The Weigh-Up: Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT (Gear Review)
Over the last 18 months, Jackson Guitars have ushered in a number of new American Series models to their expansive range. While these previous models have been really cool, they’ve also had one thing in common that has immediately turned me off, a Floyd Rose locking tremolo system. Now I’m no hater and all power to anyone who gets down with the Floyd, but I’ve always been a hardtail man through and through. So you can imagine my excitement when a box arrived at my doorstep containing the brand new American Series Soloist™ SL2MG HT, a hardtail modern shredder with incredible specs and finished in one of my all time favourite finishes, Matte Army Drab Green.
I’ve had the pleasure of having this guitar in my studio over the last month and it’s honestly the modern metal guitarists dream guitar. Alder body, Maple neck, Ebony fretboard, Hipshot hardtail bridge, EMG pickups, stainless steel frets and Gotoh Locking Tuners. Jackson have spared no expense in ensuring this guitar is ready to tour out of the box and they deserve to be commended on that.
You can tell that these guitars were designed with the practical, touring player in mind. No fancy finishes, just a solid matte finish that will wear and age perfectly over time. All of the hardware is super robust and hard wearing, so you’re not going to break anything unless you’re someone with corrosive sweat or a picking hand that hits harder than a heavyweight. The Luminlay glow in the dark fret markers are a blessing for visibility on dark stages and it even comes with the greatest Straplocks in the world (Dunlop Dual Design) so you can throw the locks on your favourite strap and don’t have to drill out the strap pins to accommodate new ones. Genius.
Now, how does it sound? Gnarly as f**k! I get that high output active pickups aren’t necessarily for everyone but they definitely have their time and place. For a sleek and fast super strat like this, the EMG 81/85 set is perfect for bringing the riff. I swear I lost hours when the guitar arrived playing it through the 5150 patch on my Kemper, ripping the meatiest of riffs and just having a blast. Lots of low-end crunch and soaring highs for solos, it might not be the most dynamic guitar on the market but it’s a Jackson super strat, so it doesn’t need to be! I would’ve preferred a three-way toggle switch, but the blade switch is totally fine and I’m just being picky when it comes to that.
Are we just done with hardcases now? I see more and more companies opting for the Mono style semi-hard case and it’s cool, but not the same as a solid TSA hard case that can take a beating. At the same time, I’ll take a less expensive case knowing full well that they haven’t spared any expense on the guitar itself and that notion is very clearly the case with this guitar.
It’s so nice to see Jackson bring a little more variety into the American Series. I said above that I don’t get down with Floyd’s and that seems to be fairly common for a lot of modern players. Having an American made hardtail Jackson that is readily available without having to commission something from the Jackson Custom Shop is a godsend and I can’t be the only one thinking that.
More often than not, I tend to modify guitars that come into my collection to suit the specs that I like. I can honestly say that in this case, I wouldn’t change a thing about the SL2MG HT and I can also say that this is the first time in a long time that I’ve reviewed a guitar and told the company that they need to send me an invoice because they’re certainly not getting it back at this rate. Do yourself a favour and head into your local Jackson dealer so you can get your hands on one of these ripping Soloists. I have no doubt that you’ll fall in love with it as quickly as I fell for this one.
Review by Nicholas Simonsen @blackechomusic
Learn more about the Jackson American Series Soloist™ SL2MG HT here
Specs:
- EMG®81/85 pickups – powered by a pair of brawny EMG®81 and EMG 85 humbucking pickups, this brutally powerful instrument delivers a commanding punch while retaining clarity with enhanced note definition, a critical component for modern metal
- Hipshot® hardtail bridge system – provided for reliable tuning stability
- Through-body three-piece maple neck – complete with a pair of graphite-reinforcement rods for the ultimate stability to resist temperature and humidity-induced bending and warping
- Stainless-steel frets – both models feature 24 jumbo stainless-steel frets
- The SL2HTMG is offered in two new colorways: Satin Black and Army Drab