We’ve all been there, surely – the most tempting guitars appear, seemingly as a taunt from above, at the exact time we can least afford them. My James Tyler – initially I found it as I was in the middle of paying for my Blackmachine, and it slipped away, only to re-enter my life due to pure good fortune (of which more another time). My Tele – I found it when I’d been going through a dry spell in paid gigs, and was not best placed to buy yet another guitar effectively on impulse. And, because I never learn, the story continues.
My local music shop has developed a rather interesting rotation of new and used guitars in recent years, and none interested me more than a certain pointy headstock I saw poking out upon a visit not long ago. I recognised this guitar instantly as a Jackson DK2M, and not the current model either – the version built from around 2006 to 2010 in the old Japanese factory where Jackson built the Pro series, among other things, until operations moved to other countries with cheaper manufacturing.
I’d always loved this particular model – my imagination captured way back in my early teens when I spied a review of it in a magazine. The high-contrast black sharkfin inlays and logo on the pale maple fretboard looked unbelievably badass to young me, and the image stayed lodged in my brain. The guitar in the magazine was white, one of the best colours for this model, but the example before me in the shop had another particular thing going for it – it was black. A black, two-humbucker, 24-fret superstrat with a maple fretboard is an aesthetic that is significant to me, because it reminds me of the old ESP M-II that Ben Tovey of Rise To Remain, an early guitar hero of mine who became my guitar teacher when I was fifteen, used to use on stages all over the world.
Anyway – I’ve always thought these guitars were exceptional value. When they were new, they came in hard cases and had proper Seymour Duncan pickups, a not-awful locking bridge and, of course, were made in Japan, but sold for only about 500 sheets. And used, values have remained temptingly affordable – surely they can’t stay this cheap for long.
But for now, the residual values are feeble enough that I’ve managed to become the proud new custodian of a properly awesome, vibey, flamboyant superstrat of a type I’d wanted to rock out on for years. It is currently set up in drop C and being used for all sorts of shred and metal stuff. The Duncans sound great, although may be swapped out in time, and the neck is truly astonishing – every Jackson I play has a superb neck and this is no exception.
Honestly – Japanese Jacksons are still a bargain. Get one now, before everyone realises.
EDIT 11.6.2020 – Here’s a video – some talking and some playing from me.
