An in-depth playing test and review of the new Jackson Soloist - officially called the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3. Guitar review by Jude Gold.
I’m no Jackson guy but I tried one of these at Guitar Center the other day and I was very impressed. I played a few other models: an Ibanez Prestige A series and a PRS Custom 24 and the neck on this Jackson just flies. Also, the tone is so versatile and it’s just a really great instrument. I cannot understand the hate, this thing is premium and it’s all about the neck. Btw, you could make a piece of driftwood with six strings on it sound good so it’s no surprise the SL3 shines in your hands.
Still liking this thing? I just pulled the trigger on the black one today for $2100 USD in mint condition on Reverb, pretty eager to try it out despite all the people trashing them. I'll admit $2600 is pretty steep though.
Thanks for the review/playtest. I just had an article about this release come across my Flipboard feed today and it totally got my attention. I agree, the stainless-steel bits are such a great addition (my Signature Series George Lynch Kamikaze and my very first Floyd I installed on an Aria way back in the 80's both suffered corrosion issues in those areas). I'm in the market for a new workhorse and this just looks and sounds amazing. I was mostly hemming and hawing over another ESP or a Dean Select but this has thrown a monkey wrench in the plans for sure. My question would be "Do you believe it is a true 2600$ guitar?" (I would get the Riviera Blue). Also, mad props for the shout out to Uli Jon Roth Sails of Charon and Fastway and of course Sir Edward. 😄
I still think these are 800+ USD overpriced however, the neck/fretwork/setup on these new SL3's is insanely fast 😳 probably the nicest fret work I've experienced on a new guitar in 20+ years of playing & buying.
That $800 is US LABOR inflation......go find me a US Made Shredder guitar for Under $2000.....it will be an Empty list. It's not about specs and features when you get in this price range.....it's just about being in the elite club of US Made and "resell" value.
Thanks for the review. I have the guitar for a few days, and the action on the low E and A strings is too high. I did a minor neck and trem saddle height adjustment and got buzzing on those strings. How is the action on your guitar?
hi there, how would you compare the americal series soloist SL3 vs the Jackson MJ series soloist SL2? i believe they're priced similarly (MJ one being $100 more), which one has the better feel, build quality? thx
@@joesaxon6566 its a marketing scam point of view, honestly how much better do you think this guitar plays and feels, comparing to a lower model they have sold before, if your familiar with the line the past years, its a no brainer
Cool inlays and luminlay dots, but everything else anyone can install them selfs not even close to what this guitar is listed as, is it nice does it play well, well yes but ive paid way less for my soloist, now from marketing standpoint of view, its to give more value to there custom shop guitars.
replaced all the small floyd parts on the 1000 that came with my charvel san dimas...used stainless and titanium combo...can't believe they didn't put in stainless saddle blocks in, they're the most apt to corrode...i put in titanium ones...bought from FU tone and floyd rose directly...maybe $80.00 total...
Theres no way ill ever pay that kind of money for a guitar that doesnt come with stainless steel frets. Thats just a standard for that price point. Companies that dont do that are just shooting themselves in the foot.
Stainless Steel Frets are not an upgrade. They are feature. Like Ebony, Maple or Rosewood on a fretboard. I have guitars with Stainless and most do not have them. I consider them just different. Because well… the sound and feel are different. One could argue they could have went with a different “custom” designed pickup set for these too. But this guitar is clearly a tribute to there heritage and a new beginning for them. You can’t be everything to everyone.
@@jrtme well spoken....i agree with a lot of that but the issue I have is that this is a premium price point they are asking for. This is $2600 which is the price that gets you the guitar that cuts no corners and has the best on it for most other brands. Not the custom shop instrument but right before it. It doesnt have to be stainless steel frets, its just the fact that they put plain nickel frets on it. As well as a korean made floyd rose on it thats made for guitars that are half the price. Lets not forget the case too. That case is for guitars half the price as well. They should have put a German made original floyd on it, put at least jescar nickel/evo gold/stainless frets on it, and given it a professional standard hardshell case. The problem is that companies like fender and Gibson think that the market is still where it was 30 years ago and thats just not the situation. The gigging/professional musician demands more for its money now. And companies like ibanez have taken note and have gained market share as a result. Hell my last 2 Ibanez prestige guitars have the best of the best on them. SS frets, gotoh trems and locking tuners, titanium saddles, both have high end flamed maple necks on them, they come with high end hard cases, etc. One of them was $1999 and one was $2600 which was worth it for what the guitars came with....my point is that at that price point they could have done more and did not. And thats always been my experience with Fender
@@mauriciopena3304 really!?? Where and when!?? I watched a video 2 days ago with the CEO talking about the guitar and why they chose not to put SS frets on them.
Thats a friggin joke compared to my old school soloist! Mine has the Jackson logo in mother of pearl not cheap silkscreeneed. Has binding on the neck. Says made in USA on the front. Has a quarter sawn hard rock maple neck. A gorgeous transparent blue finish etc.. Oh and I payed a very small fraction of the price of the 2022 model
So you're mad about a logo and a sign that says made in the USA? I mean that has nk effect on sound or feel. Those are more important than cosmetic issues. And must be nice because all the Older or current made in USA Jacksons are 3-4k
Yes, my old soloist was $1700 back in 1999. And my Les Paul Custom cost me $3000. They now cost more like everything else in life. Nothing stays the same especially the cost of things. Comparing apples to astronauts in my opinion.
@@coleslawyum You know that the inflation equivalent of 1700 $ in 99 is equal to just a little over 3000 $ today right? So essentially, you bought your Jackson for 3 grand in todays money
Regarding the "cheap silkscreened" logo, that's how Jackson did it in the Eighties, I have an '84 Rhoads and '89 Concert Bass and their logos aren't pearl. Regarding the lack of "Made in USA" on the headstock, Fender made that change around 2016 throughout their American series.
Amazing, the comments on these guitars, you would have had to grown up with Jackson to even understand why people are upset. These are cheap and all I see is that they have cut corners from the originals, I mean satin finishes, no neck or headstock binding, no made in USA on the front of the head, crappy floyd rose. Trust me when I say this younger generation is getting cheated with these guitars. And truthfully even after 85 we got cheated in the fact that Jackson cheaped out on us even back then because from 83 to 85 the guitars came with fret nibs like Gibson and they looked finished and they were trying to make something nice with quality, then in 86 they did away with the nibs and got rid of using good pickups and hardware, going with Jackson branded nonsense, so this is not the first time. I am sure these will sell, but I would rather go for a older one over these.
You can literally buy a Schecter KM with the exact same tremolo(1500 series) and SS frets and a sustainiac system for $1500 brand new. This is NOT a deal. You can literally just wait for a deal on a USA select with a top and an OFR. Cmon.
Not really seeing the appeal factor here, most of us that are into these types of guitars already have one if not more of them, I just don't see paying that price tag for something you already have, and "made in America" doesn't really hold water anymore .
just think...some guy (probably more than 1) gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, maybe even more, to come up with ideas for guitars that would be cool and profitable for the company to make, and this what they came up with. Pathetic!
@@joesaxon6566 no but I have owned original Jacksons SL1s and SL2s as well as a few Kramer Stagemasters. I can already tell this is some cheesey shit and is ridiculous for the price
@@robmorris4168 I agree on the price myself, I'd say it's about $500 overpriced, BUT I haven't played one so I know my opinion of pictures isn't valid, so just checking your "expert opinion" on something you haven't seen live or even played.
