, Fender Japan, etc is building these. They'll be good!



Fujigen? I thought Dyna Gakki built the Japanese Fender guitars these days.


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## MrWulf (Jan 16, 2021)

No 7


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## pahulkster (Jan 16, 2021)

Not really sure why an RR5 is $2700 now. Must be the locking tuners.


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## ClownShoes (Jan 16, 2021)

MIJ import models rock, only this time the price reflects the quality.



mmr007 said:


> But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?



German made floyds, schaller and gotoh are of the same quality. The flat blade on the Gotoh just allows for more compatibility for post spacing if you are retrofitting to something with odd spacing.



HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Well, when Peavey was still making USA-made Floyd-loaded guitars, their Peavey-branded bridges were just rebadged Gotohs i believe.



Peavey used Ping tremolos which aren't easy to find OEM, the only place that I've seen sell them is Guitar Fetish. They are good quality too if you're looking to save $$.


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## ClownShoes (Jan 16, 2021)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Those are quickly evaporating.
> 
> Now you're looking at something between 10 and 20 years old. Condition is variable.


Yep, snap up any reasonably priced used USA Jacksons because they will only go up from here.


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## DIM3S0UL (Jan 16, 2021)

Yup, i bought a used RR1 (made in 2008) a few years ago for around 1100€ (1300$) - no way i will ever see a deal like this again. 

That said MiJ Jackson were always are on par with USA models or even better imo.


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## Spicypickles (Jan 16, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> For me the thing that kills the Misha Strat is the headstock. This is one of the few times a matching headstock makes the guitar look cheap.
> 
> Misha's OG looked SO much better with the bare wood headstock and lighter roasted maple.



just sand that shit off and get a decal off the interwebs.


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## zimbloth (Jan 16, 2021)

gnoll said:


> Fujigen? I thought Dyna Gakki built the Japanese Fender guitars these days.



That could be true, i just know Fujigen WAS building them at some point, if not now.


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## Avedas (Jan 16, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> For me the thing that kills the Misha Strat is the headstock. This is one of the few times a matching headstock makes the guitar look cheap.
> 
> Misha's OG looked SO much better with the bare wood headstock and lighter roasted maple.


Definitely looks nicer with the natural headstock. This picture was the inspiration for going with a natural headstock on my D6.


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## Crumbling (Jan 16, 2021)

Dyna Gakki built the MJ series Charvel. But it might be an issue of the factory only being equipped to build bolt-on, like how Mexico only build Pro Dinky


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## groverj3 (Jan 17, 2021)

DIM3S0UL said:


> Yup, i bought a used RR1 (made in 2008) a few years ago for around 1100€ (1300$) - no way i will ever see a deal like this again.
> 
> That said MiJ Jackson were always are on par with USA models or even better imo.


Yeah, that's been my experience. In the past they differentiated the lines by features, but a well-set up MIJ Jackson plays essentially as well as a US-made one, all other things being equal. They started out with Duncan Designed pickups (later changed to real Duncans) and always came with Rosewood instead of Ebony fretboards. Also, no matching headstocks. Otherwise though, they are not really a step down in build quality.


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## groverj3 (Jan 17, 2021)

I remember when the Guitar Center in South Bend, IN (lol, talk about small market, no wonder they're broke) opened. I was in high school and they had 10-15 MIJ Pro Series Jacksons on the wall. Those things sold like hotcakes in the early 00s. Until recently you could get them dirt cheap on the used market. I'm talking, $250-$350 for a DK2, cheap. The MIJ neck throughs are basically impossible to find now and the Dinkys are selling for >$500, and up to $800 for Eerie Dess Swirl and the ever-popular DK2M.

Even the old X Series (pre-Indonesia, pre-India) were MIJ and are essentially the same level as the pro series. My first "real guitar" was an already-used DXMG in 2004. It had shit EMG-HZ pickups, but after an electronics overhaul, that's also as good as any DK2.


