# New Jackson models for 2018



## Durtal (Jan 24, 2018)

The new models are already up on their site:

https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/guitars?sort=new

They include a Pro Series Dave Davidson Warrior:

https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear...-warrior-wr7-ebony-fingerboard-distressed-ash







...and a Pro Series Mick Thomson Soloist:

https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear...k-thomson-soloist-sl2-ebony-fingerboard-black


----------



## BMO (Jan 25, 2018)

I definitely want that pro series Mick Thomson sig but I’m worried about the quality of other pro series stuff lately. If this becomes the new pro Juggernaut in terms of quality I’ll be really disappointed. It seems every other company that deals with Indo factories has upped their QC lately but Jackson is lagging behind.


----------



## zarg (Jan 25, 2018)

the three new monarkh colors look really good, I like all of them. but I don't think I will get one, the specs just aren't my thing.


----------



## Durtal (Jan 25, 2018)

BMO said:


> I definitely want that pro series Mick Thomson sig



Is it bad that I want one just because it's a black soloist with a reverse headstock? Maybe if I change the pickup covers no one will be able to tell it's a Slipknot guitar.


----------



## Carcaridon (Jan 25, 2018)

I've already got a USA Mick Thomson in white on order. Pretty excited as you don't get a mahogany body with reverse headstock very often from Jackson, so taking advantage of that.


----------



## ThomasUV777 (Jan 25, 2018)

Durtal said:


> Is it bad that I want one just because it's a black soloist with a reverse headstock? Maybe if I change the pickup covers no one will be able to tell it's a Slipknot guitar.



Is it bad if anyone can tell it's a "Slipknot" guitar?


----------



## vilk (Jan 25, 2018)

Durtal said:


> Is it bad that I want one just because it's a black soloist with a reverse headstock? Maybe if I change the pickup covers no one will be able to tell it's a Slipknot guitar.


lol that's not the Slipknot symbol it's the Seymour Duncan symbol


----------



## Durtal (Jan 25, 2018)

vilk said:


> lol that's not the Slipknot symbol it's the Seymour Duncan symbol



Lol, you are right. In my defence Mick Thomson's sig set are the only Blackouts with the S symbol:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/picku...lug=humbucker&taxonomy=pickup-types&order_by=


----------



## SDMFVan (Jan 25, 2018)

Hopefully they turn Brandon Ellis' new Kelly into a sig model: https://www.instagram.com/p/BeWYRD7Hg8l/?hl=en&taken-by=brandonellisgtr


----------



## BlueTrident (Jan 25, 2018)

That new Pro Broderick has me GASing hard


----------



## manu80 (Jan 25, 2018)

so should i buy a red korean thomson ibanez or a black indo Thomson jackson ?
The ebony fretboard is a nice touch though....and i'll add a seven sticker for the fun of it 
I'll waot to see the price of the jackson import

By the way dino cazares' Duncans have the S logo too


----------



## BMO (Jan 25, 2018)

manu80 said:


> so should i buy a red korean thomson ibanez or a black indoThomson jackson ?


The red thomson sig from Ibanez is known to be close to if not full prestige quality whereas the indo Jackson, we have no idea what the qualiy control could be like. Though there are lots of complaints of other sig models like the pro Juggernaut in terms of quality so it's a gamble till reviews get out.


----------



## manu80 (Jan 25, 2018)

Do you think that 1000 euros is still a lot for a ibby ?
Emty pups bii no red case.. which was a cool item !


----------



## Spicypickles (Jan 25, 2018)

I thought his soloists were a bit bigger. Are these the same case?


----------



## BMO (Jan 26, 2018)

manu80 said:


> Do you think that 1000 euros is still a lot for a ibby ?
> Emty pups bii no red case.. which was a cool item !


Maybe 1000 USD with case but not EUR without case. Even at 1000USD I’d be haggling for a lower price. I’d talk that guy down in price for sure.


