More minions

I was of the opinion that Jackson's Minion Series would be a temporary occupation in Jackson's catalogue but it seems that the numbers are growing. To date, they added a maple fretboard version of the Dinky ($299) & the latest addition being a pinstriped body RR ($399). Two things:

1. Appealing novelty. The novelty of owning such scaled down instruments might have carved out a strong niche appeal. Players actually love these guitars & wouldn't mind forking out money for one (or more than one).
2. Real applications. There might be players out there who actually have real use for such guitars. For instance, these might be purchased to supplement guitar lessons for kids. Those who show competency would be allowed to move up to a standard-sized guitar. Also, there might be some bedroom maestros who want a simple offering for fun times.

Bottom line - these instruments would definitely not appeal to everyone. Do not believe the hype or blind recommendations. Best to try one out in the stores before parting with your precious cash. Both are available @ Swee Lee now.

Sizes

Since I had these two out for a re-string, let's take a look at the relative size of a Minion Dinky against its standard sized counterpart. The Minion is almost a headstock shorter than its JS brother. This would be a welcomed feature for those of us with smaller body frame / hands. Despite the pre-conceived notion that smaller-sized guitars are for kids, it is definitely appealing to adults as well, especially for those of us who are averse to heavy instruments.

I play more riffs than solos on the Minion. I exert more force while doing so & the Minion's shorter neck means I can move faster / easily up & down without getting tired too quickly. As for solos, it seems that my fretting hand is more accustomed to wider fret spaces especially at the upper neck register. I've owned a few small guitars along the way & the Minion seems to hold tuning very well. Of course, this is after the default tuners made way for a replacement set which are still affordable but more reliable. For the record, the Minion sports a 22.5" scale length while the standard-sized JS is 25.5". 

Red dinky (2)

The red Dinky (JS12) that was left for dead had a paint chip at the machine head area. I'm trying to imagine what would have caused this to happen considering this was mostly unplayed. 

Touched it up with paint. Not gonna spend money on this rather obscure detail considering the playability of the instrument is of more importance.

To be continued...

Previous entry: CLICK

Red Dinky

This Jackson Dinky (JS12) was left for dead. The person whom it was bought for left for further studies & clearly uninterested in the instrument. The nut came off when it was handed over to me, it had paint stains on parts of the body, nothing severe but some splatters. The connection was intermittent despite the frets being super shiny, indicating scant or no play time. For some unknown reason, it had a paint chip at one of the tuners, exposing the wood underneath. The person who did the handing over told me it was lying on the floor all along hence the paint crack at the neck heel. 

To be continued...

Jack hound

Had been playing the Jackson Minion more lately. It's one of those guitars (to me) that lets me 'cheat' because it's easier to move around as the frets are a little closer due to the shorter scale length. Also, those DiMarzios there make it sound good. 

Also, I've put away my Snakestortion in the mean time in favour of this VFE Dragon Hound. It features a dual drive control. OK so it's actually a distortion & drive combo. It gets very interesting when both are combined to taste. In the mean time, I've set it for a hard, edgy distortion setting which becomes excessive when the amp's dirt channel is engaged. That's right, I don't dwell on subtlety. 

Size matters

Folks, this is Jackson's Minion Dinky guitar. Yes, it's that scaled down model, much smaller in dimensions compared to its standard siblings. The headstock is smaller as well to ensure no neck dive occurs in view of its reduced size. However, standard size tuners are in use here & that space in between tuners... well, there's hardly any space there to accommodate your fingers. 

Pic: Jackson

I've swapped mine out for these smaller button type tuners. Why bother? That lack of space in between tuners is something that should have been addressed at the design stage, really. While tuning, I kept knocking the adjacent ones out of tune due to the lack of space. There is a ready solution for this oversight which does not require a complete re-design of the headstock. We wonder why it wasn't done so at the factory. My take - Jackson has a ready inventory of the standard tuners so they made do with that. Ordering a differentiated version for such instruments might incur costs.

Re-string Saturday

Had been playing this lately. Something easy on the hand & a lighter overall feel. This may not be your thing because it's a scaled down guitar, very toy-like, for kids they say.

