Jackson’s X-Series guitars never cease to amaze me. I mean, when I was growing up, you couldn’t have a guitar like this at this ridiculous price (sorry about giving up the scoop there, folks!). I had to learn my chops and cut my teeth playing barely tunable guitars that fell to pieces as time went by.
Well, as Bob would say, times are a-changing, and entry-level guitars are better than they’ve ever been.
Sneak Peek
Now, to set things straight and be fair, I have to say this is not a do-it-all kind of guitar but rather a metal, hard-rock, punk kind of axe. You can shred, wail, chug, and riff your way to heaven, but it’s not a perfect choice for those who aren’t about to rock.
If you liked the snippet, wait until you read the entire review; there’s so much I need to tell you about this Jackson!
Let’s do it!
More than the Sum of Its Parts
I’ve been playing the guitar for almost three decades. That makes me a guitarist, an active, gigging, recording artist. But before any of that, I’m a confessed guitar nerd. I’m the guitar version of the people who know about nutrition and can read the food charts on the packaging.
So, the first thing I do when approaching a new instrument is to get the nerdy stuff out of the way. That means looking up tone woods, parts, and all that non-glamorous, non-rocking, super-fun stuff (for nerds like me).
By the book, this is entirely an entry-level guitar made with alternative wood and cheap components. The X-Series by Jackson is, after all, designed for those who are taking their first steps into this magic world of music making.
That said, there’s one thing that stood out to me more than any other: Jackson’s leverage. Yes, although it’s made of cheap parts, this guitar feels and plays like a righteous Jackson. It doesn’t have sharp frets (in fact, the fretboard is bound!), the finish has no blemishes, and the action and intonation can be set really low for fast playing.
Jackson JS22 Dinky - Fretboard
I mean, it doesn’t sound like a mahogany body with an ebony fingerboard; it still has that poor definition that poplar, amaranth, and cheap pickups give you. However, that’s something you find out after you’ve played guitars ten times the price of this JS22. For beginners, this guitar sounds fantastic.
This guitar boasts the Jackson tone; oh yeah, even at this price point.
It’s a ferocious guitar with that monster low-end that fuels riffs and chords forward, but with enough edge and snap to cut through the mix. Yes, to my ears at least, amaranth is closer to ebony than it is to rosewood. Therefore, you get that Randy Rhoads thing going on, where the snap and high-end are quite noticeable.
Let me tell you that this guitar is much better in person than it should be, judging by its specs. It’s more than the sum of its parts.
Sounds & Other Fun Stuff
Now that we’ve got the nerdy stuff out of the way, let’s get down to business. I got this guitar via mail. You know that awesome feeling: Someone rings the bell with a huge box and, minutes later, you’re playing a new guitar.
Well, this was an open-box super sale, and I got it for very, very cheap. So, I wasn’t expecting much, but it surprised me just how well set up it was from the factory. I stretched the strings, tuned the guitar several times, and plugged it into my entire pedalboard and my 50-watt tube head with a 1x12 open-back cabinet.
Right away, the stock ceramic pickups breathed fire. I was all over the place playing everything from “Crazy Train” (I can never resist playing that riff on a Jackson!) to “Before I Forget” by Slipknot, and I could pull off every part.
The sound wasn’t as muddy as I expected. Although the guitar chokes a bit when you add a lot of distortion to the signal, it did a great job at chugging and sounding menacing. I mean, with dual humbuckers and a 3-way switch, there isn’t much room for clean tones.
It’s a mean guitar; mean to the bone.
I did play some blues, Gary-Moore-inspired blues, of course, with the neck pickup. The result was kind of muddy, but with enough edge to cut through. I would say that it sounds kind of wimpy on the higher frequencies that tend to get a little shrill, but it’s not unplayable, just not that clear and punchy.
Playing Gary Moore is inspiring, so I lowered the gain levels and moved to some mildly broken tones. I have to tell you that the middle position revealed some very good, sweet, sharp, punchy tones. The bridge is a little too aggressive for overdriven playing, and the neck can get a little muddy. But boy, oh boy, the middle position is quite a lot of fun to play with.
Jackson JS22 Dinky - Bridge and Pickups
Songs like “Breaking the Girl,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “I Got My Mind Set on You” sounded great and were very easy to play with this guitar’s fast neck.
