Jackson Dinky js11 - 5 Reasons To Buy It (and 3 Concerns)

[@benpowersguitar]

Watch Next: My JAMS Playlist - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqLZc6Svbs6MnMU

[@drewjsmalls]

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT METAL SHREDDING LOW BUDGET GOOD QUALITY GUITAR!! ( I HAVE THIS SAME JACKSON DINKY!!!) I'VE BEEN PLAYING 49 YEARS AND I HAVE 6 GUITARS,,I ALSO HAVE A BRAND NEW JACKSON RANDY RHODES JS32 T V MODEL PRICED THE SAME AS THIS DINKY JACKSON AND FOR THE VERY REASONABLE BUDGET PRICE MY 2 JACKSONS ARE MY BEST PLAYING SOUNDING METAL GUITARS!! AS YOU SAY THE NECKS ARE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME THE WAY THEY FEEL AND SPEED THEY HAVE.THE STOCK HUMBUCKER PICK-UPS WITH ALL MY AMP ARRANGEMENTS AND PEDALS IS ALL I NEED FOR GREAT GAIN - DISTORTION METAL!! I DO LOVE MY JACKSONS!!!!!!!!!!💯💯💯💥💥💥💯💯💯

[@benpowersguitar]

That's awesome. I have been considering the Rhodes V myself. Thanks for watching. I appreciate the support.

[@r3ylow]

I LOVE UR ENERGY HAHAHAHA IM 14 AND IM BOUTTA TRY ITTTTTTTTTT

[@davi90rtcb]

I have this guitar and it's quite a good machine if you want to play some metal. It is also very comfortable whether you have to play rhythm or leads.

[@robertclarkguitar]

So glad to hear you kept the pups. That says a lot. Great review man!!!

[@benpowersguitar]

Thank man. Yeah, the pups got character.

[@izcrook900]

and i paid $110 for mine, very used.from back when they were made in india. still, no fret issues, super rigid neck. truss rod still worked great. the neck is the jacksons major strength. fast, and unbendable. graphite rules. jumbo frets too. love it

[@GodsMusician]

I love my Jackson Dinky JS11! Thinking to use it for some big gigs coming up.

[@punkoso4168]

this guitar is a winner, I have one myself in black, plays great, sounds great, no tunning issues either, I paid 140Euros for it, can't fault it

[@alexdenton6586]

A real gem for the price , I’ve just bought one

[@NatureBoyWooo]

Is it holding the tuning well ?

[@alexdenton6586]

@@NatureBoyWooo yes if properly set up No problem on that

[@ronsharfal3603]

I have that one absolutely amazing beautiful guitar im actually a drummer 43yrs now so I always said 2nd instrument would be guitar ahhhh yeah I'll stick with the drums lol but starting to learn rhythm and those badass power cords....anyway $150 then got a Fender guitar amp jack plug in guitar headphones on it sounds awesome I love it so anyone looking for a great badass guitar I promise u this is the one im 52yrs old grew up with those metal hair bands lolol and Jackson and Kramer were huge back then so anyway just my thoughts so if anyone was looking....peace and keep on rocking ✌️🤟

[@nashkhan95hamid96]

I owned Jackson Dinky J12 red in color. Its fantastic

[@izcrook900]

i own one and i agree with you about every point you made. very honest review. i love my js 11 and its the least expensive guitar i own. i have a strat, squire and ibanez AS73 tobacco. the jackson holds its own! good tone, plus, shred machine!

[@pierresenechal9044]

I buy exactly the same guitar this week ans i am totaly suprise by the quality for a real good price (ridiculous) The best deal i ever see.

[@benpowersguitar]

Don't know how they do it. Glad your experience was as good as mine. Thanks for watching.

[@mikehurley5052]

Jackson make fantastic budget guitars, i have a blue JS22, its brilliant.

[@thepro08]

what is best j11, js22 or 32? money whise is it worth it?

[@mikehurley5052]

@@thepro08 I have a 32 with hardtail, love it.

[@LoneWolf_-qh7py]

Great review man, appreciate it, I just ordered 😎🤘 and it's gonna be my first guitar

[@benpowersguitar]

That's awesome! A great way to start you journey.

[@CKS64]

Thanks for a honest review. And also not spending half the video playing.

[@basedbane787]

I tried one of these when I got my Ibanez gio and it was awesome ! I don't regret my gio at all but this is definitely my next guitar

[@benpowersguitar]

I also picked a Gio not long before I got this Kramer, and I love it. Will be doing a vid on it before the years end. Which Gio do you play?

