Jackson DR3

I got the 1996 jackson dr3 off ebay and after setting it up am not disapointed. It has offset double cutaway basswood body,flame maple top,rosewood extended cutaway fingerboard with floyd rose and after intonate and springs were set and 24 fret fingerbord was oiled with lemon oil it kicks butt.

I play metal period hardcore, progresive,thrash old school lets put it this way been playing 19 years,play a 2006 crate 1200 head with 16 dsp through a marshall 30 watt celestion 120 watt cab the guitar is killer to jam,only thing i would change is the pickups to seymour duncan sh-6b and jazz-2n or blackouts.

Got it off ebay from a girl that bought it in high school that just used it for lessons so it sat,cool the factory set up dont know if it was good like any other guitar it has to be set to your own needs.you have to maintain your guitar oil,tightin down everything,new strings.

this axe is great man and a looker as well when i play with band it is great hardware will last i put duncan strap locks and i know with the lords help it will last.yes i would gig without backup if needed.

i had it intonated with a strobe tuner thast it was the only repair this far no warranty and if you need to call jackson/fender forget it there archives only go back to 2003 or 02.

ive been playing for 19 years like i said i have had other jacksons and guitars right now this one and a dk2m if it were stolen i would try to find another one.

I got the japan model i have no idea when it was made b/c it was giving to me by my step father. Its build pretty decently just like any other metal guitar really. Reverse neck, 24 frets, shark fin inlays, dual humbuckers and a floyd rose trem. I got the green flamed top. I hate green so im not partial to it but its nice. Im only rating it a 7 b/c even tho it does seem solidly built i cant think but to seem the build quality isnt just good as my main brand fender.

I play alot of classic and 90s alt. I like to fool around with metal here and there aswell. the pickups are pretty decent for stock. I like the tone i get one i really bend the strings and wail out with my amp up. They can do the job but i think anyone whos seoirus abou tthis and especially plays metal would want to throw some hot emg 81a in there. The guitar just says metal so just put some in. YOU CANNOT PLAY BLUES WITH THIS.

The action is great. The neck on this is alot like those ibanez wizard 2 necks. I can friggen fly up and down the fret boards with this and just shred. The trem is great it never goes out of tune either even when i do a ton of dives bombs and stuff. There as been no problem here. I personally hate friggen floyd rose bridges because ive owned about 4 guitars that had them and they all fucked up. Once something goes wrong with them the neck and the action get so screwweed up and it never seems to get better after that even when i had them professionally set up. Changing strings sucks too. Howveer when this thing functions right its badass

i think this guitar will hold up fine and take a beating. I wouldnt think youd need a back up. Its a good guitar

never dealt with them cuz ive never had a problem

Ive been playing guitar for about 11 years now. My other axe is a fender lonestar strat and you can def notice the quality between the two. The strat is more solidly built and the neck fits in my hand like a glove. The strat is just a tone monster i love ho wmuch soul i can get out of it. The jacksons still good. Its about a 600 buck axe so its a pretty good deal. Id like it to have better pick ups and to have the back of the neck finished i hate the unfisnished maple look. Throw some laquer on that bitch!

year?
24 fret
H/H
Duncan Designed
passive
maple neck dark rosewood
Black finish
Floyd Rose JT-580LP

sounds pretty good for stock pick-ups I play metal
I like the way it looks without the covers around them
I run straight through my pod into my computer and it sounds awesome
records very well too
great crunch rich,full and bright

plays awesome
for a bolt on it plays really fast
I set up my own,and bought it used so i dont know how well the factory set it up.
hardware in this guitar is really good everything is rock solid

very durable
i have never broken a string in this one(knock on wood)
finish is good and durable
very dependable
wouldnt want to but if I had to this would be the 1 guitar I would want to play without a back up

dont know

ive been playing over 20 years
If stolen I would buy it again
there is nothing i hate about this guitar I love everything about it
looks great feels great hardware on this guitar is very solid,mine is older w/black hardware the new one have chrome i dont know about them.
but this guitar is a very nice guitar,without the big price tag

i boughthe guitar is a solid body double cutaway, with two Duncan Designed HB 103's. It comes with a jackson low riding locking trem which is one of the best trems ive played with,and a volume/tone pot. 24 frets, reverse headstock, sharkfin inlays. this is a rock guitar though and through! This is pre fender jackson - made in japan not korea

i play all sorts from blues to metal. this guitar is flexible enough for all of these styles! the pickups are middle of the road really - theyre good, not amazing. they clean up well and handle distortion well, but not brilliantly at either. i dont want to change the pickups yet, but i may change them for a JB/jazz combination. you know this is a good guitar when you hear it unplugged - it has a bright organic sound to it that only gets better when cranked through a dirty amp.

it came to me set up perfectly. action was low, intonation was correct. it was tuned to eb so i had to retune it and adjust the trem but that was just the previous owners preference and not really a problem with the guitar. couple of dings made it clear this had been heavily used but aside from a few cosmetic damages the guitar was very solid - reassuring to know its built to last!

feel like this would last me a lifetime! it feels very solid. only thing to be wary of is the back angled headstock - by design they snap easily when dropped. moral - get some straplocks (youll want to jump around with this guitar) and dont drop it!

never dealt with jackson/fender. havnt had to. no warrenty for me - second hand

lovely lovely guitar. id definately recommend it over its ewer relative, the DXMG. its versatile, it rocks, and it just nestles into you. it hugs you...and begs you to play it!

Mine is a 2000 model. It has a beautiful green quilted maple top (laminate, I beleive). Purchased it on eBay, and wasn't sure what to expect this being my first Jackson. I've owned several similar guiatrs before including an Ibanez floral Jem. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this guitar. It played much nicer than my Jem did. The body is super resonant. Quite loud when unplugged. Jackson put their own twist on their version of the Floyd Rose bridge, and it is by far the best Floyd I have ever played. Stays in tune perfectly, even with aggressive dive bombing and pull ups. The neck is smooth, thin, ....and very fast. Been awhile since I played on jumbo frets (24 of them) and I was delighted at how finger tapping just jumped out of my amp. The hardware has a satin chrome finish.......very beautiful. The pickups are dual humbuckers. More about them in the next section. Would like to see a five way switch (with coil tapping options on the middle positions) instead of the three way switch it comes with.

I play in a cover band. all styles from 70's rock, through 80's metal, and 90's grunge.......whatever got radio play. My setup as follows: Guitar into Tech 21 Tri-OD either straight into my amp or into assortment of pedals (depending on my mood).My amp is a Gallien Krueger MLE. Amp into Gallien Krueger 2X12 cab loaded with Celestion GT-75's.

I have to tell you I was skeptical about the 'duncan designed" pickups. They have Less out put than the Duncan custom custom and 59 on my Wasburn WMS, but not at all bad. I play at fairly loud volumes with a lot of gain, and as such, one thing I look for in a guitar is the ability to turn up without the guitar causing my amp to feed back (the bad squeely kind of feedback). I did get some feedback, but not as bad as some of my other guitars. The bridge pickup had a pleasant mid peak when heavily distorted. It was clear and articulate when picking notes. The neck pick put out some full ballsy "end of the world" tones for soloing. Again.......I was impressed. I fully planned on getting rid of the pickups in this....but I may hang on to them a little while longer. The guitar was just OK for clean tones. Ever so slightly on the muddy side. Finger tapping is a joy on the jumbo frets. We do a Van Halen Song in our third set and my tapping part was so much clearer than it is on my main axe (an Ernie Ball Musicman Axis Super Sport).

Not bad at all for a Japanese guitar. The finish is beautiful (even in the used condition the guitar was in). The flame maple was a little on the dark side for my taste, but still quite breath taking. The guitar is light, yet feels solid in your hands). I really wish Jackson would lose the reversed headstock. It really dates this guitar......even looks a little corny by todays standards. They should go to a straight pull modern looking headstock. The intonation on mine was perfect out of the box. I'm not a big rosewoods fingerboard fan, but the grain on mine was smooth and tight.

So far no problems. Floyd Rose.......so you better have a backup for gigs.

Never dealt with them. I understand Jackson has been picked up by Fender.........and I've had great experiences with Fender support in the past.