Finally, I stretched my fingers a bit and played some jazz standards like “Autumn Leaves,” “Take the A Train,” and “Summertime”. The result was a little stale but perfectly clear. I did have to lower the volume pot to prevent the pickups from overdriving the amp, but I got crystal-clear, usable tones.
I just added a little reverb, and it was a lot of fun.
The Cut Corners, An Easy Fix
Now, when a seasoned player puts his hands on a guitar in this price range, the corners cut become obvious right away. I mean, even before I plug the guitar in, I can already tell you a thing or two about finish and build quality.
This guitar is full of good news.
The neck on it is what Jackson calls their “Speed” neck, and it holds true to Jackson’s heritage and history as a shredder-friendly brand. Yes, it’s thin, it’s got a non-sticky satin finish, and feels fast and accessible all the way to the 24th fret.
Speaking of which, Jackson going for Jumbo frets was the right choice because they really help you speed up when you want to. Let me tell you that fast-playing way up the neck was effortless. It made me think I could pull off some Malmsteen moves even though I know I can’t.
However, Jackson did cut some corners to reach such an affordable price tag for this guitar. Those corners are in the hardware. You need to know that the tuners, nut, bridge, and pickups aren’t pro-quality. On the contrary, they’re as entry-level as it gets.
Jackson JS22 Dinky - Tuners
To begin with, tuners are jumpy, the nut is plastic, and the bridge has very little mass, ruining sustain. You’ll read everywhere that this guitar needs a floating tremolo to be a truly metal guitar. I disagree with that. This is a terrific metal guitar to play with drop-D (or drop-C for Deftones fans) tuning. We all know that you can’t do that to a floating bridge.
I know you might be thinking, “Hey, man, you promised me good news!” Well, this is the good news: Fixing these cut corners is easy and affordable. Yes, the upgrades you can perform on this guitar to bring it several steps up are things that any qualified technician and a few bucks can solve.
This is a rule of thumb I live by: If the body and the neck are badly manufactured, step away from that guitar. Hardware, on the other hand, can be upgraded or personalized to improve your playing experience.
Those of us who lived through the ‘80s and ‘90s are living testimony to that. I mean, Eddie Van Halen and his Frankenstrat and Kurt Cobain and his modified offsets changed the musical landscape forever with aftermarket accessories.
Great Bang for the Buck and an Outstanding Overhauling Platform
What would I do to this guitar, thinking of it as an overhauling platform? Well, I would swap pickups, install a big-block bridge, change the nut for a Tusq one, and install some cool locking tuners.
Yes, I know, that would cost much more than the guitar. But that’s the thing, you can do it gradually and have an increasingly better guitar that will improve with you as you build your chops.
For example, you can start with the tuners and the nut. That’ll improve tuning stability and tone drastically. Then, swap the pickups for anything you like from EMGs to Seymour Duncans to Fishman Fluence or Dimarzios.
That alone will give you a stage-ready, killer guitar to play night after night. Oh yes, this is a proud Dinky; it carries the Jackson looks everywhere with the shark fin inlays, the contoured body, and the headstock logo.
Plus, with a compound-radius neck (12 to 16”), I can’t think of anything you can’t play with this Jackson.
Finally, in a few months, you can upgrade the tremolo system to gain more sustain. Also, you can replace any pot or switch if they happen to die on you because of sweat, rust, or just from use. Which is, frankly, something that can happen to any instrument regardless of its price tag.
So, if you like the shape, the looks, and want a good overhauling platform, this guitar is perfect for that.
Final Thoughts
My Verdict
Whether you want to get started as a guitar player or you’re a seasoned player looking for a cheap guitar to overhaul or play at home or as a cheap backup, this Jackson JS22 Dinky checks all those boxes.
I had a lot of fun playing it and got usable tones in most scenarios. That said, this is a metal-oriented guitar with shredder-friendly specs. Yes, from the ceramic humbuckers to the compound-radius Speed neck, you can shred the night away easily.
Jackson JS22 Dinky next to my Yamaha FG800.
Finally, Jackson cut the right corners with this guitar, in my opinion. It’s a great platform to make your favorite rock or metal axe with some minor overhauling like pickups and hardware. I can see myself taking this guitar on the road or using it for jams, minor touring, and local shows.
If you dig the looks and want a guitar with room to grow that sounds good, plays fast, and performs night after night, you have to give this guitar a chance.
Happy (overhauled) playing!