[@basedbane787]

@@benpowersguitar I got the ibanez grgr131ex. The reverse headstock is a lil annoying to switch tuning so I wanna make it my drop d mess around rig and get the Jackson for guitar class/practice. What do you think ?

[@benpowersguitar]

@@basedbane787 Nice, I was looking at one those when I got the GRG121SP. Personally I would take an Ibanez RG421 over anything Jackson makes, but I really like the Wizard necks. If you like the Jackson neck, then heck yeah, they are nice guitars.

[@basedbane787]

@@benpowersguitar I like them both but if I could only have one I'd go with the Ibanez but with the dinky being $160 why not both ! Lol

[@benpowersguitar]

@@basedbane787 That's what I did:) Think I called it a Kramer earlier, sorry. For the money this is a great guitar, and I haven't sold mine yet because it is so cool. BUT, I play mainly thumb over, played strats for years. Something about the Jackson neck makes my hand hurt at the thumb joint in about 5 minutes. I am sure that's a me thing and not common. I feel like the Jackson neck is more shred & power chord friendly that it is anything else. I still believe that this is one of the best guitars under $300.

[@dan-925]

Great review!! In depth and spot on 👍...keep on rockin' 🎸 🔥

[@benpowersguitar]

Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks for watching.

[@Dav1pix]

what do u think about the tremolo bridge? It stays in tune when you use more aggressively ?

[@benpowersguitar]

That honestly is going to be a nut issue and tuner issue more than the trem. But yeah, it holds pretty well. Now, I don't think you're gonna do to many dive bombs with it. Think of it like a strat trem. More for flourishes than wild whammy tricks.

[@danaowens30]

I have the JS11 alpine white and love it works for me i have the JS22,JS24,and JS34Q and JS 32Q floyd rose

[@ajm9238]

Those necks are nearly identical to the 80's Charvels. I have both and the necks feel the same. I love them!

[@benpowersguitar]

That's awesome. I loved my late 80's Charvel.

[@ajm9238]

@@benpowersguitar yeah. I have a 1986 model 1 I think. It has 1 Volume knob, 1 bridge humbucker, standard nut. The neck on my charvel and the Jackson neck are the same. Only difference is name on headstock. Must be Jackson/Charvel's standard low end guitar neck. But the necks have a great profile and feel. I have 2 extra Jackson js11 necks only waiting for a build.

[@thevalvefan1775]

I love mine, reminds me of the guitar from Crossroads movie

[@JCBassCovers]

I'm a bassist looking for a beater and I've had my eyes on it.

[@juliodefreitas157]

Absolutely awesome ❤️

[@waynerichard5071]

Great video just on my way to look at one

[@benpowersguitar]

Very cool. Would love to hear your thoughts once you try it.

[@bluwng]

Tuning has free ways to optimize, pot size doesn’t matter from a functional standpoint. This guitar is a flat top vs arch and unlike most people I love flat more. This guitar is a winner all around maybe even better than the Kramer Baretta.

[@benpowersguitar]

I am with you, I like my flat tops. I own both guitars. The Baretta needs two free mods to compete with the Jackson. I had to cut the disc cap (looks like a capacitor) off the vol pot to get any real roll off. The Baretta pickup ring sits at a steep angle, so I sanded it flat. Now they are about equal, though the Kramer feels a bit better to me, and Jackson sounds a bit better to me. Either way, both are great guitars for under $200. Thanks for watching, I appreciate it.

[@bluwng]

@@benpowersguitar new American Soloist is very expensive and a flattop.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@bluwng Yeah, I don't think I will be checking them out any time soon.

[@bluwng]

@@benpowersguitar I'm just pointing out that if arch tops are so hot why did Jackson decide on a flattop for their pro US series? Archtops are the great deception in reality the flattops rule the roost.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@bluwng I think so. I know I prefer them. I know a few players who really like archtops. I find them uncomfortable after a song or 2.

[@joshbutterfield9339]

And last but not least.. holy schnikes, that red is gorgeous. I don't know that I've seen a prettier metallic red finish. Nice review duder

[@benpowersguitar]

Thanks man. Yeah, it is so pretty in person.

[@diiosaodiiosa]

its a great guitar. i love it, but i would like to improve the sustain without changing the pickups. any advice?

[@benpowersguitar]

Other than making sure the pickups are adjusted, not really. Mine didn't have any issues with sustain. Great guitar for $200.

[@diiosaodiiosa]

thank you! i will try to mess with the amp then@@benpowersguitar

[@EricFilipkowski]

mine has shark inlays!

[@benpowersguitar]

Interesting. Is it an older model or a special run?

[@EricFilipkowski]

@@benpowersguitar I think it's actually newer. They come with them now. I love it.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@EricFilipkowski Would definitely look good.