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## groverj3 (Jan 17, 2021)

Does it bother anyone else that everything has white binding now instead of cream-colored? Am I the only weirdo that thinks the cream/off-white binding looks better?


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## wannabguitarist (Jan 17, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> I remember when the Guitar Center in South Bend, IN (lol, talk about small market, no wonder they're broke) opened. I was in high school and they had 10-15 MIJ Pro Series Jacksons on the wall. Those things sold like hotcakes in the early 00s. Until recently you could get them dirt cheap on the used market. I'm talking, $250-$350 for a DK2, cheap. The MIJ neck throughs are basically impossible to find now and the Dinkys are selling for >$500, and up to $800 for Eerie Dess Swirl and the ever-popular DK2M.
> 
> Even the old X Series (pre-Indonesia, pre-India) were MIJ and are essentially the same level as the pro series. My first "real guitar" was an already-used DXMG in 2004. It had shit EMG-HZ pickups, but after an electronics overhaul, that's also as good as any DK2.



I miss those days . I paid under a grand (comfortably) in total for my DK2M, Fusion HH, and COW7. All fucking fantastic guitars that I couldn't replace without spending way more money now.



groverj3 said:


> Does it bother anyone else that everything has white binding now instead of cream-colored? Am I the only weirdo that thinks the cream/off-white binding looks better?



Big fan of the white binding actually. That's one of the things that I didn't like visually about the older models


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## Grindspine (Jan 17, 2021)

Nice to see the Gotoh hardware! I have played some great USA and Japanese Jacksons in the past. Hopefully these will meet the expectations!


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## groverj3 (Jan 17, 2021)

Grindspine said:


> Nice to see the Gotoh hardware! I have played some great USA and Japanese Jacksons in the past. Hopefully these will meet the expectations!


It makes a lot of sense that they'd use the Gotoh bridges. Also made in Japan, and Jackson uses Gotoh hardware for almost every other part on their stuff anyway.


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## mitou (Jan 17, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> Does it bother anyone else that everything has white binding now instead of cream-colored? Am I the only weirdo that thinks the cream/off-white binding looks better?



I prefer white binding and I also prefer the white logo over the pearl one. Looks more 80s.


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## olejason (Jan 17, 2021)

Yep white binding + white logo is what I want.


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## Shoeless_jose (Jan 17, 2021)

Avedas said:


> Definitely looks nicer with the natural headstock. This picture was the inspiration for going with a natural headstock on my D6.



Definitely better natural. These will compete with the USA Nick Johnston Schecters


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## sirbuh (Jan 17, 2021)

Welp - I guess its the year for the soloist.


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## Sumsar (Jan 17, 2021)

Interesting to notice a couple of differences from the Pro series:
- 5-Piece Maple/Walnut/Maple/Walnut/Maple whereas my old DK7m has a one piece maple neck.
- 4 bolts instead of 3 bolts for the bolt ons.
- The neck attachedment looks very much like an Ibanez, so along with the neck this looks more like an ibanez than a Jackson 












Also it still has Jackson's tuners, which in my experience is a bit too cheap, and don't work that well. I know this model has a locking nut, so not that big of an issue, but odd to see cheap tuners on a 2000 dollar guitar. Although in the text it does say "Gotoh sealed die-cast tuner", so maybe they just messed up with the images?

The RR hardtail model does have higher end tuners by the look of things at least:


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## Crumbling (Jan 17, 2021)

Eh, its been the year of the superstrat for a couple of years now, they've been cutting a lot of the side models and replacing them with Soloist/Dinky in flashy 80s hair metal finishes.


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## mitou (Jan 17, 2021)

Sumsar said:


> Also it still has Jackson's tuners, which in my experience is a bit too cheap, and don't work that well. I know this model has a locking nut, so not that big of an issue, but odd to see cheap tuners on a 2000 dollar guitar. Although in the text it does say "Gotoh sealed die-cast tuner", so maybe they just messed up with the images?



