JTK4 Jet King Review

For every futuristic vision, one must always look back and pay respect to the ways of the old. The Ibanez Jet King models harken back to a time when guitars roared through towns like hot rods, engines exposed and blaring.

Features:	10
Sound:	10
Action:	9.5
Reliability:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	9.9
Users rating:	9.1
Comments:	19

Featured review by: unregistered, on august 25, 2008

Price paid: € 300

Purchased from: www.Thomann.de

Features: The Jet Kings bring back the Flair of the '50s und '60s. But with the Jet King without the problems and deficiencies at that time! Jet Kings stay in tune and throughout the retro switches for single coil/humbucker switching tey're stocked with tons of cool sounds. The string-thru body construction offers good sustain and firm articulation. Features: maple neck "JTK", mahogany neck, 22 medium frets, rosewood fingerboard, off-set triangle inlays, full tune III bridge, chrome hardware, HFS1 singlecoil neck position, HFS2 singlecoil bridge position, finish - red. Well, also the neck is very comfmortable. Fast and brilliant! The pickups are Super 58. It has a tremolo likes bigsby. It works very well. // 10

Sound: I have to play music and to exercise every day. I play in groups and also I play in a lot of lives. So I have four guitars and this is my 5th. I have one Fender Classic Player '60s Strat, one Ibanez GRG170DX, one Ibanez ART500 and also one Fender Mex Standard Tele. I pick this guitar for the good looking and to test the super 58 pickups. And sounds increndible! Nice cleans and very good in dist. I mostly play funk and rock this guitar fits exactly in this style of music. It has nice cleans for funk and very good distortion for rock-classic rock and more more styles! It isn't noisy. Rich sound, beacause I believe in super 58 single/humbucker pickups. I have a lot of pedals like, wah-wah, distortion, delay, phaser, flanger, EQ etc. It fits and product a rich sound with alls. When I bought it I couldn't imagine that can be soooo perfect. I have good guitars and I couldn't believe that can be true! You can play with this guitar from country to hard rock. Really! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: When it came to me, the guitar was pretty good set up. But in all guitars you have to bring it to your style. The pickups were in the right position-high. The bridge was exactly in the right place. I could imagine a good guitar but no so perfect! The only thing that you can do to this guitar is to install locking nut or to change keys because of the bigsby tremolo. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Just yesterday played a Live and I thought to use this guitar. All things gone just perfect! It's a beautifull looking retro guitar and more more more perfect when you play it. All the hardware parts are just perfectly fit on the guitar. I think about it if I will play again with the fenders! Hehe. I just love the sound and the feeling to palying this guitar. // 10

Impression: Well in the style of music which I play (funk-rock-reggae) just fits exactly! It's the right choice with the right value. I am playing with this guitar around a month. It fits very well with the pedals. If I have to buy again one guitar I would buy this one again! I advice you if you wanna buy an all-around guitar just pick this one! Well sorry for my English and keep playing boys. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Stevegio, on march 23, 2009

Price paid: $ 349.00

Purchased from: American Musical

Features: Bigsby style Vibrato, Made in China, Super 58 pickups, 6 Inline tuners, String-thru Body, Fast neck but a ittle beefier than a wizard Red with white plastic, very Retro alittle heavier than the average Ibanez but about 5lbs lighter than the AS103 Smi-hollow. // 10

Sound: This guitar can do about anything the super 58 pickups are the bomb in this guitar and the comments below from Rocker301 are wrong he obviously doesn't own one. The JTK 4 was replaced by the JTK40 which has the ACH 3 & 4 pickups which don't have anywhere near the depth of the super 58's. I play rocabilly, old Who, doors and late beatles and this guitar does all that very, very well. It is NOT made for dive bombing but it does stay in tune thru the sets as long as you use the Ibanez bigsby to color and flair notes. I use a Blues junior and it is great match the guitar excells with almost any (good) tube amp. A great player. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Perfect right from the Factory, unlike my Deluxe American Strat which took me over 2 hours to properly set up and intonate this guitar came with super low action wuth no fret buzz and the intonation was almost perfect. All the hardware was good quality and the I banez tuners do a great job. One of the best factory setups I've ever seen on a supposedly cheap guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I allways use straploks but she stays in tune right thru the sets and it is a joy to play is a little heavier than a Strat but not that much no where near the weight on a less paul. Good finish. Had it for over a year play out 4 nights a week and it's held up great. // 10