This guitar gives me the perfect opportunity to adapt. I'm also a small-framed individual so it's something I can get used to. In any case, Paul Gilbert isn't small-framed but he plays the miKro RG. Stayed indoors today so gave this a good clean up + re-string. By the way, those strings are a sponsored set.

Jackson's Summer (2)

Jackson joins the sandblasted camp this Summer. Not a Floyd Rose fan but this one is a looker with a simple but attractive monochrome theme. Duncan JB/59 pairing gets my vote. (DK2 Ash)

Jackson also joins the Evertune camp with this 7-string Dinky. It's fair to say that the Evertune bridge solves tuning headaches for the performing professionals. (DK2 Modern Evertune 7)

Minor threats

We now have the following, junior-sized guitars are in store now: Ibanez's PGMM21 (22.2")...

And Jackson's Minion Dinky JS1X (22.5")

As you can see, the respective scale lengths would suggest a non-traditional feel  & tonal response & this blog entry is my effort in reminding you what you would be dealing with should you decide to buy one of these. Are such guitars really for kids? Most probably, they are but we should not exclude the consideration for smaller-built players & they make perfect instruments for the money, not a compromised secondary offering. 

Since I have given them some personal performance time, my money's with the Jackson- that's saying a lot considering I'm a long-standing Ibanez fan. I'm giving an adult perspective here, so the playability of the Jackson, in my opinion, would appeal to the grown-ups. Jackson did their necks a little wider so the adult wouldn't feel too challenged when handling the neck. That quirky Ibanez control layout is strictly a Paul Gilbert affair which may not appeal to guitar fans in general. Jackson did theirs the traditional way; volume, tone & a selector. Pickups-wise, the Jackson is a high gain beast. Those default factory units are all about distortion with very little room to sound warm & intimate. With that said, good cleans can be had but not as engaging as the Ibanez's. 

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Ibanez PGMM21: $299

Jackson Dinky Minion JS1X: $229

Hey, dad! (Part 49)

Hey, dad! Just a reminder that I am now taller than all your guitars- yes!

Jackson Dinky: JS20 dry fretboard

This was rather expected- the Dinky JS20 sports a dry fretboard. It's been resident in an air-conditioned showroom for more than a year...

...but we know that dry fretboards can be easily treated with moisturizing fluid.

Jackson Dinky: JS20 (negative highlights)

We are hesitant to highlight the anomalies of our instruments for the fear that in time to come, should we intend to sell them off, they would not command a good selling price. But there are some user-serviceable highlights that are worth mentioning because the potential buyer would then understand that you, the keen owner, actually addressed those issues & made the instruments more appealing. The strings in my Jackson Dinky JS20 were beyond rusty, as highlighted here. But we all know that strings could be easily replaced, so no major handicap there.

How 'bout this? A crooked bridge vibrato block? What does it imply? Simple- the springs in there were not screwed to promote a uniform alignment. The matters highlighted here were attended to quickly. They were easy tinkering which the user could address, my advice to you is to be familiar with your instrument as much as possible. Do not be afraid to use the screwdriver should the need arise.

Hey, dad! (Part 48)

Hey, dad!

This is easy stuff; all I need to do is wait for the ball end to pop through the string ferrules while you are pushing them through from the other side. 

These rusty strings are really yucky...

Jackson Dinky: JS20

Last Saturday, I was left out of some visiting plans because I had to attend to an item collection. I could not refuse this meeting because it would imply that I was being evasive. So I was home alone with no dinner & the decision was simple- dine out. While I was at it, why not drop by the Swee Lee sale despite the late hours & oblivious to the store's imminent closing time.

There was this Jackson Dinky JS20, a rather old model (discontinued- note the 22 frets, current replacement, the JS23, features 24 frets) which was dusty & the corroded strings in there were only fit for zombie guitarists... because if they were infected by tetanus, they weren't alive to begin with. The good thing was, I remembered ever trying this guitar some time back (maybe a year ago...) & trusted it was still functional. By the time you read this, I would have given it a fresh set of strings & done the ritual set-up for new instruments in my possession. 

To be cont'd...