Those are Jackson branded Gotohs like on the USA models


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## xzacx (Jan 17, 2021)

mitou said:


> Those are Jackson branded Gotohs like on the USA models



Was about to say the same thing. I’ve never heard of a single issue with these (other than the fact they have a Jackson sticker on them so people guess they’re some inferior OEM product that they still never had an actual issue with).


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## groverj3 (Jan 18, 2021)

Yeah, they just aren't putting locking tuners on the Floyded guitars, but Jacksons hardware is all Gotoh on these and the US-made stuff.


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## groverj3 (Jan 18, 2021)

Sumsar said:


> Interesting to notice a couple of differences from the Pro series:
> - 5-Piece Maple/Walnut/Maple/Walnut/Maple whereas my old DK7m has a one piece maple neck.
> - 4 bolts instead of 3 bolts for the bolt ons.
> - The neck attachedment looks very much like an Ibanez, so along with the neck this looks more like an ibanez than a Jackson


Pro series bolt-ons also have that heel, as do all the Charvels now.


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## mogar (Jan 18, 2021)

Still waiting on a production Star that isn't a sig...


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## beerandbeards (Mar 7, 2021)

I’d really like that Rhoads. Maybe if I’m frugal this year and they are awesome I’d pick it up. Seems like yesterday I picked up an excellent condition RR5 for $600.... Le sigh


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## Crumbling (Mar 8, 2021)

beerandbeards said:


> I’d really like that Rhoads. Maybe if I’m frugal this year and they are awesome I’d pick it up. Seems like yesterday I picked up an excellent condition RR5 for $600.... Le sigh


Well its prettier than a RR5, especially the early unbound one. Not 2000 dollars prettier though, but when RR5 were going for 600 RR1T were 1k-1500


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## Nag (Mar 8, 2021)

I'm sorry to post this, without having read the full conversation, but I need to vent my anger.

Why _*THE FUCK*_ do NONE of these have pickup rings EXCEPT for the Rhoads.

I'm done. I'm going to punch my wall or something.


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## Crumbling (Mar 9, 2021)

Nag said:


> I'm sorry to post this, without having read the full conversation, but I need to vent my anger.
> 
> Why _*THE FUCK*_ do NONE of these have pickup rings EXCEPT for the Rhoads.
> 
> I'm done. I'm going to punch my wall or something.


Because Jackson for some reason jumped on the direct mount train a couple of years ago and never left. Thankfully some models has been reverted, but not all of them.

I have a 2016 Pro King V, and direct mount makes pickup swaps a fucking struggle. The woodscrew they use require you to permanently modify the mounting tab of the pup to fit, and you have no real adjustment range


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 9, 2021)

Crumbling said:


> Because Jackson for some reason jumped on the direct mount train a couple of years ago and never left. Thankfully some models has been reverted, but not all of them.
> 
> I have a 2016 Pro King V, and direct mount makes pickup swaps a fucking struggle. The woodscrew they use require you to permanently modify the mounting tab of the pup to fit, and you have no real adjustment range



Just throw in a couple of threaded inserts to accept the machine screws of standard pickups. Would probably take less than 10 minutes (not including cure time) for all four on a HH guitar and solve both problems.


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## Nag (Mar 9, 2021)

Crumbling said:


> Because Jackson for some reason jumped on the direct mount train a couple of years ago and never left. Thankfully some models has been reverted, but not all of them.
> 
> I have a 2016 Pro King V, and direct mount makes pickup swaps a fucking struggle. The woodscrew they use require you to permanently modify the mounting tab of the pup to fit, and you have no real adjustment range



I think my intention was severely misunderstood on that one 

Pickup rings are ugly and useless.


