New Usa guitars maybe?

[thetruthguy]

Nothing interesting to me either. Stripped down like the "USA" Charvels that came out when Fender first bought Jackson and they came with sub-standard parts. I have a few of them and would have rather had a decent import. My Indonesians I have now are fine. I know they're not the best but over the years they've gone from bolt-on no binding on every model to set necks and neck-thrus and binding, real EMGs and SDs, and just much better construction. I used to be a huge fan of the late 90s Japanese imports but they were also lacking something. These, as well, are lacking something. Stripped down and old style import looking, like they are budget guitars but for 3 grand. No thanks. I'd rather find a USA used one for about 2000 - 2500 or like I said, just stick with the imports.

[tgreensl1]

Nothing interesting to me either. Stripped down like the "USA" Charvels that came out when Fender first bought Jackson and they came with sub-standard parts.

Are you referring to the 2005-2007 reissue USA Charvels? I've owned a bunch and still have one and its every bit as nice as the 2 recent custom shop Jackson San Dimas guitars that I have. They had Duncans, a German floyd, nice g&g cases and every graphic option from the catalog, they were custom shop made but really fell in line with the usa select stuff from the time.

the more recent Charvel usa pro mod and usa select from 2008+ im not a fan of, I had a 2016 usa select San Dimas and it was a dud.

[metalhobo]

I had a 2016 usa select San Dimas and it was a dud.

just curious, what was wrong with it? I've never played one of that series.

[tgreensl1]

just curious, what was wrong with it? I've never played one of that series.

mine had a few high frets and I could easily feel the skunk stripe. I bought it used for like $900 pre pandemic and sold it for about $950 lol. even being a dud I wish I held onto it until they started going back up. or at least shoulda kept the hardcase for my 05 usa charvel.

[Anders]

Maybe they don't want people confusing these for proper USA Jacksons, i.e. any USA Jackson prior to this series. I haven't played one yet (surprise), but based on them cheaping out on the hardware, and not including a case, I'm guessing these will not bat in the same league.

Sure, I get that, but IMO there wouldn’t be much confusion if they had put ”American” on there, and with the logo not being MOP. Looking forward to trying one out just to see how they are. I can’t see what makes these any less made in the US than USA Selects. An FR1500 is as American made as an OFR. Gotoh branded Gotoh tuners are as American made as Jackson branded Gotoh tuners. Ebony… etc.

If these are made within the same walls, in CNC machines dedicated to this line (as opposed to CNC machines rough cutting the Selects), they should have a decent chance of being as (hopefully more) consistent in quality as the Selects. Sure, the highest grade wood is probably reserved for the more expensive guitars. Would I have preferred binding, OFR, MOP logo, stainless steel frets, case, etc? Of course. And I think they could/should have included those features.

But with only build quality in mind, until proven wrong, I’m gonna continue to expect a lot from these.

[thetruthguy]

Tgreens1 ... the ones they sold for 999 ... I don't think they came with a case. The Floyd's on those weren't originals ... decent guitars but not what I'd consider usa quality. More budget friendly and not bad but not great either.

[john.w.lawson]

USA bodies come from Indonesia, whereas a warehouse builds them in Corona, California. You get top-notch "builders" at low cost importation. The only thing that's done to them in the USA is that they're built in the USA. Thank you very much, have a good night!

[darrellm]

Tgreens1 ... the ones they sold for 999 ... I don't think they came with a case. The Floyd's on those weren't originals ... decent guitars but not what I'd consider usa quality. More budget friendly and not bad but not great either.

No they didn't come with a case, came with a gig bag. I put mine in an aftermarket case as soon as I got it, still have it here. I've generally been happy with it but the Floyd never stays completely in tune compared to previous Charvels I've had.

I'm in the UK so have never played or even seen a "real" custom-shop USA Charvel to compare it to, we just don't get that sort of thing over here apart from people who have ordered them direct, never seen one in any music shops inc any of the big London shops.

[Number Of The Priest]

I didn't expect my local branch of Canada's big music store to have these new 2022 American Series SL3 guitars but I tried the two they had available today, in Platinum Pearl and Slime Green. I have been unable to determine why the Pearl one was slightly more expensive than the Green. The store's hangtag said the Pearl one had stainless steel frets but the Jackson website does not indicate stainless steel frets on any SL3. Perhaps the different finish warrants the price difference.

