One of the most useful videos for guitars！I am a guitarist and also a big fun of guitars. Everytime I shop Jackson I always get so confused between their 2 models Soloist and Dinky. But now I know the difference, thank you so much！
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think the phrase should have been 1/8ths smaller than a strat. It is indeed a 7/8ths size guitar but not 7/8ths smaller. Saying 7/8ths smaller would be like saying the guitar is 87.5% smaller than the strat, when it's only 12.5% smaller. Anyway, a good 👍 video. I've been looking for confirmation of the Dinky's size comparison for a long time.
Yes, also a unit describing this figure would have been helpful. In terms of mass or length (if so, cm, mm, et cetera). I thought the exact same thing watching this. Still subscribed. 🤘
Yeah at the description I'd be looking for a guitar an 1/8th the size guitar lol.. but I know what he meant.. I've had 3 dinkys.dinky.. one I still have .. it's an mij from the 90s.. I had another mij 97 m9del that was stolen and had a limited edition 88 blue jean back in the v days of my old rock star days.. nothing compares to that 88 limited edition .. wish I never let it go.. maybe one day I'll get another USA model
About three years ago I needed to contact Jackson about some work I had to do to a 1989 model I own. While I was talking to someone from the custom shop I asked about the difference between the soloist and dinky bodies since I'm a big guy and didn't really want to play a guitar smaller than the "average" size. He said the only real difference between the bodies was that the dinky was "slimmer" from side to side, meaning if you measured the body across from the belly cut to the bottom (basically 6th string side to 1st string side). According to him that was the only real difference in the body. He said they were exactly the same when measured from the strap button side to the horn side. I hope that made sense. I don't own a dinky so I'm not sure if he was crazy but it sounds reasonable. Cheers.
I cannot for the life of me find it anymore but around the time he started GJ2 Guitars there was once a 480p video on RU-vid which was an interview with Grover Jackson. In the vide he stated that when the Dinky was originally created, the body was the same exact shape and size as a Soloist with the only difference being the neck. He also stated that the Soloist and Dinky are both 7/8ths the size of a Fender Stratocaster body. Keep in mind he was referring to the earlier Jackson guitars, the contouring and routing of those bodies changed over time a bit. What I find funny is that the body on my 1990 Jackson Soloist Professional Pro is identical in every way to the body of my 2006 ESP LTD M-1000 Deluxe. Like EXACTLY the same lol. The only slight difference being the edges on the 1990 Soloist are sanded and rounded off way better while the LTD is a little sharper around the edge of the body. The shape and measurements including cutaways are identical. hmmmm.... LOL
I have a soloist with double humbuckers and a green crackle finish. Love the guitar. I’m not into leads that much but I find it very comfy to play leads with and when playing rhythm guitar on it, the neck size feels perfect for me
Thanks! That answered all my questions. I just assumed the Dinky was smaller but never had both in hand at the same to actually check and I was wrong. 7/8ths as large as or 1/8 smaller than a strat is new for me too. Subscribed!
I'm a big guy about 6'5 to be exact. I've owned about 3 different Jackson Soloists over the past 20 years. 2 of them were extremely rare USA Soloist Archtop Models (SLATQ, which stands for Soloist Archtop Quilt) they were some of the most beautifully crafted guitars I've ever owned. They had 3/4 inch Quilted Maple Tops with transparent stains, like a PRS! They were neck through body but had Mahogany Body & Neck. My favorite feature was the Oil finished Mahogany Neck! It was so slick and just felt like home. Was one of the fastest and easiest playing necks on any guitar I've ever owned. Loved them. But the one thing that drove me crazy was how SMALL the body looked when slung over my shoulder! I had dudes come up to me after playing a show that complimented the guitar but would then state that the guitar looked like a toy on me LOL. Never really thought about body size of a guitar until then. Ive avoided the Dinky for the namesake alone! I figured they were even smaller then the Soloist. I've since sold those guitars (mainly because the value skyrocketed and i sold them for almost double what I paid for them!) I just wish Jackson would offer a Soloist 'XL body' for us bigger guys though! Hint hint Jackson 😉. Great content by the way! Subbed!