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## groverj3 (Mar 10, 2021)

Nag said:


> I'm sorry to post this, without having read the full conversation, but I need to vent my anger.
> 
> Why _*THE FUCK*_ do NONE of these have pickup rings EXCEPT for the Rhoads.
> 
> I'm done. I'm going to punch my wall or something.


I thought SS.org hated pickup rings? Am I behind the times around here? That was the case before my ~2 year hiatus.

Edit: Apparently I'm horrible at reading sarcasm.


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## gnoll (Mar 10, 2021)

I hate direct mount pickups.

Anyway these don't have mop inlays right so I don't care.


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## Viginez (Mar 10, 2021)

yeah they charge 2k for something w/out mop inlays/logo
big fail
they look like they came out of the indonesian factory


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## Kaura (Mar 10, 2021)

gnoll said:


> Anyway these don't have mop inlays right so I don't care.



I've heard so many "this guitar doesn't have X so I don't care" but this takes the cake.


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## Mathemagician (Mar 10, 2021)

I’m normally not one for bolt ons but those dinkys keep growing on me. And that rhoads was already a winner. Love the 22fret RR’s.


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## Nag (Mar 11, 2021)

24 fret RRs always look a tiny bit wrong to me (and I have one ). A neck humbucker makes them look weird, and the absence of a cutout (like on the ESP guitars inspired by the Rhoads for instance) makes the extra 2 frets seem kinda out of place. I like having 24 frets on a guitar, but on a Jackson Rhoads specifically I prefer 22. Just looks right.


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## Floppystrings (Mar 11, 2021)

No real MOP inlays like old OG MIJ Jacksons? No Q-sawn maple neck, a $120 bridge? No locking tuners? $2500??? For $140 more they could have made a proper version... from $500 or less bargain bin finds to this? Why is Jackson MIJ so weird? Have they heard of Ibanez and ESP? What is this MIJ replica guitar? lol

Jackson has never taken MIJ that seriously, in the 1990's they did make an attempt...


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 11, 2021)

Floppystrings said:


> No real MOP inlays like old OG MIJ Jacksons? No Q-sawn maple neck, a $120 bridge? No locking tuners? $2500??? For $140 more they could have made a proper version... from $500 or less bargain bin finds to this? Why is Jackson MIJ so weird? Have they heard of Ibanez and ESP? What is this MIJ replica guitar? lol
> 
> Jackson has never taken MIJ that seriously, in the 1990's they did make an attempt...



Same problem they had in the 90's, they can't make these better than a USA, so they hamper them with some oddball spec choices and skimp on hardware. 

Unlike the 90's, they also have to worry about eating into current Pro Series sales, so they price them higher than the better margin stuff.


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## Floppystrings (Mar 11, 2021)

I wish Jackson MIJ would just make different models instead of trying to clone the USA series every ten years.

Maybe their custom shop should be in Japan, since they don't really have one anymore.


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## mitou (Mar 11, 2021)

Floppystrings said:


> Why is Jackson MIJ so weird? Have they heard of Ibanez and ESP? What is this MIJ replica guitar? lol



At least they're still Jacksons, not "E-II" or some stupid crap like that.


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## manu80 (Mar 11, 2021)

yeah but the more you have lines, the more it gets blurry between series in terms of quality at the end.
Like Ibanez, gio/ regular/premium and Prestige. Then you have iron label, axxion to fit between all that. Esp is the same. Entry level, 400/1000, japan/ E-II....
For jackson china made for 1300 euros or a bit less like the kelly mirror(w/or without duncan etc...and that i sjust a lexan plate with lines on it....) is a bit crazy then you got Japan which are certainly good but had to be a bit better than import china/indo but less good than USA unlike the pro form the 90's....
Still I was really hesitating on the RR maul crackle but i prefered to get a Pro fusion from the 90's. less expensive and way better !


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## Crumbling (Mar 11, 2021)

tbh my experience so far (though limited since Australia) with the Chinese graphic Jackson has been better than the Indo. I wouldn't even mind if they move some of the regular production there and up the spec (since production cost would be cheaper), it would make the Pro Series a lot more competitive than it is currently.


