# NGD: _pretty Jackson SLSMG (understatement of the year)



## s4tch (Jan 14, 2014)

Disclaimer: no guitars were harmed during the photoshoot.






































































































The happy end to a long story. I've been GASing for an SLSMG for quite long, around 3 years to be honest. I bought this from a fellow ss.org member USMC_OriginalSin, he's a great guy to deal with, he was awesome nice dude throughout the whole transaction. Thanks, James! Long story short: he opened the FS thread in September, I got the funds right in October, James didn't have a case ready for shipping so I bought a Gator case, also on ss.org (huge thanks to clintsal, he was lightning fast and easy to deal with, too), and finally I got the guitar at the end of November. My tech set it up in December.

As I have the guitar for around 2 months, the honeymoon phase is now long gone. But I still find myself just looking at her and drooling for minutes. Beauty is always a matter of taste - for me, it's the nicest guitar I've ever seen, period. As most of you guys, I also love fancy tops on Carvins and PRS Private Stocks, plain and simple axes like an RG1527M, classics like a Tele, all sorts of guitars, but this Eerie Dess finish on these sexy curves is something unique. I just adore it.

She's not just a beauty, but also a great instrument. Craftsmanship is top notch, fretwork is immaculate, the bridge is actually much better than the one on my DKMGT (on paper, both have the JT390 bridge), factory EMGs sound huge for metal. SLS stands for super lightweight Soloist - now, that's not true. She weights around 3,9 kg, by no means it is a heavy guitar, but a bit heavier than a normal RG or Dinky. The neck is a moderately thin C-shape, pretty wide, fits perfectly in hand. I read some reviews of the model, some owners found the nut weak and replaced it with a Graphtec one; this one has the original nut, and as long as it keeps tuning perfectly, I have no intention of replacing it.

Some of you might wonder why I replaced the EMGs. I'm not in the EMG haters' camp, I actually quite liked the hi-gain and clean tones. Especially the leads were terrific. But I love versatile guitars, and those passives (a pair of DiMarzio Breeds) sound much better on crunchy tones. Also, my tech will add an Ibanez-type 5-way switch for single coil tones to fulfill all my needs. I kept the EMGs for future use in a mean metal machine, though.

Overall, I'm more than pleased with this guitar. I still keep following SLSMG auctions on ebay, and honestly, I don't understand why any metal player would buy any other sub-$1000 fixed bridge superstrat when you can get a black SLSMG for around $400. Awesome value.


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## BucketheadRules (Jan 14, 2014)

Those are among the most pornographic guitar photos I've ever seen.

Gorgeous guitar, superb photos. Awesome, love it.

Welcome to the Soloist-with-DiMarzios club!


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## rifftrauma (Jan 14, 2014)

Looks awesssssomeeeeeeeeee


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## vent187 (Jan 14, 2014)

I usually hate pickup rings, but god that guitar is sexy! HNGD, man!


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## Mega-Mads (Jan 14, 2014)

Sex


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## vishallica (Jan 14, 2014)

i know there's probably something underneath it but it hurts just looking at it upside down on that rock haha!!
super crisp pics.
HNGD man!!! \,,/


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## Dalcan (Jan 14, 2014)

That finish doe.


Where was the paint done?


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## chassless (Jan 14, 2014)

D=















... but if i were you, i'd change the pots for push/pull instead of a 5-way.















... D'=


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## Mega-Mads (Jan 14, 2014)

itsdoodoobaby said:


> That finish doe.
> 
> 
> Where was the paint done?



Standard jackson finish. I had a Kelly with that finish years back.

Its called "Eerie Dess Swirl"


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## Chuck (Jan 14, 2014)

s4tch said:


> and honestly, I don't understand why any metal player would buy any other sub-$1000 fixed bridge superstrat when you can get a black SLSMG for around $400. Awesome value.



Because the RGA121 exists  

HNGD!


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## Dalcan (Jan 14, 2014)

Mega-Mads said:


> Standard jackson finish. I had a Kelly with that finish years back.
> 
> Its called "Eerie Dess Swirl"



I'd kiss you if that was possible. Thank you.


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## s4tch (Jan 14, 2014)

Thanks, guys.



BucketheadRules said:


> Those are among the most pornographic guitar photos I've ever seen.
> 
> Gorgeous guitar, superb photos. Awesome, love it.
> 
> Welcome to the Soloist-with-DiMarzios club!



