Jackson Pro Series DK2M

This guitar is a player. Made in Fender's Mexican facrtory.

The neck is thin and fast, not too thin though, it's a Jackson neck. I like the oil finish, and the compound radius, and prefer the wider fingerboard, though I've been told the fingerboard on the DK2 isn't much wider than the Ibanez I recently reviewed, as much so as the compound radius just makes it more comfy to chord on the first several frets. Where the neck loses points with me is the frets themselves... These don't feel like 6100 jumbo's, they feel wider and flatter, I have 6100's on my Warmoth neck and they feel nothing alike, I can't get my fingers under the strings as much as I would like for bends, I wouldn't call it a fretless wonder though. I prefer the frets on the Ibanez Premium (They are not Dunlop though), but overall the Jackson neck wins. I would have also preferred Jackson use the sharkfin inlays, it's a Jackson!!! I also like the addition of a contoured heel. 9 out of 10

Fit and finish, again a point loss. The finish is beautiful, the quilt is stunning, and it doesn't feel cheap. However, the neck pocket is not as snug as it should be, I didn't notice this problem on the store models, but I could probably slide a credit card in between the pocket and heel on the lower cutaway side. In contrast, the Ibanez Premium, roughly the same price (technically I paid less for the Ibanez), is a very snug fit. Personally I don't care about this issue, but it is a flaw. 8 out of 10

The Floyd.... Ahhhh yes, the Floyd. The Floyd Rose was the reason I opted for the Ibanez, as all the models of Jacksons had wobbly Floyd arms, this is my pet peeve, and a big enough issue for me to have passed on the guitar. I suspect that since this Jackson in particular was a Sweetwater demo model, they have tweaked it a bit. I bought this guitar assuming I'd replace the the OEM Floyd with a German made unit which is far superior... No need! In store, and in general, I find/found that the Ibanez Edge tremolo have a fluidity that the OEM Original Floyd Rose doesn't typically have, and I opted for the Ibanez based on that. However, had this particular DK2 been among those I tried in store, I'd have bought this instead of the Ibanez, THAT day, I still love the Ibanez Premium, and would have bought one eventually. The Floyd on this guitar DK2 is flawless, the fine tuners turn easily, the arm isn't the least bit wobbly, and it's a real joy to play with, real springy, trills for days when you want it, and stays in tune, I prefer it over the Edge Zero 2, but unfortunately I know it's a rare gem, in my experience, and can't say I would expect another to play as well, I mean I was 0-10 at Guitar Center trying out the Floyd's on Jackson Pro Series and Charvel San Dimas/So Cal guitars, either too stiff with wobbly arms or just wobbly arms, in contrast the Edge Zero 2's were flawless on the 5 that I played. But since I'm rating MY guitar... 10 out of 10

Pickups... I like the 59/JB combo, but find it a bit tired. Personally, I didn't care for the JB in this guitar, it sounded very compressed, very nasally, it must have been the pickup itself because that is so not a JB characteristic, as it is a very spongy and airy pickup, and sounded as such among the in store DK2's I tried. The 59 is still there, and sounds great, but for aesthetic reasons it may be replaced. The zebra colored pickups work well with the body finish color, for some reason. I like that Jackson went with quality and well known aftermarket pickups, unlike Ibanez, whom had DiMarzio make a special pickup set for the Premiums that were a mix between this and that pickup but not as good as either one alone. Like the Floyd rating, this is based on THIS guitar... 6 out of 10 stock... 10 out of 10 if based on the replacement Duncan PATB-3 pickup.

All in all, this guitar I have to say is a solid 4, when you take into account price, parts, playability, sound, to me it's a lot of bang for the buck, with the only real flaw being the neck pocket.