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## gnoll (Mar 11, 2021)

jackson just sux

for every price range theres something way better from esp etc.

pretty sad


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## soul_lip_mike (Mar 11, 2021)

gnoll said:


> jackson just sux
> 
> for every price range theres something way better from esp etc.
> 
> pretty sad


Agree with the second part. After the stupid price hike on all USA models I don’t see myself buying another Jackson.


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## Nag (Mar 11, 2021)

ESP did the same price hike thing, except they were smart about it : they gave their former standard series such a stupid brand name that some people would rather spend 4-5 grand just to have the right name on the headstock


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 11, 2021)

Nag said:


> ESP did the same price hike thing, except they were smart about it : they gave their former standard series such a stupid brand name that some people would rather spend 4-5 grand just to have the right name on the headstock



Eh, I don't think those folks actually exist. 

Like as posters on the internet, sure, but IRL?


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## gnoll (Mar 11, 2021)

And you can just buy used standard series...


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## soul_lip_mike (Mar 11, 2021)

Nag said:


> ESP did the same price hike thing, except they were smart about it : they gave their former standard series such a stupid brand name that some people would rather spend 4-5 grand just to have the right name on the headstock



Yea I guess youre talking about guitars like this with an MSRP for $5499? https://www.espguitars.com/products?categories=eclipse-series-guitars

I have a USA M2 7 string enroute to me which is their USA "custom" kind of like Jackson's USA "custom" (pick from a set of colors and hardware configs, not true custom shop) for the price of $3,100. Which is a lot less than an off the shelf USA Jackson these days as far as I know.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 12, 2021)

soul_lip_mike said:


> Yea I guess youre talking about guitars like this with an MSRP for $5499? https://www.espguitars.com/products?categories=eclipse-series-guitars
> 
> I have a USA M2 7 string enroute to me which is their USA "custom" kind of like Jackson's USA "custom" (pick from a set of colors and hardware configs, not true custom shop) for the price of $3,100. Which is a lot less than an off the shelf USA Jackson these days as far as I know.



That's not the MSRP, those are the MAP for the ESP Originals. The MSRP is $8k.


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## FitRocker33 (Mar 12, 2021)

I just picked up a brand new EII Horizon NT-7B “sparkle” from sweetwater and for 2k out the door it is every bit worth the price. The ONLY things I feel it fell short with for features were no SS frets and no luminlay side dots. however, the fit and finish are top tier and the fretwork is on par with my JP15 and Mayones. 

The last two USA juggernauts I previously owned had rough fret ends, one was so bad my high E used to get caught on it at around the 6th fret! I would literally have to pull the string off of it


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## soul_lip_mike (Mar 12, 2021)

MaxOfMetal said:


> That's not the MSRP, those are the MAP for the ESP Originals. The MSRP is $8k.



Big yikes. I was wondering what kind of prices dealers would give for those when asked.


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## eaeolian (Mar 12, 2021)

mmr007 said:


> I dig the Misha (because I like daphne blue strats) and of course I love the black soloist. But is the gotoh the better choice for the trem instead of an actual floyd? Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought those type of pivot blades on the low E side are inferior, no?



The Gotohs are extremely high quality. I have zero qualms about using them - the longer blade just makes it easier to retrofit. The 7 string OFR has the same thing.


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## Apex1rg7x (Mar 12, 2021)

Nag said:


> ESP did the same price hike thing, except they were smart about it : they gave their former standard series such a stupid brand name that some people would rather spend 4-5 grand just to have the right name on the headstock


I have guitars that say E-II and ESP on the headstock, that means nothing to me and it's super odd to me that it bothers some people as much as is does, haha.


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## Nag (Mar 12, 2021)

E-II just looks (and sounds) idiotic.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Mar 12, 2021)

eaeolian said:


> The Gotohs are extremely high quality. I have zero qualms about using them - the longer blade just makes it easier to retrofit. The 7 string OFR has the same thing.