Impression: My band plays The Doors, The Who, Stones, Late Beatles and some Warren Zevon and this guitar can do all those has a great brittish tone with the tube amp and when saturated does the Doors to a T. Been blaying for over 25 years and I heard a freind play this guitar in another band and knew I had to get one. Probably the best buy dollar for dollar of any guitar on the market at the time. Unfortunatley they have changed the guitar to the JTK40 and now use ACH pickups to retain their price point which is a real shame because the Super 58's mke this guitar really shine. The best buy in a guitar I've had in 25 years. // 10

Comments

[guitarinchris]

I had the JTK2 for a couple years and loved it. I'll need to check this bad boy out.

[Lasyk]

Looks really cool in my opinion does it come in black though? lol

[Cannibalhell666]

It looks like an 50's guitar lol I would get this guitar

[kotsos_007]

well, i posted this...the only bad in this guitar is that needs locking nut, and that it is only in red....

[sincewhen??]

To keep this guitar in tune do you have to buy a locking nut? Because I would only keep this guitar in standard and drop D. And am not a fan of detuning guitars!

[kotsos_007]

Nop you have not to buy a locking nut... But you have to use 010 strings...

[rocker313]

There is a fault in the review, the JKT3 uses HFS1 and HFS2 pickups, the JKT4 uses ACH3 and ACH4 pickups.
You reviewed the wrong guitar dude.

[rocker313]

The pichups aren't super 58, only AR series are equipped with them.

[Stevegio]

NO you guys are wrong on the pickups the JTK4 has teh SUPER 58 pickups iyt is the JTK40 that has the ach 3&4 ceramic pickups..Rocker 313 is dead wrong on both posts I own this guita and the pickups are Super 58's..The NEW jtk40 NOT the JTK4 has the ACH pickups..Check your info before you post dude.

[Stevegio]

Also you'll find Super 58's on the AS103....they are not just on the AR's they are on all the AS models besides the older Jetking 4.....

[Stevegio]

Also since I own this let me tell you that unless you plan on serious dive bombing (in which cas you bought the wrong guitar) teh tuning is very sound if you use the Bigsby style tremelo to color knotes or for a little flair you need do absolutely nothing to the tuners. I play out proffesionally and this guitar is GREAT at staying in tune for a full set plus, I'd take these tuners over whats in my American Les Paul any day of the week ...THAT's a guitar I had to change the tuners on...would go out of tune a third if the way into the set...Very disapointing for a $2000 guitar...to have to spend another 100 on locking tuners..as if it wasnt heavy enough..I got rid of it and replaced it with a Taylor (The Electric Version) and couldn't be happier! The most overpriced piece of junk I ever owned. I now use the Taylor, the JTK$ and a Deluxe American Strat with s-1 switching that I LOVE when I play out and that is my living...not just my hobby

[Stevegio]

They don't make a JTK3 it's called a JTK30 and it's availabe in blue or turquoise with I banez soapbar style pickus (as stated the HFS1 +HFS2..No Vibrato...They no longer make the JTK4 with the super 58's but everyone came with a set of 2...they make the JTK40 now with the cheaper ach pickups to maintain the price point.

[red_hot_chili18]

looks freaking badass, id trem that fo sho

[Dallinisrad]

they omar rodriguez-lopez signature version of this guitar is way more badass

[huevos]

Dallinisrad wrote:

they omar rodriguez-lopez signature version of this guitar is way more badass

Interesting. I shall take a peak.

[frankness]

gorgeous piece of art

[Karl Hartel]

JTK4 HAS ACH3&4 PUPS
I just bought the JTK4 from AMS and the PUPS are NOT Super 58's as their description claimed. Stevegio's might have them but mine didn't. I hurried and bought the JTK4 since they only had 2 in stock hoping they had the Super 58's. My advice be aware of false info.

[crazy8rgood]

I wish there was a review for the Jet King bass on here. I bought one and I'm loving it.

[Lyske]

Am I the only one who is owning a yellow JTK30???