----------



## manu80 (Jan 26, 2018)

That's what i thought 
Thx


----------



## Wolfhorsky (Jan 26, 2018)

Damn, Satchel's Sig is in matte and dive bomb only trem :-( I seriously considered that model, but those are deal breakers for me :-(
I wish DK series hadn't offset dots. Again deal breaker :-( Damn :-(


----------



## theicon2125 (Jan 26, 2018)

BMO said:


> The red thomson sig from Ibanez is known to be close to if not full prestige quality whereas the indo Jackson, we have no idea what the qualiy control could be like. Though there are lots of complaints of other sig models like the pro Juggernaut in terms of quality so it's a gamble till reviews get out.



What issues have people had with the Juggernauts? I didn't realize Indos were so bad. One my favorite guitars that I've ever owned was Chinese so I'm not really against trying an Indo, but if there have been a lot of issues lately that makes me cautious.


----------



## Boojakki (Jan 26, 2018)

I own a Pro Series HT6 in Satin Gunmetalgray and a HT7FM in Oceanblue. Both of em are really fine guitars for the money and I see no deal breaking problems with them. But, of course, this is the internet and every opinion is the truth/a fact and has absolutely nothing to do with single, personal feelings/experiences...

FWIW: I will buy a Pro HT6FM in Scarlett as soon as I can!


----------



## BMO (Jan 26, 2018)

Boojakki said:


> I own a Pro Series HT6 in Satin Gunmetalgray and a HT7FM in Oceanblue. Both of em are really fine guitars for the money and I see no deal breaking problems with them. But, of course, this is the internet and every opinion is the truth/a fact and has absolutely nothing to do with single, personal feelings/experiences...
> 
> FWIW: I will buy a Pro HT6FM in Scarlett as soon as I can!



I'm happy for you not getting a lemon out of the batch so far, but disregarding my statement as just feelings and personal experience is kind of missing the point. I've seen quite a few people on this forum, on youtube, and even in some groups I'm a part of on FB have to return their pro HT6s anywhere from once to three times in order to get a good guitar. The issues stemmed anywhere from stuff affecting playability to serious cosmetic issues such as large tool marks and missing finish. Even setting aside the HT6, when you look outside of the USA line, Jackson hasn't been so reputable or standing out when it comes to their product. I even watched a video on Misha talking about his Jackson endorsement and he said until he tried the USA line, he thought Jackson wasn't all that good. This comment is coming from someone who likes Jackson by the way. My first serious guitar was a pro MIJ Dinky that played amazing. I was even saving up for a USA Juggernaut when they first came out until I lost my job and failed college. Just in my own experience trying out guitars, and from what I read countless times, it seems Jackson has some glaring issues they need to work out in their indo factories, as it's reminding me of indo Ibanez quality from years ago where buying new was a gamble and a half.


----------



## BMO (Jan 26, 2018)

theicon2125 said:


> What issues have people had with the Juggernauts? I didn't realize Indos were so bad. One my favorite guitars that I've ever owned was Chinese so I'm not really against trying an Indo, but if there have been a lot of issues lately that makes me cautious.



They have some QC issues, which has resulted in some lemons in most of their models, but a larger number in the HT6s as far as I can see. I remember reading from an HT6 pro owner for instance that their first one felt like a toy and had sustain issues thanks to bad wood, but when they returned it they got a fantastic one sent to them. Just seems to be a gamble, which for most companies using indo factories has been a long gone issue. Even look at Solar guitars, Ola has a strict QC level yet a low price point, and I haven't heard a single complaint. Or Ibanez as well, I see a lot of people recommending the Iron Label series nowadays (Even I do and I'm hunting for an RGIB6 currently!) which used to be the spawn of the devil in everyone's opinion a couple years back. Both of those are in production out of indonesia and are total bang for the buck. I hope Jackson is this year as well because that Thomson sig is a dream on paper and hopefully so in execution!


