Hoss632
SS.org Regular
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The Juggernauts at Indonesian made. Not sure about other sigs though.
Jackson Pro-Series/X-Series Soloist: Just How Bad Can They Be?
- Thread starter JimF
- Start date
Yeah, the 25.5" Davidson was, too.
Wolfhorsky
Regular idiot
Imho the great mod platform. I bought MII SLX years ago. The neck is super stable (carbon reinforced) and thin/fast. Low action, no buzz, no sharp edges. Only minor thing is that it has gloss finish (except the fretboard of course). The tuners are passable as it has Floyd. The bridge is OK. When it dies I will put the Gotoh Floyd one. It was equipped with Dunlop strap locks (big bonus in this price range) The pickups and electronics were really weak point. Mine is quite dark and meaty sounding acoustically so I put SD Full shred pickups and 5-pos superswitch to have 5 positions with humbucking split coil sounds:
1. Bridge
2. Inside coils of both pickups
3. Outside coils of both pickups
4. Neck pickup in parallel mode
5. Neck pickup in series mode
It sounds great. 2 position sounds like strat - esp when the vol is turned almost to zero as I put the orange drop treble bleed mod.
I have my wiring scheme somewhere. If You would want it or need it, I can find it as soon as I get back from my holidays.
The biggest drawback of mine is the weight. My particular one is quite heavy- like Les Paul heavy.
I hope it helped a bit
1. Bridge
2. Inside coils of both pickups
3. Outside coils of both pickups
4. Neck pickup in parallel mode
5. Neck pickup in series mode
It sounds great. 2 position sounds like strat - esp when the vol is turned almost to zero as I put the orange drop treble bleed mod.
I have my wiring scheme somewhere. If You would want it or need it, I can find it as soon as I get back from my holidays.
The biggest drawback of mine is the weight. My particular one is quite heavy- like Les Paul heavy.
I hope it helped a bit
disconnector
SS.org Regular
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The SL4Xs are by far my favorite mod platform. I've had 5 of them and they all had decent fretwork and electronics. The stock pickups are flat out fantastic - they just scream! I dropped EMG SAs and a SPC control in one of them as well and it's David Gilmour for days.
Overall, they are AMAZING if you're willing to put in a bit of elbow grease to level the frets properly and give it a good set up. Rock solid tuning, resonant bodies/necks, and pretty dang solid hardware all around. They are a steal!
Here's my orange SL4X - it goes nuclear under blacklight as well.
Overall, they are AMAZING if you're willing to put in a bit of elbow grease to level the frets properly and give it a good set up. Rock solid tuning, resonant bodies/necks, and pretty dang solid hardware all around. They are a steal!
Here's my orange SL4X - it goes nuclear under blacklight as well.
JimF
Contributor
That's really cool! I wonder if more people know that they glow?!
diogoguitar
SS.org Regular
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- Feb 27, 2020
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I'm surprised how good the MII Jackson Pro series is.
I had only had MIJ/MIA guitars, so when I bought the MII jackson pro soloist my expectations were quite low.
Surprisingly,
- Fret ends were rounded
- Binding seemed to be rolled off
- No visible defects on finish
- Duncan pickups are nice, electronics well soldered and sturdy
- Carbon fiber rods help with neck stability
- Fretboard as smooth as it gets
However,
- To make the bridge stabilize its tuning, it took me a bit of work. (floyd rose swears these FR-1000 have the same materials and specifications as the german-made ones)
- The nut came a little high, so there is some work to do there (all my MIJ/MIA guitars came with the nut at the optimal height)
Is it as good as my custom shops/MIJ/MIA? No, but much better than many of the $800-$1200 guitars MIM/MII/MiC/MIK I've tested in stores.
I will buy a MIJ jackson once they have in lefty to compare and can report back here.
I had only had MIJ/MIA guitars, so when I bought the MII jackson pro soloist my expectations were quite low.
Surprisingly,
- Fret ends were rounded
- Binding seemed to be rolled off
- No visible defects on finish
- Duncan pickups are nice, electronics well soldered and sturdy
- Carbon fiber rods help with neck stability
- Fretboard as smooth as it gets
However,
- To make the bridge stabilize its tuning, it took me a bit of work. (floyd rose swears these FR-1000 have the same materials and specifications as the german-made ones)
- The nut came a little high, so there is some work to do there (all my MIJ/MIA guitars came with the nut at the optimal height)
Is it as good as my custom shops/MIJ/MIA? No, but much better than many of the $800-$1200 guitars MIM/MII/MiC/MIK I've tested in stores.