Hey brother. Good insight here. That arch top sounds awesome! I can see a dinky or soloist being pretty small for bigger dudes. But not as small as the Nuno Washburn lol
@@EvangelionEscaflowne Yes, the 2000 and 1990s models are usually really great. I still have two SLATQ NAMM custom shops that are awesome instruments. The only thing that is lacking on them is graphite reinforcing rods in the neck. Other custom shops have those if you order them, and the neck stability is much better with them.
Hey...the nut width on the Dinky is 42mm... and 43mm on the Soloist. This small difference means quite a bit less overall mass along the neck. That's why it's feels smaller and faster.
@@nikaxeguitar I learned about nut widths a while ago, and they're huge profound effect on the feel of the neck. For example Ibanez have a 44 mm width and that if too thick can feel like a baseball bat. So to counter that on the wizard-necks, they make them extra thin
I built a FrankenDinky: It started out as a 2001 MIJ DKMG, HB/HB, trans black with the Turbo boost. I upgraded the EMG HZs to the Zakk Wylde 81/85 set and an original Floyd. I then added the DK2FF reverse headstock neck (bound, with flame inlays) and since it came sans, added the FR locking nut and black Grover tuners. The action is a bit higher than I'd like, but it is an absolute beast. Holds it's own with my MIJ SL3 and '87 Charvel Model 5 neck-thrus...almost.😊
2003 MIJ Black Forest Green DKMG WITH binding on the neck (no -signature or special model), but it did come as a premium upgrade with EMG Hetset(not labeled that then of course) which I promptly took out for Duncan Full Shred and Dimarzio SD-1(bridge/neck)...I also drilled out 4 more holes, two for tone/violume pots and two for dpdt 3 way mini toggles for coil tapping. (I own Strats and LP's and THIS is my main guitar)
@@nikaxeguitar I do consider it one of the greats, soem love it and some absolutely hate it (and for some reason some people pick it up and it goes absolutely DEAD in their hands while it practically EXUDES life in mine). Not to mention that when I bought it I walked into guitar store and played throuugh every single guitar in there and this one leapt out at me as THE one to buy (and there was around a hundred guitars in the store)
Dinky for the win !! I have a DK2-M pro series MIJ (from around 2006) that I love (bought used) . When I look for jackson guitars today I can't find anything to the same price tag and quality as this one .
I don't know the differences but I own a 2006 MIJ jackson dk2m pro. Bought it new and love it. Couple yrs ago local shop had a used soloist for $2700, I tried it for about half an hour. Was set up great, played well buy to be honest I really didn't feel much difference between the soloist and my Dk. I preferred my $800 dk over it.
Wow that’s interesting. You know, ive heard from a couple people that they prefer the Dinky over the Soloist. I personally don’t really like the finished necks of the soloists. But that’s me
@@nikaxeguitar I hate finished necks. On my dk I used 320 grit sandpaper and took all the clear finish off the back of the neck. Then finished it with tru-oil. So much better. I'd really prefer just raw wood but that can get nasty...lol, just look at evh frankie and 5150 necks. Not saying the soloist was bad but my dk just felt better to play. Couldn't really say why, just didn't click with me
Jackson themselves printed that the Dinky was 7/8ths smaller...than what, who knows. But that paragraph with that info came out of their own catalogs. This video wraps it all up nicely.
They all either come with Seymour Duncan’s,Duncan Designs or Jackson factory pickups. That dictates price and model but have changed all over the place over the years!
