Jackson AT2T

Purchased new in 2000, this is a discontinued AT2T, built in Japan in 1998. Based on the USA-made AT1T, the features are similar except for the following: the archtop body is basswood instead of mahogany (contrary to the previous AT2T review), and the fretboard is rosewood rather than ebony. The same Kent Armstrong JVA-1 chrome-covered humbuckers are used in both positions, selected by a 3-way toggle. The bridge is a "wrap-around" Tunamatic bridge/tailpiece. The knobs (tone and volume), pickup toggle and input jack are all recessed. Tuners are non-locking Jacksons, three per side, with the typical large strap buttons.
Visually, this takes the scaled-down Dinky body profile a step further. The body design is similar to the Ibanez S-series guitars, with arched top, deep cutaways, scalloped neck joint and contoured back. The 22-fret maple neck is pure Jackson, thin and wide. Instead of the usual "hockey stick" headstock, this is a straight-pull design as is also found on the Super Dinky models. The chrome hardware, glossy black finish, contoured body and and sharp headstock make for a more striking appearance than many archtop guitars. The only thing that detracts from the design is the light rosewood fingerboard and cheap plastic inlays, which don't have the classy look of the plain ebony of the AT1T. Otherwise, every bit as good as the American version at half the price.

I play melodic death metal, combining extremely fast riffing with slow, mellow solos. The Armstrong humbuckers are lower output than the Duncans found on most Jackson, either voiced that way intentionally or because of the chrome covers and soft basswood body. The result is something close to a Les Paul tone, smoother than what you might expect from a Jackson guitar. There is a definite "sweet spot" from around the third through eighth frets, where leads sound especially warm. In a metal context, I can get a lead tone similar to Eric Peterson and James Murphy on Testament's recent albums or Kenny Hickey on Type O Negative's "October Rust" disc, an almost-vocal sound ala the DiMarzio PAF Pro. Distorted, both pickups are dark yet clear, and the neck humbucker has a deep, full sound when played clean. I've been able to get more or less this same sound through a wide range of effects on various Peavey tube and solid state amplifiers.
Only in situations calling for extreme distortion would I NOT use this guitar, because the JVA-1 is simply not going to give you that added over-the-top boost. I will probably use this guitar most for recording solos and clean leads, using something else for shredding.

If this guitar was setup at the factory this way two years before I bought it, it was done right the first time. Of course it's not going to take as much work as a Floyd Rose, but I wouldn't change much. My only complaint is that, due to the bridge design and the pickup covers, the AT2T appears to be built with inherently high action closer to the bridge, enough to require a bit more effort when tapping and hammering higher up the neck. Otherwise, it plays great. The contruction is flawless, although the fretwire is (obviously) pretty high in such new condition. No additional setup is required.

Other than the notoriously damage-prone basswood body, I expect no problems from this guitar. Jackson typically does a great finishing job, and chrome hardware holds up better than black or gold in my experience. They also use large strap buttons, and this guitar is light enough that these should do the job fine.
I never go without a backup, but I certainly don't miss the hassle of a Floyd Rose on this guitar!

Jackson was quick to respond to my initial inquiries in email, but I had to dig pretty deep online to get pickup specs and other information that the salesman didn't have when I bought it. I wish the warranty was more than a year, but I've had good luck with my other Jacksons and expect more of the same. Dealing with the USA custom shop generally gets better results than contacting IMC (Jackson's parent company) directly, but they don't get into the imported models beyond very general information. No bad experiences yet.

In approximately ten years of playing, Jackson guitars have become my favorites. I tend to go for the discontinued models for the simple reason that I think many of them had better designs. The Archtop, Super Dinky, Stealth and Soloist "Superlight" are no longer made, so this body style is only available new through the Custom Shop. With the imported AT2T being so similar to the USA version, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. I confess that I bought it based on looks and feel after having only played it for about five minutes!
I chose this guitar over the same model with the optional cherry sunburst finish ($30 extra). I already have Jackson Concept, Dinky Reverse and Soloist models that I use on a daily basis, but I wanted something with the contoured body like that on my Hamer Californian Elite. The AT2T goes beyond that, being very lightweight and comfortable to play, with a sound unlike other Jacksons.
Popular opinion is that this model was dropped because it wasn't "Jackson enough" compared to the shred machines people have come to expect. Personally, I consider this to be the best body style available, and the different pickups and bridge made it a good choice for me as a collector and player. Highly recommended...if you can find one!

i bought this guitar new so while i'm not exactly sure when it was made, it was probably no more than a year or two ago. 22 frets, solid top, H/H pickup configuration, one tone, one volume, 3-way selector. standard pickups, body is mohogany, rosewood finger board. beautiful cherry sunburst finish with a super strat style body. it has a combination bridge/tailpiece by wilkinson. Gotoh tuners, medium frets, i got a soft case and i cable too. it has everything you need

i mainly play alternative and some heavier stuff and it suits me good. i use it with a Crate G-40C and it sounds great, i can get a very wide randge of sounds with it. the sound is much like a Les Paul and not so much like a strat, but its shares attributes from both.

it was set up good from the factory but i'm sure the store i bought it from did some of it themselves. it has great action and the pickups are adjusted well. however, i have a lot of truble with the neck pickup, sometimes it doesn't work, sometimes it does. i need to check it out, it would get a better rating if i didn't have this problem

its hard as a rock. the hardware it solid and holds up well. there's no pickguard but it seems like it will hold up good anyway. strap buttons are huge and solid, i would trust my life to them. i can definetly depend on it but i'd still want to have a back up just in case

haven't dealt with them

i've only been playing for about 8 months and i own an ibanez grx-40 also. if it were stolen or lost i might consider a better ibanez but i would probably but another or these. i compared it to an older les paul, a fender strat, and an ibanex RG470. all in all, its a great guitar, if i hadn't had the problems with the pickups, it would be perfect. i'm sure as i get better i will notice more negative things about it, but it's definetly a great instrument. if you buy this guitar, you will be happy with it