Been playing a little over 20 years. I've owned tons of other gear in the past. Gotta tell ya, this axe has been a pleasant surprise. This has been such a great axe that I'm beginning to look for a US model solist. I love the finish, jumbo frets and thin neck. I hate the headstock (cheesy). I also love the fact that this thing stays in tune better than any other Floyd or kahler equipped guitar I've ever owned. A great value.....especially considering the market value on Floyd equipped guitars in so depressed. You can get this for a steal on eBay.

This model appeared in 1998 and it was made in Japan. It has 24 jumbo frets, maple bolt-on neck whith a rosewood fretboard and reverse shark inlays . The finish is Tobacco Sunburst (TSB) and has mahogany body. It's equiped whith a floyd rose licenced low profile double locking tremolo (JT-580LP) and two duncan designed humbuckers which i replaced with EMG 81 bridge /60 neck.The hardware is satin chrome.
It has one volume and one tone control and a 3-way selector switch.

After replacing the stock pickups which sucked the guitar came alive.The sound is great for what i play (Metal,progressive,).Iuse it with a Morley Wah/Volume/distortion through a Roland GC 408.All of my friends coment on the richness and Quality of my sound.I LOVE THIS GUITAR!!!!!EMG 81 gives great crunch the low end is very tight,60 is great for clean and lead.The sustain and tone are great due to the mahogany body.I recomend it for any type of music that requires ballzzzzzz!!!!

No flaws i bought it second hand

The guitar seems solid.The finish is very good,i have dropped it from 3 feet and not even one dent I've had it for a year now and I didn't have any serious trouble whith it until now.The only problem is that the pickup switch isnt working properly and wont turn on the neck pickup.After i replace the switch I guess it could be used without a backup.

no idea

I've been playing for 2 years now and this is my second electric guitar, and I love it! I also have a BCRICH NJ virgin.These two guitars cant be compared.Next to the Jackson the bc rich is total crap.I also have a Roland gc 408, BOSS MT2,Morley wah/volume/distortion,Fender Precision Bass 78,MTD GRENDEL and ESH hero 5 string bass.Overall this is a great guitar.

My DR-3 I'm not really sure what year it is but I do know that it is a japan made jackson.It was bought from another owner off of ebay,it came with 24 frets,one volume knob,and one tone knob.It has two jackson humbuckers with a three way selector switch.It is definitley a one of a kind beauty,I have not seen one with this color before,it has a quilted top with a sunburst green finish pretty bad ass.It has a reversed headstock with jackson/gotoh tuners and also a jackson floyd rose locking tremolo.And last but not least it came with a hardshell case,a dimarzio straplock system,which I replaced with a black leather strap and dunlop strap locks.Also came with allen wrenches.

This guitar fits my style of music very well,I play mostly 80's heavy metal,bands like motley crue,l.a. guns,skid row,bands like that.I am currently playing through a musicman cabinet,it has a 50 watt head with a 4x12 beautiful sounding cab.Also with my jackson I use a boss metal zone pedal to get the good sounding distortion.It has gave me a full sound that I love and that just kicks ass,it is pretty good when it comes to the harmonics. All in all I love this guitar.

When I got this guitar it needed to be set up really bad,the strings were dead but the action was right where I wanted it to be.As far as the condition of this guitar,it had one tiny little chip down by the input jack,and one of the tuners was a little stiff because the bushing was shot.

I personally think that this guitar could totally withstand live playing,it is a sturdy guitar hardware,finish,and of course the strap buttons because I put brand new dunlop strap locks on it.This is totally a dependable guitar,however I would not play live without a backup simply for the fact that it has the floyd and I think it's crazy to not have a backup just in case.

I have not had to repair my jackson yet so I have no idea about their customer service,but it has not give me any problems so I will give this a 7.

I have been playing for seven years now and my love for music and plaing the guitar steadily grow.However I did not want to limit myself to just one instrument,I also can play bass,and drums.Music just flows through my veins and I love it.If this guitar was ever stolen I would go ape shit because I totally love this guitar,this guitar is a beauty and I would not trade it,to end it off jackson guitars kick ass and don't ever let rock and roll die because it has balls and substance most of it we can all relate to it one way or another,it comes from the heart and soul and should totally be respected even if you don't like it.

I believe the guitar was made in 1996 0r 1997 because I remember buying it in high school. It has 24 frets and a poplar body. It has a 3-way selector and duncan design humbuckers. Mine has a black finish and hardware. Strat style body with a reverse headstock. Floyd rose locking tremolo. Gotoh tuners. Thin neck. Got a case with it.

I play mostly old school metal (sepultura, metallica, along with new stuff like Soulfly, Fear Factory, Society 1.) I use a Marshall vr-100 combo with a boss Mt2 metal zone and on occasion a boss flanger, delay, and chorus. It sounds really tight for old school metal. Good for leads, really easy to play. I think this guitar gets a fat ass sound for metal rythm playing, who gives a fuck about the clean tone unless you are gay. Just kidding, with the chorus pedal you can get some really good "Sanitarium" like clean sounds. This guitar is almost limitless in the sounds it can make. The only complaint I have is that it is a bitch to down-tune. Believe me, this guitar is even better the lower you tune it because it has a crisp, clean distotion sound.

I got this guitar pretty much ready to roll from the factory. Pickups seemed okay. Everything on the guitar I got seemed acceptable. No complaints. Beats the hell out of alot of guitars.

This guitar is a machine and holds up easily for live playing (unless your an idiot who smashes his shit for no reason) The hardware is in great condition and I've had it for 7 years. The strap buttons I have never replaced and they are okay, I need to replace them now though. If you take care of your gear you can rely on this with no backup. Garunteed, biotch.

Never dealt with Jackson, this guitar is my only jackson and have not hade a single problem. I give it a 5 because of that.

I have played for 9 years and also own an Ibanez 7 string, a Hamer Eclipse, and a Schecter C-5 (a bad ass) 5 string guitar. I really like this guitar alot and would recommend a Jackson dr-3 to anyone. If it were stolen I would be fuckin pissed. I love the sound this bitch gets for old school metal, there is nothing I hate about it. I would compare it to new Jackson DKMG models. The only thing I wish mine had now is a string thru body instead of the floyd rose.

24 frets, i think it's an 2002 model , i have 3-way selector 1 tone 1 volume, pickups are h/h duncan. floyed rose 2 lockes....
the one thing that missing in this guitar is jumbo frets but for a japanes guitar and 4000 shekels (950 US dollars) ist all right . in israel the jackson guitars are extreamly expensive -- :(

ok this guitar pickups are so beutifull, first you have to set it up low and high the pickups a bit . then the sound is amazing ,i dont understand why everyone have to get stright away EMG .I play PROGRESIVE METAL , HEAVY METAL with the ducan pickups. the clean sound on both bridge and neck pickups is great ,warm , ofcours proffesional players will say its not for the lighter styels like jazz & etc... but i think that u can get most of the sounds that exist from this guitar....not just for metal. when you put the distortion its way way better. lets say i covered megadeth , dreamtheater ,symphony x -with a littel help of the MT2 metalzone
the sad thing is that i went to the store for re setup , i puted the guitar on some fine roland amp and the sound were X100 better than my stinki little amp . it sounded like a pro!

you have to set this guitar up every 4 month . you can get it low , belive me i have apsolutly no buzz!! i wanted to give this category a 10 but this is a japanes guitar after all so it have a flaw! the high E string is too close to the edge so i cant do tapping and other stuff well its really bugs me , i will give this category 8 because of it . but actualy its not really bother's me

you always need a backup for the dr3 and any floyed roze guitar.
this is the only guitar i will live play with. ok i have the guitar for 1 year and nothing bad have happend to it. just setup it every 4 months , never lock the hellen keys too stronge or the floyed will be ruulen.

1 year warrnaty i got 1 free setup, they saw I'm a good,serious guitar player so they were nice to me

ok! before the dr3 i haved an old ibanez similar to the rg.... i think ibanez have the quality ,low action ,fast . althoug jackson is better sounds, better looks - jackson are the best. i have been playing for 5 years ,i have got another guitar and the MT2. i think that if you play metal , soloing go for a dinky pro ,usa , jumbo frets (it will cost you more.) this is a great guitar yet jackson have more to offer.

