Jay Turser JT-200 Custom Shop

My Turser JT 200 LP Purple Serpent beast has a rosewood neck, an inlaid Abalone Dragon in the guitar neck. The Bodyseems to be made of mahogony and seems to be every bit as sturdy and heavy as the 2 recently reviewed LPs. in Guitar Player Magazine !!! YES WAYYY!

I quickly decided to modify the stock Turser pick up set-up because the stock pick-ups SUCK HORRIBLY & would feedback too much and had Seymour Duncan, Pearly Gates, installed in the neck & bridge. These are copies (but a little hotter) of the original 1959 Custom shop humbuckers
that came in the original Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul...
According to the Seymour Duncan web site: Warren Haynes and Dickey Betts have both modified their 1959 Custom Shop Gibson Re-issues with exactly the same Pearly Gates . In additon, I had a Bone nut put in my JT 200 during the mods , the stock nut was shoddy plastic CRAP & Pathetic,... an then had the final axe intonated.

Finish on the FRETS was good... but needed some real improvement during my mod and the finish and set up seemed perfect out of the box. I got the guitar new for $400,00 street.

VERY SOLID AND RELIABLE FOR JAMS ETC, ITS WAYYY HEAVY SO I PUT A PADDED BASS
STRAP ON IT. I BET IT WOULD STOP A BULLET OR SOME KRYPTONIGHT FROM TAKING ME OUT DURING A SOLO!

NEVER HAD TO USE IT...YET!

Been playing for around 3-4 years NOW to be 100% honest , I just do not hear any appreciable difference between the aformentioned Gibson Custom Shop Standard Vintage Original SPEC, AN EPI LP and my moded Jay Turser and the added bonus is the Purple Color andIN-Laid neck ( looks customized & wayyy kool) which ALAWYS gets me a lot of attention and comments at Atlanta Blues jams ( I'm an amateur.. but hey I got ears and a small but fragile EGO too !!! ) THIS GUITAR RAWKS, and thats the facts JACK!

Quilted top, in a rare walnut finish. LP body style. Tune-o-matic bridge, adjustable tuners. The neck is medium, w/ block inlays, and medium frets. Mahogany body and neck, w/ Rosewood fretboard. Good parts for the price. Again, the pick-ups may need to be changed depending on your choice of music.

I purchased the JT-200 a month ago. For the money, you will not beat it. I too (as the reviewer stated), have tried the Epiphone LP's. Surprisingly to me, the JT-200 is a better guitar. The neck plays better and the pick-ups, although a little brash, sound better. The JT-200 also looks way better than the stock Epi LP's. I can play anything clean w/ great tone and clarity. If you're a metal player, change the pick-ups. They get too brash on the high end. If you can't afford professional grade pick-ups, grab an EQ pedal, and bring the treble down. But for the money, sounds GREAT!!

The action was very good for my taste. Very little adjustments to be made. The finish is a rare, dark walnut. It looks OUTSTANDING. They did a great job in that area. You will not find that kind of quality finish with an other manufacturing company in this price range, or even quite a bit higher. The pick-ups, as stated above, were adjusted as good as they can get. Not bad, but you may want to think about replacing them. Even with buying new pick-ups, you'll still save a ton of money over buying a much more expensive guitar w/ Seymores or EMG's already installed. Overall, very good.

So far, it seems like it is built very well for a guitar built in China. Much better than ANY OTHER GUITAR built there w/in $500 of the JT-200!! It's fairly heavy, and the neck is solidly built and set in. Good build.

The warranty FOR MINE (not all Tursers), is limited lifetime. So, that's pretty good. Never used support yet.

I've been playing for about 18 years. They used to not make quality guitars at these prices 10 years ago. They have come A LONG WAY!! I would have to say, the guitar is better than what the price may lead one to believe. It's not a USA Gibson, so don't expect that. Expect a quality guitar that will do a lot better than those cheap Squire/Fender, Ibanez and similar brands. You pay less, and you WILL GET MORE. Simply stated, you WILL NOT buy a better guitar in this price range, or $200-$300 bucks more in some cases. Great value!!