----------



## Boojakki (Jan 26, 2018)

Hm, ok, I can't remember seeing much complains about them. Oh, and I include myself in my above opinion. I meant one will say it's garbage the other one it's fine. I got lemons from most major production lines from Ibanez (Indo standard & Premium stuff), DBZ (Korean stuff), PRS SE's (Koreans: almost every model I buyed (lots) had cosmetic flaws and small imperfections. I just stopped buying them, but more because they are just not my cup of tea...), Cort (Indonesian), Jackson (Mexican Pro series in an actual case, Indo in another) and much more. It seems always more or less a gamble. Maybe I'm not picky enough, most guitars has some flaws here and there (even the Japanese Prestiges I got had some) mostly I just don't care about small stuff like little imperfections in cosmetics and even little scratches on fretboard and/or frets. Or bad setups. I just sort all that out when I change strings anyway, give it a good setup and done. As long as the quality of essentials like body, neck, overall construction is ok (and the guitar has a "voice" and "speaks" to me) it's fine. For me. Everyone just has other tolerance limits. Personally, I just don't expect high grade of perfection with middle price bracket guitars, so I'm not get disappointed most of the times. Just from time to time... Anyway, it wasn't meant personally, just my overall opinion, that I feel sometimes people are just (much) too picky. I started guitar in '78/'79 and in ye olde times stuff where much (!) more expensive and "cheap" stuff were just really bad. Nowadays, it's really musicians paradise in my opinion.


----------



## BMO (Jan 26, 2018)

Boojakki said:


> Hm, ok, I can't remember seeing much complains about them. Oh, and I include myself in my above opinion. I meant one will say it's garbage the other one it's fine. I got lemons from most major production lines from Ibanez (Indo standard & Premium stuff), DBZ (Korean stuff), PRS SE's (Koreans: almost every model I buyed (lots) had cosmetic flaws and small imperfections. I just stopped buying them, but more because they are just not my cup of tea...), Cort (Indonesian), Jackson (Mexican Pro series in an actual case, Indo in another) and much more. It seems always more or less a gamble. Maybe I'm not picky enough, most guitars has some flaws here and there (even the Japanese Prestiges I got had some) mostly I just don't care about small stuff like little imperfections in cosmetics and even little scratches on fretboard and/or frets. Or bad setups. I just sort all that out when I change strings anyway, give it a good setup and done. As long as the quality of essentials like body, neck, overall construction is ok (and the guitar has a "voice" and "speaks" to me) it's fine. For me. Everyone just has other tolerance limits. Personally, I just don't expect high grade of perfection with middle price bracket guitars, so I'm not get disappointed most of the times. Just from time to time... Anyway, it wasn't meant personally, just my overall opinion, that I feel sometimes people are just (much) too picky. I started guitar in '78/'79 and in ye olde times stuff where much (!) more expensive and "cheap" stuff were just really bad. Nowadays, it's really musicians paradise in my opinion.



I can see where you're coming from. I understand guitarists can be really picky nowadays, but with modern technology a lot of the issues we see nowadays shouldn't be there or be minimized you know? We have cnc machines so that people who aren't trained properly in building instruments are no longer assembling our budget guitars for instance. And a lot of brands have bumped up their QC to match those expectations and have done so wonderfully. As an example if I asked what Ibanez I should get 2 yrs ago people would say "AVOID IRON LABEL, SAVE FOR A PRESTIGE" but nowadays it seems to just be if it's good then it's good. So when things like giant toolmarks, cracks, twisted necks, god awful fret work etc. show up it gets called out more often than not and it seems Jackson is the one people are kind of keeping an eye on for it currently. A slight imperfection here and there is fine of course, because we aren't talking about Jcustoms or USA Jacksons or Daemoness here, but if your guitar shows up at the door unplayable in its current state along with many others and there are highly visible flaws whether cosmetically or structurally that is total grounds for calling out a brand.


----------



## Vyn (Jan 28, 2018)

Another HT7FM Pro user chiming in. I've played three of these now and they seem to be pretty consistent, only one was a bit iffy out of the box but that turned out being the intonation which was fixed with a set-up (and everything was still within normal ranges of adjustment afterwards). I think the main difference with the indo guitars from all manifatuers compared to their higher end ones is they just need a decent setup where as most of the time a USA or MIJ Prestige instrument is usually intonated perfectly out of the box.