[@chaggasfernandes]

Very honest review. thank you

[@80srocker65]

Really good review

[@benpowersguitar]

Thank you. I appreciate that.

[@llengford]

Great video. I have a question. Is the first three digits on the serial number on the plate of your guitar? CWJ if so What is the scale size, could you pull a tape on it from the back of the nut at the neck to the adjustment screws for the string height at the bridge thanks any help would be very much appreciated 👍🤘🎸🎸🎸

[@benpowersguitar]

I don't know about the serial #, as I sold the guitar a couple months ago. The scale length was 25.5.

[@llengford]

@@benpowersguitar okay thank you very much. I bought mine as a JS 12, but when I took it out of the box it was not 24 fret it was 22 fret, the box that it came in clearly stated that it was a JS 12 24 fret but I knew That wasn't correct. I particularly bought it as a 24 fret guitar off of Amazon at that point I was just assumed that it was a JS 11 22 fret, So I called the manufacturer and he wanted me to send him pictures of the box that it came in and of the guitar and the serial number, serial number does not indicate that it is a JS 11 anywhere on the box. This guy started insinuating that I had swapped the guitar out of the box with a different guitar. Well I got pissed and he got pissed. They didn't want to change it out return my money. I raised hell with Amazon. It didn't do any good. It put me short $60 So I really didn't mess with the guitar at that point. It was later when I took it out and changed strings and started tuning I saw that it just didn't sound completely right so l put new strings on, I started adjusting and then I saw that it needed to be intonated. But I never could get it to get tune right. I started looking up specs and then I started doing some measuring. I saw that it was not 25.5 inch scale, something funny about this guitar, my guitar is actually shorter than what a JS11 specs were, and that's when I started wandering what a CWJ was supposed to mean because all of the JS11s that I looked up didn't have numbers quite like this but it looks just like the same guitar, it looks just like the one you're holding in your video and it appears to be by the serial number of a 2021 model but going by the scale it is a 24.7 inch scale. and I have tuned it to that and I have got it to where it will intonate correctly. But I am still not sure of what model it is. I know they are made in different countries. This particular one is listed as China. Do you remember? Where your particular one was made or produced? I really appreciate your help. Thank you very much.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@llengford I really don't remember, but think it was made in China. I would contact Jackson directly. It doesn't sound like any Jackson I have seen.

[@llengford]

@@benpowersguitar thanks again buddy. Yeah I did contact Jackson. They couldn't understand it either, they didn't want to get involved with Amazon. Yeah I learned my lesson. I will never buy another Guitar from Amazon. I will buy from Sweetwater They stand behind their stuff, I should have known better in the first place, But I definitely think it was a mix of at the factory.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@llengford Well that's a shame, I was hoping they could help. I am with you, sounds like a factory mix up, except the scale length. That is the one thing making me think it's a copy. They have been copying low end guitars for about 3 years now, so it's possible. Even the minions are 24 fret, so it can't be a minion neck. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[@w3zel]

im allready thinking 3 days to buy this guitar! Is this a great starter guitar?

[@benpowersguitar]

I think it's a good starter.

[@w3zel]

@@benpowersguitar i allready have an LTD ec256fm. But i was thinking of buying this. Thanks for the good review.

[@fangedkarma5214]

Any recommended AMP for it that's cheap. I know jack about guitars and I'm looking to learn what I need.

[@benpowersguitar]

The Fender Mustang LT25 is great choice, and where I would recommend starting.

[@fangedkarma5214]

@benpowersguitar yeah I think I ordered a Amp that was frequently bought with it on Amazon. Time to pick at the strings until I learn

[@benpowersguitar]

@@fangedkarma5214 Those are usually like 10-15 watt Fenders Frontman or other similar practice amps. Fine for a beginner. I hope you enjoy playing.

[@Idk-mr7ue]

Great video! I am a beginner and I never touched a guitar in my life lol, I've only played the viola so far and I wanted to buy a guitar and I'm thinkin about buyin this one but im torn between it and the ibanez gio. Also a friend told me to buy a harley benton lol, im kinda confused but I'm happy to be able to start playing the guitar soon!

[@benpowersguitar]

Great that you know another instrument. Will actually be very helpful to you. Personally, I prefer the Ibanez Gio GRG121SP or even the GRGR131EX to the JS11. For Jackson, I would say step up to the JS22, unless you just want the arm contour from the JS11/JS12. If you decide to get the JS11, I would recommend the JS12, as it has 24 frets for $10 more. All of these are great beginner guitars. I would go with what you like the look of best, as you can't really go wrong with any of these. If you can afford it, I would say start with an Ibanez RG421 for $330 new, or get a good used one for $200 to $250.