2004 amberburst jt-200 deluxe custom with mop/abalone block inlays. lp copy with 3-piece mystery wood body they advertise as mahogany(chinese mahogany) with thin flamed veneer top with a thin plain maple veneer on back of body. the neck is 1-piece maple until it joins body then a small piece of maple is added for thichness. this lp copy kills agile and stellar copies as i've owned them as well as several usa gibson lp's which of course are better than my jt-200.

sounds ok clean and too much treble spike on bridge for distortion, a little less low-mids than a gibson usa studio.ican get decent sounds through a $100 guitar since i have 50-watt 1973 ptp marshall, 100-watt marshall jmp and ampeg b12-xt portaflex all ran to premium speakers. i have a 1979 gibson custom that wipes the floor with the turser but that's a $1800 usa gibson. i like the sound from the jt for $300. i bought it because of the maple neck and the killer looks of it. it like my custom has a fast playing maple neck that gives a brighter more articulate sound. the 3-piece chinese mahogany body does kill sustain and resonance as my lp custom has a thicher 1-piece real mahogany body with a 3-piece maple top. overall sound is thumbs up with stock pups but i have a set of custom-wound pups i'll be putting in the jt to hopefully give a little more low end.

out of box i adjusted bridge, adjusted truss rod and strobed it and the action is decent. the medium frets luckily have not been leveled so they are new and not fucked with. i bought a carvin dc 400 new for $1280 that had the frets over-leveled and it looked like it needed a re-fret brand new so that turd was sent back same day for refund. so action is better than a $1280 usa carvin. set-up is as good as any new gibson usa that i've owned. these frets ARE smaller than gibson jumbos but for $300 i just cant complain, i can't rate this jt a 10 because i am comparing it to my prized usa lp custom. the inlays have an area of black epoxy around them as ALL imports have and 1 area they did'nt even fill the cracks. in fairness a usa gibson standard i used to own was nearly as sloppy as my jt inlay fitment. THE FLAME TOP LOOKS LIKE A $4500 USA 1960 GIBSON R.I. I HAD MY EYE ON, if i had $4500 to burn i still would not buy 1 guitar with it but shit this jt looks killer. of course the poly finish will never look like 10 coats of wet sandedlaquer but $300 vs. $4500 for the USED gibson. i bought this jt because it got close in looks to that $4500 gibson that i'll never buy. the maple neck adjusted up with the truss-rod ok but that creaking sound it made as i turned it made me wondering if it was going to snap off inside as i got it to around 0' relief. the side of neck has a small dent in it from the factory and a few finish runs around headstock could of been avoided. the tuners as expected are passable but will get replaced. the saddle is passable but due to it being made by low paid, underskilled and rushed teenagers on cheap machinery it will get upgraded as well. a usa gibson pickguard will NOT fit on my jt. a few upgrades and this jt will be a much improved tone machine.

the beauty of this guitar is if it de-laminates and falls apart i'm not out alot of money. the finish is thin but that's a good thing because a thick coat of poly(early jap charvels, ect) will kill resonance of the body. IF i ever gigged with the jt it would have switchcraft toggle and 1/4" jack, gibson pots, schaller bridge and tuners and a decent nut as well as up-graded pups. it was bought so i don't have to bring my 79' custom lp to some dives where you cant turn your back on your un-protected gear. seems durable enough and will probably last a while if protected from idiots that trip over guitar stands. keep in case when not playing and could last a lifetime.

aw sales took 3 weeks to deliver and did not bother to respond to multiple e-mails so expect nothing from dealer. however the killer top on this $300 guitar makes if all ok.

i've returned schecter pt custom, agile lp, kramer usa barreta and sold my stellar lp copy and tried several others and this is the only import electric that i own right now so this is currently my favorite cheap guitar. i like the killer flame top but if it did'nt play worth a shit or sounded bad it would be returned asap as all the other imports and 2 usa gibson lp's were. this guitar was assembled in china by teenagers with cheap materials and to my suprise it is a good guitar that sounds way better than the 20 epiphone lp's i tried that all sounded muted. my 79' usa lp custom is a 10 and stock my jt is a 7 overall. idiots that believe that a $300 stock guitar is better than usa gibsons should not be allowed to review anything because it is misleading when they use a $1.00 cable and a $150 transistor amp and don't state this. overall this jt gives a good guitar for little cash.