----------



## p88 (Jan 31, 2018)




----------



## Mathemagician (Jan 31, 2018)

Ok. Mick just seems like such a nice dude I want to order one just because he seems to love gear so much.


----------



## Durtal (Jan 31, 2018)

p88 said:


>




Looks awesome, I definitely need to check one out.


----------



## feraledge (Jan 31, 2018)

FWIW, I've tried out 2 or 3 HT6s and one HT7, I didn't find any issues with any of them.


----------



## lewis (Feb 1, 2018)

christ the Mick Jackson sig model and the Ola Solar models are so cool.
Imagine the blood red Solar and the Mick Thomson sig Jackson in black....what a duo

Ive never tried the locking hardtail type bridge but he really sells the idea to me.


----------



## Zhysick (Feb 1, 2018)

Waiting for a Mick Thomson 7 string version (not gonna happen, I know)... that would be the "new" COW6 and COW7... and flat top. That would be awesome.


----------



## spork141 (Feb 1, 2018)

Durtal said:


> Is it bad that I want one just because it's a black soloist with a reverse headstock? Maybe if I change the pickup covers no one will be able to tell it's a Slipknot guitar.



Haha i'm doing the same thing and no, there's no issue at all for liking a sig just because you like a guitar. I have a few also. 

I like slipknot, but:

1) Those SD logos on the Mick Thompson Blackouts are obnoxious
2) I find slipknot's guitar tone dreadful.

Seriously, I like their music, but their guitars sound like mud. I haven't hated a guitar tone so much since Sevendust's early stuff. Its muddy and way too crunchy. Image what Slipknot would sound like with a Killswitch Engage or Fear Factory tone? Is anyone with me? 

Anyway, yeah, i'm totally getting that Jackson MT Import in Black. I'm not a gigging musician so there's no need for me to spend the extra on the USA


----------



## lewis (Feb 1, 2018)

this is why its great Micks modern Sig models have ditched the stupid "HATE" and Seven inlays or whatever else he has had.

Swap out the pickups to something else and boom, just looks like a generic stealth black soloist.


----------



## Matt08642 (Feb 1, 2018)

lewis said:


> Swap out the pickups to something else and boom, just looks like a generic stealth black soloist.



Aren't his new signature guitars like $7000?


----------



## lewis (Feb 1, 2018)

Matt08642 said:


> Aren't his new signature guitars like $7000?


I remember seeing his purple/blood coloured custom shop one cost stupid prices, but these brand new ones that just got announced seem like they will be more regular prices.
For example, Thomann have them up for 855 Euros.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/jackson_pro_sl2_mick_thomson_black.htm


----------



## cwhitey2 (Feb 1, 2018)

The Mick is sick, I don't think I have ever wanted a sig more guitar...


----------



## Mathemagician (Feb 1, 2018)

Does ANYONE else like the white one? I feel like I’m on crazy pills. Lol. 

It’s almost like:

Black Guitar “Sold Out”
White Guitar “BOGO”


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 1, 2018)

spork141 said:


> Haha i'm doing the same thing and no, there's no issue at all for liking a sig just because you like a guitar. I have a few also.
> 
> I like slipknot, but:
> 
> ...



Nah the shitty tone fits Slipknots sound i find. 

Even if the recorded tone is shit, his gear still kicks ass.


----------



## lewis (Feb 1, 2018)

Mathemagician said:


> Does ANYONE else like the white one? I feel like I’m on crazy pills. Lol.
> 
> It’s almost like:
> 
> ...


agreed. The white looks awesome with the Carbon Fibre binding and ebony board.


----------



## spork141 (Feb 1, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Nah the shitty tone fits Slipknots sound i find.
> 
> Even if the recorded tone is shit, his gear still kicks ass.




Fair. As long as we can both agree that it's shitty tone I'm cool with that. I can see how one would say it might fit.

Black one all the way, and I hate black guitars. THe white binding all around really makes it pop. It's like a frame for it. I think the black binding gets lost and it loses the effect to me.