2 years ago I bought the js22 mockingbird purple quilt veneer. Friggin love it. Was going to upgrade the pups. Nope. Going to get a tusq XL though. Sweetwater total 255$
I like how you said that neck-thru “in theory” improves tone, sustain as I’ve always read/heard this, yet watching some videos where this is tested - it actually seems the bolt-on has a sustain. Don’t notice any increase on my guitars either (5 neck-thru, 4 bolt-on) it’s almost like a marketing strategy to sell the more expensive neck-thru? I don’t know. 😂
@@nikaxeguitar I always laughed at that one too. I suppose they mean “thin and flat” and maybe “no poly finish”. But still, I never automatically played faster on an Ibanez or slower on a tele. Cheers
Cool video! I always thought that the Dinky body was smaller than the Soloist! I have a japanese made Dinky and just upgraded with a Gotoh GE1996t, beautiful guitar!
Easiest way to tell the difference between the body sizes of the Soloist and the Dinky (current models), look at the official Jackson hard case. The case fits both guitars perfectly with no large gaps around the body.
I have two MIJ dinkys and a USA soloist select. The soloist is undoubtedly larger than the dinkys but they’re 20 some years old and the soloist is a 2016. I would totally buy in current production they’re the same size.
it's not 7\8ths smaller ,think about that statement, it would be really tiny, it is suposed to have been 7\8ths of the size of a stratocaster, like if you squared off the roundover edges on the strat to make them square edge, i saw a video a while back ,it was an interview with grover jackson, and warren dimartini about the first guitar or so that he had grover make for him
I had an original dinky, and the explanation from the manufacturer was that it had a slightly shorter neck scale. Nothing else was supposed to be smaller (according to the manufacturer).
I own a '99 Grover Jackson Dinky that I bought for like $500. The best guitar I've ever played in my entire life, and I've played Mayones', strandbergs, MusicMans. I'm taking that guitar to the grave with me.
I have two Dinkies and two soloists. Dinkies weights 3,5 kg, one soloist 4,2kg and the other 4,3kg. The 4.3kg soloist has a really D shaped neck for a Jackson, but the other don't. The bodies are not greater in area, but in depth. The guitars are really very different.
Just got a dinky.. Neck is full like a Fender there parent company however Its not a floyd rose trem.. Its a weird Fender invention and very stiff. Like, not just springs. Weak arm, not a thread on bar, just kinda goofy. Rest of the dink is 100% shredable out the box.
hey nick, would you happen to have the exact thickness measurements for dinky necks and soloist necks? i know the dinkys are a little thinner but i cant seem to find the actual measurements online. i keep finding conflicting info :/
Great video. I never had a Soloist, but I have two MIJ Dinky from the same year, a DKMG and a DXMG, both from 2006. Their bodies are different, not in size, but only in "shape", the DKMG is an arche-top, and the DXMG is not, and because of this the DKMG is flat on the top right side while the DXMG has a curve on the top right side like most dinkys and soloists or even original fender strats.
I was very much into the MIJ and MIA Jackson guitars until 2021 now I'm 100% Loyal to the 2021 Epiphone Custom Koa Les Paul and 2021 Epiphone modern figured Sgs..Jackson couldn't touch them not even slightly close..
Someone has upgrade the bridge of DKMG? I’m thinking about it. My DKMG has more than 10 years and the bridge is not working properly. Since DKMG uses a low profile bridge, a don’t know what model (preferentially Gotoh) I could install on it. Thank you guys!
Hey Rodrigo. You’d be surprised what an fit in a low profile housing. Measure it out and then go look at schematics for an OFR or even Edge bridge. You can also look into FR “Pro” models. I’ve used one to replace a low-pro jackson licensed FR and it worked swimmingly! Thanks for stopping by
The main difference is neck through construction versus bolt on. After that, everything else is a minor detail. A bolt on guitar uses the simplest, cheapest, least ergonomic and elegant type of neck construction possible.
@@nikaxeguitar I see this a LOT and its a bit frustrating :) An ACTUALLY unfinished neck could be a ROASTED MAPLE neck, which has been treated in a way, that makes it more resistant to moisture :) But egular maple... finish it, or you will have a crooked neck soon!!!
