The Jackson Kelly: Shredding That Needs Zero Upgrades

I have always liked the Explorer shape guitar. It just looks inherently dangerous, like a weapon you’d find leaning against the amp stack of a mythical metal warlord. As a lifelong metal head, that meant I’ve always wanted a proper Jackson Kelly. The Kelly, with its more aggressive, razor-sharp offset points, is basically the Explorer’s angrier, cooler younger brother.

This particular model, the JS32T, is the entry-level ticket to that club. And let me tell you, if this is the entry, I may never leave.

A Vow of Hardtail Silence (The Floyd Rose Escape)

Before we even plug in, let’s talk bridge. You might notice the lack of a whammy bar—this is the hardtail version, and there is a very good reason. (The model No. for ones with the Floyd Rose is JS32)

In general, entry-level Floyd Rose systems is best described as a hostage negotiation that ends badly for everyone. You spend twenty minutes setting it up, you thrash one riff, and suddenly your guitar is in tune only in a dimension where music is fundamentally broken. Entry-level guitars usually don't have the quality components needed to keep a cheap Floyd Rose holding the tune well after the kind of abuse metal demands.

The JS32T hardtail? Tune it up, play it hard, and it stays put. It’s glorious. It allows you to focus on the noise, not the mechanics.

The Neck: Certified Speed-Sled

The moment I gripped the Jackson Speed Neck, I knew my expensive guitars were going to start gathering dust. This neck is, hands down, the star of the show.

The slim profile is perfect—it’s like they shaved down the wood specifically for fast playing and shredding. Paired with those lovely, wide jumbo frets, it lets your fingers glide over the fingerboard like a hockey puck on fresh ice. For an entry-level Kelly, I was genuinely surprised by how flawlessly made this neck is. It came perfectly crowned and polished from the factory. It’s shocking how often you have to pay $1000+ to get a neck this smooth and fast.

Frankly, it has become my favorite guitar to play daily, even when comparing it to the more expensive, boutique models hanging on the wall. The price-to-performance ratio here is insulting to literally every other guitar I own.

Pickups That Defy the Budget

Here’s where I was prepared to do the classic metalhead move: immediately ripping out the stock pickups and swapping them for a set of Seymour Duncans or EMGs. I had the credit card already warmed up.

But then I played it.

And the stock pickups are surprisingly good. They deliver a seriously powerful sound that blew past my expectations. They’re hot, they’re articulate, and they handle high-gain distortion like they were born for it. They manage to deliver a tight low end and plenty of mids punch. Comparing them to the pickups in my Epiphone Explorer, which sound like a mosquito struggling through mud, the Jackson’s stock humbuckers are a revelation. No need to swap here—they’re staying put.

The Shape and The Sit-Down Shred

Let's be honest, the first reason you buy a Kelly is that it looks completely awesome. It's sharp, aggressive, and pointy—exactly what a metal guitar should be. What’s surprising is how good it is for sitting down. I expected to have to wrestle with it, but the sharp angles tuck right in, and it's great for practice, even when resting it on the left leg. Standing is acceptable, but there is one major, classic Jackson flaw: neck dive. The headstock is determined to be the lowest point in the room. The good news? It's completely fixable.

The (Very Minor) Catch: Cons

Okay, nothing is perfect, not even this budget weapon. While the Kelly is an amazing value, it’s not without a few quirks, all of which are hilariously predictable for a guitar designed to wake the neighbors.

First, that glorious, super-thin Jackson Speed Neck that makes shredding feel like cheating? It demands a price. After an hour of chugging open chords or wrestling with barre chords on the lower frets, your left hand will seriously consider filing for early retirement. The thin profile that’s perfect for thumb-over-the-top solos requires a bit more crushing effort when it comes to standard rhythm playing, which is why your hand gets tired quickly.

Second, the pickups. As previously noted, they are powerfully aggressive. This is fantastic when your amp settings are set to super high gain but it means the clean tones are let’s just say unapologetic. Trying to play something light and airy will sound less like a gentle ballad and more like a gentle ballad being played by a very angry wasp. But honestly, if you’re buying a Jackson Kelly, you weren't planning on joining a folk trio anyway. These are expected cons for a certified metal machine.

Pro Tips: Modification Guide

The JS32T is a phenomenal guitar out of the box, but if you want to turn it into a true metal workhorse, here are the simple, cost-effective modifications I made:

1. Drop Tuning: Since heavy is life and I live in low tunings, I immediately added the Pitch-Key PK01 (You can also put a hipshot). It’s simple, effective, and lets you drop that low string instantly without wrestling with a multi-step tuning process.

2. String Swap: I swapped the stock strings (9-42) out for a 9-46 hybrid set. This gives you the speed and easy bending of the lighter strings on the high end, but maintains enough tension and girth for crushing low-end rhythm on the thicker strings.

3. 
   The Neck Dive Fix (Older Models): If you have an older Kelly like mine, the stock strap button location is the primary cause of the neck dive. To permanently fix this, move the neck strap button from the upper side body to behind the body close to the neck joint. Problem solved.
   

The Jackson Kelly JS32T is proof that budget guitars have gotten dangerously good. It’s comfortable, impossibly fast, and delivers tone that far outstrips its price tag. If you need an aggressive, no-nonsense shred machine, this is the axe for you.