----------



## Matt08642 (Feb 1, 2018)

lewis said:


> I remember seeing his purple/blood coloured custom shop one cost stupid prices, but these brand new ones that just got announced seem like they will be more regular prices.
> For example, Thomann have them up for 855 Euros.
> 
> https://www.thomann.de/gb/jackson_pro_sl2_mick_thomson_black.htm



Ohh they released a pro series. Makes sense, I missed that whole part of the thread haha. That's a pretty badass looking barebones guitar tho!


----------



## gunch (Feb 1, 2018)

I might not be the hugest maggot in earth but I respect Micks geardo power level


----------



## bnzboy (Feb 1, 2018)

I may keep those active pickups for once instead of swapping them out with passives if I ever do get this model down the road.


----------



## Carcaridon (Feb 1, 2018)

Matt08642 said:


> Aren't his new signature guitars like $7000?



That was the limited model. The production USA models are $3699 street price.


----------



## xzacx (Feb 1, 2018)

Carcaridon said:


> That was the limited model. The production USA models are $3699 street price.



The more I think about it, the more I might be willing to overlook the fact this is a signature and get one, just because it's so close to what I'd get spec'd anyway. But knowing that the neck is super thin could be a deal breaker. Sounds like these are even thinner than Jackson's speed neck profile, which I've given up stuff that was otherwise killer because it was just too thin for me. I'm probably going to have to play one before I'd go for it.


----------



## feraledge (Feb 1, 2018)

It's a pretty subtle sig, which I always find respectable. Unless he was a total dickbag or something, I wouldn't sweat it and I couldn't pick a Slipknot song out of a line out, but wouldn't want to either. Not a fan. 



xzacx said:


> But knowing that the neck is super thin could be a deal breaker. Sounds like these are even thinner than Jackson's speed neck profile, which I've given up stuff that was otherwise killer because it was just too thin for me. I'm probably going to have to play one before I'd go for it.


I noticed this as well. The SL1/2 (US) neck is considerably different from the speed neck profile. So it's hard to say if his sig is more like the speed neck on the SL2 Pro line or if when he's saying it's thinner that it's more like a Wizard. Meaning thinner and flatter. I love the speed neck, but if it was the same thickness and shaped like the beefy D on the US SL guitars, yeah, straight up Wizard territory. I mean, he was with Ibanez for how long? I trust he would like a similar neck shape. IIRC though, I tried out one of those SEVEN guitars a long time ago and remember it being more rounded. But we might be talking over 10 years ago. It stood out to me since my sole thought was, "if only this thing didn't have this fucking stupid inlay...."


----------



## Carcaridon (Feb 1, 2018)

I have one on order. I guess I don’t have a neck preference. I play the standard Jackson neck and the Broderick and pretty much play the same to me. I play mostly rhythm so the upper frets don’t matter much to me.


----------



## groverj3 (Feb 2, 2018)

Long time no see, guys!

I've always been a sucker for a sweet Jackson. I've played several of the Mexi-Dinkys and Indo-soloists last year and it seems that QC has improved by a considerable margin. I bought an SL2Q in trans red back when they first came out. It played well and looked great but had some issues. Some were fixable (sharp free ends), others weren't (bulging and cracked binding).

Maybe I'll give these another shot.

Unfortunately, it'd have to be a blind purchase. My local Jackson dealer only stocks CS and USA models, and my local GC (gag) barely even has guitars.


----------



## lewis (Feb 2, 2018)

Carcaridon said:


> I have one on order. I guess I don’t have a neck preference. I play the standard Jackson neck and the Broderick and pretty much play the same to me. I play mostly rhythm so the upper frets don’t matter much to me.


ah man awesome. Which colour did you choose?.

I will look forward to the NGD thread!"!!

also, Im right there with you. I honestly play the same competent level on whatever neck on any guitar I pick up. I honestly dont pay no mind about Neck shape and whatever else. Just grab a sick looking axe and play.


----------



## Carcaridon (Feb 3, 2018)

lewis said:


> ah man awesome. Which colour did you choose?.
> 
> I will look forward to the NGD thread!"!!
> 
> also, Im right there with you. I honestly play the same competent level on whatever neck on any guitar I pick up. I honestly dont pay no mind about Neck shape and whatever else. Just grab a sick looking axe and play.



