Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT vs USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
Reasons to Get
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT over USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
Reasons to Get
Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly over X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT
Other Key Differences
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT vs USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
Shared Features
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT vs USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
Common Strengths
- Neck-Through Build
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly is probably the better product overall with its final score of 81 compared to the Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT's 68 score, which is a significant difference.
The Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
Both meet 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT Overview
- From Jackson's 2019 Artist Signature series
- Scott Ian Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- Maple neck
- Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Duncan Designed HB-103B (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Duncan Designed HB-103N (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Jackson TOM-Style Adjustable with Anchored Tailpiece bridge
- Speed Neck-Through neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Jackson Sealed Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly Overview
- From Jackson's 2019 Artist Signature series
- Jeff Loomis Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Sandblasted Ash top
- Ash body
- Quartersawn Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Jeff Loomis Signature Blackouts (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Jeff Loomis Signature Blackouts (Humbucker/Active)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose 1500 Series Double-Locking Tremolo bridge
- Speed Neck-Through neck
- 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Sperzel Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
The Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly pickups from a more specialized brand than the Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Heavy Metal and similar genres.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly's online:
The Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT's pickups are Passive while the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly's are Active.
Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
They both share the following switching options:
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT compares to the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT is built in Indonesia while the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly is made in United States.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly comes with a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
In this comparison, the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly's is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT's are Jackson Sealed Die-Cast while the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly's are Sperzel Die-Cast
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT
- Expensive Wood
- Neck-Through Build
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- No Locking Tuners
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').
This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly has the longest scale: 25.5". The Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT and the Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly have a D-shaped neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
Both have a compound radius. This means both offer you the best craftsmanship when it comes to fretboard design. You'll have an arc to help you play chords close to the nut, while also having a flat design at the higher frets for faster soloing and easier bends.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .
Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT:
Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly:
Fret Size
Both have a Jumbo fret size. This is one of the tallest frets you can get. You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. It will give you the best sustain and all types of chords will be easier to play. However, you can end up changing the pitch of your notes if you press too hard, which is something people used to feeling the fretboard do when trying Jumbo frets for the first time.