I will buy a MIJ jackson once they have in lefty to compare and can report back here.
Wolfhorsky
Regular idiot
The same is with my Ibby Genesis RG565 (fluorescent orange). Pretty cool cause the orange markers on the fretboard glow as well
bazguitarman
Half assed at best
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2007
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- 366
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I have a MII X-Series Soloist spalt top fixed bridge that I bought on sale at MF earlier this year. It is one of the fastest necked guitars I have ever played. And the Duncan Designed pickups are surprisingly good. Like really good actually.
It wasn't perfect though. It did come with some fret sprout, although not the worst I have seen. The biggest problem is the cheap plastic nut they use for the fixed bridge models. Tons of nut stick and definitely had to be replaced. The break angle with Jackson's 6 inline headstock is too sharp to use cheap nut materials. Also the tuners are junk. Just really sloppy and cheap feeling. A decent set of locking tuners quickly and easily fixed that issue.
It wasn't perfect though. It did come with some fret sprout, although not the worst I have seen. The biggest problem is the cheap plastic nut they use for the fixed bridge models. Tons of nut stick and definitely had to be replaced. The break angle with Jackson's 6 inline headstock is too sharp to use cheap nut materials. Also the tuners are junk. Just really sloppy and cheap feeling. A decent set of locking tuners quickly and easily fixed that issue.
The one MJ I played was quality. For the price tag, it better be!
I've got 3 MIIs Jacksons right now - 2 Pro series Soloists and an X series. One is fantastic, one is pretty good, and one is just OK. The "OK" one isn't terrible or anything, and it was pretty cheap. The "OK" one would be a nice guitar with some fretwork and a good setup.
I'd try to find a Pro instead of an X series though. That will probably save you money in the long run (depending on your pickup preferences). The real Seymour Duncan pickups and Floyd Rose 1000 trem are decent IMO, where you would might want to swap the X series Duncan Designed and Floyd Rose "special" bridge. Even if you do swap pickups, you can usually resell the real Seymour Duncans for more than you would get for "Duncan Designed".
The tuners aren't great but I don't find that to be a huge issue with a locking nut. The bridges will corrode if you are salty and sweat while playing, but that is pretty typical of most bridges. The pots/jacks are crappy, but easy to replace for good ones. I like adding the Floyd push in arms, which are less than $20. I deactivate the tone pots too, but that is personal preference
The consensus seems to be the MII models are a dice roll. The lemons are apparently pretty bad, but the ones I have played have ranged from OK to great. What is the ratio of lemons to great? I don't know, but if you can play it/look it over first you probably can get a good idea of if you would like it/if it is worth upgrading. My great one will probably get stainless frets (which is more than half the cost that I paid for the guitar) when it eventually needs fretwork and I have no intention of letting it go.
I have a MIC Pro series Brandon Ellis Kelly that is outstanding. The MICs that I have played tend to have better fretwork from the factory.
There is an elusive Jackson 7 model (that I always forget the model name) that I would buy in a heartbeat if it crossed my path again. I don't mind if it's not a spectacular guitar, but it's as close as I've seen to a proper SLSMG-7.
Got the Reverb listing saved up for the pictures (the model name is wrong, obviously)
reverb.com
Got the Reverb listing saved up for the pictures (the model name is wrong, obviously)
Jackson SLSMG-7 2013 Black 7-String w/ Active EMG's | Reverb
Very Good Condition - light playwearw/ Active EMG'sMatte Black FinishStraight neck and sweet low action!
reverb.com
Chri
-________-
That thing is so close to perfect it’s not even funny. I think musicians friend had an exclusive run of all black guitars in the last few years with a seven string SLSMG. Let me double checkThere is an elusive Jackson 7 model (that I always forget the model name) that I would buy in a heartbeat if it crossed my path again. I don't mind if it's not a spectacular guitar, but it's as close as I've seen to a proper SLSMG-7.
Got the Reverb listing saved up for the pictures (the model name is wrong, obviously)
Jackson SLSMG-7 2013 Black 7-String w/ Active EMG's | Reverb
Very Good Condition - light playwearw/ Active EMG'sMatte Black FinishStraight neck and sweet low action!
Edit: Never mind. It’s a SLAT
Ok, now I had to look...
