The Kelly KEX brings Jackson's asymmetrical, pointed Kelly shape into the budget-friendly X Series, aimed at players who want the metal aesthetic without Pro Series pricing.
13 mods reviewed: 5 drop-in, 7 need verification, 1 needs modification.
The Kelly KEX brings Jackson's asymmetrical, pointed Kelly shape into the budget-friendly X Series, aimed at players who want the metal aesthetic without Pro Series pricing. The 'X' in the model name is Jackson's own tier indicator: X Series guitars use a Floyd Rose Special or Jackson-branded licensed double-locking trem, not the genuine Floyd Rose 1000 Series found on Pro Series guitars like the Dinky DK2, so trem parts aren't interchangeable across the two tiers.
Tailpiece
None (bridge-integrated, locking trem)
Scale length
25.5" (648mm)
Tuner hole size
10mm (25/64")
Nut width
42.9mm (1.689")
Not published by Jackson: string spacing and bridge mounting spacing. Measure these before buying a bridge.
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The genuine factory bridge for this exact guitar, confirmed across multiple retailer spec sheets.
Multiple retailer spec sheets confirm this exact guitar ships with a genuine Floyd Rose Special, matching this bridge directly.
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonThis is the genuine upgrade path from the Special this guitar ships with, and it mounts on the same studs and footprint. One thing to check first: guitars built around a Special are sometimes routed tighter, and if yours is, the cavity may need a little relief to keep full upward travel on the arm.
Floyd Rose's own Swapping Your Floyd Rose guide lists the 6-string Original, Custom Shoppe, 1984, Special, 1000 Series Original and Titanium as sharing the same dimensions and swappable without additional routing, so an Original mounts on the same studs and footprint as the Special this guitar ships with. Tier alone is not a fitment reason here. What holds this back from a clean drop-in is a caveat in that same guide: the Special's string lock screws are shorter than the Original's, and some manufacturers route smaller, tighter cavities on bodies built around a Special, in which case a little more routing is needed to keep upward tremolo travel. Whether Jackson routes tight on this model has not been confirmed either way. Verified against floydrose.com, September 2026.
Help confirm this fit
See also
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonFits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock pickups already sit in. A tighter, higher-output alternative built for heavy gain. Needs soldering.
Standard humbucker route, the same footprint the stock Jackson High-Output humbuckers already sit in. A high output bridge and neck pairing designed for tight low end under heavy gain, a common EMG active alternative on ESP and Jackson-style guitars.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock pickups already sit in. A high-output, metal-voiced alternative. Needs soldering.
Standard humbucker route, the same footprint the stock Jackson High-Output humbuckers already sit in. A passive pickup voiced to behave like an active, a common swap on Jackson-style guitars built for metal.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock pickups already sit in. You will need to solder it in.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock Jackson High-Output humbuckers already sit in.
£309.99 at Andertons
View at AndertonsFits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock pickups already sit in. You will need to solder it in.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock Jackson High-Output humbuckers already sit in.
£129.99 at Andertons
View at Andertons
Hole size should match, but Jackson's reverse headstock is known for aftermarket tuner screw holes not lining up.
Jackson pointed reverse headstock, screw hole alignment not guaranteed.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonHole size should match, but Jackson's reverse headstock is known for aftermarket tuner screw holes not lining up.
Jackson pointed reverse headstock, screw hole alignment not guaranteed.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonHole size should match, but this guitar has a pointed reverse headstock. Confirm the correct InvisoMatch plate variant before ordering.
Jackson pointed reverse headstock, screw hole alignment not guaranteed even with an adapter plate unless the correct variant is used.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonHole size should match, but Jackson's reverse headstock is known for aftermarket tuner screw holes not lining up with the factory ones. Worth checking before ordering.
Jackson's pointed reverse headstock. Real owner reports specifically describe aftermarket locking tuner screw holes not lining up with the factory pilot holes on this headstock style even when post diameter matches.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonHole size should match, but Jackson's reverse headstock is known for aftermarket tuner screw holes not lining up.
Jackson pointed reverse headstock, screw hole alignment not guaranteed.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Reverb
View at ReverbHole size should match, but Jackson's reverse headstock is known for aftermarket tuner screw holes not lining up.
Jackson pointed reverse headstock, screw hole alignment not guaranteed.
Help confirm this fit
This tuner is sized for vintage tuner holes, not the modern holes on this guitar. You'll need Gotoh's conversion bushings, sold separately, to fit it.
This tuner is vintage-hole spec (8.73 to 8.8mm), not the modern 10mm hole this guitar actually has. Gotoh sells conversion bushings separately for exactly this situation. Not a direct swap, but not a drilling job either, it is a bushing change.
Help confirm this fit
If you have fitted any of these to this Jackson Kelly KEX, tell us what you found and we'll update the data.