I got the USA white with the black binding. I'm a sucker for white guitars with body binding and anything mahogany and reverse headstock is a must. You never see these types of production guitars from Jackson anymore so I had to jump on this one. Plus, not a huge Floyd fan but love the fine tuners, so this is a win all around.


----------



## BMO (Feb 3, 2018)

With regards to all the questioning of what the neck could be like, Mick says in a Thomann interview the Rhoads Vs made in the early 90s had a neck profile only available for a limited amount of time. He said that he’s had that neck profile made on his early 90s custom rhoads and again for his sig. If anyone owns a rhoads in that profile they probably could chime in.


----------



## gunch (Feb 5, 2018)

How long has the js22 monarkh been out because it’s cutaway looks a fair sight better than the other ones

And it has pretty bitching specs for 200 bucks (neck joint and cutaway scoop, compound radius and graphite neck reinforcements)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 5, 2018)

silverabyss said:


> How long has the js22 monarkh been out because it’s cutaway looks a fair sight better than the other ones
> 
> And it has pretty bitching specs for 200 bucks (neck joint and cutaway scoop, compound radius and graphit neck reinforcements)



They came out at the same time. I messaged Jackson and they said the difference is intentional.


----------



## zarg (Feb 5, 2018)

silverabyss said:


> How long has the js22 monarkh been out because it’s cutaway looks a fair sight better than the other ones
> 
> And it has pretty bitching specs for 200 bucks (neck joint and cutaway scoop, compound radius and graphite neck reinforcements)



I had a JS22 Dinky and it was the tits. seriously awesome guitar for the money. mine came with a good setup from the dealer for 200 bucks delivered - unreal. I swapped the bridge PU for a used duncan (35-40 bucks) and it was on par with guitars that cost 4-5x as much. 
Recommended it to a friend who wanted another guitar for Drop C (his main guitar has a floyd is is kind of locked into half step down tuning), I recommended him the JS22 and he's very happy! just tighten the springs really hard, maybe but a block of wood in there for maximum stabilty. (since the dinky has a vintage style trem)


----------



## exo (Feb 5, 2018)

Is it so wrong for me to want there to be a "Mick Thomson Signature fixed Floyd Rose" available to the general populace?


----------



## Carcaridon (Feb 5, 2018)

exo said:


> Is it so wrong for me to want there to be a "Mick Thomson Signature fixed Floyd Rose" available to the general populace?



In his video about the new guitar I believe he said they’d be for sale separately.


----------



## p88 (Feb 6, 2018)

i've ordered the black w/white binding pro soloist. cant wait to get it.
i'm going to swap out the SD's for an 81/60 set...love that they're both quick connect: should only take a few minutes!


----------



## Carcaridon (Feb 7, 2018)

p88 said:


> i've ordered the black w/white binding pro soloist. cant wait to get it.
> i'm going to swap out the SD's for an 81/60 set...love that they're both quick connect: should only take a few minutes!



EMG's and the active SD's are interchangeable like that? They might have the same connector but the pots and output jack are all the same brand for brand?


----------



## mphsc (Feb 7, 2018)

The prices of the new models are not bad at all but the original release has a Maple/Rosewood/Maple neck. Curious to hear that over the all maple one.


----------



## feraledge (Feb 7, 2018)

Carcaridon said:


> EMG's and the active SD's are interchangeable like that? They might have the same connector but the pots and output jack are all the same brand for brand?


It's basically all either active circuitry or passive circuitry, but it's no accident that active SDs use the same quick connect, SD gets to reap the benefit of being the aftermarket option that takes zero technical effort to swap in.


----------



## Andromalia (Feb 7, 2018)

Well, depends, I recently ordered an EMG set to replace the SDs in my UltraTone. Not that they're bad, but the 81-7-X made such an impression to me on my Iron Label (didn't come stock with it, I replaced a 707) I'm trying a 6er. If it's as good, I'll likely have to buy 3 more for my other EMG guitars.


----------