Thanks, man, you're too kind. I actually love the pics too, I never managed to capture a guitar so nicely. Soloists rule!



vishallica said:


> i know there's probably something underneath it but it hurts just looking at it upside down on that rock haha!!
> super crisp pics.
> HNGD man!!! \,,/



Thanks! I had my brother helping me out with some cloths and a hand to ensure the guitar won't touch the ground. As I'm a bedroom rocker, that was probably the first and last time to bring her out of my house anyway.



chassless said:


> ... but if i were you, i'd change the pots for push/pull instead of a 5-way.



So you read all the bullshit below the pics, thanks, buddy  You have a point here, sir. The thing is that you can't get parallel mode AND coil splitting with a sngle push-pull pot. I may end up installing both of them. Only a mini-switch is out of question, I won't drill a hole in that body.



Chuck said:


> Because the RGA121 exists
> 
> HNGD!



 That's the other proof some people read all those crap written below the pics.  I quite like the RGA121 actually, that's one of the best affordable hardtails, and I prefer the bridge on those, but a Soloist is something different. It's just a matter of preference: bolt-on vs. neck-thru, low profile bridge vs. TOM, rosewood board vs. ebony, and of course, the constant radius on the Ibby vs. the compound radius on the Jackson. They are both mahogany superstrats, but at the end of the day, they're quite different animals.


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## Neilzord (Jan 14, 2014)

Stunning guitar with awesome pictures to match! Still not a fan of that new style headstock but its slowly growing on me, especially now! 

Bet you're mega chuffed with that. 

DAT AXE!


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## chassless (Jan 14, 2014)

s4tch said:


> Only a mini-switch is out of question, I won't drill a hole in that body.



you're welcome 

ever thought about giving these a try ?

Triple Shot Switching Mounting Ring - Seymour Duncan Triple Shot Mounting Ring


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## lewstherin006 (Jan 14, 2014)

that looks amazing! It looks like a ocean whirlpool! congrats bro!


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## Eviga (Jan 14, 2014)

Aww man, gorgeous guitar!


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## ElasticPancakes (Jan 14, 2014)

Love these guitars. HNGD.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 14, 2014)

Art.......... pure art! Consider me jealous, that is one amazingly beautiful axe.  


Rev.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 14, 2014)

DELETE- Double post.


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## LolloBlaskhyrt (Jan 14, 2014)

I came.


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## edsped (Jan 14, 2014)

Love love love Eerie Dess Swirl, looks even better with a neck-thru. Congrats!

Also it never occurred to me until recently that "eerie dess" is a play on the word "iridescent."


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## Shredasaurus (Jan 14, 2014)

So gorgeous  if only it had 7 strings


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## BigBaldIan (Jan 14, 2014)

A particular fine example of an EDS, top notch.


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## shupe13 (Jan 14, 2014)

Damn that is cool.


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## heregoesnothing (Jan 14, 2014)

HOLY cow that's a brilliant guitar!!!!



Chuck said:


> Because the RGA121 exists
> 
> HNGD!



RGA121 + SLSMG = Misha's Jackson??


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## IbanezDaemon (Jan 14, 2014)

Killer lookin' guitar. Always loved Jackson's Eerie Dess Swirls.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Jan 14, 2014)

rank sexy!


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Jan 14, 2014)

I love these! And yours is just obscenely gorgeous, too


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## s4tch (Jan 15, 2014)

Neilzord said:


> Stunning guitar with awesome pictures to match! Still not a fan of that new style headstock but its slowly growing on me, especially now!



To be honest, I prefer that headstock to the classic pointy Jackson one on non-locking nut necks. It helps tuning stability a big deal, and looks awesome, too.



chassless said:


> ever thought about giving these a try ?
> 
> Triple Shot Switching Mounting Ring - Seymour Duncan Triple Shot Mounting Ring



Never heard of that. Thanks for the suggestion!



edsped said:


> Also it never occurred to me until recently that "eerie dess" is a play on the word "iridescent."



Neither to me... It is an awesome finish, it would be nice to have the poker of Eerie Dess Soloist, Rhoads, Kelly and Dinky. 

I found two other pics, here she is on my tech's workbench at guitar.clinic:


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## downburst82 (Jan 15, 2014)

if only it had a matching headstock it would be absolutly PERFECT!!


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## HighGain510 (Jan 15, 2014)

Beautiful!!! Love the SLSMG and Eerie Dess Swirl, the combo looks badass!