Eddie preferred Gotohs.


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## groverj3 (Mar 12, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Eddie preferred Gotohs.


So does Suhr.

I have the term on two guitars. It's just as high, of not higher, quality compared to an OFR.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Mar 12, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> So does Suhr.
> 
> I have the term on two guitars. It's just as high, of not higher, quality compared to an OFR.


For those wondering, my source is Larry DiMarzio.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 12, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Eddie preferred Gotohs.





groverj3 said:


> So does Suhr.
> 
> I have the term on two guitars. It's just as high, of not higher, quality compared to an OFR.





Spaced Out Ace said:


> For those wondering, my source is Larry DiMarzio.



EBMM and Peavey also based their trems on Gotoh's design. IDK if Peavey actually had Gotoh made bridges, but it seems like EBMM was having Gotoh make their trems until 2011, when they switched to in-house.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Mar 12, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> EBMM and Peavey also based their trems on Gotoh's design. IDK if Peavey actually had Gotoh made bridges, but it seems like EBMM was having Gotoh make their trems until 2011, when they switched to in-house.


They had some sort of deal with Fender, who tried to get Eddie post Kramer. They wouldn't sell many Floyd Rose bridges to EBMM, so they went elsewhere, and Eddie preferred Gotoh bridges to even an original Floyd. Eddie likely kept using Gotoh, if I had to guess, when he went to Peavey.


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## groverj3 (Mar 13, 2021)

I thought the Peavey bridges were made by Ping, but were essentially the same design as the Gotoh.


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## Marked Man (Mar 14, 2021)

Celtic Frosted Flakes said:


> I like the black Soloist, but kinda expensive. Guess you can get a used USA in mint condition for the same price.



Which is exactly what I'd do. The MIJs would need to be $600-$700 cheaper for me to go that route. USAs have traditionally been the absolute best and also hold the highest value.


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## LCW (Mar 14, 2021)

Nag said:


> I'm sorry to post this, without having read the full conversation, but I need to vent my anger.
> 
> Why _*THE FUCK*_ do NONE of these have pickup rings EXCEPT for the Rhoads.
> 
> I'm done. I'm going to punch my wall or something.



Maybe because pickup rings are ugly and stupid, and too '80s lol


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## LCW (Mar 14, 2021)

Nag said:


> I think my intention was severely misunderstood on that one
> 
> Pickup rings are ugly and useless.



Yes. Yes it was. lol


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## groverj3 (Mar 14, 2021)

Marked Man said:


> Which is exactly what I'd do. The MIJs would need to be $600-$700 cheaper for me to go that route. USAs have traditionally been the absolute best and also hold the highest value.


It's getting hard to find USA Selects on the used market, they're getting price gouged like crazy. New USAs are semi-custom only, so there's been essentially no upper tier production line from Jackson/Charvel for years.

MJ series is the new high end production tier. The only thing that bugs me is the lack of real mother of pearl inlays at that price, but it's not really the end of the world. If the build quality is there, then I'd be happy to get one if they release some more finishes later.


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## Marked Man (Mar 15, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> It's getting hard to find USA Selects on the used market, they're getting price gouged like crazy. New USAs are semi-custom only, so there's been essentially no upper tier production line from Jackson/Charvel for years.
> 
> MJ series is the new high end production tier. The only thing that bugs me is the lack of real mother of pearl inlays at that price, but it's not really the end of the world. If the build quality is there, then I'd be happy to get one if they release some more finishes later.



Luckily, I'm already well stocked with classic Jacksons and Charvels, most of them produced between 1990 and 1991.


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## Nag (Mar 19, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> If the build quality is there, then I'd be happy to get one if they release some more finishes later.



