Jackson has launched a refresh of Misha Mansoor’s Pro Plus Series Juggernaut, offering the Periphery guitarist’s state-of-the-art signature guitar with the choice of a HT6 hardtail or an EverTune bridge.
The tune once, set-and-forget EverTune model comes in Riviera Blue, the HT6 models in Blue Sparkle and Red Crystal. Upgrades for both options include ebony fingerboards – super flat with a 20” radius as per Mansoor’s preference – and 24 stainless steel frets. Slinkiness is all but guaranteed.
“This refresh came about because every few years we want to see what we can do,” says Mansoor. “And I’ve got to say, over at the factory they are upping their game.”
The Juggernaut is nothing if not the archetypical Superstrat. There is that doublecut silhouette, the S-style body shape sharpened, more aerodynamic with elongated upper and lower horns, and of course that Jackson headstock (there’s a 3×3 spear-head style on these Juggernauts) that is all kinds of deadly. See the Japanese-made Misha Mansoor So-Cal 2PT if you’re looking for a Superstrat that has more Stratocaster DNA in its design.
The solid poplar bodies are arch-topped, so they’ll catch a bit more of the light – especially on the disco sparkle finishes of the HT6 model.
Once more, these are fitted with a pair of Jackson’s custom-wound MM1 humbuckers, which were developed alongside Mansoor, are high-output but voiced to be dynamic and are hooked up to a five-way selector switch volume and tone knob that is disengaged and out of the circuit until you pull up on it. “Most of the time it is out of the way; you can’t accidentally roll it,” says Mansoor. “It will never be in the way.”
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There are heaps of performance-friendly details, such as a sculpted four-bolt neck joint, the caramelised maple neck with oiled finish, reinforced with graphite to withstand temperature and humidity changes. There are glow-in-the-dark Luminlay markers along the side of the fretboard.
Quick adjustments to neck relief can be made via the heel-mounted spoke-wheel. Those fingerboards have had the rolled-edge treatment to make them extra comfortable. And these are fitted with a set of Jackson-branded locking tuners.
The big question is whether you go for the string-through-body hardtail bridge or the EverTune. There are benefits to both. The hardtail is as fuss-free as it gets to set up. If you’re changing your tuning regularly and don’t want to have to be adjusting the hex screws on the EverTune before setting up, then that might be a bit more user-friendly. And yet, those EverTune bridges are a feat of engineering all right, and they are slowly but surely becoming a staple of the 21st-century metal guitar.
Diamond Rowe’s seriously weighty signature singlecut was the last high-profile artist model to feature on. Mansoor has long extolled its virtues, holding your guitar in tune for… well, a very long time. In perpetuity, almost.
“It’s a magical bridge that keeps your guitar in tune,” said Mansoor in 2021, when it debuted on his Juggernaut. “It’s kind of insane… You can strike a string as hard as you want and it will never go sharp or flat.”
The idea is that these hard-tail and EverTune models offer players a durable and hardy platform for high-performance guitar, be it shred or those rhythmically complex rhythms that Mansoor has made his stock in trade.
“These guitars travel around the world and they need to be road ready,” says Mansoor. “It’s a no nonsense guitar that looks good, sounds good, and plays good.”
The HT6 model is priced £949/$999, the ET6 EverTune models £/$1,399. Those prices include a gig bag. You can watch Mansoor demo them in the video above, and find out more over at Jackson.
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