Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Antag on March 19, 2009, 01:38:31 PM

Title: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Antag on March 19, 2009, 01:38:31 PM
I've got (or rather, I'm about to have) a spare set of BKPs: a white Nailbomb set.  Was tempted to put them in Seconds Out, except that I think I'd be very lucky to find a buyer for white pickups & also would prefer to keep a few NB-equipped guitars :)

Anyway, I was in a local music shop at the weekend (only went for a pick :roll:) when I saw a cheapo guitar on the wall - a white Jackson DK2M.

Normally, I wouldn't have given it a second look - I've played some of the really cheap Jacksons from India (I think) & they are horrible - poorly made vile things with nasty cheap hardware that should never have "Jackson" on the headstock.

However, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the DK2M was "that would be ideal for my white Nailbombs" :lol: so I gave it a closer look.  In 25 years of playing I've only ever owned one guitar with a maple fingerboard, so it would be different than anything I have now (an important criterion for buying things in my already-overcrowded music room :)).

But what really piqued my interest was that the guitar is made in Japan - the same factory that made my SL3 (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14200.0) & AFAIK the late 80s Charvels.  My first really nice guitar, a Charvel Model 3, cost £329 in 1986 so a guitar from the same place for <£400 now sounds like a steal.

Unusually for me, I walked out of the shop empty handed, but couldn't stop thinking about my white Nailbombs in a DK2M.  So at lunchtime yesterday I went back & played it.  It played very nicely, the build quality seemed pretty good, nice resonance from a mid-lightweight alder body, fret work/neck seemed as good as my SL3 (or any of my Charvels).  So after a bit of negotiation I got them to throw in a padded gigbag & walked out of the shop with it :lol:

Pics once I've BKP'd it... :)
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Twinfan on March 19, 2009, 05:40:07 PM
Nice work!

The cheaper Japanese Jacksons are really good bargains - compare them to Ibanez prices!!!!
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Antag on March 19, 2009, 06:08:36 PM
The cheaper Japanese Jacksons are really good bargains - compare them to Ibanez prices!!!!
More to the point, compare them the Ibanez guitars:  I looked at a Prestige S2170 a while back, liked it so tried the S670 & it just felt CHEAP.  The neck was horrible - as if it had been stuck on the guitar before the back contour had been properly finished & the fretboard overly flattened - really uncomfortable.  Same for a few other models at the same price range, although a work colleague bought an S320 & it wasn't quite so bad (actually a decent guitar for the money).

But the Japanese Jackson factory shapes its necks as well as the US - the ones I've owned & played all have that slick comfortable U-shape that I like so much.  My DK2M even has a compound radius, though at 14-16 instead of 12-16 it does feel a touch flatter on the lower frets than, say, my KV2...
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: dave_mc on March 19, 2009, 07:53:33 PM
Nice work!

The cheaper Japanese Jacksons are really good bargains - compare them to Ibanez prices!!!!

to be fair, the ibanez prices have more or less doubled in the past few months.

nice score though :)
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: MDV on March 20, 2009, 10:48:33 AM
Word. MIJ jacksons rock. MIK jacksons are shitee, but the leap up from those to the jap factory is immense. I swear by my '98 DX1 - hangs with top end production guitars from anyone. They're basically the same as US models, but with cheaper hardware and softer frets.
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Johnny Mac on March 20, 2009, 11:25:06 AM
Sounds good Antag. Look forward to seeing and hearing about it when you have it finished.
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Antag on July 12, 2009, 05:41:03 PM
Sounds good Antag. Look forward to seeing and hearing about it when you have it finished.
Sorry to bump an old thread, but in all the excitement about getting my new Feline, I neglected to mention that I also got my DK2M BKP'd finally:

Feline did the install & a few mods: got rid of the tone pot, blocked the volume hole & moved the vol to where the tone control was, fitted a 3-way mini toggle for Series/Split/Parallel wiring of the neck:
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh23/george204/th_dk2m_NB.jpg) (http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh23/george204/dk2m_NB.jpg)

Of course I'm absolutely bowled over by my Feline, but I'm finding time to play this too.  All told, it has cost around half the price of the Feline & doesn't reach the truly stunning levels of quality but it's still a nice guitar in its own right & great value :)
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: ailean on July 12, 2009, 05:49:17 PM
Not a bad home for a set of NB's, nice scrore!

 I dislike white guitars myself, but they seem popular so what do I know?  :)
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Jonny on July 12, 2009, 06:24:25 PM
I have yet to find a MIJ Jackson, I've always seen Indian ones which, I agree, suck.
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: shobet on July 12, 2009, 07:52:26 PM
Go for some of the older Jap Charvels, quality guitars for not much money. I've got a 5a and a 6 myself, but the majority of the model series guitars and the later guitars made up to around 91 are damn good value for money and quality wise are almost in the same league as the US Jacksons.

If you can find a 750XL in good condition they are some of the finest guitars the jap factories made. You will need to pay a bit more for them though as they're quite sought after.
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: Antag on July 12, 2009, 08:02:12 PM
If you can find a 750XL in good condition they are some of the finest guitars the jap factories made.
Tell me about it, not only did I own one & sell it (something I regret to this day), but I twice passed on the chance to buy another one :(  :? :roll:
Title: Re: NGD: I bought a cheap one...
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on July 14, 2009, 12:07:26 AM
ANtag's Jackson DK2M is a great guitar.
I have never liked Nailbombs as much as I did in this guitar
Seems like they were made for each other.