This model appeared in 1998 and I think it was made in Japan. It has 24 jumbo frets, maple bolt-on neck whith a rosewood fretboard and reverse shark inlays (pearl type material). The finish on mine is Tobacco Sunburst (TSB) and has mahogany body; you get poplar body whith all other finishes. It's equiped whith a floyd rose licenced low profile double locking tremolo (JT-580LP) and two duncan designed humbuckers. It has one volume and one tone control and a 3-way selector switch.

I could use a single coil or at least a 5-way switch for coil tap options...

Well I play mostly metal and this guitar is great for such music, yet its warm sound makes it suitable for other styles too (except those that require single-coils).
Pickups sound great whith distortion but the bridge humbucker is not very good for clean sounds, especially if you raise it a bit like I did. The selector makes a bit of noise and that's about it.

I recomend it for metal (black/death/and all the rest)

My guitar contains no flaws and since it was bought second-hand I don't know how well it was set-up...

The guitar seems solid. I've had it for a year now and I didn't have any serious trouble whith it. This is my first guitar on which I change the strings before they actually brake, so I guess it could be used without a backup.

don't know

I've been playing for three years now and this is my third electric guitar, and I love it! I also have an ibanez rgr270 a yamaha rgx121d and a "noname" acoustic. Other gear I have: a marshall vs100r combo, boss GE7, zoom 505II and a zoom gfx8. who cares!

If I compare my ibanez and my jackson I like the later way better. It's alot more comfortable and it sounds way better whith distortion which is what I use most of the time...

Through my dr3 I fell in love whith jackson guitars and I think I'll get some american made kelly somewhere in the uncertain future

See other reviews. Mine is transparent green.

The guitar sounded good after I set it up. I replaced the stock pickups with an EMG 81 in the bridge and an EMG85 in the neck. The mounting of the pickups was kinda weird and I had to drill out the treads of the EMGs mounting things to make them work with the spring type mounting of the DR3. I would have prefered those square type mounting brackets on the guitar instead so I didn't have to mess up the mounting of the EMGs incase I wanted to use them on another guitar but after all the trouble I had them installed fine. The pickup selector wasn't working very good when I got the guitar and it was because of bad soidering. When I replaced the pickups that was fixed when it was wired to the EMGs. I mainly use it for metal type stuff and it had a great sound with the EMGs.

Action was setup by myself after I bought it and it played a lot better. Finish was transparent green which looked cool. Back of the guitar was black though.

Guitar stays in tune great after being setup. I have to use the floyd's micro tuners to slightly adjust the tuning maybe once a month. Hardware was satin chrome.

N/A

I've been playing for about 5 years and I wanted a guitar that had a floyd bridge and dual humbuckers. I got this guitar and replaced the pickups with EMGs and it sounds great and plays great. The only complaint is how the pickups are installed. It made it hard for me to put on the EMGs, maybe I just don't know how to do it right but it was a pain. If you know how to install EMGs in this guitar without having to strip the threads of the EMG mounting holes send me an email. Overall a great guitar.

i don'tknow if this is a 98,99 or 2000 model.I think it is madein korea(where they can make it cheap).It has the normal duncan design pickups for cheaper jacksons. I have played guitar for about 8 years.

This is obviously a metal guitar.I play a lot of countryrock, along with hardrock/metal. The sound is perfect for metal, but i also thinks it's pretty good for country, rock, pop

when I got it, i had to adjust the string down. There was also some problems with the sound when I used the 3 way toggle pickup-thing

TIME WILL SHOW. I don't know yet.I've only had for about one and a half year.

I haven't repaired it yet.

It's a really good guitar. Great sound and great beauty

This guitar has been made in japan.I dunno the year.It has a poplar body,rosewood fingerboard,maple neck,a licensed floyd rose,H/H.

I love this guitar,the sound is really full.It has a pretty good body,really better than ibanez (I've also a rg550).The sound is well balanced,the duncan designed PU are not so bad,better than a lot of other stock PU.The guitar plays in a good way also with the stock PU,I think it's for the good body.Anyway I'm going to change the bridge PU for another one with more output signal.That's a real Metal Axe.I love it.

I was really impressed for the set-up of this guitar.I thought that it can have buzz problem or bad fret.I was wrong!The set up is PERFECT!A pretty low action and no buzz!The fretwire is perfect!

I can't judge it yet

That's a wonderfull deal.It kills my ibanez rg550 and the DR3 it's also cheaper!I'm sure that when I'll change the bridge PU this guitar will scream!BUY IT!

MY DR3 IS A 2000 MODEL MADE OVERSEAS. IT HAS 24 FRETS WHICH WHERE NICELY DRESSED WITH NO SHARP EDGES. THE NECK IS MAPLE WITH A ROSEWOOD FRETBOARD. SHARTOOTH INLAYS WHICH ARE REVERSED AND REVERSE HEADSTOCK.
2 DUNCAN DESIGHNED PICKUP WHICH SOUND ALRIGHT. 1 VOLUME/1 TONE CONTROL, AND 3 WAY SELECTOR SWITCH. JACKSON STYLE FLOYD ROSE LOCKING TREMOLO,WHICH IS FINISHED IN WHITE GOLD(VERY COOL LOOKING). STRAT SHAPED BODY WITH EASY ACCESS TO ALL 24 FRETS. THE BODY IS MADE OUT OF MAHOGANY WITH A SUNBURST FINISH. THE MAIN REASON I GOT IT.

THE SOUND IS NOT BAD CONSIDERING IT CAME FROM OVERSEAS. WITH THE MAHOGANY BODY, IT HAS A NICE WARM SOUND. I RUN THIS GUITAR THROUGH A CRATE DXJ112. WITH BOTH PICKUPS ON AND WITH THE VOLUME TURNED DOWNED A BIT,AMP ON THE CLEAN CHANNEL I HAVE NOTICED THAT IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE A STRATS POSITION 2 (NECK/MIDDLE). I NEEDED A GUITAR WITH A LOCKING WHAMMY AND I WANTED A DECENT,REASONABLE PRICED GUITAR. JACKSON FILLED THAT REQUEST.

MY DR3 WAS SET UP OK. I LOWERED THE ACTION A LITTLE BIT. OTHER THAN THAT NOTHING ELSE WAS DONE.

I THINK ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 20 YEARS. I ALSO OWN A 57 LES PAUL REISSUE BLACK BEAUTY, A 62 SG REISSUE, A WASHBURN HB 35SB. IF IT WERE STOLEN I WOULD DEFINETLY GET ANOTHER ONE. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT IS THE LIGHT WEIGHT AND HOW IT BALANCES WELL IN THE PLAYING POSITION.

This Jackson is a piece of a guitar, with its 24 frets, 3way selector for the 2 Duncand Designed pickup,and a GREAT Floyd Rose Tremolo. The Strat-like body is cool, and the reversed sharp neck gives it the look Fender lacks.

I tried it on a wide range of music (from the Beatles to Van Halen, without forgetting Metallica), and it sound great! I'm using it with a Hughes&Kettner 50W amp and as long as the volume isnt at its max, theres no background sound. One pickup has a very rich sound, well suited for chords and slow riffs, the other one has a much more brighter sound, perfect for lead guitarist with a lot of overdrive.

I tried to find something wrong on this guitar at the store to get a better bargain but I just couldn't. Its black and blue blend makes a great finish, and it's as if it was repulsing fingerprints and dust.
The only thing is that the Tremolo's arms tend to get lose when you use it a lot, but that's not a problem since it's really easy to adjust even in the middle of a Van Halen solo!

It's definitely the kind of guitar I would use on a 12-hr-long show without any backup. My lil' brother gave it a terrible blow right on the Tremolo and another one on the body and it didn't even had the smallest scratch, nor did the tremolo broke or get lose!

It comes with a 1year warranty, but I think I'll never have to get it fixed so...

I've it for about a month now. I also got a Normand B50 handmade accoustic guitar, but, even with the incredible quality of Normand's gear, the Jackson is way above it. If it was stolen, I'd maybe buy another Jackson, it's one-piece body counterpart (the DR6 i think), but more likely I'll get another DR3.

