Jackson Custom Shop Flying V

The Jackson custom shop offer a huge range of options for custom guitars. If what you want isn't listed, they'll probably build it for you anyway!!
I chose a Flying V body shape, Neck-thru-body construction. Maple Neck, Mahogany Body with Flame Maple top, Ebony fingerboard with Sharkfin inlays. Trans Green finish.
22 Jumbo Frets, 'Charvel' neck profile (thin but not too skinny).
2 Duncan Humbuckers (a Distortion & a '59), 1 volume & 1 toggle switch (positioned EXACTLY where I wanted), Tun-o-matic Bridge with strings-thru-body, Sperzel locking tuners, Schaller strap locks. Fitted case.
As they built the guitar with EVERY feature I requested, I score it 10 here.

I play Metal. This guitar has an abslutely KILLER sound. How to describe it in words? powerful, punchy, LOUD.
This guitar has it all: depth, fullness, brightness, great harmonics, absolutely wonderful sustain.
Some people would say that the Duncan distortion pickup makes it a bit harsh but I love it for its high output & brightness. The mahogany body seems to smooth out the sound & give it a lot more bassier response (my other Duncan Distortion equipped guitars are a lot more trebly)
The neck pickup is a lot smoother & noticably lower in output but is still just as good for lead work as it is for clean sounds.
My main amp is a Mesa Dual Rectifier - this guitar sounds amazing through it. Just about the perfect sound for metal - new or old. I rarely use any effects other than my old Morley Wah. There's no noise or microphonic feedback even on the highest gain settings & loudest volume.
There's nothing I'd change about how this guitar sounds. It every bit as good as I imagined - and more!!

The trans green finish on this guitar is UNBELIEVABLE!! They found some really nice maple for the top & neck. To say that this guitar was finished to Jackson's usual high standard would be a massive understatement. Apparently, they liked it so much that they kept the guitar for a few weeks after finishing it to photograph it for the next Jackson catalog. When Jackson release their 2001 catalog, you'll all see just how nice this guitar is!!
The Action was very low, the pickups & intonation were adjusted perfectly. All hardware was of very high quality & fitted superbly.
Personally, I prefer heavier strings than the 9-42s it came with, but I can't really fault the playability of this guitar when it came out of the box.

I've never heard of a USA Jackson that you couldn't depend on - they really are great guitars. As mentioned above the hardware is all top quality & I'd be very surprised if anything wore out anytime soon.
Jackson score extra points here for fitting strap locks in the factory (essential for live playing) rather than leaving it to the customer to make an after-sale modification (thus invalidating the warranty?)
The neck on this guitar is fantastic, with a rock solid neck through body & fixed bridge, tuning stability is just about perfect.
I'd never gig without some sort of backup, but this is the first guitar I've had that I played for a whole set without changing or even needed to retune.

I've never dealt with Jackson themselves. None of my Jacksons have ever needed a repair but they do have a Warranty.

I've played for nearly 15 years. I've owned at least 30 different guitars during that time - Gibsons, Fernandes', ESPs, Charvels, Fender, Takamine, & (of course) other Jacksons. But this is my first custom ordered guitar.
GMW Guitars were really helpful & informative when I was filling out the order form. I got EXACTLY the guitar I wanted. If I were good enough & famous enough to have a signature model, this would be it!!
Whether any guitar costing over $2000 can be value for money is a matter of opinion - I think it was money VERY well spent.
My favourite feature is the positioning of the controls - I drew out a rough picture with measurements to show the distance that I wanted the Volume control to be from the Bridge pickup. Jackson got it exactly right. I've hardly even looked at, yet alone played, any other guitars since I got this one.
If it were lost or stolen, I'd order another one without hesitation (I'd also be very upset & angry).
I'm already considering ordering another similar guitar as I now rely on it so much.