Loving my Kelly

I have always wanted to own an Explorer-shaped guitar but I don't fancy what Gibson & Epiphone have to offer. This year, Ibanez's fabled Destroyer model makes a come back but after handling & knowing how heavy it is, it's a no-go for me. This year also, Jackson's JS series are made available @ Swee Lee & despite these guitars being the entry-level offering, the fact that they are well-made (not stellar, just above average) remains unquestionable. However, do keep in mind the possibility of getting a lemon from any of the selections, is very real; these are budget instruments anyway, yes?

I had a hard time choosing between the Dinky & this Kelly because both appeal to me in terms of tone & playability. There were tolerable blemishes between them but those aren't detrimental to worthiness. I went with the Kelly because:

• I wanted an Explorer-esque outline
• it's avaialble in white, a finish which I have yet to own...
• also, the Kelly's outline is such that there's much elbow leeway for the picking hand

Those default humbuckers won't do wonders for cleans, I didn't buy this guitar for some sparkling cleans, mind you. All in all, the JS series (particularly this India made batch, not referring to its predecessors) join LTD's Series 50 as great, inexpensive guitars to own. No regrets on my part. Loving my Kelly.