Okay you hard rockers, are you ready for some hot new Jackson guitars?
I already know you are, so let’s not waste another moment! I’ve got a signature King V here and a whole new truck full of San Dimas models for you, so turn it up and let’s rock…
Jackson Pro Plus Phil Demmel King V Polka Dot
Polka dots? That’s a Buddy Guy thing, right? A blues thing? Wait…maybe it’s a Randy Rhoads thing? You’re almost there! It's actually the new signature axe of ex-Machine Head shred lord Phil indeed a tribute to Randy Rhoads of course, and this new signature model is in line with that.
Instead of going for an RR model, Phil has had the polka dot graphic applied to one of his beloved King V models, all over the body and headstock. It’s bold and brilliant, and unmistakably ‘rock’. But apart from the cool finish, what’s happening with this guitar?
Full Demmelition
For this Jackson Pro Plus Phil Demmel King V, Demmel has made sure that everything is as hard rocking as possible. He’s stuck with tried-and-trusted EMG active pickups (an 81 & a 60, for sweeter neck pickup tones), the ultimate units for undaunted thrash. Harmonics liberally ping from the neck with this set up!
When you have a pointy King V guitar, and it's loaded with hot EMG pickups, it would be a real shame not to have a Floyd Rose tremolo on board to take advantage of the squeals and the sustain, wouldn’t it? I’m glad, therefore, to report that this V has a quality 1000 series Floyd, a good quality unit that feels solid in the hand.
As this is a Jackson, the neck is built for speed. 24 jumbo frets, a 12-16” compound radius fingerboard, the perfect surface for some extravagant, technical playing.
It’s a beauty, and one that functions as beautifully as it looks.
But there’s more Jackson for you!
Jackson Pro Origin San Dimas
Hop in the DeLorean and head back to when Back the the Future was released, because these Jacksons are straight from 1985!
Jackson and Charvel have always had a sort of ‘sibling’ relationship. Grover Jackson ultimately helmed both brands, so calling this range of Jacksons ‘San Dimas’ - a term guitar fans will know from Charvel more than any other brand - actually makes sense. These are not direct reissues of guitar from the 80s, but are faithful tributes, and the details are bang on.
Party Like It’s 1985
You can have your new Jackson San Dimas with two humbuckers, or the very mid-80s choice of a single bridge humbucker. In fact, these are J-90C humbuckers, specially created for these guitars to capture that crunchy Sunset Strip saturation. There’s a crispness to the edge of these that allows articulate playing, regardless of the huge output that they most definitely have. If you are a lead guitarist - and I’m going to risk the assumption that you are if you’re reading this - then I think you’ll get on particularly well with the sounds on offer here.
The mid 80s simulation continues with an Alder body, a tinted neck (not roasted, they didn’t do that back then!) and the proper pointy Jackson headstock. What you don't get are sharkfin inlays, but again, neither did any 1985 Charvel San Dimas models.
Talking of necks, each of these San Dimas models has a classic Jackson ‘speed neck’ - flat, wide and ready to shred - and 22 jumbo frets. There’s a compound radius fingerboard which I’ve come to expect with Jackson, and you can have the choice of either a maple or a rosewood fingerboard.
Life is Too Short Too Be Subtle
These new Jacksons are loud and proud. They are designed and assigned to rock you hard, shake you senseless and leave you wanting more. They sound awesome and positively encourage you to overplay to a dramatic degree.
In short, they are everything that Jackson guitars in 2025 should be.
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