written by LukePuke on 12/01/2009
Bad Points
Whilst the pickups and various combinations can produce a wide array of sounds, it must be pointed out that they're not all that great when compared to a better quality guitar - for instance, my Gibson Les Paul. It simply does not compete. HOWEVER the JS20 comes at a fraction of the price and a simple change of pickups would totally transform this little beauty. I haven't bothered changing the pickups because I don't see the point (I would have done so if this was my only guitar). Also, the tremolo goes out of tune VERY easily. I fixed this problem by tightening the strings and throwing away the trem arm!! Can't stand 'em. It stays in tune ok now. Only other problem is that the pickup selector has started to fail - mainly when in the bridge position BUT I must emphasise that I've owned the guitar for 8+ years and it's seen numerous house moves and travelling so it can be forgiven for this relatively minor issue.
General Comments
I've been playing for just over 8 years and this was my first guitar. I've since had 11 other guitars come and go (I have 3 left). It's definitely a lovely thing to play and looks pretty cool if you like the pointy head.
The other comments that go on about it being the dogs danglies are overexaggerated - yes, it's a good guitar BUT it is also a budget model so don't expect amazing output from those cheap pickups. Slim and fast neck, lightweight, cheap! As others have pointed out, the neck is fantastic and on the whole the guitar is a joy to play. The body is chamfered so is comfortable to play whether standing or sat down. The range of sounds is great - I bought mine in 2000 and it has a 5-way selector switch (i think the new ones have a 3-way toggle but I could be wrong). The image of the guitar (and other well known Jackson players) could lead you to believe that this thing is made for metal or rock but it can actually do pretty much anything! I particularly like to cobine the neck and middle pickup for a wicked rockabilly sound. I play mainly punk styles and some blues here and there.