SL2HT or SLSMG ?

[emperor_black]

Howdy!

This is my first post!! I post a lot in the Ultimate-guitar forum but they are not very knowledgeable about Jackson guitars. All they talk about is ESP and schecter!!

I've always been a Jackson Guitar fan but thought I wasn't good enough for them... But things changed when I played a DKTMG at a guitar store and when my wife promised me any guitar around $1500 since she got a new Job. Now I want a Jackson too!!

Until 2 days ago, I was bent upon getting a SL2HT in transparent black but my dreams were shattered when all the dealers that I called told me that its gonna be a 3-6 month wait. but I've read so much about the SLSMG on this forum and they are widely available including on eBay that I am considering it too.

I play only metal . I've never owned an Alder body guitar except a fender when i was a noob and did not know what a true Metal sound is. I now own a 5150 and a Ibanez RG350DX and I cosider myself at intermediate level. I am still sceptical of the alder body having the similar low-end punch as a Mahogany.

which one should I get?

1) A SL2HT which will probably cost me around $1800 + 3 to 6 month wait. I want a trans black option only. But I am sceptical about the alder thingy.

2) A SLSMG which has everything that I want except it does not have the traditional Jackson pointed headstock which totally sucks! But because of its all mahogany will it give me a better metal sound?

3) A used SLATQH for $1500 but not in transparent black? There are many posts on this website about the SLATQH but are they really that good? I dont want to pay $1000+ for a used guitar when I can get a good import (SLSMG) for under $1000.

thanks!

[MountainDog]

Welcome to the board!
I have an SL2HT and a SLSMG. If you have the money, go for SL2HT or SLATQH. Paying $1000+ for a good used USA guitar is better than paying just under $1000 for the SLSMG. The SL2/SLA used in great condition is gonna be around the $1500 you mention. The SLS has gone for as low at $500-600 on ebay used (the only ones on ebay are new w/o case for $832 & $1080). The quality and feel and sound of the SL2/SLA will make you much happier, for years to come.

Check out how these owners feel:

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43321&highlight=sl2ht

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51178&highlight=sl2ht

I think the EMG-HZ pickups negate any benefit of the mahogany body on he SLSMG. Don't worry about the alder body on the Jackson, they sound great for metal. My recommendation is to go for that used SLAQTH.

[spencer4hire]

I have a Trans Black SLATQH and Red flame top SLSMG and a Cabo Blue SLS.
They are all excellent guitars. I am sure that the SL2HT is also. My SLSMG plays and sounds as good (even with the HZ's) as my USA's. In the end you would not go wrong with any of these. BTW Piney Hills Music, one of the JCF dealers has a heck of a price on some EDS SLSMG's.Check it out.

[emperor_black]

^ Thanks for the welcome! I have also been favouring the SLATQH but how valuable is it really? i know that its discontinued and that those specs are available only in the custom shop but at the end of the day is it a good investment? The owner of the guitar says that he/she is finding it hard to get $1500 for that guitar.

I read somewhere that there were only 60 SLATQH's made before they were discontinued. Is that true? How heavy is the SLATQH compared to the SL2HT?

thanks

[sakeido]

I have a new SLSMG with EMG active pickups, and it sounds and plays amazing. A friend of mine has a SL1HT I think it is and while it feels a little better, I couldn't warrant paying out the ass for one or waiting for one, either. The SL1 is great, but it is not worth the extra coin in my opinion.

Then again I am a college student, so my idea of a fair price may be different then yours.

[MountainDog]

^ but at the end of the day is it a good investment?

Don't decide based on 'investment'. There's some recent threads about buying for 'investment' vs. buying what meets your desires and makes you want to play it. The SLATQM is USA and is made in lower quantities, so 10 years from now it should bring more $ than the Japan SLS, but don't make decisions based on that.

If your ultimate dream is SL2HT or SLATQM in trans black, then maybe get a SLSMG for the lowest price you can and play that until the day your dream guitar gets listed for sale somewhere. The thing with waiting is that when that day arrives, you/your wife might not have that $1500 readily available. If my significant other was offering $1500 now...I'd take the offer vs. hoping the offer exists out in the future!

[emperor_black]

I have a new SLSMG with EMG active pickups, and it sounds and plays amazing. A friend of mine has a SL1HT I think it is and while it feels a little better, I couldn't warrant paying out the ass for one or waiting for one, either. The SL1 is great, but it is not worth the extra coin in my opinion.

Then again I am a college student, so my idea of a fair price may be different then yours.

if the tone you are after is at hand, I guess price/name does not matter. However, did you notice any difference in the tone between the all mahogany SLSMG and the alder SL1HT? I expect a darker/brighter tone difference. But some on the UG forum have said that the EMG's have such a high output that sometimes it "colors" the wood's actual tone. So, a EMG equipped guitar will sound like an EMG equipped guitar, no matter if its alder or mahogany. I have not explored the "active pickups" territory yet so cannot confirm the allegations.

