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What is it?
Since being transferred from design pages to stages during the 1980s, an era defined by Superstrats and super shredding, the core recipe of Jackson’s Soloist has endeavoured to modernize itself without bastardizing its timeless recipe.
In recent years its production has returned to US shores, with this the fourth edition of Jackson’s Soloist series to be made in Fender’s Corona, CA factory. It continues the luthier’s mantra of crafting metal guitars for go-faster playing and high-gain hellfire, and it’s very much representative of a best-in-class approach to specs.
It arrives in a more subtle manner than last year’s high-powered, EMG-loaded SL2MG, after the Soloist’s “long-awaited homecoming” was debuted with the true-to-form SL3. The American Series Virtuoso, meanwhile, dragged the price point to just below the $2K – something rebuked here.
The series has toyed with ‘handshake’ heel neck constructions with recent builds, but its classic neck-through-body and speed neck profile have returned for the first time since 2022.
Specs
- Launch price: $2,399.99/£2,149/€2,449
- Made: USA
- Type: Solidbody electric guitar
- Body: Alder
- Neck: Three-piece maple neck-through-body
- Fingerboard: Ebony, 12″ to 16″ compound radius
- Scale length: 25.5 “, 64.77cm
- Nut/width: Graph Tech TUSQ XL, 1.6875″, 42.86 mm
- Frets: 24, jumbo stainless steel
- Hardware: Hipshot 6 fixed bridge, Gotoh MG-T locking tuners,
- Electrics: Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) and ’59 (neck) humbuckers, 1x Volume, 1x Tone, five-way switch
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: Satin Porsche Gray (as reviewed), Satin Black
- Case/gig bag: Jackson Foam-Core soft case
- Contact: Jackson
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★☆
Sure, it looks like pretty much every other Soloist or Dinky that has come blazing out of various factories, in the US and abroad, over the decades. Notably, though, Jackson is doubling down on nailing the Soloist’s definitive characteristics after a few more experimental approaches.
Unlike some of its more budget-conscious offshore productions which utilized mahogany-on-a-budget okoume, this is the original recipe: an alder body, maple neck, and an ebony fretboard with, of course, some rather eye-catching inverse Pearl Sharkfin inlays and a pointy headstock.
The body shape and its cosy belly carve remain untouched, but the neck-through-body construction and smooth horn cuts offer uninhibited access to the upper frets, and the 12″-16″ compound radius rolled ebony fretboard is as welcoming as they come. This is one slick six-string.
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2DX’s action as shipped is shred-ready, but a spoke wheel truss rod at the top of the neck means any adjustments can be made on the fly with relative ease. This has become Jackson’s preferred truss rod access point, and it makes perfect sense.
The Satin Porsche Gray finish doesn’t exactly have Italian supercar appeal; it’s understated but may feel a little flat and lifeless to those looking for bolder statements and, though it cleans off, it can get grubby quickly.
Granted, this release comes off the back of an opinion-splitting Shell Pink colorway on the American Series Virtuoso, and there is a retina-stinging Lemon Ice gloss variant for the Floyd Rose model.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★½
The fixed bridge lets me focus on my playing, making the SL2DX a flexible and versatile workhorse for tuning changes and my creative workflow
The satin finish of the Soloist SL2DX’s three-piece maple set neck offered me a little resistance during big leaps across the fretboard, but its comfort is still top rate. It found me churning out classic metal riffs with freewheeling abandon – because, when in Rome.
The only real deviation from the traditional Soloist recipe book comes via the employment of a Hipshot 6 hardtail over the usual Floyd Rose – but there are floating trem versions in the series.
Admittedly, there were points when my hand instinctively reached for its non-existent whammy bar. But old habits can die hard. Saddled up with Gotoh MG-T locking tuners and a Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut, tuning is solid, even when flitting between different tunings without any faffing in-between.
The fixed bridge lets me focus on my playing, making the SL2DX a flexible and versatile workhorse for tuning changes and my creative workflow. Luminlay side dots and Dunlop dual-locking strap buttons, meanwhile, are premium employments with the stage in mind.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
While Jackson used Fishman Fluence humbuckers across 2023’s Pro Plus Series, and the SL2MG flirted with EMGS, Seymour Duncan has always felt like Jackson’s magnetic soul mate.
Unsurprisingly, this guitar excels with when delivering brutal palm mutes and squealing leads – and boy, does this thing handle pinch harmonics! It begs you to dig in and play with aggression; just as it should do.
Driving the Soloist through a variety of DSP modelled high-gain amps – EVH 5150, Marshall JCM800, and Fortin Meshuggah – it felt far more at home that it did through a spangly Fender Twin. Clean tones are pleasant without thrilling.
At full volume, the lower frequencies naturally push it towards edge-of-breakup territory, but rolling the volume off on these passive pickups makes all the difference.
What immediately struck me about the classic JB (bridge) and ’59 (neck) twosome is their noise-choking tightness. Jackson’s are crafted for high-gain warfare, so the fact they not only sound excellent when pushed, but also kill off lingering signal hiss is incredibly satisfying. Noise gates are still recommended, but djent enthusiasts don’t need to crank them to silly measures to get a tight, percussive attack.
My go-to metal guitar is a Strandberg with Fishman Fluence pickups, but these passive pups didn’t leave me wanting
With the SL2DX’s five-way switch, the first position is as warm and rounded, helping clean chords bloom and tightening fast runs, the second is snappy and articulate, and the middle is well-balanced but perhaps a little vanilla. The fourth has more body than a Strat, but still bites, while the fifth is primed for gung-ho applications because elsewhere, it’s too snarly for use.
My go-to metal guitar is a Strandberg with Fishman Fluence pickups, but these passive pups didn’t leave me wanting. The responsiveness of the volume control, paired with the five-way, offered oodles of nuance that may have otherwise been lost in the quest for more power.
Verdict
The SL2DX is an archetypal metal axe that plays effortlessly, hits hard in high-gain settings and has proved reliable during the rigours of my writing. There is enough tonal variance to handle other genres, and Cecil Alexander has proved Soloists can bebop as well as any big box, but those fish-out-of-water situations will be rare.
Its price is perhaps bordering on the steep side, but its bougie components and thoughtful trimmings explain why
Most players buy a Soloist for stank face riffs and shredding ‘til sundown. For that, the SL2DX is magnificent.
Its price is perhaps bordering on the steep side, but its bougie components and thoughtful trimmings explain why, and it’s in line with the rest of the series, save for the Virtuoso.
Guitar World verdict: Everything a Jackson Soloist should be on paper is a reality. Yes, the finish is a solid cure for insomnia, but otherwise this is a superlative Jackson and a master of high-gain grit. The longer I spent with this guitar, the sadder I became to see it go.
|
Test |
Results |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Build quality |
This is a classic recipe for a Jackson Soloist, only let down by finish some will find dull, that gets mucky quickly. |
★★★★☆ |
|
Playability |
The Hipshot hardtail gives it a fuss-free feel – and that feel is speed, speed, speed. |
★★★★½ |
|
Sounds |
Top-tier metal tones, but with a lot more besides. |
★★★★½ |
|
Overall |
Ideal for a well-heeled player who wants a Soloist but can’t be bothering with a Floyd, and doesn’t mind a more muted finish. |
★★★★½ |
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