I've been wanting one these monsters since the first day I saw one. I got to play one in my local GC (which usually has only import junk) of all places about a month ago, and then I knew I had to have one... Oh yes it would be mine. The only thing holding me back when I first saw these when they were released were 2 things. 1) The crappy quilted tops... and 2) The more brown than black fretboards. Well when I found this bad-boy with the dark ebony board, and primo AAA quilted maple top, I had to have it. Lock the door, turn on Symphony of Destruction, grab the hand-cream and tissues... Here's the pronz:
This is a well thought out and well executed player's guitar. The recessed controls, low profile Original Floyd Rose Pro (made in Germany), side recessed input jack, speed body cuts on each side of the neck, 24 Jumbo stainless steel frets, 12" radius neck (305 mm), kill switch, and the killer sounding DiMarzio Broderick modified D-Activator pickups... this axe is made to slay. And it does. The mahogany body gives it a darker, warmer thicker tone most will immediately notice compared to most other Jackson USA offerings. The guitar is also pretty heavy... close to Les Paul weight... I haven't weighed it yet... but I'm guessing around 9 lbs. The offset body shape and location of the strap pins, just automatically make the guitar hang in the perfect slant. The neck is more rounded in a small D shape (similar to a ESP Horizon II), compared to the flat shred-friendly profile found on most USA Soloists, like the SL1/SL2H. I'm a big Soloist fan, but this guitar is a welcome departure, and makes all the right moves in all the right directions. I've owned a bunch of guitars from Jackson, PRS, Ibanez, ESP, Suhr, Anderson, Gibson, EBMM, and others... and right out of the box, this is pretty much my ideal creation. Tone + Function = Epic Winz. Well done Mr. Broderick. You are the master.
This is a well thought out and well executed player's guitar. The recessed controls, low profile Original Floyd Rose Pro (made in Germany), side recessed input jack, speed body cuts on each side of the neck, 24 Jumbo stainless steel frets, 12" radius neck (305 mm), kill switch, and the killer sounding DiMarzio Broderick modified D-Activator pickups... this axe is made to slay. And it does. The mahogany body gives it a darker, warmer thicker tone most will immediately notice compared to most other Jackson USA offerings. The guitar is also pretty heavy... close to Les Paul weight... I haven't weighed it yet... but I'm guessing around 9 lbs. The offset body shape and location of the strap pins, just automatically make the guitar hang in the perfect slant. The neck is more rounded in a small D shape (similar to a ESP Horizon II), compared to the flat shred-friendly profile found on most USA Soloists, like the SL1/SL2H. I'm a big Soloist fan, but this guitar is a welcome departure, and makes all the right moves in all the right directions. I've owned a bunch of guitars from Jackson, PRS, Ibanez, ESP, Suhr, Anderson, Gibson, EBMM, and others... and right out of the box, this is pretty much my ideal creation. Tone + Function = Epic Winz. Well done Mr. Broderick. You are the master.
