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Jackson Kelly JS30KE
List: $600
As we observe today, manufacturers are busy refining their elementary models as many aspiring youngsters constantly keep a lookout for attractive starter units to kick off their musical engagements. It is fair to say that finding a lemon starter guitar is rather difficult these days; nobody makes a dud which would break down any time soon.
Jackson’s JS range of guitars is the manufacturer’s fundamental models for us with shallow pockets & guitar fledglings alike. It is interesting to note how these fare since Jackson came under Fender’s operations.
Construction/ finish
The JS30 Kelly is a no-frills unit featuring a tune-o-matic/ through body stringing & locking free hardware. The overall body finish is top notch, no messy paint blobs detected anywhere- thumbs up. Fret fitting, the poor installation is indeed an indicator of cheap, sloppy production, is absent. The physical manifestation of this guitar is definitely above-average, the only gripe here (mine at least…) is that dry spots are visible over at the initial fret area. Severe anomaly? Not really, it’s the industrial strength glue, a spill-over from the nut attachment process; nothing a little hydrating fluid couldn’t cure.
Rating: 90%
Playability/ tone
Fundamental to the instrument’s tonal quality would be the wood used, this Kelly being the elementary guitar the manufacturer has to offer, features an Indian Cedro body with a maple neck. We all know what maple does to tone; adding that top end spike ensuring some clarity but whoever heard of cedro? Excessive despair aside, this wood is really a mahogany relative which is more abundant in existence hence adding to cost effectiveness when it comes to the production microeconomics. The guitar’s unplugged performance is rather bland, not quite capturing the rich presence of mahogany but not excessively unappealing as well, so what we hear is an in-between appeal. Let’s move on then.
Upon plugging in, the in-house Jackson CVR humbuckers did little wonder to alleviate tonal appeal. The cleans from these performers are not the type to invite some jazzy moments; workable at best. However, the high output pickups did better in manifesting driven/ distorted tones. Nevertheless, these electronics possess that overdone treble bits especially from the bridge unit. Again, this is indicative of budget makes similar to what Ibanez, Yamaha & BC Rich, among others, have to offer when they deal with entry-level equipment.
The neck here isn’t the typical shredder affair; it’s rather substantial & very similar to the average Fender C-profile but playing fast isn’t an issue. The Kelly’s inherent body outline provides the player comfort in two aspects; it has a healthy upper fret access as well as the missing upper bout giving a poke-free body feel especially when playing standing up. We know this isn’t new; Gibson’s Explorer was there before everything else. The other upside to the Kelly's cedro body is its satisfactory sustain which is quite reflective of the rather massive body here.
Tone test equipment:
• Planet Waves Custom Audio guitar cable
• Marshall JVM 410H
Rating: 79%
Conclusion
The JS series Kelly is a typical entry-level unit in performance & feel. You’d be attracted to this instrument because you do not mind the average performance (you’re going to upgrade & tinker with it anyway, yes?) but that Explorer theme outline excites you more than everything else (this is indeed one of the coolest looking instrument ever). There is no real set back in purchasing this guitar because it proves to be a worthy performer. Before committing to purchase, do remind yourselves to limit the clean tone expectations.
Final rating: 80%
Instrument availability: Swee Lee Co.
Likes:
• Above-average QC
• Comfortable neck
Dislikes:
• Pickups- sound bland in clean settings
Worthy competitors:
• Hamer Standard
• LTD EX-50
• Kramer Imperial