I believe it was made in 2000 in Korea or wherever the cheaper Jackson's are made. It has 24 frets, alder with a flame maple top. Neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard and has mother of pearl sharkfin inlays, which is one of the best looking things on the guitar, and it obviously has a reverse headstock. The finish is trans green, which looks great! 1 volume and 1 tone nob with a 3-way pickup selector. Duncan designed pickups. 103B in the bridge and 103N in the neck. Comes with JT580LP double locking tremolo. Jackson tuners. 25.5" scale, jumbo frets, very thin neck.

This guitar was built for one style of music and thats METAL! I am a die hard metal head and it works great. I play mainly Slayer, Metallica, In Flames type music, and the stock pickups work suprisingly well. I may replace them with active EMG's eventually though. I use this guitar through a Boss Metal Zone into a Peavey Revolution 112. This guitar just SCREAMS! I get great harmonics and triplets sound clear and precise.

The guitar was set up very well by the guys at Guitar Center. Nice low action, and the pickups were set at a good height. I barely had to adjust the tremolo, which is suprising. I bought this new and it was in perfect condition.

I just bought it recently, so I haven't played live with it yet. The finish seems like it will last just fine. I have a backup, but I think I'd feel comfortable without one if I had to. I've heard good and bad about the cheaper Jacksons so I'll go by what I've seen with my axe so far.

Never dealt with them, so I can't say.

I've been playing for a good 2 years now. I also own a Fender Fat strat with Duncan pickups. I needed a guitar with 24 frets and floyd rose tremolo. The biggest plus on this guitar is the fret spacing. I have big hands and this guitar makes it easier for me to play at the 15th and 17th fret area. If it was stolen I would brutally mutilate the bastard who stole it and cut his b***s off! I compared this guitar to an Ibanez RG570 and a BC Rich Warlock NJ. This guitar had the best sound and feel for me. It also looked the best, which really didin't matter, but it's a plus.

So as you all know the features of the guitar,i dont think it is important to write down!But mine is Trans green!!Thats it!

I play in band that plays kind of Nu-metal music and this baby suits our music very very nicely!But my true addiction is progressive rock/metal and all kind of guitar music like:Dream Theater,Vai,Vanden plas...etc.Well of course i like playing almost anything but these are my influences.This guitar is just perfect for my purposes but the only thing that i have been planning to change on the guitar is the bridge p/u.I dont like the sound of it!Im not saying its crappy but it could be better!!Maybe a dimarzio tone-zone would be nice???

It was very GOOD when it came!Absolutely!No flaws or anything!

The guitar is fine for live playing but quite funnily enough,When we had a gig last December(it would have been the first gig with the guitar)the volume knob got broken!?%&/(#!!Well i got another jackson(a really crappy one!)for the gig!!The gig was fine actually!

1/2 year warranty.Too short!

I have been playing for about four years.I have had few crappy guitars
and this one kicks ass BIG TIME!!Only the bridge p/u sucks a bit.

Made in 1998 or 1999 in Japan. 24 fret Rosewood fingerboard with reversed mother of pearl triangle inlays and reverse headstock. Maple bolt on neck, poplar body w/ flamed maple veneer top. 2 Seymour Duncan designed Humbuckers w/ 3 way switch. Transparent Blue top with midnight blue back and sides. Dinky body style. Hardware is Matte/Satin silver (not chrome) Jackson Floyd Rose licensed low profile vibrato system, 1 volume & 1 tone knob, and Jackson tuners. The neck is thin... only slightly thicker than an Ibanez Wizard neck. I deducted 2 points for it not having a thicker flamed maple top and not adding a single coil in the middle position w/ a 5 way swith or coil splitters for the existing humbuckers.

WOW! I've never heard such a vibrant unplugged sound out of a floyd rose equipped electric before. Because of this, I knew it would sound good plugged in no matter what kind of pickups were in it. Tonally it can not cover all musical styles though (like Jazz). It excells at rock music styles. The stock pickups can't translate the natural woody clean tones of the guitar well when amplified. Dirty sounds are great though. At high volumes the stockers have the tendacy of squealing and feedbacking. 2 points deducted because of the non versatility of the stock pickups. I really think that with the right pickups matched to this guitar's woods, it would score a subjective 10 for me.

I was very impressed that the guitar was in perfect tune when it arrived. The string action is a little on the high side for a rock guitar but, I decided to leave it there because I think that's part of where it's good tone is coming from. The intonation is dead on. The only adjustments I made were: tightening the spring tension of the bridge slightly and raising the pickup's height a little as well. 1 point deducted for it not being made with a one piece neck--typical of Japanese and Korean made guitars, the peghead portion of the neck is glued on at around the 1st fret.

To me if a guitar sounds good then it's reliable. 5-10 years from now, if the finish shows a little wear or the matte/satin finish oxydizes a little bit, so what.

Haven't dealt with the company before but, the warantee is awfully short at only 1 year. From previous experience with a Charvel Fusion Deluxe, I don't think that warantee length is an issue. That goes the same for most electrics.

I have been playing almost 12 years and am a believer in the fact that your fingers and pick attack play a major part in the generation of tone. In conjunction with my playing style and technique, I give this guitar an 8. This is an unbelievably high rating because I'm comparing this to cost is not an issue guitars like for example: my 1990 PRS Special. But because this guitar can normally be had for under $550 with a case, I'm adding a point.

This guitar is pretty simplistic (for what some jackson bodies look like), which is partially the reason i went with the DR3..it sorta allows you all of the Jackson features without going TOO "metal". It has one tone, one volume and a 3 way toggle switch for the two Duncan Design pickups..also purchased with a hardshell case..

i play metal and hardcore and in short this has been completely satisfactory for my purpose..if you want something with more tone get an epiphone or gibson for that matter..

THE ACTION IS WHAT I WAS MOST IMPRESSED WITH-before you ever pickup your guitar make whoever your going through set it up for you to your liking..i play some very technical stuff..i rip off a lot of people..so i cover a very wide range of styles, mostly classical and metal..the action was supperb every fret hit cleanly and easily-no buzz. for a 600-700 dollar price range no guitar ive played plays anywhere near as good as the dr3. and i spent months testing many many different models of jacksons..gibsons..esp..etc..

im constantly getting fucking loaded and doing real stupid shit while playing from dropping the thing to smacking it into my drummers set..so far so good..it was real tight when i got it and it still is..i should mention i lost an ibanez to antics such as those.

i went through a place in madison wisconsin-they were great..i harped on them to get my setup perfect but none the less when i picked it up it played unbelievable..never order a guitar straight from the factory unless you have any idea how to set it up..the dr3 will fullfill your every need if you get it set up the right way!

like i said i had this guitar set up (with the model's features) to my liking so ive been nothing short of completely satified-i love the dinky reverse..i love in particular the dr3 and its features-im in the process of getting one custom made..but i really would (if i could afford it) buy another if this one got ripped off or "lost" (however the fuck something like that could happen) im a huge fuckin fan of the reverse..the body..neck..and all of its features..i can only say that if your looking for a guitar in a reasonable price range and want to be guranteed of its playability,and reliability the dr3 is a great way to go..i would recomend it over ibanez model RG's or any epiphones for that matter..if you want a little more..custom make a reverse..im certain that if you know how to play the guitar-and i mean other than strumming your power codes or ripping off kirk hammit 24/7 you will be extremely happy with this guitar

Made in Japan in 1999, bought new on ebay July 2000. Beautiful trasnparent green top, the whole guitar is smooth as a babys a**. 2 Duncan Designed humbucking pickups, 3 way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone control. I like the "gunmetal" gray finish on the hardware too. Body is poplar and resonates very well which is surprising because it's light as a feather. Neck is awsome and all in all, really fine materials used on this guitar.

I (try to) play blues to hard rock/metal and this guitar gets all the right tones. I can get bell like SRV/Hendricks tones with low end to spare when playing clean and distorted/overdrive sounds great too (Metallica, Creed etc.) I use a Marshall VS65R and sometimes use a Boss MT-2 MetalZone and a Bad Horsie wah and like I said, I can get pretty much any sound I want and noise is nill. Here's the big "but". I initially set it up with new #9 strings and well, it sounded like sh**. Definition was fair/good with the neck pickup and outright mush with the bridge. After reading several reviews here, I thought my pickups were crap as well. I changed to #11 strings and problem solved! Sounds like a whole new guitar. Can't say that would fix everybodys but it sure worked wonders on mine. Go figure, maybe the lightweight poplar wood has something to do with it. Hummm....

