Reviewed by:
cleft11, on january 22, 2007
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: eBay
Features: When I purchased this guitar, I was very pleased just with the listing on eBay. I have always been a fan of Jackson guitars, and I have played my fair few in the local shop. I was prepared to pay much more then £260 for a great deal like this! It came with the guitar itself, a Levy's strap which is extremely comfortable, and a Jackson fitted hardcase. I'm not quite sure how old it is, but it was made in this century. The Kelly has 24 jumbo frets, with a rosewood neck and maple headstock. Inlays are the traditional warped Jackson triangles in mother-of-pearl. Frets were shining, and no buzzing on any frets. It also has locking nuts, which a handy allen key was supplied to adjust them, and also a spare spring for adjusting. The unique body is made of alder I think, and comes in a variety of colours, but this one came in a glossy black. It has 2 Seymour Duncan Humbuckers, which are absolutely perfect. There is only one master volume control knob in chrome, and a black 3 way pickup selector switch. Has got a licensed Floyd Rose bridge which is real easy to set up, and I think that's everything about it! // 10
Sound: As I mainly play metal music, this guitar is a peach. The Seymour Duncan's deliver a meaty tone for any metal song. Personally, I love a very high treble sound, and this guitar is absolutely perfect through a Fender 30 watt. I also run it through a Marshall Jackhammer pedal and a DigiTech RP-200, which is also very awesome. If anyone is familiar with Dragonforce, Herman Li's 'Pacman' noise is very easy to replicate with this Kelly. My other guitars are an Encore Strat copy, which is really really bad, and an ESP Viper series, which is almost as good as this guitar, but I prefer this to be honest, just for its tonal abilities. Perfect. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: When I purchased this, the guitar was setup perfectly. The Floyd Rose was set up perfectly, action was perfect, locking nuts were great. Humbuckers were awesome, althought the screws were quite rusted. Also, when it was delivered, the strings that were supplied were in a bad state, but the seller supplied a new set of Ernie Ball's which are still on now. Apart from slight finish quality, I couldnt have asked for a better guitar. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I would say that the Kelly could be gigged and it would be star of the show in a metal gig, mainly because out of nearly all the famous bands I have seen, I haven't seen one Kelly. The wood is a hardwood, so I am sure it could withstand the knocks and scratches of gigs. However, the glossy black finish shows up all minor scratches, and without repairs, it affects the quality of the finish. Also, the points are prone to having paint flasked off them, so when I bought it that was the case, but I easily filled them in. // 8
Impression: This guitar has metal written all over it. It's agressive looks are suited for chunky riffs and warp speed solo's. I've only had this guitar for a month and a bit, and I have already fell in love with it. I would definately get another if broken/stolen, or a would save up and get a new Dean model for 2007. The looks are probably love or hate, much like the B.C. Rich models, but once you set your mind on it, you can't take your eyes off it. // 9
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