I couldn't find anything wrong in the build quality. The Floyd fine tuners were stiff as expected with 1000 Series Floyds including the two 1000 Series Floyds that I own so the reality met my expectations and is not a criticism of the American Series guitar build quality itself. I also didn't mind the inverted finlays as much as I thought I would. I still think the headstock looks empty without a truss rod cover plate due to the truss rod adjustment wheel being at the end of the fretboard.

Playability was fine with how the store techs set up their guitars with action higher and heavier strings than I prefer. If I owned the guitars, they would get much lower, more shred-friendly setups with lighter strings, and I have no doubt they would rip. The necks have that instantly familiar backshape and compound radius fretboard that is consistent from the cheapest import Soloists to the American ones, so no surprises for me there. The weight and balance are typical for any Soloist, no surprises there either.

Tone is what you expect from a bridge Duncan JB and neck/middle Duncan SSL-6 pickups. These pickups are commonly found on other Jacksons and Charvels.

My one criticism is very subjective and based on my playing style where I need easy access to both the volume knob and the pickup switch and prefer they are out of the way of each other. The arrangement of the volume knob and blade switch on the American Series SL3 are too much in a straight line with the whammy bar socket, and therefore cluttered even with my small hands. This arrangement is virtually identical to the typical ESP Mirage volume and switch in relation to the trem arm socket and I have difficulty accessing the switches on my two Mirages because the whammy bar (when attached) gets in the way of the volume knob which is in the way of the switch. I love my Mirages but don't play them enough because of this, preferring the SL1-style arrangement on my Shannon Soloist or the typical Stratocaster and Ibanez RG arrangement on my numerous Strats and RGs.

Anyway, nice guitars. For the time being I'm not the right customer simply because I never buy guitars at full retail price, only from their used section and from local classified ads.

Instead, today I walked out of the store with a gently used, nearly mint 2018 "Corona, California" Fender American Professional FSR Nashville Telecaster with original hardshell case for the equivalent of USD$870 plus tax, my first Tele for basically the same full retail price of a Fender Player Series (Mexican) Telecaster. If I ever see any gently used "Corona, California" American Series SL3 at that price, I would not hesitate to buy it.

[metalhobo]

thanks for the detailed review! and nice score with the tele

[Bud5150]

This "CORONA CALIFORNIA" remind me the old good times of originals KRAMER guitars. "KRAMER Neptune NJ USA" was stamped on the metal plate behind, but no "MADE IN USA" anywhere on the axe. WHY?... Cause all pieces was manufactured at ESP JAPAN, sent, finished and stick together in Neptune... I have no information but just the feeling that we are living here the same kind of story.

[Bud5150]

So happy to own my originals SL2H!

[Banjowarrior]

I just think of them as a modern Student Soloist.
Probably just took them a while to gear up for neck-thrus at Corona. Sort of makes sense gearing up for mass production that you would change some of the accoutrements relative to previous USA Soloists.

[wrldeatr7]

Here's a glowing review from musicradar

https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/jackson-american-series-soloist-sl3

[Number Of The Priest]

Can't tell of that Music Radar review was a shill / sponsored by FMIC or a genuine review. My doubts in its authenticity spring from the heavy marketing-laden gobbledygook that bloats that "review". It doesn't read like an unbiased, objective review.

Anyway...

I feel like I've seen in that article and in other places where the American Series is described as something new, a homecoming, the first USA Jacksons to be produced in Corona, and other weird claims like that.

Are they all forgetting that the USA Select Series existed, and since FMIC's acquisition of Jackson in 2002, that the USA Select Series were made in FMIC's Corona factory until the series' end? It's like FMIC wants audiences to forget the USA Select Series even existed from its inception in 1996 to its end in 2021 (2022?).

Why is it a homecoming? There were always Jacksons that were made in America from the time Grover made Randy Rhoads' first guitar. There were always production model Jacksons made in America since 1990, formalized as the USA Select Series 1996 onwards. It's not like the Charvel brand where there were gaps in production model American Charvel guitars.