[@Idk-mr7ue]

@@benpowersguitar thanks for the suggestions! I watched some of your videos and other reviews and I ended up going with the Jackson JS22

[@benpowersguitar]

@@Idk-mr7ue Excellent guitar, especially for the money. I hope you really enjoy your guitar journey.

[@johnburris3395]

The pickups really hot because I really don't want just to mentally sounding guitar I want something and give me some gain but was a little versatility anyway cuz I'm not a heavy metal player by any stretch of the imagination. I've been going to buy one of those forever and just never get around to doing it. Simply I would buy it just because of the way it looks so gorgeous

[@benpowersguitar]

I was playing blues on it last night :) But, yeah, they are hotter than many. They clean up pretty nice though. Honestly, like you, the looks were enough for me to try it.

[@Good-Enuff-Garage]

thanks for you review appreciate both the Pros and Cons, have you played the Kramer Baretta Special, I would love to know how it compares to the Baretta in terms of quality

[@benpowersguitar]

I own both. I have a video of the original review as well as upgrades for the Baretta Special. They are both great options. Really depends on what you're looking for. I personally think the neck is nicer on the Baretta Spcl. Nicer trem on the Jackson.

[@sweetburger2576]

Hey man! I have a Jackson dinky js32 and i wanna upgrade my floyd rose system, should I buy an original Floyd rose , Schaller lockmeister 6 or GOTOH?? Can you recommend me the "the best" Floyd Rose System?

[@benpowersguitar]

I am partial to the Floyd Rose myself.

[@sweetburger2576]

@@benpowersguitar thx bro , so I will buy an original Floyd Rose, now can you help me whit locking nut about size, R2, R3, R4 ??

[@benpowersguitar]

@@sweetburger2576 You only need the blocks, I used the R3, but the nut part sits off a little, so I went back to the Jackson nut with FR blocks. I am guessing it's the R2 if you want to use the nut itself.

[@NatureBoyWooo]

Hi Ben, I just want to know if it holds the tuning well? I don't use the trem but I bend a lot.

[@benpowersguitar]

The same for me. Yeah, it holds tune surprisingly well.

[@NatureBoyWooo]

@@benpowersguitar Okay so JS11 it is. I was confused between this and the Cort X100 but I am gonna go with this one as I really like the sound and the looks. Thanks for the clarification.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@NatureBoyWoooSure thing. Hope yours is as nice as mine.

[@kincsobalint5932]

Do you think this is a good guitar for softer music too? I know it’s great for metal, but i don’t think i’ll be getting much into metal. Im a total beginner tho so im looking for a versatile guitar, i mostly want to play Mitski, Arctic Monkeys, Mac Demarco, Crystal Castles etc. I will be purchasing the fender mustang lt25 amp, do you think this guitar or the squire affinity tele would be a better option? Thank you!

[@kincsobalint5932]

Also i have pretty small hands, so what do you think about the neck size?

[@benpowersguitar]

I wouldn't recommend either. The Jackson pups are a little much and the Squier just isn't the best option for the money. In the under $200 range, I would recommend a Firefly FFTL, Donner DTC-100, Donner DMT-100 or Kramer Focus over the Squier. I just got the Firefly FFTL in and it's amazing.

[@benpowersguitar]

I did see this before I answered the previous message, and took it in to consideration when I made my recommendations. Personally, I think the Firefly FFTL with 2 humbuckers is one of the best guitars I have seen in a while. Love the neck and it has an arm contour that most tele style guitars don't have.

[@kincsobalint5932]

@@benpowersguitar All right, thanks a lot!:)

[@gkTORO]

are those pickups the same thing with the js1r?, i feel kinda strat tone using the js1r

[@benpowersguitar]

I don't think so.

[@Dodgyboy43]

pretty amazing for the price

[@laudyn454]

What strings cauge is recommended for this guitar? If it matters.

[@benpowersguitar]

They come with .009's, and is what I have continued using.

[@ccjmusic]

There’s nothing as satisfying as a free knob! lol The one thing that may concern some people is the front strap button. That looks like it could be a stress point as the horn looks thin compared to the size of the button. Is it really like that or is it just the way it looks on camera?

[@benpowersguitar]

It's partly the camera and partly the design of the button. A little eye trickery. It isn't an issue. It has more support than many Ibanez out there.