The factory set-up was terrible. Strings a mile high, loose neck, pickups all the way down in the body. Lots of humming and crackling, intermittant operation on the 3 way switch. The noise problem turned out to be bad solder joints at the 3 way switch and I went ahead and "touched up" all the other solder joints just to be sure. If the components themselves had turned out to be faulty I'd give it a 1 in this category but since it was obviously just poor workmanship that was relatively easily fixed, I'll give it a 5. Still just a little more fret buzz on the #6 string at the higher neck positions than I like but it's only noticable playing clean. It's the price I pay for having my strings set so low (1.5mm) I don't think you'll find any guitar with jumbo frets and #11 strings without any fret buzz at all at that setting.....

Well I don't play live so that's moot. I'll say you could probably use it as a war club and it wouldn't even go out of tune.

I ended up doing all the repairs myself but they were great to deal with and offered warranty repairs without any arguement whatsoever.

I've been playing on and off for about 25 years and I've owned some great stuff. Once all the problems were worked out, it can compete with the best and most expensive USA made stuff out there. For the price I paid I really can't complain given the outcome. If it were lost or stolen I'd definately buy another.

This guitar is a true hard rock/metal guitar that still provides tonal flexibility. This is a 2000 model that was made in Japan. It has a 25 1/2" scale neck with 24 frets (still getting used to playing on that), and one hell of a thin neck that is lightning fast. It has a jet black finish with, what I call "gunmetal" chrome hardware (the chrome isn't shiny, a satin finish if you will). Comes equipped with 2 Duncan Design Humbuckers at the neck and bridge, one tone, one volume, a nice "heavy feeling" 3 way switch (les paul switches have always felt flimsy to me), jackson tuners, and a Jackson locking tremolo. The body itself is one of those super-strat designs with the deeper cutaways, and is made out of poplar. The neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard and mother-of-pearl reverse sharktooth inlays. I also purchased an allen wrench which is need for changing the strings due to the locking tremolo.

The guitar is great for my musical style. I have been playing for 7.5 years and come from the old school of 80s rock. Van Halen is my main influence, but I also cite Alex Lifeson (Rush), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), and Mick Mars (Motley Crue) as influences. I also play in an 80s cover band in school where we do EVERYTHING from Huey Lewis to the great hair bands, plus oldies, like the Beatles and Stones...the tones I need I have no problem getting. I have yet to get back to school though and try it in a gig setting. I currently play through a combination of a 5150 Combo with a Line 6 Pod unit (minly used to simulate different amplifiers when needed) and a Boss GT-3 effects processor. Overall, I can come close to Van Halen's "Brown Sound" while still finding my own voice. I'm thinking of dropping a Seymour Duncan Custom model humbucker into the bridge position though for some more output. Also, at least through what I use and my ear, it sounds pretty good when I use an acoustic guitar simulator that comes with the Boss GT3 (I hate using acoustics, I find them limiting in my playing), I just have to be sure to engage both pickups so i can get an even balance between front and back.

The action was set up really well (nice and low) and needed no adjustment when I bought it. The pickups are directly mounted to the body, so there is no real need for adjusting them. The only problem I have is with the finish, and its just an anal retentive thing. I'm learning the hard way how hard a glossy black finish is to keep clean. I want to look good when I'm gigging you know? lol I'm also disappointed that with the transparent finishes, the top is nothing more than a maple veneer. For the price they ask, I would've expected at least a 1/8" inch thick maple cap, oh well. The neck finish also feels nice...even though its lacquered, i'm still able to feel the grain of the wood. Jackson does a great job with their necks.

I can only assume that this guitar will withstand the rigors of playing college bars. The equipment seems to be road worthy (after all this is from the professional line). I bought this guitar originally as a back-up. Looking at what I can do now, I have two great gigging guitars which I guess could be labled as "guitars 1A and 1B". it will all depend on the sound I need for a given song during a gig.

The warranty is 1 yr. Never dealt with Jackson directly, therefore, no comment.

I have been playing for 7.5 yrs and i ahve to say that this guitar just kicks major ass. Its a welcome change since my main gigging guitar thus far has been transparent red 1993 Ernie Ball/Music Man Van Halen custom guitar. Pairing that with the 5150 made me sound too much like Eddie and not enough like me (not that that can be a bad thing). The Jackson lets me keep a certain touch of Eddie with enough room for my own voice. If it was stolen I'd defintiely replace this guitar. I compared this guitar to some Ibanez and ESP models, but I came to the conclusion that those Japanese companies just don't have the quality like an American company. Even though my guitar was made overseas, it still beats any Ibanez or ESP anyday.

This guitar has almost all you need bought straight from the factory. It has (2) screaming Duncan designed humbuckers. They are perfect for playing Metallica, you really get heavy palm muting. The neck pickup, when used with the bridge pickup, makes an extremely full and punchy sound like a lot of ska bands use, and also like the clean interlude on "Master of Puppets" (Metallica). It has a Floyd Rose tremolo that is great for trem dives; you can dive all the way down to the point where you can't hear the strings, then come back up and you'll still be in perfect tune. You just have to be careful when you're doing vibratos with your trem, it likes to shake other strings, but i'll bet that's typical with almost any tremolo. The guitar has a strat body, flamed maple top, sealed tuners, a 24 fret rosewood fretboard, reverse headstock, and sharkfin inlays. The maple neck is the most perfect neck i've ever played on; my soloing improved by 200% when i bought this guitar. Sliding from fret to fret is no problem, and the frets are built high so there is no buzz. The action is the lowest you can go without having string buzz, and i love it. The only thing that this doesn't have is a volume control for each pickup, which sucks when you want to do a Randy Rhoads style cutoff series on a harmonic (where you rattle the pickup selector from your bridge pickup, with volume maxed, to your neck pickup, with 0 volume, and back to your bridge, making the sound cutoff and come back very rapidly), and since i play a lot of ozzy, that is a disadvantage, but since this is the first guitar i own with a floyd rose, i'll just have to make up my own technique's to replace Randy's.

Pickups are absolutely perfect for hard rock and heavy metal, or for clean ska/punk. I use the DR3 along with a BC Rich Platinum Warlock through a Line6 Spider 210 with a Floorboard, and I can get every sound i need out of them. The pickups don't give unwanted feedback. When in heavy distortion mode, there is a very unique tone that combines metallica-style distortion with a slight bit of fuzz (good fuzz), that totally beefs up your palm muting, and gives each note of your solos its own personality. One thing with the bridge pickup is that it's so hot-rodded for metal that it puts a little overdrive into your clean tone, so be sure to use both pickups when playing clean. Oh yeah, when i bought this, the bridge pickup was adjusted with the treble end very close to the strings and the bass end dropped down closer to the body cavity, so that might contribute to the killer tone.

Everything on the guitar was as great as i expected it to be, and sometimes better. The action was low, so the strings were close to the neck, but there was no buzz...totally easy to play. There were no flaws with the finish or the other wood, but i polish it daily (especially the neck, to keep it slick) to make sure it stays that way.

This guitar is a gigging machine, the only thing that would detract from its stage presence is the fact that the body is a traditional shape, unlike my bc rich. It wouldn't need a backup, unless i broke a string, but i've learned how to control myself so i don't get too "in to the music" and accidentally smash my palm into the bridge and break a string. I didn't want to risk my guitar dropping when i play standing up, so i put straplocks on it before i plucked one note on it. The finish is deep, and i don't even see wear yet from my pick, even though i play this f*cker hard and often.

I've never dealt with Jackson, but i have a one year warranty on it, so i'm not worried. I bought this from Guitar Center, and they are the most polite and friendly salespeople i have ever met, they even let me trade a line6 spider 210 that i bought from them (and it was defective, the speakers would short out) for a new one just by showing them the receipt, they didn't even look at the amp! Talk about a company trusting their customers!

