RANT: Jackson and Friends, and the beloved Compound Radii Fretboards

Sup!

I must say that I love Jackson, but they piss me off a bit too. They make great guitars and I have OWNED three and loved them. I sold the Jackson's for LTD's then sold them for Ibanez Prestige's (all of which I will indefinitely keep and I have five of them bitches).

"Trashed, you ass, I love Jackson, what is wrong?!?!"

"Compound radius fretboard's." I say, waiting to be bitched out...

The logic is fantastic, but not quite so ergonomic in practice. For those of you who are new or don't know much about guitars, the fretboard is curved convexly and compensated for by the saddles being different heights. THAT is why your saddles are different heights and not flat. The radius is the measurement of how curved the fretboard is. 

Fretboard radii can be from 7.25" to 20", both of which I don't care for. My Fender '52' Reissue Tele is 7.25 (original spec) is NOT the funnest guitar to do crazy bends and leads on. You fret out and it stops the note if you bend too far. 20" is way too flat. Cords suck and it's awkward.

What does Jackson do? They have a compound radius. IF I AM correct at the moment it is 12"-20" from nut to the end of the fretboard. Here are some things that you all may not think of. If you are on the first fret its curvy, but how often do you play on the first fret as opposed to other frets? The 24th fret is like flat OMG. I will hit the 24th fret regularly but it doesn't get as much action as say the 12th fret. Two extremes. So between two points is the middle, so it is kind of an average?  Yes. I would dare to say between the 7th to 15th fret which could be a hot spot for playing is not a whole lot of different and that is what have I noticed.

Where is the folly? Strings are only a straight line with tension applied. That is physics. So ACTION  and string HEIGHT can NEVER be as low as a 12" radius or a 14" radius. Why? Strings are closer to the frets in different spots. It can't EVER be that low. 

Is it a big deal? 

Not as big of a deal as I am making out of it. Jackson makes some nice guitars (most people have no qualms with that, nor I). I have owned a DKMG, a DKMGT, and a DK2 [all Made in Japan (mij)]. I dig them, and loved them, and had no major adverse reactions to the compound radius fretboard. There are A LOT of brands doing this. Suhr does this more gracefully on their fine axes. When I played a Suhr Modern, it was royally glorious in every way (Trashed wants). Fender has been doing it too.

Is it wrong? NO.  

/Trashed is out.

2016-10-22 BONUS RANT!!! Moral Dilemma

Here is a straight up rant. LET'S GO BITCHES!

It is well known that i am a flat out guitar and gear whore. Most of you know this. If you don't, maybe you should check this blog more often.

I have a collection of Ibanez Prestiges'. Number six will be here in January.

Ibanez Prestige's are Ibanez' flagship models- not cheap. They typically come with Dimarzio's (if you know that great, if not maybe you should do some soul surfing). All five of mine currently do have Dimarzio's. I love Dimarzio's and they make amazing pickups. I have a variety of Dimarzio's on them. Single coils and humbuckers of all sorts. Mid to high output. etc. etc. etc. They do what I want and I love them. but...

I want to get some Seymour Duncans,

HOWEVER I cannot morally put Seymour Duncans in an Ibanez. It just seems like I would spontaneously combust. I can't do it. It is like putting a Mustang emblem on a Camaro. They are both nice cars, can be fast, I have owned both, and would buy either again at some point down the road.

So... Want Seymour Duncan's... Can't put in Ibanez...

... Need new guitar for new pickups. Need Jackson?

Yes, yes, yes, need Jackson. They make fantastic guitars, good all across the board. THEY come with Seymour Duncan's (not cheap Jackson's, the nice ones), they are great with Seymour Duncans. I have owned three which are long sold (ironically for Ibanez'). High end Jackson is on par with Ibanez Prestige, and Dimarzio's are on par with Seymour Duncan's. They are just a little different. There are other reasons to get a Jackson, slightly beefier neck, but still really slim and fast. Slightly different dimensions and vibe to them. I am looking for hard-tail models specifically, because their tremolo's are a weak point (which is why I own the Ibanez', those fuckers never go out of tune).

I could never put Dimarzio's in a Jackson for THE SAME REASON that I wouldn't put Seymour Duncan's in a Ibanez. It would throw off the time space warp and open a black hole. Not a good thing.

So needless to say, next year will see a Seymour Duncan loaded guitar or two. Kind of excited.

So am I crazy?

Most likely.

I better go take my meds...