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## s4tch (Jan 17, 2014)

downburst82 said:


> if only it had a matching headstock it would be absolutly PERFECT!!



Hmm, I have no idea whether it is even possible to swirl a neckthru guitar all the way. I don't even know how this Eerie Dess swirl is made. It seems to me that it requires some more steps than a 'normal' swirl. I guess the good people at Jackson did a black-silver swirl as a first step, than they applied some green, blue and purple on it, just like on a sunburst. A matching headstock was out of question for this guitar, I guess.


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## sartorious (Jan 17, 2014)

s4tch said:


>



Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Also, this pic in particular is very nice, the way the strings kind of follow the swirl past the bridge.


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## JaeSwift (Jan 17, 2014)

Wow, kudos on a seriously great photo-shoot, that was some impressive work with the lighting there!

Also, SWEEEEET Guitar! This is the first time I've actually seen the Eerie Dress Swirl in pics taken by someone other than stock-guitar photographer. Curious that yours is reasonably heavy though, my SLSMG literally weighs nothing!

Congrats and HNGD my brother in taste


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## youngthrasher9 (Jan 17, 2014)

I'd definitely be playing some Gojira with that thing! 

These are easily the best pictures of the eerie-dess finish that I've ever seen, props for that.


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## metale (Jan 18, 2014)

sartorious said:


> Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Also, this pic in particular is very nice, the way the strings kind of follow the swirl past the bridge.



This +1, very sexy guitar and great photos


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## s4tch (Jan 18, 2014)

Thanks for the compliments, guys! I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty happy about the way these pictures turned out.



JaeSwift said:


> Wow, kudos on a seriously great photo-shoot, that was some impressive work with the lighting there!
> 
> Also, SWEEEEET Guitar! This is the first time I've actually seen the Eerie Dress Swirl in pics taken by someone other than stock-guitar photographer. Curious that yours is reasonably heavy though, my SLSMG literally weighs nothing!
> 
> Congrats and HNGD my brother in taste



Thanks, Jae!  About the weight: I've had several Mahogany RG/RGA models, and they were not too consistent. Some of them were light as a feather while others were on the heavy side. I guess different slabs of mahogany have different density, hence the different weight. Also, Ebony is a pretty heavy wood; a little deviation in the thickness of the fretboard might be significant weight-wise too.

Anyway, these are fine instruments. I can't wait to see yours.


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## JaeSwift (Jan 19, 2014)

s4tch said:


> Thanks for the compliments, guys! I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty happy about the way these pictures turned out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'll get on it eventually =_= the back is fully skinned with carbon fiber now, inc. the neck, but I need to apply one last layer of epoxy to smoothe it out, then sand it, then go to the front.

Not to mention the hell that will come once I get to the fretboard sides I wish I had the time.


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## Stijnson (Jan 20, 2014)

Beautiful photos of an even more beautiful guitar! Not dissing your photo skills here haha! Happy NGD!


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## asher (Jan 20, 2014)

Great photos, great guitar. Would love to own the same thing.


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## s4tch (Jan 21, 2014)

JaeSwift said:


> I'll get on it eventually =_= the back is fully skinned with carbon fiber now, inc. the neck, but I need to apply one last layer of epoxy to smoothe it out, then sand it, then go to the front.
> 
> Not to mention the hell that will come once I get to the fretboard sides I wish I had the time.



That sounds like a mountain to climb. This guitar has got some curves, the edge of the fretboard will be tricky, too. Good luck, Jae!


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## KristapsCoCoo (Sep 1, 2014)

I's ussualy not a fan of this kind of body design, but f'ck me, this look f'in gorgeous!!!


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## jayelnyc (Sep 2, 2014)

I have the same exact guitar, but I Put EMGs in mine. Congrats.


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## BucketheadRules (Sep 2, 2014)

Chuck said:


> Because the RGA121 exists
> 
> HNGD!



I know this is ages old, but I wish to state for the record that I'd take a SLSMG over an RGA121 any day of the week. 

Especially one in this colour. Still one of the most f'n gorgeous guitars I've ever seen on here, for any price.


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## s4tch (Sep 8, 2014)

jayelnyc said:


> I have the same exact guitar, but I Put EMGs in mine. Congrats.



Thanks! These had EMGs or EMG-HZs out of the factory. What pickup yours had originally?



