| Build Quality: |  |
| Hardware: |  |
| Electronics: | |
| Sound: | |
| Value: | |
| Average: | |
Pros:
- Powerful
- Affordable
- Cool Fretboard Design
Cons:
- Cheap Nut
- Non-innovative design
The Jackson Dinky series has been a great success in terms of the quality of guitars produced. Whether affordable or in the less affordable range of guitars, the Dinkies have proven themselves to be serious instruments despite their funny names. And even if I do make the funny name joke or reference every time I get to review one of these, I still find the instrument to be rather impressive. So let us take a look at the affordable Jackson JS32 Dinky and see if it is any more impressive than its brethren.
Body Quality
First let’s talk about the design of the guitar because this part is usually what either makes me very angry or very excited about a guitar. The problem is I cannot be either at the shape of the guitar. The dinky series takes inspiration for design from the famous Strat Design, imitating and only changing it a little bit. Here we have the double cutaway typical to a start, with a slight inline along the wings of the guitar and a thicker looking tail. Acceptable, really, if not exciting. The solid coloring options of the instrument are my favorite iterations, since they look a little slicker.
The body of the guitar is made of the ever famous basswood. This tonewood is probably the most often used hardwood on the market, with about 80 percent of the affordable guitars produced being made of it. The reason is the cheapness of the tonewood, which I have nothing against. Basswood has an interesting effect on the lower tones of the guitar. Nothing compared to Mahogany, but still rather enjoyable. The tonewood is also known to be rather light, allowing the guitar to not be a burden to you when you play it. The only thing with the hardwood is that it forgot to be hard, just stuck to being wood (lame, I know). This means the guitar is kind of easy to dent, so watch it!
The neck of the guitar is made of Maple. This sturdy wood has been doing a great job of keeping guitars stable for the past decades, but Jackson found it insufficient, providing some graphite reinforcement on top. This allows the guitar a longer lifespan than average, as well as better sturdiness. The neck is bolt on, which is not really a problem, because the craftsmanship is high quality. The fretboard of the guitar is made of rosewood and has a rather interesting geometric design etchings.
Hardware
The guitar comes with the Jackson branded Floyd Rose double locking tremolo bridge. All of this means a few very simple and nice things. First, the guitar bridge is pretty. Second, you get some great action out of it. Third, stable strings. And fourth – you get to bend the notes! Yay!
The nut of the guitar is unfortunately made of cheaper material, which kind of makes me angry every time. While the humbucker neutralize most of the string buzz that would result out of this, the nut will end up being worn out a little faster. Might want to replace it.
The tuning machine of the instrument is rather unremarkable. It does not do a great job, but it does not do a horrible job either. The design is nice though, so I’ll give the guitar points for that.
Electronics
The guitar comes with a double pickup set up, with the pickups being humbuckers. Something you should have expected, kind of, from the design of the guitar. The two high output humbuckers are rather good. They have a powerful sound, with sustain that will feel almost infinite if this is your first guitar. If not, it’s just about a little higher than average for stock pickups. They have a good lifetime and can also do a clean sound.
The guitar’s controls are simple, with one knob for volume, one for tone and a lever for a three way pickup configuration selection. Fun!
Jackson JS32 Sound
The sound of the guitar is its best part, as you would want out of any guitar really. It is powerful and sometimes feels all encompassing, as my beginner friend said. I do not know what he meant, but I do like the sound. Power, sustain, and the cleanliness of the sound provides a great beginner and ever intermediate friendly sound.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a nice guitar. It does a great job at being affordable and providing value for the buyer. It is highly beginner-friendly and lovely in the Metal and Rock and Roll genres. Recommended.
Click here to view more from Best Electric Guitar Under 300.