Jackson haven't really had many cool/interesting finishes for _years_ IMO. Which is quite sad. And look on their website : the USA series models only come in black or in white. If you're a clueless guy who just likes Jackson guitars and wants a serious upgrade, and you've seen pictures of guys swinging these cool guitars with cool finishes, and all you can find is black or white... that doesn't send a good message, does it?


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## mbardu (Mar 19, 2021)

Nag said:


> Jackson haven't really had many cool/interesting finishes for _years_ IMO. Which is quite sad. And look on their website : the USA series models only come in black or in white. If you're a clueless guy who just likes Jackson guitars and wants a serious upgrade, and you've seen pictures of guys swinging these cool guitars with cool finishes, and all you can find is black or white... that doesn't send a good message, does it?



Well the USA are mostly signatures so it's kinda what the artist wants.
Then it's custom select if you're able to get one....and the catalog of finishes is pretty extensive there. But it just so happens that most people who do get a build just decide to pick the most basic finishes available. Not Jackson's fault either 

I'd say the "cheap" imports have actually had a pretty nice range of finishes too (figured tops, fades, crackles, textured ash, mirror etc) ... So it's really the MJ series which is the big disappointment there. And then again, if they go by what their custom select clients order, it would make sense to just offer black and white


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## Nag (Mar 19, 2021)

People are indeed boring... my other guess is they're just "testing the waters" with the MJ series. Maybe they reopened a new factory and/or have new employees and they want to reduce the amount of variables at the start, finishes seems like an easy variable to remove. Either way, I'd love to know what those will play like. I recently found out that some of the Pro series are made in China (those they've photoshopped the back-of-the-headstock pics of on the Jackson website) and the few Pro series Jacksons I've played were very solid instruments, so a high-end factory in Japan should produce fantastic stuff.


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## jaxadam (Mar 19, 2021)

This one needs to be posted again.


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## arasys (Mar 19, 2021)

It's not just people going for bland black and white guitars, but it's also JCS refusing to do certain graphic finishes for a lot of dealers. I could only get Matts Music to have my guitars done with minimal graphics / pinstripes. Most dealers were told JCS won't do it few years ago; nowadays they don't even accept full custom shop orders. So I guess it boils down to size of their team.

I am sure there will be more finishes for MJ series in the future. But they really have some catching up to do because overall they look bland compared to ESPs these days, except for new MiC / Indo models.

It also doesn't make sense that they show bunch of custom guitars on social media when their potential customers can't order them. It's like "Yaay! Only our artists get the cool guitars. Go to our website and look at our bland colors mm'kay? <3"


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 19, 2021)

Tuxedo Soloists are just so classic. It's like the Les Paul Custom of super-strats. 

I think it's good that the only real gripes are finish options.


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## groverj3 (Mar 19, 2021)

Nag said:


> Jackson haven't really had many cool/interesting finishes for years IMO. Which is quite sad. And look on their website : the USA series models only come in black or in white. If you're a clueless guy who just likes Jackson guitars and wants a serious upgrade, and you've seen pictures of guys swinging these cool guitars with cool finishes, and all you can find is black or white... that doesn't send a good message, does it?


Yeah, but also the USA Select Series doesn't actually exist other than as base models for Custom Selects. Limited finishes there are kind of irrelevant.


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## Marked Man (Mar 20, 2021)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Tuxedo Soloists are just so classic. It's like the Les Paul Custom of super-strats.
> 
> I think it's good that the only real gripes are finish options.



Definitely a classic for my generation. Kids I went to school with didn't dream of '59 Les Pauls. For metal loving '80s/early '90s kids, the black Jackson Soloist USA was the Alpha!


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## jaxadam (Mar 20, 2021)

Marked Man said:


> Definitely a classic for my generation. Kids I went to school with didn't dream of '59 Les Pauls. For metal loving '80s/early '90s kids, the black Jackson Soloist USA was the Alpha!



Perfectly stated.