The "Dinky" started when people would take a Strat style body with the rounded sides and cut them off with a band saw giving the body flat sides and leaving the body slightly smaller. This stared in the early/mid eighties by companies like Charvel.
I was always told soloist is the one piece / neck through , meaning it’s all one so this was called solo but then this also making it easier to work around in the higher frets it’s also easier to solo so it then was named the soloist
Excellent video and brilliantly researched. I have a red soloist slx red (hh) and im a big fan of them. I REALLY want a Neon Orange SL3X but theyre discontinued and like hen's teeth preowned. Don't know why I want one in Neon Orange but there you go, and I like the HSS configuration, even thought they're blades. Theres a Preowned Dinky going for less that half the price and also Neon Orange...:) HH though.
i checked out 2 dinkys matt black, the necks were unfinished and a little rough. I bought a new dinky js22 and the neck is polished to a shine. i dont recall doing this myself..... got a new JS32 on order not sure what to expext from the back of the neck.........
The Dinky and Soloist is 1/8 smaller than a Strat- 7/8 the size of a Strat. The bodies are identical to each other. The only thing that changes between the two, and within the two models,is the configuration (22 vs 24 feet) and scale length affecting pickup placement and overall length of the guitar. That’s it. Other than the neck through/bolt-on difference, any other difference is purely cosmetic. Also, neck thickness isn’t always different. Not on classic models, anyway. If anybody has ever played on the old Japanese Soloists and the Charvel Models 5 & 6, those things had thin necks. The biggest point of contention was always the body size, though, as all the other differences were obvious.
Dinky was made to be easily customed and heavily modified for doom and shred in Japan like the first rg Yamahas and ibanez. Soloist to be a more playable faster and better Features on a more Solid guitar base with less Exploration. At least that was what i could understand with my both japanese dinky and US soloist
@@nikaxeguitar Thanx man! I really enjoy your vids. Haven't watched any of you playing yet. I got my first Jackson ever on layaway. Not a 6 string but a orange Jackson X Bass (Jackson-backer). My next 2 Jacksons gotta be a black Scott Ian V or a RR1T in black as well. Then one day a black soloist.
One of the biggest giveaways of the DNKY is the placement of the pickup toggle switch. It's in the worst place imaginable, right under a volume knob, close to the base of the bridge. I hate that so much, makes it so awkward to reach while playing. If you look at the higher end models, they have the toggle up past the volume switch in a comfortable spot to reach.
I have a 1996 Dinky and a 2013 Soloist. The body on my Dinky is actually a little bigger and has better contures than my Soloist. They're both amazing guitars, but I like the neck on my Soloist a little bit more because it's thinner and wider.
@@nikaxeguitar you said info on the 80s /90s Japanese guitars was gonna be a whole other video haha. I just bought a Japanese Charvel DK-065 on reverb and would love to know more about it.
All my Dinky2 have the same bindings and Duncan pickups! Dinky reverses are much more rare. I’m a reverse stock nut! Neck through and pickup variation are the only differences! I can send you pictures and comparisons! You can see one of my metal guitar walls on my chan! You’ll see the bone binding neck ,non reverse Dinky 2 and a soloist in reverse just below it!
One thing I noticed is that I’ve never seen a soloist with an arch top. Not saying they don’t exist but I’ve seen Dinky’s with both arch tops and without. Where are the x series and pro series made?
That’s the gist. Over time, people got to thinking the Dinky was a “Dinkier” version of the soloist. And being that both the Dinky and Soloists are 1/8th smaller than a strat, people just screwed it up over time. I’ve heard that dinky’s can feel “slimmer” as well. But I can’t verify that.
This is off topic but hopefully someone may be able to help me as I'm sure there are much more knowledgeable people than me on here. Did Jackson ever use a 10 to 14 compound radius or 14 to 16? I have a late 90's ps7 and for some reason I thought I remember years ago that it got one of those radius rather than the usual 12 to 16. Any info would be much appreciated
I have a MIJ DKMGT and a USA DK1. They could not be any different. The DK1 body is absolutely larger and heavier than the DKMGT. I actually cannot stand my DK1 because it is Les Paul heavy.
