Jackson Kelly KEXTMG

This is the Jackson KEXTMG.  The bottom line is that it is amazing in every way.  Let's look at features.  Neck-thru body, flame maple top with Tobacco Sunburst finish, compound radius fingerboard, shark fin inlays, and EMG pickups.  Looking at these individually, the neck-thru body gives incredible tone and sustain.  The maple top and finish don't do a whole lot except for look cool.  But I suppose that's an important feature of any guitar.  The compound radius fingerboard is one of my favorite features.  Easy chording down low, easy soloing up top.  Simple as that, but a huge advantage for anyone looking to get the most out of the entire fingerboard.  The EMG pickups are fantastic.  An 81 at the bridge and an 85 at the neck give you versatility and great tone.  String definition and timbre along with great clarity are the key features of these active pickups.  Being active pickups, they are powered by a 9-volt battery.  The battery compartment is conveniently placed on the back of the guitar where it is out of the way, yet easily accessible when needed.  As long as you don't leave it plugged in for days at a time, the battery will last a very long time.  Setup and fit and finish were perfect right out of the box.  This is a very good thing considering that this guitar is part of the new Jackson X series which is made in China.  Quality is extremely good, and price is even better, with a street price of about $700.  Speaking of quality, the Jackson tuning machines are surprisingly good, even with a plastic nut.  The guitar is easy to tune, and it stays in tune even with lots of string bending and heavy play.  I find the Kelly body shape to be quite comfortable standing or sitting.  This is obviously good because it is easy to play when you are comfortable.  Overall, this guitar gets an excellent rating because it has all the features I would want in a custom guitar and it only costs $700 (as opposed to the $4100 it would cost me to order one from the Jackson USA custom shop).  I feel that the new X series is great and I hope to pick up more of them in the future (probably another Rhoads).