I HAVE 3 DRAGON MODELS AND 1 SERPENT MODEL. THEY WERE MADE BETWEEN 1999 AND 2001 IN CHINA. THEY ARE DUPLIICATES OF THE ORIGINAL LES PAUL DESIGN WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS:
-THE BODIES ARE MADE OF ASH OR ALDER, NOT MAHOGANY.
-THE BODY CUTAWAY TO ALLOW ACCESS TO THE UPPER FRETS IS SHAPED DIFFERENTLY AND LARGER, THE POINT OF THE BOUT IS NOT PROTRUDING OUT AS FAR AS THE ORIGINALS.
-THE BACK OF THE BODY IS FLAT, AND IS 1.75" THICK AT THE EDGES.
-THE NECK/BODY JOINT SYSTEM IS THE GLUED-IN TYPE, BUT SLIGHTLY MODIFIED - THE NECK HEEL AT THE NECK/BODY JOINT IS SMALLER AND ANGLE-CUT TOWARDS THE CUTAWAY.
ALL OF THE HARDWARE (TUNERS, TUNE-A-MATIC STYLE BRIDGE, STOP-BAR TAILPIECE, PICKUP COVERS, ETC IS FUNCTIONALLY IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINALS, ALL OF THE CUSTOM SHOP MODELS HAVE NICELY FINISHED GOLD HARDWARE.
THE 2 VOLUME AND TONE POTS ARE SEALED 500K OHMS TYPE, THE 2 HUMBUCKING PICKUPS ARE VERY LOUD, BEING 15K OHMS. THE ELECTRONICS ARE NOISELESS AND FUNCTION THROUGHOUT MOST OF THEIR 'RANGE'. 2 OF THE GUITARS COULD USE BETTER TUNERS, THE OTHER 2 ARE MUCH BETTER AND DON'T SLIP APPRECIABLY WITH NORMAL USE.
THE FINISHES ON 3 OF THE GUITARS IS NEAR FLAWLESS, THE SERPENT MODEL HAS A SURFACE IMPERFECTION WHERE THE CLEAR COAT APPEARS TO HAVE RUN SLIGHTLY. THE BLEMISH IS ABOUT 1/32" AROUND. WHEN EXAMINED CLOSELY IN THE LIGHT, ALL OF THE FLAT SURFACES ARE SMOOTH AND FLAT, AND THE ARCHED TOPS ARE SYMMETRICAL AND PROPORTIONED WELL. THE PLACEMENT OF THE STRAP BUTTONS AND THE RELATIVE ANGLE OF THE NECK TO THE BODY MAKE THE JT200 FEEL ALMOST LIKE YOU ARE HEFTING AN ORIGINAL, EXCEPT THE WOOD TYPE AND BODY THICKNESS MAKE THEM SLIGHTLY LIGHTER.

THE SOUND AND TONE IS TYPICAL OF A SET-NECK, SOLID BODY GUITAR WITH A STOP-BAR TAILPIECE AND AN ANGLED-BACK HEADSTOCK. THEY ALL SUSTAIN VERY WELL FROM ONE END OF THE NECK TO THE OTHER. I WOULD CATEGORIZE THE SOUND OF 3 OF THEM BETWEEN AND TYPICAL LES PAUL AND AN SG, WITH SLIGHTLY LESS DEPTH THAN EXPECTED FROM A TYPICAL LP. THE SERPENT MODEL I HAPPEN TO HAVE IS SLIGHTLY SMOOTHER AND ROUNDER AND DEEPER THAN THE 3 DRAGON MODELS THAT I GOT. NONTHELESS, ON ALL OF THEM, THE NECK PICKUP HAS A GREAT LOWDOWN BLUES SOUND, AND THE BRIDGE PICKUP HAS A PRETTY GOOD ROCK CRUNCH. THE CENTER POSITION IS KINDA NICE TOO, GOOD MELLOW TONES FOR BOTH LEAD AND RHYTHYM WORK.

