Jet JS-480 | Review

JET JS-480 | Review

I first encountered Jet Guitars in a (now sadly closed) music store in my home city of Newcastle. I was handed a red S-type guitar with a roasted maple neck and asked to guess how much it cost. “It’s really nice, clearly high-end, but not quite custom shop level… maybe £1500?”… To say I was staggered when I was told I’d overestimated by a factor of 5 is something of an understatement. It turns out Mark Knopfler had reached a similar conclusion earlier that month, too.

Following in the mould of the red guitar in question, the subject of today’s review is also a red S-type guitar offering outrageous quality and spec for a price that sits somewhere between “bargain” and “peanuts” - the Jet JS-480. Finished in an attractive metallic “wine red” that’s reminiscent of the deep candy apple finishes of the early 80s, and offset with gold hardware and cream plastics on a mint green pickguard, this guitar exudes a class that’s way in excess of it’s asking price.

These premium appointments are common enough on guitars costing four figures and up, but not so much on affordable guitars like the JS-480. The result is a slim, stable neck that feels tremendous in the hand, and looks the business, too.

Good looks aside, the most striking feature of this guitar (and many others in the Jet range) is the Canadian roasted maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. These premium appointments are common enough on guitars costing four figures and up, but not so much on affordable guitars like the JS-480. The result is a slim, stable neck that feels tremendous in the hand, and looks the business, too.

Tones come courtesy of an Alnico V HSS pickup set of Jet’s own design. Being completely honest, I tend to dread HSS guitars, since it’s so tricky to get humbuckers and single coils to balance well in the same guitar due to the different pot values each pickup type is best suited to. I needn’t’ve worried though, since this set is very well calibrated. The bridge humbucker is punchy and thick without being excessively dark, and the single coils sparkle and chime without being overly brash. Position 4 is something of a standout here, with a refined and percussive tone that’s perfect for funk chops and soulful blues lines.

Hardware wise, the JS-480 sports a Jet branded two-point tremolo system, matched to a set of very sturdy locking tuners. If I’m being critical, I’d prefer to have seen staggered heights on the tuners rather than the string tree employed on the B and E strings, or perhaps a roller string tree to reduce friction. That said, tuning was very stable once I’d taken the time to stretch in the strings properly.

At less than £350 at the time of writing, the Jet JS-480 represents incredible value for money for such a well-spec’d and versatile instrument. There’s precious little this guitar can’t do, and whether you’re looking for an upgrade from a bare-bones starter pack guitar or an affordable working instrument, this guitar will more than exceed your expectation.

For more information visit:https://jetguitars.com