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Hi guys,
This year, after 20 years of playing guitar, and ten years making videos on YouTube, I wanted to do something special with a guitar. Something inspired by a piece of art given to me after a show by a fan who happens to be an artist. I've floated the idea of the concept I want to use in this thread: http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/152...series-Soloist
Needless to say, to make this possible, it was finally time for me to purchase another electric guitar. Being a huge fan of my 2002 Jackson DK-2, I naturally gravitated toward Jackson. This time, though, I decided to expand my musical range and dimension by purchasing a 7 string guitar - the Jackson Pro Series Soloist SL7 to be exact.
The guitar was delivered to my house the other day, and came with a Fazley guitar maintenance kit free of charge courtesy of Bax Music, so thanks for that, guys. I got a strap lock with it too, which is really nice.
PROS:
The oiled finish on the neck is sublime. It feels very silky and natural to play. The width of the neck, though different to what I am used to in the DK-2, is still not disconcerting as I thought it would be (I've filled in twice for guitarists who used seven strings, and played an LTD seven string and an Ibanez Universe, and I remember being very afraid and feeling comically like a beginner). It really is something which you pick up in a matter of hours and it doesn't feel unnatural at all anymore.
The satin black finish is really fantastic, and extends to the headstock, giving it a nice matte black menacing sort of finish.
The fretboard and fret work is really high quality - no need to fear MII as far as I'm concerned. The frets are seated really nicely, the locking nut looks well installed, the inlays are really nicely fitted and are made of what basically looks like brushed metal - a really cool idea for an inlay and set of nicely against the ebony of the fretboard, which is a deep, deep dark brown.
The Floyd Rose 2000 system is great, I've put it through a few initial paces and I'd have to say I prefer it to the JT-580LP so far.
The sound the guitar makes is really nice. There's a crunch combined with a good amount of sustain which I've really been enjoying.
The coil split function is a real eye-opener for me, I've never had this before and I see myself using it a lot in the future. The switch is also really tight and sturdily built, it feels very dampened in its motion.
CONS:
The pickups are a good deal more quiet than my DK-2 aftermarket ones. The DK has a Duncan Parallel Axis Distortion Trembucker in the bridge, and a Scorcher in the neck. In comparison to this, I expected the seven string Distortion set in the SL7 to sound about equal in volume to the pickups I put in the DK-2. Sadly, the neck pickup sounds a lot more trebly and brittle, and the bridge pickup a lot more hollow and quiet than I'd have liked. The actual sound is good, but the output deficit means I'm having to adjust to playing the guitar harder and working it more than I have with the Dinky. I thought I'd adjust the problem by raising the pickups closer to the strings, but since they're direct mounted... I can't.
The volume knob is at an obvious angle from the body. Not a deal breaker by any means, but enough to upset me for a brand new instrument.
That headstock is HUGE! So big that it won't fit inside a case meant for a six string Dinky or Soloist. But man does it ever look GREAT!
I've posted an unboxing and first impression video where I talk about all of these things, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGQOS41XIyQ
And a thorough sound runthrough where I do everything from raw signals, cleans, crunches and leads to comparisons to my DK-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QMm7tr3keM
Enjoy!
This year, after 20 years of playing guitar, and ten years making videos on YouTube, I wanted to do something special with a guitar. Something inspired by a piece of art given to me after a show by a fan who happens to be an artist. I've floated the idea of the concept I want to use in this thread: http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/152...series-Soloist
Needless to say, to make this possible, it was finally time for me to purchase another electric guitar. Being a huge fan of my 2002 Jackson DK-2, I naturally gravitated toward Jackson. This time, though, I decided to expand my musical range and dimension by purchasing a 7 string guitar - the Jackson Pro Series Soloist SL7 to be exact.
The guitar was delivered to my house the other day, and came with a Fazley guitar maintenance kit free of charge courtesy of Bax Music, so thanks for that, guys. I got a strap lock with it too, which is really nice.
PROS:
The oiled finish on the neck is sublime. It feels very silky and natural to play. The width of the neck, though different to what I am used to in the DK-2, is still not disconcerting as I thought it would be (I've filled in twice for guitarists who used seven strings, and played an LTD seven string and an Ibanez Universe, and I remember being very afraid and feeling comically like a beginner). It really is something which you pick up in a matter of hours and it doesn't feel unnatural at all anymore.
The satin black finish is really fantastic, and extends to the headstock, giving it a nice matte black menacing sort of finish.
The fretboard and fret work is really high quality - no need to fear MII as far as I'm concerned. The frets are seated really nicely, the locking nut looks well installed, the inlays are really nicely fitted and are made of what basically looks like brushed metal - a really cool idea for an inlay and set of nicely against the ebony of the fretboard, which is a deep, deep dark brown.
The Floyd Rose 2000 system is great, I've put it through a few initial paces and I'd have to say I prefer it to the JT-580LP so far.
The sound the guitar makes is really nice. There's a crunch combined with a good amount of sustain which I've really been enjoying.
The coil split function is a real eye-opener for me, I've never had this before and I see myself using it a lot in the future. The switch is also really tight and sturdily built, it feels very dampened in its motion.
CONS:
The pickups are a good deal more quiet than my DK-2 aftermarket ones. The DK has a Duncan Parallel Axis Distortion Trembucker in the bridge, and a Scorcher in the neck. In comparison to this, I expected the seven string Distortion set in the SL7 to sound about equal in volume to the pickups I put in the DK-2. Sadly, the neck pickup sounds a lot more trebly and brittle, and the bridge pickup a lot more hollow and quiet than I'd have liked. The actual sound is good, but the output deficit means I'm having to adjust to playing the guitar harder and working it more than I have with the Dinky. I thought I'd adjust the problem by raising the pickups closer to the strings, but since they're direct mounted... I can't.
The volume knob is at an obvious angle from the body. Not a deal breaker by any means, but enough to upset me for a brand new instrument.
That headstock is HUGE! So big that it won't fit inside a case meant for a six string Dinky or Soloist. But man does it ever look GREAT!
I've posted an unboxing and first impression video where I talk about all of these things, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGQOS41XIyQ
And a thorough sound runthrough where I do everything from raw signals, cleans, crunches and leads to comparisons to my DK-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QMm7tr3keM
Enjoy!
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