Yeah, a SLAT. That's the easy part. SLATXF7MG is the full name
Jackson SLATXF7MG Soloist 7-String Electric Guitar Matte Black
Shop for the Jackson SLATXF7MG Soloist 7-String Electric Guitar Matte Black and receive free shipping on your order and the guaranteed lowest price.
www.guitarcenter.com
Last edited:
That's a SLATHXMG3-7, I believe, made for MF.There is an elusive Jackson 7 model (that I always forget the model name) that I would buy in a heartbeat if it crossed my path again. I don't mind if it's not a spectacular guitar, but it's as close as I've seen to a proper SLSMG-7.
Got the Reverb listing saved up for the pictures (the model name is wrong, obviously)
Jackson SLSMG-7 2013 Black 7-String w/ Active EMG's | Reverb
Very Good Condition - light playwearw/ Active EMG'sMatte Black FinishStraight neck and sweet low action!
Ah, you found it. I was close with the name.
There's one in Reverb right now in gloss black finish. Seems to have Dimarzios in there as well.
Somebody snag this fucker!
reverb.com
Somebody snag this fucker!
Jackson 7-String Neck Through Electric Guitar | Reverb
Jackson Neck-Through 7-String Guitar is in very good condition. Comes with locking strap.
reverb.com
Naxxpipe
Well-Known Member
I've got a 2021 MII X-series warrior, and beside a few cosmetic blemishes it's a good guitar for the price imo. But I am still silently hoping they will release a X/Pro-series WR with a fixed bridge, as I am not really a fan of floyds.
I have had more than a few import guitars over the years and still have a few. I also have some USA/Japan guitars. Of course the USA/Japan guitars eclipse anything from anybody's import lines, so no need to go real into detail.
What does get me though is that today, right now, you get far far less for your money than you did not even five years ago.
I gig a pair of Jackson Broderick Pro Series 7 string guitars. The first one I bought in about 2016 as I needed a 7 string with a floyd rose and 25.5" scale length. The pickups sounded bad and the electronics were junk. Back when it was stock and about 3-4 months old, I was playing a gig and during soundcheck, I flicked the killswitch on and the switch tip actually came off in my hand. It was only pure luck that the killswitch was in the right setting and the gig could go ahead. It was 5-10 minutes to play time and I was the only guitarist. So took no chances after that and fitted in a set of EMG 81-7/85-7 pickups.
About 2020 when those Brodericks were getting sold off, I bought one. Brand new, but end of line. The difference between the two guitars is a lot. The new one is certainly lower quality than the one I had bought 4 years previously. For one thing, they're both fitted with Floyd Rose Special bridges. I am of the firm opinion that these bridges are junk, but the one from 2016 still holds tuning well even with a good bit of whammy abuse and tarnishing is not that high. The 2020 model, well, the tremolo has never held tuning despite all my usual proper set up tricks (I've been using floyd rose tremolos since 1994, I'm not a noob at this). So new bridge needed full stop. While changing the tremolo, I also noted that the tuning machines felt and were lower quality than the ones on my older Broderick. So far, this "new" Broderick has taken a new OFR, a new set of Gotoh tuning machines, a refret as the nickel just wore down far too quick over the 18 months I was using it as a primary guitar and the electronics I would swear were even cheaper and nastier than the ones I took out of the 2016 model.
OK, so maybe it's just THIS guitar, eh? OK let's look. In about 2020, I also picked up a Schecter Banshee as I liked the red flame maple type thing it had going on and given it was for a new project, wanted something I could take to my bandmate's houses, rehearse with, backup my USA Jacksons (that I'd be using for live stuff). Well, Floyd Rose Special again and it too would not hold tuning even with the most mildest of tremolo wobbles. Nothing I did would make the damned thing stay put. Now bear in mind, this is nearly £1000 of guitar, I think I paid £879. But, it's got EMGs in it, so that's one obstacle.
Nope, the volume pot crapped out on me recently and these are not EMG-supplied components. I have a lot of EMG loaded guitars and fitted more than a few of them, these electronics too were shite. All had to be replaced as I don't waste time with cheap junk. So £879 for the guitar, £300 or so on a new OFR, another £20 or so on new electronics throughout and it's now what I would class as a playable guitar. No guitar that goes out of tune if you look at it is playable in my view.
Cycle back now to this ol' Jackson DK2 I picked up in around 2010 or so. Pretty sure it's made in Mexico (I'd have to go and look) and it's got an Floyd Rose 1000 series on it, holds tune like a champ and I doubt I paid £500 for it brand new.
You don't get the quality these days. We are very much back in the time of if you buy anything around the £1000 mark, you're going to have to replace parts to get it playable. While an OFR is excessive and you could get away with an FR 1000 series, I find it egregious that a company will charge you near on £1000 or even over for a guitar that isn't up to scratch.