[@ccjmusic]

@@benpowersguitar that is good. My Mitchell MM100 is really skinny there, and the button is definitely bigger than the point of the horn. But that is a scaled down model. Can’t remember if it is 7/8 or 3/4 scale now. That is the one Mitchell I wouldn’t recommend. Mostly because the wood on it is really fragile and flakes away easily on sharp corners without having poly to strengthen it.

[@benpowersguitar]

@@ccjmusic You know man, I have never played a 3/4 or mini that I can remember liking. Got one I am borrowing in Oct for a vid. Kind of a Halloween looking guitfiddle.

[@ccjmusic]

@@benpowersguitar I bought the MM100 purely to mod, but the wood is so brittle inside the cavity it makes you worry that the body will split if you do anything to it. Definitely glad I didn’t have that be my first experience with a Mitchell.

[@AdamBurseMusic]

Great video Ben, that was awesome man 😀🤘🎵🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@benpowersguitar]

Thanks Adam. I appreciate the support.

[@goncalobrito7466]

I kinda had a bad experience with this guitar mine didn't hold tune since day one and after every adjustment possible the action is extremely high

[@benpowersguitar]

Yeah, that sounds like a bad one. I would return it.

[@wolfgardener9471]

Mine is the same the neck pocket is to deep apparently,bad tooling at the factory,,,that are junk 👎

[@benpowersguitar]

​@@wolfgardener9471 Again, mine wasn't that way. This seems like something you could easily get it replaced or returned because of, so I hope you did. As I am an Ibanez lover, let me suggest their RG421 series, which I have also reviewed several of.

[@heeramalla4187]

love it

[@skbeep4993]

I'm getting this guitar as a beginner I have experience on classical and acoustic but I barely know anything abt electrics i know the basic but the bridge and all that stuff just scares me

[@benpowersguitar]

With the experience you have, you will be fine. Don't let it scare you. They are easy to maintain and easier to play.

[@skbeep4993]

@@benpowersguitar okay thanks for the reply :)

[@adicooli1711]

@@benpowersguitar a lot easier to play

[@bernardogomez5825]

you should compare this one to the firefly lg, they both cost the same

[@Zen.Experience]

Might be the editing of the video but the color of your guitar looks diferent than the ones i seen on some websites, they use to look more "darker red". Good video Greetings from Portugal

[@benpowersguitar]

I appreciate you watching. It is a dark red, but it's a bright dark red. I am guessing due to the metallic finish. Either way, it's a bit darker than the thumbnail, unless it's in direct light.

[@Zen.Experience]

@@benpowersguitar thank you for replying! Just ordered the guitar on the same color, im a beginner, do you think that this guitar is good for me? Just one more question, can you recommend a good amp for me? Im on a budget and i know nothing about amps 😅 Thank you very much for your time

[@benpowersguitar]

@@Zen.Experience I think these are great beginner guitars. As for an amp. There are lots of good choices. Boss Katana on the little higher end, Fender Mustang LT and Blackstar ID Core 20 are also nice.

[@danveneziano565]

I had a Jackson dinky with a Floyd and Duncan jb in the bridge and dimarzio stacked humbucker and a sustaniac in the middle. I still kick myself for selling that guitar

[@benpowersguitar]

Oh I bet. It's sounds like great guitar.

[@stonkpuppets6393]

There’s one listed on my local Facebook marketplace for $70. Claims it’s mint. Should I bite?

[@benpowersguitar]

That would be a great price if it's mint.

[@stonkpuppets6393]

@@benpowersguitar I ended up buying it and it’s so mint the pick ups still have the plastic over them. Score!!

[@benpowersguitar]

@@stonkpuppets6393 Heck yeah! That's killer! Congrats my friend.

[@bluwng]

Your Kramer vs Jackson

[@TROYIX4200]

is this the china made one? i just got mine and it's made in china.. i just wann know.

[@benpowersguitar]

Yes it is.

[@TROYIX4200]

@@benpowersguitar thanks 🥰👍

[@checkm8852]

Unsure why the mention of locking tuners, quality pots, and coil split features. Its jacksons lowest price point guitar. Its already a given because of that and mentioning it is a little unnecessary.

[@benpowersguitar]

I appreciate you watching.

[@w3zel]

This guitar stays better in tune than my LtD.

[@wolfgardener9471]

I have just perched this model after seeing this video and I can honestly say there's a lot more reasons not to get this guitar but the main one is that it is absolutely CRAP stay well away from this junk it isn't worth a penny, spend your cash on an Ibanez,,ps when reviewing a guitar remember someone is going to buy it so tell the truth pal .👎

[@benpowersguitar]

I do tell the truth. Mine was great. If you've seen much of my channel, you know I find things wrong with guitars regularly. I also prefer Ibanez. But my JS11 was great was out of the box.