Jackson JS32R Dinky & JS32 Rhoads
Body & Neck: JS32R Dinky
Whilst all of the guitars in the Jackson JS3 series share the same timber and hardware specifications, the main differences between each model mainly rests on which choice of classic Jackson body style floats your particular boat. According to our sources the JS3 series bodies are made from Indian Cedro (a fairly heavy but resonant timber that bares a passing visual resemblance to mahogany) and even the relatively small JS32R Dinky featured in this review still feels solid and well planted when slung around your neck on a guitar strap. ‘Dinky’ might seem like a ridiculously lightweight sounding name for such a mean looking guitar, but the name describes Jackson’s method of pairing down a traditional Stratocaster body until it is 7/8 smaller than a regular Strat. The Dinky’s aggressive contemporary take on an otherwise fairly traditional design includes the swept back upturned headstock that looks like it was coined purely just so that wags can eagerly warn that ‘you’ll have someone’s eye out with that!’ whilst a flame effect top adds a touch of sophistication to an otherwise brutally purposeful looking guitar. The standard front forearm
contour and ribcage cutaway are complimented by a slightly scooped-out area around the neck heel to aid upper fret access that might be hindered by the otherwise traditional block-shaped heel. The extra bit of room seems to work fairly well and despite still feeling slightly anachronistic compared to some sleeker modern alternatives, the Dinky still offers reasonably good access to the highest frets.
Body & Neck: JS32 Rhoads
The angular ‘its-a-Flying-V-but- not-as-we-know-it, Jim’ Jackson Rhoads inspired a host of imitators and remains a formidable looking axe despite showing its age a little in terms of upper fret access. All of the guitars in the JS3 series feature identical two-piece bolt-on maple necks with the headstock joining the main neck shaft via a scarf joint. In common with many modern rock guitars the back of the neck has an unvarnished satin smooth finish, which either feels sleek and speedy or a bit raw and unfinished, depending on your point of view. The JS3 series also all share the classic Jackson neck profile, which demonstrates that these affordable Jackson axes
aren’t mere facsimiles of their famous forebears from the 1980s. The compound radius fingerboard
features a comfy 12-inch radius on the first 12 frets before flattening out to 16-inches all the way to the upper register. The bend-friendly compound radius is complimented by 24 massive jumbo-sized frets; a pretty formidable combination for screaming string bends and dramatic vibrato! The flat fingerboard also provides a spacious and comfortable environment for two-handed tapping, string skipping, sweep picking and other techniques that are de rigueur for the contemporary HM guitarist.
The Rhoads’ fingerboard extends
fairly deeply into the body from the 20th fret to the 24th fret which, combined with the conventional block neck heel, requires something of a stretch if you intend to go for the highest notes. To be fair, the U.S. Rhoads model (initially christened the ‘Concord’) that was designed in the early 80s by Randy Rhoads and Grover Jackson features a thru-neck design with drastically less neck heel to contend with compared to this budget priced alternative but in the case of the JS3 Rhoads a degree of determination is required to successfully negotiate the upper fret access. More encouraging is that despite its somewhat ungainly appearance the Rhoads is actually something of an ergonomic triumph! The location of the strap button underneath the long upper ‘V’ shaped bout positions the guitar with the neck pointing upwards when the guitar is worn around the player’s neck, providing an effortlessly comfortable and natural playing position by automatically placing the neck almost perpendicular to the player’s body. Old photos illustrate how Randy Rhoads used to play with his guitar neck pointing almost straight up in the air because it allowed him almost unhindered access to the entire fret board, the Jackson Rhoads automatically does this for you.
Hardware & Sounds: JS32R Dinky & JS32 Rhoads
Both guitars come fully equipped with Jackson branded licensed Floyd Rose locking vibrato systems are back-routed to allow a full tone-and-a-half of up-bend and whilst they both feel a bit too stiff for delicate Steve Vai fluttery they still maintain a vice like grip on the tuning so long as the guitar strings are properly stretched-in. Twin passive CVR humbucking pickups are linked to a three-way
bladed pickup selector on the Dinky (the Rhoads uses a Les Paul style three-way toggle switch) and a simple pair of volume and tone knobs with chunky knurled speed knobs, it’s a functional and compact control layout that works in the player’s favour by negating any unnecessary twiddling. Tonally speaking, both of these Jackson guitars are great fun to play and once you get stuck in you have to fight the urge to put them down and get back to the computer to get on some work! Despite their wildly differing body styles the Dinky and the Rhoads display similar sonic qualities. The covered CVR humbuckers have plenty of output and seem to do a very good job of capturing the classic FM radio- friendly American hard rock and metal tones that Jackson helped to usher in during the 1980s. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the overall tonal flavour tends towards the smoother end of the rock spectrum with a plump midrange and a silky top end that many players will love because it doesn’t require too much effort to wring out singing sustain and big fat crunchy chords. If all this sounds a bit too middle of the road for your tastes don’t panic; if you want to get really nasty then either of these Jackson guitars is also capable of delivering the kind of aggressive contemporary metal tones that melt concrete at 20 paces but both guitars feel like good all-rounders that can be tweaked to match whatever particular style takes your fancy. PM
SHOULD I BUY ONE?
In common with Ibanez, Dean, Charvel and a number of other major brands closely associated with contemporary hard rock Jackson Guitars enjoy a loyal hardcore following that almost borders on the tribal. If you have been longing for Jackson to get back in the game the JS3 series are well worth a look. We are greatly impressed with their superb attention to detail; the excellent compound fingerboard radius, quality hardware and general standard of finish and build-quality all contribute to a fantastic all-round package. These factors, allied to an incredibly competitive price, well and truly put Jackson Guitars back in the frontline.
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Jackson JDS32 Rhoads
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