Even Jackson with their Concept Series. £1500 and the QC issues that have appeared on those I would say are absolutely inexcusable.
To me, the current bargains - or should I say minimum acceptable quality - resides in the ESP/LTD and Ibanez camp. I recently had the pleasure of working on some of the LTD Black Metal series guitars for people and I would hands down say that they are the best guitars you can buy right now on the south side of a grand. I even want one myself!
That's just my two cents based on recent experience on guitars I've personally paid money for and use regularly.
What does get me though is that today, right now, you get far far less for your money than you did not even five years ago.
I gig a pair of Jackson Broderick Pro Series 7 string guitars. The first one I bought in about 2016 as I needed a 7 string with a floyd rose and 25.5" scale length. The pickups sounded bad and the electronics were junk. Back when it was stock and about 3-4 months old, I was playing a gig and during soundcheck, I flicked the killswitch on and the switch tip actually came off in my hand. It was only pure luck that the killswitch was in the right setting and the gig could go ahead. It was 5-10 minutes to play time and I was the only guitarist. So took no chances after that and fitted in a set of EMG 81-7/85-7 pickups.
About 2020 when those Brodericks were getting sold off, I bought one. Brand new, but end of line. The difference between the two guitars is a lot. The new one is certainly lower quality than the one I had bought 4 years previously. For one thing, they're both fitted with Floyd Rose Special bridges. I am of the firm opinion that these bridges are junk, but the one from 2016 still holds tuning well even with a good bit of whammy abuse and tarnishing is not that high. The 2020 model, well, the tremolo has never held tuning despite all my usual proper set up tricks (I've been using floyd rose tremolos since 1994, I'm not a noob at this). So new bridge needed full stop. While changing the tremolo, I also noted that the tuning machines felt and were lower quality than the ones on my older Broderick. So far, this "new" Broderick has taken a new OFR, a new set of Gotoh tuning machines, a refret as the nickel just wore down far too quick over the 18 months I was using it as a primary guitar and the electronics I would swear were even cheaper and nastier than the ones I took out of the 2016 model.
OK, so maybe it's just THIS guitar, eh? OK let's look. In about 2020, I also picked up a Schecter Banshee as I liked the red flame maple type thing it had going on and given it was for a new project, wanted something I could take to my bandmate's houses, rehearse with, backup my USA Jacksons (that I'd be using for live stuff). Well, Floyd Rose Special again and it too would not hold tuning even with the most mildest of tremolo wobbles. Nothing I did would make the damned thing stay put. Now bear in mind, this is nearly £1000 of guitar, I think I paid £879. But, it's got EMGs in it, so that's one obstacle.
Nope, the volume pot crapped out on me recently and these are not EMG-supplied components. I have a lot of EMG loaded guitars and fitted more than a few of them, these electronics too were shite. All had to be replaced as I don't waste time with cheap junk. So £879 for the guitar, £300 or so on a new OFR, another £20 or so on new electronics throughout and it's now what I would class as a playable guitar. No guitar that goes out of tune if you look at it is playable in my view.
Cycle back now to this ol' Jackson DK2 I picked up in around 2010 or so. Pretty sure it's made in Mexico (I'd have to go and look) and it's got an Floyd Rose 1000 series on it, holds tune like a champ and I doubt I paid £500 for it brand new.
You don't get the quality these days. We are very much back in the time of if you buy anything around the £1000 mark, you're going to have to replace parts to get it playable. While an OFR is excessive and you could get away with an FR 1000 series, I find it egregious that a company will charge you near on £1000 or even over for a guitar that isn't up to scratch.
Even Jackson with their Concept Series. £1500 and the QC issues that have appeared on those I would say are absolutely inexcusable.
To me, the current bargains - or should I say minimum acceptable quality - resides in the ESP/LTD and Ibanez camp. I recently had the pleasure of working on some of the LTD Black Metal series guitars for people and I would hands down say that they are the best guitars you can buy right now on the south side of a grand. I even want one myself!
That's just my two cents based on recent experience on guitars I've personally paid money for and use regularly.
I have an Indo Jackson SL7P Pro Series and I love this thing. Got it brand new in a trade and to be honest I have no complaints. The headstock is a damn weapon but overall got a great feel and I love the look of this thing. I may upgrade pickups in the future but honestly no need. I'm considering getting an MIJ Jackson 6 since I live in Japan and weighing my options....
Dr. Caligari
SS.org Regular
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Yeah trying to buy guitars these days is pretty depressing.
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