For the amount of time i've been playing, i have a shitload more pro level gear than most would think i deserve, but i'm also a lot better than anyone i know, and this is my one true passion that i devote my time to. If someone stole this guitar, I'd shit my pants, and scrounge up money for another one. To tell you the truth, i wish i could sell my 400 dollar Warlock for 630 and get me a second one of these so i could gig with one and totally f*ck it up and put the other one in a glass case in cherry condition to slobber over every night when i go to bed. I love everything about it, i just wish it had another volume knob for the neck pickup. And odds are, even though the pickups in it are great, i'll probably throw a set of emg's in it (81/85) when i get the money. I compared this to ibanez's top of the line RG's and this blew it away in tone and the finish on this made the other's look like cheap Synsonics crap. This is the guitar for anyone who loves James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, or any genre of heavy metal!

THIS GUITAR IS NOTHING GREAT IN THE FEATURES DEPARTMENT,BUT THE VOLUME ,TONE AND 3 WAY SWITCH IS JUST FINE FOR ME.THIS GUITAR HAS DUNCAN DESIGNED PICK UPS, WHICH FOR THE MONEY ARE GREAT,I CAN,T THINK OF MANY GUITARS THAT INCLUDE BETTER PICK UPS AT THIS MONEY{570 BRITISH POUND}IT ALL SO GETS LOTS OF LOOKS BECAUSE OF ITS TRANS GREEN FLAMED MAPLE VEENERED TOP

THIS GUITAR SUITS MY STYLE PERFECTLY,OR I WOULDNT HAVE BOUGHT IT.I PLAY A LOT OF SATCH/VAI STUFF.THIS GUITAR CAN BE A TOUCH MUDDY ON THE NECK PICK UP WITH A LOT OF BASS DIALED IN TO MY AMP{FENDER ROC PRO}BUT OTHER THAN THAT IT IS FINE.I DONT LIKE THE ARGUMENT THAT TREMS AND BOLT ON NECKS DECREASE SUSTAIN SATCH/VAI/BECK/GILMOUR/MOORE/HENDRIX/CLAPTON ETC,ALL USE THIS SET UP AND THEY NEVER SEEM SHORT OF IT,THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS ALLWAYS SAID ABOUT THIS TYPE OF GUITAR

I HAVE READ A LOT OF REVEIWS OF THIS GUITAR AND LOTS OF YOU SAY THAT IT WAY POORLY SET UP,MY ONE WAS ABSOULUTLY FINE AND WHY DID YOU BUY IT IF YOU DIDNT LIKE THE SET UP? EVERTHING ELSE WAS VERY WEEL BUILT.

THIS GUITAR WOULD STAND UP WELL AGAINST GIGS,I DROPED MINE ON THE ROAD HEADSTOCK FIRST FROM AROUND 2 FEET AND ALL THAT WAS WRONG WAS A SMALL PIECE OF WOOD FELL OF THE HEADSTOCK!TY THAT WITH A LES PAUL! I WOULD USE THIS GUITAR WITHOUT A BACK UP.THE FINISH ON THIS GUITAR IS GOOD AND IS EASY TO REPAIR BECAUSE OF ITS FINISH

NEVER DELT WITH THEM

I HAVE BEEN PLAYIHG 3AND HALF YEARS AND PLAY WITH LITTLE EFFECTS INTO A FENDER ROC PRO AMP.IF IT WERE LOST OR STOLEN I MIGHT BUY ANOTHER ONE.THE NECK IS ITS BEST FEATURE AND THERE IS NOTHING I DO NOT LIKE. I COMPARED IT TO A LOT OF IBANEZ GUITARS AND THEY SEEMED OVER PRICED

This is a great guitar! I think it's a '98 and made in Japan. The neck is a 25.5 inch scale and it has 24 jumbo-sized frets. The neck is absolutely great for shredding! It has a poplar body, a maple bolt-on neck, and a rosewood fingerboard with sharkfin inlays (which look great!), and the headstock is reversed. There is one volume and one tone control knob and a 3-way selector switch. The guitar has two humbucking, Duncan-Designed pickups. The models are DD-103B in the bridge and DD-103N in the neck. It also has a Floyd-Rose Liscensed Jackson-made double-locking tremolo and passive electronics. I think that I got the greatest deal on this guitar! I got it new for I think $479. It came with a hardshell-molded case and a set of Allen wrenches.

I play power/progressive metal like Symphony X, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, etc... and it fits the music very well. I sometimes use a ToneWorks Pandora multi effects processor, or a ZOOM 510 Driver distortion pedal, but I usually just play straight through my Crate GX-140CH amp w/ 2x12. The DR-3 is a very quiet guitar. Nobody seems to like the stock pickups, and I'll admit that they don't sustain a note for very long, but I love the sound that I get from them! The clean sound, to me, equals that of any strat, and can overdrive like no other!

When I first got this guitar, the action was incredibly high, and the strings (which were of poor quality) were barely clamped in the bridge. Also the pickups were really low. After I brought it to get set up at the House of Guitars, it was absolutely perfect! And it is the most beautiful guitar in the world! It is painted a transparent dark blue. The pickups are black, and the Floyd-Rose tremolo is silver.

I haven't used this guitar at a gig yet, but I doubt I would need a backup. The only reason I would bring one is in case a string would break (which has never happened yet, and I don't expect it to either!). The finish seems like it will last for many, many years before wearing off.

I've never dealt with Jackson so no rating here.

I have been playing guitar for 4-5 years, and I first had a $200 Yamaha Pacifica (two actually). They are great guitars for the money. I used to play them through a 15-watt Fender Bullet Reverb practice amp, and then a 25-watt Peavey Envoy 110, but the DR-3 is now my main axe, and I play it through my Crate GX-140CH amplifier. If this guitar was stolen, I would replace it in a heartbeat. This is the greatest guitar for under $800 in my opinion.

I bought this guitar in Feb. '98, so I assume it's a '97 or '98. It has an ash body, graphite finish, reverse headstock and sharkfin inlays, 24 jumbo frets, 15 " radius, 25.5 "scale two humbuckers (duncan-designed 103),double locking tremolo, three way selector switch, volume and tone controls, passive electronics. It's a simple, straight-forward guitar.

I am a fan of Satriani, Vai, Van Halen, Queensryche, and I thought this guitar would suit my needs, but it doesn't even come close. The sound is very thin. If played through a cheap amp, you probably won't notice this, but plug it into a better amp that allows the true sound of a guitar to be heard, and you will realize that this gutar is really lacking in tone. Sure I could replace the pickups, but hey, you should be able to get some decent sounds out of the stock pick ups from a guitar that costs $700. The DD 103 pickups are supposed to emulate the duncan distortion pickups, but they have less output than stock pickups from less expensive guitars.
At certain areas on the fretboard like 12th fret,3rd string, there are dead spots that will not sustain a note for more than a measure without a violent string vibration to keep the note sounding.
The tremolo arm does not rest snugly in the bridge, and it rattles. Not good when you're trying to play softly.
The second string buzzes around the 3rd-5th fret, and can really be heard when playing with a clean tone.
The neck is very thin, and very fast, but a little too wide, and it is uncomfortable to play leads on the lower strings.

When it first came in the mail, the first frets wouldn't even sound, the neck needed a major adjustment. This could be attributed to the fact that it came from WA to NM, and a severe change in climate. I've had to adjust the neck a couple of times since, cos I'm trying to find the right bow where the strings won't buzz on the frets.
The graphite finish chips too easily, there are marks from where it sits in the guitar stand.
I had to replace the selector switch after owning the guitar for only a few months.

I don't play live, but I wouldn't even consider using this guitar cos of the noise created by buzzing strings and a rattling tremolo arm. I am embarrassed by the pickups.
Like I said earlier, the tremolo arm rattles, and it doesn't move freely with out making a metal on metal scraping sound.
The finish looked great when I first got the guitar, but with use, oil from my fingers has created glossy spots on the flat black finish making it look cheap and dirty.
Another thing I cannot stand about this guitar is the placement of the volume knob -- it's right under the bridge pickup and it gets in the way of my playing. The pinky finger on my right hand keeps hitting it and turning the volume down. I can be right in the middle of playing something and notice the output of the guitar drop -- and guess what caused it!!

I've never spoken to them.

I've been playing for 10 years now, and have gone through many lower level guitars. I thought I would be stepping up with this one, but I only paid more for a lousy guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I might be happy for having gotten rid of it.
After reading other reviews. you will see some common flaws with this guitar: pickups and volume controls. All other reviewers talk about modifications to over come these problems. I have a simpler soulution; look for a better guitar. I think I'm gonna replace mine with an Ibanez RG350 which is much more playable, better sounding, better looking, and costs almost $300 less.