BucketheadRules said:


> I know this is ages old, but I wish to state for the record that I'd take a SLSMG over an RGA121 any day of the week.
> 
> Especially one in this colour. Still one of the most f'n gorgeous guitars I've ever seen on here, for any price.



This, 100%. The RGA121 is a great guitar, one of the best fixed bridge bolt-ons I've seen, but the SLSMG is a beast. Still the nicest guitar I've ever had, and still a keeper. I've seen a similar one with this ridiculously awesome Eerie Dess finish on ebay for $550 a couple of days ago, somebody should buy that one.


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## jayelnyc (Apr 20, 2015)

I can't remember what pickups the guitar came with. Maybe Seymour Duncans. But I know for sure they weren't active pickups.



s4tch said:


> Thanks! These had EMGs or EMG-HZs out of the factory. What pickup yours had originally?


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## chookiecookie (Apr 20, 2015)

Good lord, that is amazing

Edit: just saw how old this thread is ;_;


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## ridner (Apr 21, 2015)

sick pix/axe - congrats!


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## Thanatopsis (Apr 22, 2015)

Nice score. I have a white SLSMG and absolutely love the thing. It's my first neck-thru but won't be my last. My only complaint is I wish the neck wasn't finished.


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## s4tch (Apr 27, 2015)

Now that's some necro-bump again  I don't mind, it just reminds me how lucky I am to have this guitar.  I can't stress enough how good is this for the money. Buy those two black ~$500 SLSMG's currently on ebay, guys, you'll thank me later.


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## protest (Apr 27, 2015)

Dude what kind of camera is that? I've seen a lot Eerie Dess Swirl in real life, and it never look that good lol.


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## HoneyNut (Apr 27, 2015)

That looks crazy! You have one unique guitar...congrats man!


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## s4tch (Apr 28, 2015)

protest said:


> Dude what kind of camera is that? I've seen a lot Eerie Dess Swirl in real life, and it never look that good lol.



Thanks, man. The camera I used is a good old Nikon D40 with an 50mm f1.8G lens. I can dig out some untouched photos, they look quite the same. I just added some fancy artificial vignetting and sharpened the pics for screen with Lightroom. Thing is that I got lucky with the weather and the timing of the session as the sunset made all the colors really pop. I shot 2 guitars the same day: this and my beat-up RG560, just 20 minutes after I shot the SLSMG photos. I do think both guitars look awesome on these pics, neither are so impressive indoors.


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## 8195229 (Apr 28, 2015)

Play this while wearing a Charlotte Hornets jersey. So much teal and purple.


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## s4tch (Jun 17, 2015)

My axe in action:





Both vids were made by Jónás Tamás, Hungarian recording artist and super nice guy. Check him out on either yt or on fb.


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## groverj3 (Jun 17, 2015)

MIJ Jacksons are excellent guitars and not that far off of their US-made stuff. Makes me wish they still made them there... oh well.

They also need to bring back EDS. One of their best finishes.

Hope you've been enjoying the guitar!


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## Arsis (Jun 21, 2015)

There is an errie dess DK1 on guitarcenter.com used for around 900.


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## Daeniel (Jun 22, 2015)

Cool videos and nice playing!


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## Lain (Jun 22, 2015)

Wow. Rarely see such a finish. Beautiful.


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## Thanatopsis (Jun 22, 2015)

What do you have for pickups in that thing? I was thinking of replacing the EMGs in mine. I like them a little more since swapping them and putting the 85 in the bridge, but I think in the end I'd still prefer a Duncan Custom.


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## Guamskyy (Jun 24, 2015)

I've always loved the Eerie Dess Swirls! One of these days...


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## Guamskyy (Jun 24, 2015)

s4tch said:


> Hmm, I have no idea whether it is even possible to swirl a neckthru guitar all the way. I don't even know how this Eerie Dess swirl is made. It seems to me that it requires some more steps than a 'normal' swirl. I guess the good people at Jackson did a black-silver swirl as a first step, than they applied some green, blue and purple on it, just like on a sunburst. A matching headstock was out of question for this guitar, I guess.



According to the folks on JCF Online (the leading authority of Jackson forums) you shoot a black base coat, let it dry, and then shoot a silver marbelizer over your base coat. Before the marbelizer dries, you lay saran wrap over the guitar and twist'n'pull for the desired swirl pattern, take it off, let it dry, shoot some additional colors (translucent mind you), and clear coat that bad boy.

It is pretty much ingenious.


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