NGD. Jackson Custom Shop Gus G first edition

[yan12]

Found this for a fair price and took a chance. Just landed yesterday and took it straight to rehearsal. Here are my thoughts.

I have been curious about this guitar since it came out, mainly for the neck. I was told everything from it is super massive to too thick. It is nothing of the sort and the Jackson product ID is essentially correct. The neck measures .835" at the nut and .90 at the 12th. I am super stoked about it because I love bigger necks. The nut is 42.65mm wide. Oiled maple neck and rosewood bound fretboard with jumbo frets. I do need to measure those.

All of my customs have necks this big or slightly bigger, so it is a home run in that respect. Not sure on the pickups yet, I am not a big fan of actives. Those will probably go down the road shortly.

Another point to anyone considering this guitar. I like Gus and think he is a great player, but I don't ever like to buy an artist model. The only thing on this guitar that has his name is the truss rod cover. That is an easy swap.

This is the first version of his star, one black color scheme and one white with beveled body. Finding USA custom shops from this run is not that easy as not many were sold. I think they were around for about 14 months then discontinued. The ivory white one with bock inlay is still around, but his recent video for his Bruce Dickinson solo has a new star with a floyd....so another version may be coming along. He also has a strat body with reverse headstock as well.

But this first version with bevels is my favorite. The fact that it has no Gus G inlay at the 12th fret threw me off and I almost thought it was fake. I did confirm with Jackson it is a real custom shop, and I was told the first run could be ordered with or without the inlay for the same price. They told me they offered that to possibly move more units, but the guitar was never a huge seller. I then asked how many were ordered without the inlay and was told only one. Hard to say if that is true, but whatever the case may be, there aren't a lot of them out there from what I can tell.

Anyhow, if you want a Jackson star, this first version is pretty damn good, especially if you don't like super thin necks. The 12" radius is great and the build is quite good. I will post more pics when I have time.

 

[yan12]

One last update. I ran it through my main rig (mezzabarba & VHT cabs) and it is actually sounding huge. The leads have some nice girth so I will keep these pickups for a bit.

The other cool feature I forgot to mention is the bone nut is cut with the correct string angles which should be common sense everywhere but that is not the case. I used to wind the high B and E reverse for straighter pull, but no need here.

 

[tedtan]

Congrats!

 

[lost_horizon]

Love Gus G's work with Dream Evil. He used to be in a pro Pantera Cover band so I thought he would have Trems on all his guitars. His solo stuff is also amazing.

Played the made in China version of this and probably had the best feel and action of any guitar in the shop. Sounds like a good player!

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

great find

 

[yan12]

I am really digging it, especially the neck. I have it tuned down one whole step like Firewind, Symphony X, etc...sounds excellent on leads. Need to dial it in a bit more on the rhythm side, but overall, it is a very well-made guitar. The fret ends are really rounded off in a nice way too. His new star is the same as this with GOLD hardware, floyd, and gold Jackson logo...it looks killer!

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Congrats, such a cool find!

 

[Shawn]

Very cool. Congrats!

 

[jvms]

Sick! I've been thinking about getting a Star shaped guitar to play in the classical position. Have you ever tried it this way? My current strat shaped one's upper horn digs into my chest and it kinda hursts. How is the upper horn thing on yours? Also, how comfortable is not having a forearm cut?

 

[yan12]

Sick! I've been thinking about getting a Star shaped guitar to play in the classical position. Have you ever tried it this way? My current strat shaped one's upper horn digs into my chest and it kinda hursts. How is the upper horn thing on yours? Also, how comfortable is not having a forearm cut?

Shapes other than a Strat that I like are Stars and Kellys. I think Star shaped guitars (or X) shape have great benefits people overlook from a playing perspective. There is also rarity. Here are a couple of comments in that regard.

1. Rarity. Real Jackson stars are unicorns. There are not very many in collections because they never made many. (not talking about the Gus model, I mean mid 80's to now CS Star guitars). The fact that Gus has a signature one is fairly unusual, and this first version was very short lived. It's mostly Kelly or Warrior for endorsees (and variations thereof), but true stars are rare. Charvel Stars are out there as the original, but even among Charvel collectors, real Stars guitars that are not fake are fairly rare. The shape has not been hip for a long time, and few folks put down money to have one made. I have a master built Charvel star that I love, and I posted a pick in the X shape thread. You can see the Jackson and Charvel side by side for comparison. You can see the Charvel is flat and the Jackson has wing bevels. The newer Gus G Stars are flat like the Charvel.

2. Playing. If a Star has a fault, or impediment, I will argue it is strap pin position. Some Star guitars can hang away from your body when you stand up, so you need to be able to play without looking at your board too much. Other than that, they are super comfy to play for me. I can set the lower angle on either leg or set the "V" portion on either leg with the neck in more of a classical position. Nothing digs in, and there is no upper horn like a Strat. I don't notice any issue with a forearm cut missing because I don't play the guitar up very high, but also the shape allows your forearm to either be supported by the upper long rear horn or sit in the notch if you will. Everyone holds a guitar differently, so you need to try one. It will take a little getting used to if you only play LP/Strat shapes now. But don't be afraid of a Star shape, they are just like any other guitar...get used to it and play the hell out of it.

 

[yan12]

I guess I can just put the photo here so you don't have to hunt for it. This is the comparison between the Charvel and Gus G first edition. The newer Ivory colored Gus G is flat like the Charvel.