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## Meeotch (Jul 28, 2021)

So it's been a few months...anyone played one yet? Hoping to hear if the price is reflecting the quality on these.


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## BrutalRob (Jul 29, 2021)

As fas as i have heard, these new MJ series is made by FGN so i am pretty sure they will be of awesome quality. Earlier this year, i got an Ibanez Uppercut LP which were also made by FGN. Plays great and just all around feels like a high quality instrument. New they were in the same price range.

Now if only that Rhoads had a Floyd Rose....


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## LCW (Jul 30, 2021)

Meeotch said:


> So it's been a few months...anyone played one yet? Hoping to hear if the price is reflecting the quality on these.



Many are in shops now. Very well built and feel great. Neck profiles feel right. Worth the price is up to the buyer but I find them good value vs the 4-5K or more for the USA models.


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## vilk (Jul 30, 2021)

nvm


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## Mechayoshi (Jul 31, 2021)

I wish these would show up in my local shops. It’s been the same Pro series X series and JS stuff forever. I really want to compare hands on to my hoards of other Jacksons.


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## jco5055 (Oct 12, 2021)

So I and a few of my buddies (and SSO members) got to play some MJ Dinkys recently, and honestly the are AMAZING for the price. I would recommend them 100%. 

I did hear from the dealer though with inside knowledge that there's a good chance these end up being only a limited series unfortunately...seems to be COVID related like everything else.

Such a shame, I was pumped for some Warriors or maybe RR24 models.


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## eaeolian (Oct 12, 2021)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Tuxedo Soloists are just so classic. It's like the Les Paul Custom of super-strats.
> 
> I think it's good that the only real gripes are finish options.



 If they'd done the white one with the correct binding I'd have ordered one already.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Oct 12, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> This one needs to be posted again.


FUCK
THE SWEAGE POOPBURST IS BACK


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## jaxadam (Oct 12, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> FUCK
> THE SWEAGE POOPBURST IS BACK



I think I need to pull the trigger on that one.


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## Kyle Jordan (Oct 12, 2021)

jco5055 said:


> So I and a few of my buddies (and SSO members) got to play some MJ Dinkys recently, and honestly the are AMAZING for the price. I would recommend them 100%.
> 
> I did hear from the dealer though with inside knowledge that there's a good chance these end up being only a limited series unfortunately...seems to be COVID related like everything else.
> 
> Such a shame, I was pumped for some Warriors or maybe RR24 models.



I figured these would last just long enough to take some pressure off the USA shop. Not surprised to hear they may not last long.


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## soul_lip_mike (Oct 13, 2021)

jco5055 said:


> For the price



Aren't the MJ jacksons pretty expensive?

Also COVID supply chain baiting FOMO has got to be making dealers a good amount of impulse purchases lately.


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## manu80 (Oct 13, 2021)

Kyle Jordan said:


> I figured these would last just long enough to take some pressure off the USA shop. Not surprised to hear they may not last long.


 back to the Pro Jap series in the 90's same ending then ....


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## jco5055 (Oct 13, 2021)

soul_lip_mike said:


> Aren't the MJ jacksons pretty expensive?
> 
> Also COVID supply chain baiting FOMO has got to be making dealers a good amount of impulse purchases lately.



They are $2-2.5k depending, some dealers will give a special "member's only" price and get them down to like $1900


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## Spaced Out Ace (Oct 14, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> FUCK
> THE SWEAGE POOPBURST IS BACK


The toilet with that weird blue dye shit in the water after some slightly rancid Taco Bell food. Could be salmonella, could be food poisoning, could be hepatitis from unwashed hands. Who knows for sure!

That's what that finish is.


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## Kyle Jordan (Oct 14, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> The toilet with that weird blue dye shit in the water after some slightly rancid Taco Bell food. Could be salmonella, could be food poisoning, could be hepatitis from unwashed hands. Who knows for sure!
> 
> That's what that finish is.



Just quoting this because it is The Truth.


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