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Posted by: Manny Jan 25 2008, 02:49 AM

I know that ibanez prestige series are excellent metal/shred guitars, but what about jacksons?
Jacksons have been played by many famous guitarists. Are they on par with Ibanez in the shredding and soloing department, or are they best left for rhythm?

Posted by: skennington Jan 25 2008, 02:55 AM

Whta would Jena Jamison say!

Posted by: SLASH91 Jan 25 2008, 04:34 AM

I heard she retired on a show that I watch sometimes
How long do you think it'll last?

Posted by: Sabbz Jan 25 2008, 04:35 AM

Didn't she get religious or something? Could've sworn I heard some porn chick found religion and I thought it was her?

Posted by: skennington Jan 25 2008, 05:26 AM

she was dating Tito Ortiz (UFC Fighter) who knows! That JJ warrior is bad arse though!

Posted by: blindwillie Jan 25 2008, 08:26 AM

How did Jenna end up in a Jackson/Ibanez comparision?
Don't mess with my Jenna. :/

Posted by: MickeM Jan 25 2008, 09:43 AM

You can safely get a Jackson for rhythm and soloing. I'm quite fond of Jackson and Charvel guitars... and if you ever quit playing you can still play hockey with them

And I don't know if it's still the same quality but I've got an old Charvel with a Floyd Rose licenced by Jackson. It's from -90 something and still holds up. My newer Ibanez RG (not prestige) 's tremolo has been worn down to the extent it's useless, it's like 2 years old tops.
If I'm ever choosing between Jackson and Ibanez again I'll go for the Jackson. I was actualy doing just that, choosing between Ibanez RG320 and Jackson DK2M (the white one with maple fingerboard). The Jackson felt better to play, had better pickups (Seymour Duncan) but the maple ringerboard made it a little too bright, not what I was looking for at that time. If it was today I'd take the Jackson.
Choosing between a high end Jackson and high end Ibanez I'd go for a Jackson aswell as things are now. Don't know what a side by side test would give but if I were to chose one without testing it first I'd go Jackson. ...I think Charvel have even nicer guitars.

Posted by: skennington Jan 25 2008, 01:17 PM

Jackson built a custom JJ King V model!
enjoy!

http://www.zzounds.com/item--JAC2940011

Posted by: OrganisedConfusion Jan 25 2008, 01:29 PM

I dislike Jackson and Ibanez guitars so a Vs. competition isn't worth it for me lol

Posted by: blindwillie Jan 25 2008, 02:08 PM

Aaaaah! OK, thanks

Posted by: bladzerok Jan 30 2008, 03:25 AM

I need that guitar

Posted by: Tomotoms Jan 30 2008, 10:43 AM

My vote goes Ibanez

Posted by: Dejan Jan 30 2008, 11:00 AM

I remember Charvel/Jackson guitars many years ago, these guitars were great, but after they split cooperation, I would rather stick with Ibanez, becasu IMO these Jackons and Charvels are not what they used to be

Posted by: RIP Dime Jan 30 2008, 11:22 AM

I have a mid 90's MIJ Jackson Kelly, and my drummer has a early 90's MIJ Ibanez RG, I have played his many times so I think I can give you a pretty good review...
Playability:
They both have very big frets, but the jackson's are a little bit bigger, so bending is a little more comfortable on the Jackson. The fretwork on both are very good. They both have very flat fretboards, both I would guess have around a 16" radius. Both are 25 1/2 inch scale length, and 24 frets, so they both have a good amount of space between frets when playing in higher registers. Because of the Jackson's shape the access to the 23rd and 24th is not so good, while the Ibanez has tons of room up there. The Jackson has a ebony fretboard, so it's a little more slick than the Ibanez's rosewood 'board, but it doesn't seem to affect the speed of the guitars, both have lightning fast necks. The necks are both very thin, but the Ibanez's neck is just a bit more thin, it's rediculous how thin it's neck is. The RG is a touch lighter so it won't work your back as much as the Jackson.
Sound:
Both are bright guitars, so beware, don't turn up the treble too much on your amp or your ears will hate you. The jackson has a alder body, Maple neck, ebony board, with neck through construction. The ibanez has a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and basswood body. I'm surprised how close these things are in weight, the Jackson is mostly maple and much thicker bodied, but they are very similar in weight. But the differences in wood shows when you plug them in, the Jackson has a noticable edge in sustain, and is brighter than the RG. I prefer the Jackson in sound, it's brighter, but it has a certain thickness to it's sound that the RG doesn't have. The RG needs alot more mids coming from the amp than the Kelly, the Kelly can also handle low tunings better than the RG. That said the RG does have a more "sweet" sound than the Kelly, it's a little more versatile.

I personally like the sound of the Kelly much more than the RG, while I enjoy playing both equally. I'd say if you are into heavy, and or fast music, go with the Jackson. The RG is more of a speedster, with slightly more versatility, but the tone I like is much easier to get with the Jackson.

Posted by: Goliath Jan 31 2008, 07:08 PM

Flip a coin. Ibanez has a more robust medium range, while their low end (I say low end as probably <$500 USD) is pretty much comparable. High end can go either way. A MIA Jackson costs as much and more than a MIJ JEM. Whichever one suits your playing, go for it.

Posted by: Smikey2006 Jan 31 2008, 07:59 PM

I would put my vote for Jackson.. Jackon has a nice short neck. Shorter neck = thicker stringers = beefier tone. I always consider jackson a rythem guitar but after playing my soloist for the first time i had to say that jackson really has great playability. I find Ibanez to have really fast necks but other than that i don't find them special. Speed= Ibanez Heavy= Jackson

Posted by: kevin-riff-after-riff Jan 31 2008, 10:58 PM

whell, i think they are both excellent guiars, hard to choose, but for some reason i got this idea that ibanez has more "feelings" its less mechanical or something. and jackson is more new type of metal and bit feel dead type? probably because of vai playing on ibanez and bullet for my valentine guy playing on a jackson somewhere in my memory

Posted by: Goliath Feb 1 2008, 03:03 PM

Blind Guardian plays Jackson (at least Andre did when I saw them live 2 decembers ago). Laiho used to play jackson until ESP approached him. Mustaine used to play Jackson, Friedman used to play Jackson (pre buyout). Sam Totman used to play Jackson (had an RR3 before Ibanez made the V-Blade or gave him a sig). Jackson makes quality guitars, no doubt. Kirk Hammet's strat style sig is based off the jackson soloist series (paper thin neck with neck thru construction).

That said, I still don't own a Jackson anymore, but wouldn't think twice about buying one. At this point it's really "Which is better Nikes or Adidas?" try the shoes on, figure out which ones feel better then buy that one. It's not like one is going to get jealous of the other .