For a detailed description of it's stock features please read the other submissions... The rating goes for the stock features.

I play extreme Metal and it after adjusting the guitar it fits perfectly. At first I thought the stock pickups were o.k. but after playing some time I realised them to be crap. They had almost no definition in fast parts though the attack was good. The sound was very bassy + trebly, less mids. This should be good for a downtuned sound but it wasn't. I was a little disappointed then. So I changed the bridge-PU to an EMG-81 and... wow ! I cannot think of a better sounding guitar ! Sustain 'til you die... great and very easy artificial harmonics, superb definition and the best crunch I ever heard. I use a Boss MT-2 into a Marshall VS8080 (hope to get a valve-top + box soon). It just sounds great with an extreme distortion. About clean sounds I can't say much since the EMG-81 sounds quite poor cleanly. The distorted sound is very well-balanced, lots of bass (which is the merrit of the DR-3's body I guess), lots of mids, lots of treble (-> EMG-81). I can get almost every sound I want. I play .011-.050 D'Addario Chrome strings and the first time since I started playing guitar (3 years) it sounds very good at my low B-tuning. I removed the neck-PU (I only need one in the brigde pos.) and wired the 3-way switch to work as an on/off-switch for the EMG-81 (as it's an active PU) because I hated pulling the plug everytime I stopped playing. It works fine. The only thing I don't like is the position of the volume knob. When I play very fast it happens that my little finger hits the knob and turns the volume down (the pots that came with the EMG are very easy to turn), but maybe I'll get a new pot with a higher turning resistance. The rating includes the modifications.

The factory setup was horrible, strings buzzing, intonation etc. , the stock strings were of a very poor quality. It took me some time to adjust everything to fit the low B tuning, but now it works fine (just some string buzzing at frets around the 10th but I guess I won't get rid of them with a low B tuning...). The pickups were far to low, but I changed them anyway. The finish is remarkable, just like a black mirror. Unfortunately it's quite sensitive to bumps/impacts, it's easy to get dents as the finish seems to be very hard but the wood obviously is rather soft. The rating goes for the self-adjusted guitar.

I didn't play live since I got it, so no rating here. The hardware seems very solid, it surely will survive. As I mentioned before, it's easy to get dents, so take care where you're jumping/falling/turning.

never dealt with them...

I've been playing for 3 years now. Before the Jackson I played a Yamaha RGX. Compared to the Jackson it lacked lots of sustain and sounded quite thin. A problem with the Yamaha was the top-heaviness. Before buying the Jackson I tested a B.C.Rich Bich NJ. It sounded great (better stock pickups I guess) but the top-heaviness was awful. I tested some Ibanez RG's too, it was the look that made me choose the Jackson. It's a little top-heavy too, but I'll get a wider leather strap and the problem will be fixed. If it were stolen I think I would save some more money to buy a more expensive neck-thru Jackson (maybe a custom model). But until then I'll love the DR-3 with my modifications and will surely play it a long time. It's mainly the sound that makes me love it, though the look (black finish, reversed headstock, reversed shark inlays etc.) is great too. I ordered it in green transparent finish but got it black ("it's not available in green here in Germany" they said...) which looked kind of "boring" at first. But now I love it.

Since i got it from Musician's Friend(and hate myself for it) in '98, I'm pretty sure it was made then. It's a Dinky "super-strat" body style with a three way pickup selector, two Duncan Design trembuckers (I can't remember actual models, like DD103 or something like that), volume, tone controls. Flame maple veneer (NOT actual top) with Transparent Green finish. Floyd Rose installed (which, over time, I've been able to change strings relatively fast with). I'd say it has medium-jumbo frets(24 of em), rosewood fretboard, maple neck(25.5 inches). The body is made of poplar, with a reverse headstock. I'm not sure about the tuners. I got it from Musician's Friend with a hardshell case and a couple allen wrenches. Japanese made. Passive electronics.

I "try" to play power metal, classic heavy metal, some surf, and on occasion, psychedelia with normal rock stuff. This works perfectly for all of them(or in my humble opinion). I use it with a Crate GFX-212 combo amp(which makes a ton of odd hisses and such on the Gain channels), and the only effects i use are built in chorus, reverb and delay, but I'm more into just plugging in and playing (Korn killed any interest i had in effects, really). I'm pretty sure the amp noise is just the amp or the speakers, because on every other amp i've played with this guitar, it makes absolutely no unwanted noise. It thankfully doesn't have very much sustain (I like a little, but more than that sucks). I replaced the Bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan JB Trembucker, and it sounds great. Will probably replace the Neck with a '59 or Alnico Pro II. The guitar overall is very versatile, i can play Beatles songs with near-perfect tone or I can Megadeth or iron Maiden or Ozzy just fine. I suppose it has a somewhat bright sound, but overall it's right in the middle. I love the sound overall, but the stock pickups pretty much suck. Plus, I've noticed the Low E sounds a little too powerful and dominant, and always has. that might be because of the Trembucker pickup configurations, I'm not sure.

The guitar came horribly set up. the Low E was barely on and through several repairs at guitar shops, the Low e buzzes very little(as can be expected from most electrics, a little buzz is okay). The action was pretty high, I got that problem taken care of. the bridge and pickups were okay, but after a few months the switch would sort of delay the pickup change and the pickups would be silent until i whacked some open chords a few times. After I had that taken care of and proper set-up, it's great. The finish looks absolutely killer, i never get tired of looking at this guitar.

i haven't used it live yet. Such is the fate of the garage band guitarist. everything seems quite dependable, and long-lasting, but what kind of moron would play a gig without some kind of back up? Especially with a floyd-eqipped axe (I'm gonna get a tremsetter to make that a little easier to handle). Actually, I probably would play a gig without a back-up, seeing as this is currently my only axe, and it never seems to break strings. besides, I can get this thing ready almost as quickly as a non-Floyd equipped guitar.

The warranty is I believe one year, but i never sent the card in, so i guess i'm screwed I've never had to talk to Jackson. Honestly, i didn't see any point in getting the warranty, because it doesn't seem to cover ANYTHING that can happen. Nothing seems to be covered by warranty.

I've been playing for about a year and a quarter, and I've had two guitars: this and a Peavey Reactor (tele copy). That Peavey was the most discouraging guitar i've ever played, and playing this Jackson is like a delivery from God. The neck is absolutely perfect, and it feels great(well, okay, it can be a bit hard to play way up on the neck, but that's the case with all bolt-ons). If it were stolen, i would probably buy it again, or try to get a U.S. made Dinky. I almost bought some Ibanez guitar before this (I owned it before i played either, thanks to the wonders of catalogs), and I'm really glad that i didn't buy Ibanez after getting this and playing some of THEM at music stores. Jackson or death!

This guitar is I think a '98 and is a Professional model(Japanese). It has 24 frets(reverse inlays which I believe are plastic,not the abalony or mother of pearl)and has a solid top.It had volume and tone which I changed to just volume by removing the lame tone control(I'm not into tone controls)and had Duncan Designed pickups which I changed to Bill Lawrences and of course these were passive pickups.It has a maple neck,rosewood fingerboard and a gravure top/ basswood body(standard ESP,Kramer,Ibanez style)and the finish is transparent purple(very cool,looks like the ocean).It has a Jackson style Floyd which is to me smoother than an old Floyd becuase it is not unlike the Ibanez Lo-Pro.It has your average Gotoh tuners with a super shred style neck(thin,jumbo frets)and did not come with case,so I use an SKB case.