THE MOST UNIQUE FEATURE OF THE CUSTOM SHOP MODELS IS OF COURSE THE MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND ABALONE INLAYS IN THE NECK SURFACES AND THE ADDITION OF NECK AND BODY BINDING AND GOLD HARDWARE. THE DRAGON INLAY IS MORE DETAILED AND ORNATE THAN THE SERPENT INLAY AND COVERS MORE OF THE NECK SURFACE. THE DRAGON INLAY STRETCHES FROM THE FIRST FRET TO THE 21ST FRET, THE SERPENT INLAY FROM FRET # 2 THRU #19. THE 22 FRET NECKS ARE ALL MEDIUM WIDTH AND CLOSER TO A GIBSON PROFILE THAN A FENDER PROFILE, BUT STILL SONEWHERE IN-BETWEEN. MEDIUM JUMBO FRETS AND ROSEWOOD FRETBOARDS ON ALL OF THEM. THEY ALL HAVE SOLID WOOD BODIES WITH A MAPLE FACING. THE 3 DRAGON MODELS HAVE FLAME MAPLE TOPS, 2 OF THEM BEING MATCHED VERY WELL. THE SERPENT MODEL HAS A TIGER STRIPE TOP THAT HAS TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED. ALL OF THE DRAGONS TOPS ARE TOBACCO SUNBURST FINISHED, ALL OF THE OTHER SURFACES ARE GLOSS BLACK. THE SERPENT MODEL IS TRANSPARENT CHERRY ON THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE GUITAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FRONT OF THE HEADSTOCK WHICH IS TYPICAL JAY TURSER GLOSS BLACK. 2 OF THE DRAGONS HAVE 5 PLY BINDING ON THE FRONT OF THE BODY AND HEADSTOCK AND 1 PLY BINDING ON THE BACK OF THE BODY AND NECK EDGES. THE SERPENT AND 1 DRAGON (I BELIEVE IT IS THE EARLIEST PRODUCTION ONE) HAS 5 PLY BINDING ON THE BACK AND FRONT OF THE BODY AND HEADSTOCK, AND 1 PLY BINDING ON THE NECK EDGES. ALL OF THE PLASTIC ON THE DRAGON MODELS (PICKGUARD, PICKUP BEZELS, SWITCHPLATE AND CAVITY COVERS) IS BLACK, THE SERPENT TRIM PIECES ARE IVORY.

THEY ALL HAVE LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTEES, BUT WHEN YOU READ THE PROCEDURE REQUIRED TO USE THAT WARRANTEE ON THE ENCLOSED WARRANTEE CARD , YOU SHOULD JUST AS WELL TOSS IT INTO THE FIREPLACE. I HAVE HAD ONE OF THE DRAGONS FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS IN A VERY HOSTILE HOME ENVIRONMENT (MAJOR TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY SWINGS), AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH ANY WOOD OR METAL FINISHES OR STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS. I GOT ONE OF THE DRAGONS 'WELL USED' BUT STILL IN EXCELLENT SHAPE - THE ONLY 'WEAR' WAS ON THE GOLD FINISH ON THE PICKUPS AND THE STOP-BAR. I MANAGED TO POLISH OUT MOST OF THE MINOR TARNISHING PRESENT. THE TUNERS COULD BE BETTER AND THE PICKUPS MAY NOT BE VOICED TO EVERYONE'S TASTES, BUT THEY ARE SERVICEABLE. (SOME PEOPLE AREN'T HAPPY WITH THE STOCK TUNERS, PICKUPS, ETC ON A $2000 GUITAR, LET ALONE A $400 ONE!!!) NOISELESS ELECTRONICS.

THEY HAVE A WEBSITE AND A PHONE NUMBER. THEY HAVE A DEALER NETWORK THAT IS DEVELOPING. TYPICAL LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTEE WITH ENOUGH RESTRICTIONS TO MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO COLLECT ON...WHAT ELSE IS NEW? CONSIDERING THE BARGAIN PRICE OF THESE LP COPIES - ABOUT $200 FOR THE STANDARD MODELS, AND ONLY ABOUT $50 MORE FOR THE SERPENT MODELS, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? THE DRAGONS ARE NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION SO PRICES ARE BEING DETERMINED BY THE MARKET. THESE ARE GREAT LP CLONES AT THESE PRICES, THEY ARE COMPETITIVE WITH VIRTUALLY ALL THE LP CLONES OUT THERE.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR ABOUT 36 YEARS NOW, AND HAVE OWNED OR EXTENSIVELY USED ALOT OF DIFFERENT GEAR OVER THE YEARS, MOSTLY AS AN AMATEUR, BUT FOR A FEW YEARS ON THE LOCAL SCENE SEMI-PROFESSIONALLY. (IE, I ACTUALLY MADE ALOT OF MONEY PLAYING OUT IF YOU CAN BELEIVE THAT????) I AM A 'VALUE' ORIENTED SHOPPER FOR ANYTHING I BUY. THE NAME ON THE PRODUCT DOESN'T IMPRESS ME, PERFORMANCE DOES. I AM NOT EASY TO PLEASE, BECAUSE I AM VERY 'SPECIFICATION' CONSCIOUS, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO COMPROMISE OCCASIONALLY. THE JAY TUSRER LP CLONES ARE A WORTHY COMPROMISE AND WORTH CONSIDERING.