Inside JET Elite: Our Premium Range, Model by Model

Most of the JET catalogue is built around getting players the most guitar for the money. The Elite range asks a different question: what happens when we stop counting pennies on the spec sheet? The result is six guitars that sit at the top of the line-up, each with upgraded woods, pickups and hardware. Here’s what they share and what sets each one apart.

What makes a JET an Elite

Every Elite model is built on the same premium foundation:

• Quarter-sawn light roast maple neck. Quarter-sawn maple has the grain running vertically through the neck, which makes it stiffer and more stable than a standard flat-sawn neck. Roasting it adds extra resistance to seasonal changes in humidity, plus a smooth, worn-in feel straight out of the box. (For more on the roasting process, see Why Roasted Maple Necks Matter.)
• High-end PPS nut. It’s a self-lubricating material, so strings slide through it cleanly when you bend or use the tremolo, which helps the guitar stay in tune.
• 2.6 mm medium jumbo frets. These are big enough for easy bends and vibrato without feeling like you’re playing on rails.
• Custom-set Alnico pickups. These are matched sets rather than off-the-shelf units, with Alnico magnets for a warmer, more dynamic response than ceramic.
• Pro-grade hardware. Most models get Wilkinson bridges and tuners, and the rest use custom tremolos designed in-house by JET. Some models upgrade to locking tuners.
• D’Addario EXL110 strings and a deluxe gig bag come as standard.

That shared platform means you’re getting the same neck feel and build quality whichever Elite you pick. The difference is in the body, the pickups and the look.

JET JS-30 Elite Ash: the classic, perfected

RRP €949

This is the purist’s choice. It has an ash body with a natural off-white stained finish that lets the grain show through, a roasted maple fingerboard and a natural wood pickguard. The pickups are an SSS Alnico V set, custom wound by YHL, on a 5-way switch, so you get the full range of traditional single-coil tones, from glassy neck-position cleans to the quacky in-between positions. A Wilkinson WV6SB tremolo and Wilkinson vintage-style tuners keep it in tune. If you want a classic S-style that’s simply better in every detail, start here.

JET JS-40 Metallic Burst: the versatile workhorse

RRP €799

The JS-40 takes a 3-piece alder body and loads it with an HSS Alnico V set, giving you a bridge humbucker for rock and lead work and two single-coils for clean and crunch. The split control lets you turn the humbucker into a single-coil, which widens the range even further. It has an Indian rosewood fingerboard with abalone dot inlays, a 3-ply vintage white pickguard and a metallic burst finish. As the most affordable double cut in the Elite range, it’s the one to pick if you need one guitar to cover a whole set.

JET JT-30 Gold: T-style with attitude

RRP €750

Our Elite T-style pairs a 3-piece alder body with two Alnico single-coils, a 3-way switch and simple volume and tone controls. It plays exactly the way a T-style should: twangy, snappy and cutting. A Wilkinson WTB bridge and a roasted maple fingerboard with black dot inlays complete the vintage-correct core. The metallic gold finish and fibreglass pickguard make sure it doesn’t play it too safe on looks. It’s a great fit for country, indie and anyone who likes their tone clear and precise.

JET JS-45 Fireburst & JS-45 Indigo Gray: the figured-top flagships

RRP €939 (Fireburst) / €899 (Indigo Gray)

The JS-45 is where the Elite range moves into mahogany. Both versions use a 2-piece mahogany body with a solid figured maple top: quilted maple on the Fireburst and flamed maple on the Indigo Gray. Mahogany adds warmth and sustain, and the maple cap tightens up the attack, so you get the best of both woods.

Electronics are an HSS Alnico set with a 3-way switch, and a mini switch splits the bridge humbucker, so you can drop from full humbucker grunt to a brighter single-coil tone without changing guitars. Both models have locking tuners. The fingerboard is Indian rosewood with a flatter 12″ radius, which is great for low action and wide bends. The Fireburst has 22 frets and a Wilkinson WV6SB bridge. The Indigo Gray extends to 24 frets for players who like to spend time at the top of the neck, and it uses a custom tremolo designed in-house by JET.

These are two of the most eye-catching guitars we make, with the playability and sound to back up the looks.

JET JS-50 Art: one for the heavy hitters

RRP €939

The JS-50 shares the JS-45’s mahogany body, 12″ radius rosewood board and locking tuners, but it’s built for gain. A dual-humbucker (HH) Alnico set delivers thick rhythm tones and a singing lead voice, with a custom JET-designed tremolo for expression. The custom painted Art Blue top means no two people will mistake it for anything else on stage. If you play mostly in the drive channel, this is your Elite.

Which Elite is right for you?

• Want a traditional S-style, just better? JS-30 Elite Ash
• Need one guitar to do everything? JS-40 Metallic Burst
• Country, indie or twang? JT-30 Gold
• Rock and lead with stand-out looks? JS-45 Fireburst or Indigo Gray (Indigo Gray if you want 24 frets)
• High gain and heavy riffs? JS-50 Art

Whichever one you choose, every Elite comes with the same quarter-sawn roasted maple neck, quality hardware and deluxe gig bag. In short, a guitar that’s ready to gig the day it arrives.