I was considering the dinky. The natural color 199.00 model, without the floyd so called trem. I still might get it, you could convince me one way or the other. I have a LP that I uhhhhh, pretty much hate. I bought it cause i played one in the 80s. I have a Donner strat that I did some things too an I play it more. I plays better, I swear. Better tuners, everything. I wanted to a buy cheap strat like a Indio an upgrade the trem an pickups, tuners. Price would prolly be more but I enjoy doing something myself. Would you buy the Dinky or a Ibanez ? I wanted a Pacifica but they are all in China. Donner has a new upgraded model at a fair price an they make good pedals an stuff. Would you consider that or the Dinky and why ? Thanks for or you too advice ! Edited to say, i feel crappy buying all these pedals over the years, and boards. Now they have modeling amps. I feel like time passed me by. Should i feel bad and hopefully get use out of those pedals for recording and what not. Should I buy a Boss like evey 19yr old kid ? By the way I have like 30 pedals
Hey David! The Dinky/Ibanez is a toughie. When comparing the pro series Dinky to the Ibanez genesis it’s almost a tie in my opinion. I have a video about those two coming out next week. Thanks for stopping by my friend! Reach out anytime
@@nikaxeguitar np, my Dinky Reverse is my favorite guitar. I pd $75 and sank another $500 in mods. I own pricer guitars but none sounded as good as Dinky or as comfortable
The smaller body on the Dinky's and Soloists never looked right to me. I really wish they would make a full sized body version. Scott Ian had a signature Soloist that was full sized and it looks SO MUCH BETTER.
neon pink with PINK pickups = who aprove this bad combinations? look to Neon GREEN with pink pickup = GOAL! perfect but neon pink with pink pickups dont match. Someone know that is possible to change to green colors or cannot be painted the pickups without disassemble??
Hey David. I don t see why not. If the frets are good, and hardware is solid all you would really have to do is get a good trem and pickups. And that would parbably be fun. You really get to customize the guitar you want
I have a JS34 DKA that I recently got (the silverburst one Guitar Center sells) and I'm happy with it. It needed to be set up but that was completely expected for a 310 dollar guitar.
I can't speak to the Dinky because I haven't had one. But this SL3X Soloist I have is easily the nicest guitar I've ever had. It's from Indonesia and goddamn is that country knocking it out of the park with guitar production lately. Between this and the TOD10N, I might just start saving the money and getting guitars from Indonesia because they are doing everything and more, and with minor upgrades to electronics, it feels like a $1500 guitar. If you need to clean the neck more often, you should probably just wash your hands of dirt and oils before playing like any reasonable guitarist.
Been lookin at brand new Usa/jap jacksons. I don't care for bindings or tops, i just want a solid guitar with good resonance and sustain. Do you recommend indonesian/korean jacksons over the more expensive ones? (Heck, even the japanese models are up to 2k and more here in europe. Found a deal for a brand new SL3 made in Usa for 2300 but its still lot of money..).
"Clinically proven to make you look rich in front of your Bitcoin trader buddies" - Classic \m/ ^_^ \m/ hahahaha Awesome vid Nick! I'm super keen to try and potentially....'Bai'...the Jackson X Dinky in the Cobalt Blue. I do have my eye on the pink one haha, but I better not. I have a 2004 Japanese Dinky in Eerie Desert Swirl. Google that finish + Cream your pants = You're Welcome lmao. Kind Regards, Nick \m/ >_O \m/
It's better for a beginner to get a dinky because it's not nearly as expensive because if you never get that good well you don't have over a thousand dollars tied up in a guitar.
More like 15/16's according to an article I read earlier but they kept the 7/8 reference only because it was remembered or compared to the famous stratocaster (fender). Idk it was all about marketing.