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I play progressive metal and this guitar has the neck I need for that. The fact that it is so small and lightweight makes it really fun for live playing as it's easy to move around with it and the 24 fret neck makes for killer solos as I can bend at the last fret and get an F note or even up to a F# or G if I bend hard enough.I use it into a Crate Stealth 100-watt tube head into a Gallien Krueger 4x12 and then into a Digitech rp-20 for effects.This setup is great for what I play and even though this guitar is small it sustains amazingly for a bolt-on with a small body.I was even able to get sustain from the Duncan Designed ones in this,but no balls of course.I replaced these with Bill Lawrence pickups and it literally came alive! The original setup is too weird; lot of buzz and poor intonation.As soon as I get this setup right,it will REALLY sound killer! A very small peice indeed,it has a throaty,midrangy tone and is not very bassy(which is ACTUALLY good for my super-low-end setup.I tried a set neck through my stuff and was cuttin' back on that low-end knob like a freak! I'd rather have a midrangy guitar,that way I can get my bass without all that "woof-woof" that Les Pauls blow out!With the Bill Lawrences, I can have killer gain or move to the neck and get a killer modded- out PAF tone(similair to Morse,Petrucci and Satch).The setup on this is just hum-hum-3-way switch(toggle).Great toggle on this too; never noisy when I switch like most toggles.You CAN play blues with this Jackson! Trust me,it will give you that Strat-with-buckers-tone that kicks! I can really jam on jazz with it too(I'm serious; look at the Steely Dan live cd Alive In America and Walter Becker IS using a strat-style Floyd-equipped guitar in the photos)becuase it has a nice neck for that type of stuff.Compared to a 335 it isn't nearly as fat; but it ain't a hollow-body and big and bulky! But you can acheive Mahavishnuism with this axe.VERY good clean tone,super impressive.Up there with high-end Ibanez's and other shredder guitars. Quite Versatile.

The action was low but not perfectly intonated.I did not notice crappy fretwork but they did wear a little fast.I would never of course deal with a factory setup as a good tech can setup one way better than the factory,but as factory setups go it did kick lots of ass.I don't know about the pickups as I really did'nt like the wimpy output of the bridge and the midrangy,thin tone of the neck pickup.These were replaced within two months and were not nearly as good as the stock pickups that come in the high-end Ibanez RG series guitars(the Dimarzio knock-offs)as these are ballsy and toney enough to where they rival the installed Lawrences.There were no flaws and I loved the sheilding and grounding techniques used by Jackson to eliminate noise.It's a very queit guitar definitely.Nice job on all features on Jacksons part.Very good attention to detail for a Jap guitar.

I've always used it live,and i've never broken a string ever live(and dude do I whammy).This guitar has seen a lot of wear in a year and still shines like a gem.I replaced the strap buttons with Schaller locking and those held up great.I don't even have a backup guitar so that should tell you how much I trust this axe.This guitar has never let me down enough to wear I would need to get rid of it.A killer deal,a nice axe,and top-of-the-line for a Japanese guitar.Very well made in my opinion.Am i kissing ass? Hope not,i just dig it.

Never needed to deal with Jackson.

I've been playin' around 4 years and have been through an Ibanez non- locking trem wood finish guitar,a Westone w/Kahler locking,a Kramer Focus 1000 and 3000,a Fender Strat w/Floyd,Peavey Vandenberg and ESP strat w/Floyd and this kills them all.This is a professional instrument worthy of playing and covers lots of ground.If I lost it I'd buy a new one like it immediately.Wish it came from the factory with killer pickups,but other than that it is a killer.

I bought my guitar '98 and it cost 600#. It have 24-frets, a rosewood neck, duncan design pickups (h/h), 3-way selector. It got even floyd rose licenced brigde! Case didn't include.

It have cool harmonics. I have a marshall valvestate amp and boss me-30 flooreffects. The sound is good, it got a little bit full sound. Duncan desing pickups are very good.

I've got the guitar with good factory setups. Everything was adjusted and finished.

The guitar survives from everything. I can depend on it.

The comppany were I bought my guitar was very friendly and helpful. I have asked many things from them and they always help. Warrantly is a year.

I've been playing for 3 year. And This is the best guitar I've had. Jackson guitars have a incredibly price to quality. Buy it!

I bought it a couple of years ago, I's made in Japan, has 2 Duncan Designed Humbuckers, One volume, one tone, and a 3 way pickup selector. Reverse Headstock, Dinky body style, floyd rose tremelo and a locking nut. Extremely thin neck, rosewood fretboard, jumbo frets, plays fast but neck bends easily (takes some getting used to, but this can actually be used to creat some cool sounds) Came with a molded case.

I play mostly, metal and alternative, but I also do some blues and classic rock. This guitar suits heavy music perfectly, it looks like a heavy music machine with its pointy head stock and cut down body, but most importantly it's tone and overall sound go great with a heavily distorted sound. The guitar also has a good clean sound. In the neck position I can get a really good blues tone. I play through a Marshal Valvestate, and a Crate solid state Amp, I use a DOD FX54 distortion, and a Crybaby wah.

The guitar came set up perfeclty I didn't have to make any adjustments, with the exception of the pickups, I adjusted the pole peices to get the balance I wanted. Everything is pretty good.

My only concern here is the thin neck. But other than that this guitar is good for live preformance, I have never had any tuning problems, it is very consistant. Just don't jump into a mosh pit with it!

I fix my own guitars, I've never delt with customer support.

The only complaint I have about this guitar is the way it looks, I loved the way it looked when I bought it, but I have expanded musically and I get funny looks from people when I go to play blues on this thrash guitar, but like I said it sounds great, plays great, and thats whats important. I probably would get a different guitar if I had it to do over again, but the only difference I would want is a different body style.

i think that is a 98 jackson, dinky reverse, 24 jumbo fret green tiger sunburst, maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard (sharkfin inlays), 2 knobs (vol, tone), 3-way selector, neck hum: duncan designed DD103N, bridge hum: duncan designed DD103B Licensed Floyd Rose locking tremolo made by Jackson (JT-580LP). the neck is very thin and very fast... It came without a case but I use an SKB.

i am in my honey moon in usa so, i don't have my equipment here, buy i buy a korg/tone works pandoras box2 and it sounds very good, 0 hum, very cool harmonics and distorted chords

the factory setup sucks, but the guitar tech in sam ash do a very good work with mine.

i only have it for less that a week, in a year i came back and re-write al the history. but is a Jackson, i think that it says all.

i think that jackson is great.

is a very good guitar in the lower prices line, between $400 - $700, i think is there was stolen i would probably save my money to buy an ESP KAMIKAZE, JACKSON PC1, IBANEZ JEM 777... this one is a gift from my wife, so i can discuss anything ;) but is a very very cool guitar, thats all i can say, is my 3 guitar, my first was a used FENDER STRATOCASTER, the second one was a VERY VERY COOL B.C.RICH, i don't remember the model, and this one is the 3, and i think is the best of the 3d

I bought this guitar brand new for $610 including tax. Its got a 24 fret maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard (sharkfin inlays), a strat style basswood body, and a sweet gravure top with a honey burst finish. The pickups that come standard are two Duncan designed humbuckers direct mounted to the body which I switched to a Seymour duncan distortion at the bridge and a Seymour duncan full shred in the neck. The controls come standard as Volume, Tone, and a 3-way selector which I also switched to a simple double volume. It comes with the Jackson JT580LP Floyd which I changed to an original Floyd. It came without a case but I use an SKB.

It is perfect (as standard) for any kind of music. The way I have it set it will run you somewhere between $350 to $500 depending on whether or not you are going to wire everything yourself. My setup is the perfect recipe for a Progreesional metal guitar. The guitar itself makes zero noise (even without a noise gate it is very quiet)(again as standard). The guitar has very easy harmonics and the duncans make them fly off the fingerboard. It has exceptional sustain at low volumes. I use it with a digitech GSP 2112 rack and a Marshall JCM 900 dual reverb combo and for some reason even with the levels balanced out at 4 it still sustains with no problems.

The factory setup was horrible!!!!! The strings were buzzing against the frets big time. The bridge had to be lowered and the nut raised. The pickups weren't in the guitar long enough for me to remember whether or not they were set right. Everything else gets a perfect 10.

I'm a live player. I love to play live so the guitar has got to hold out for the most demanding conditions. It has been dropped, kicked, fought with, and used as a weapon and I can only notice a small chip in the paint. The strap buttons were also changed to schaller locking buttons. I found it to be very dependable from the standard setup to my final adjustments.

Never talked to Jackson (sorry)

I own 4 guitars. 2 ESP and 2 Jackson. If it was stolen I would have to be reluctant to buy it again on the grounds I love it because of its present sound and losing it would mean losing close to $1000. Whether you buy it standard or my way it is really a great piece of equipment and should definitely be tried out by even the most discriminating player.