[ken]

Welcome Emporer Black,

Just a few facts that may / may not effect your decision. The SLATQH body is made of mahogany, not alder. These are from the old spec sheet: Body - Mahogany with 3/4" Quilt Maple Top; Neck - Neck-Thru-Body Quartersawn Mahogany. The later SLATQH has a 22 fret neck, rather than 24 as on the SLSMG. The SLATQH is also quite a lot thicker/heavier.

IMHO, buying an SLATQH is a lust thing. They sound great, but then again I've never played a Jackson in the price range you're talking about that didn't. They look amazing, have highly figured maple tops, expensive MOP tipped Q-Parts, etc. They're sort of precious, if you know what I mean? I couldn't imagine anyone jumping around on stage with one (although maybe someone does?). On a functional level, I wouldn't recommend you chase one until you feel an unreasonable urge to go buy one and be-damn the expense. Don't worry, GAS comes to us all!

When my brother-in-law wanted a guitar, having not played in a few years, I recommended the SLSMG. He got a new one at a local store in NY for cheaper than they appear on ebay. It's a great guitar and has all the features you'll ever need (assuming you don't want a Floyd), but probably not all the features you'll ever come to desire!

Before I bought the SLATQH, I wanted a fixed bridge, neck thru, 2 hum guitar. I thought of buying an SLSMG, but at the time you could only get them in Black, Satin Black or Red, unless you knew a dealer that had the limited edition trans. black and trans. red ones (it was only much later that the EDS ones cropped up). It wasn't, eh, interesting enough, so - for my sins - I bought a, ahem, Dean Vendetta 4.0. It's also mahogany, neck thru, fixed bridge, but has a lovely maple top and interesting fretboard inlay (the fretboard is rosewood, not ebony). It comes with, IMO, poor pickups, but it's damn cheap. The Dean gets as much play as the SLATQH, mainly 'cause I'm not worried I'll smack it into something!

Anyway, my final comment is that I also have an alder guitar. A KV2. I like the way it sounds best, but that's just an opinion/taste thing. Consequently, my current GAS involves alder guitars...

Good luck with your choice. And be sure to post pics of whatever you decide to get!

Ken

[tseegert]

Welcome

I'm gonna prop the SLSMG here. Never hada chance to play the others you mentioned, but I've not really had an urge to once I got my SLSMG home, and set up to my specs.

The pickups in the SLSMG are not bad at all (mine were the HZ's) but I still am a Duncan man thru and thru. With a Jazz in the neck and a JB in the bridge, this is all the guitar I could ever need. Plays wonderfully, sustain for days, very easy on the shoulder, and couldnt be more pretty.

Just my $.02

[emperor_black]

Thanks for the wonderful advice everyone. I think I will buy a SLSMG afterall. Might need some time to digest the fact that the Jackson guitar is not gonna have the usual Jackson pointed headstock.

[sakeido]

if the tone you are after is at hand, I guess price/name does not matter. However, did you notice any difference in the tone between the all mahogany SLSMG and the alder SL1HT? I expect a darker/brighter tone difference. But some on the UG forum have said that the EMG's have such a high output that sometimes it "colors" the wood's actual tone. So, a EMG equipped guitar will sound like an EMG equipped guitar, no matter if its alder or mahogany. I have not explored the "active pickups" territory yet so cannot confirm the allegations.

I haven't been able to A/B the SLSMG and the SL1HT but the sound was definitely different. The SLSMG like you said sounds like a guitar with EMGs, but I can notice a difference between it and the COW6 I used to have, which had a brighter sound even though it was all mahogany too. The SL1HT sounded great, definitely brighter, even though I usually dislike single coil pickups

[emperor_black]

Is the only difference between the older SLSMG with EMG-HZ and the latest '06 the Active EMG's? Because what i gathered so far is that the old ones are selling at dirt cheap just because everyone wants the new ones with the active pups. Someone on UG was blabbering that the old one is a set-neck and the 06 ones are neck-thru or something like that.

thanks

EDIT: Is it hard to get one in transparent black? Which SLSMG is the one that shines, satin black ? I sure dont want the dull black one.

[sakeido]

I'm pretty sure the old ones are neck-through too, for Jackson to call it a Soloist I believe it needs to be neck-thru otherwise its a dinky... and I don't believe they've ever made a set-neck guitar.

The new SLSMG with active pickups is not available in transparent black as far as I know. The one that shines is called simply black I believe. I have the "dull black one" that one is satin black. I like how it plays better then the shiny finish ones - the neck is faster since it is more slippery, more like an unfinished neck. Its also easier to keep it looking clean.

[Model 88]

I'm pretty sure the old ones are neck-through too, for Jackson to call it a Soloist I believe it needs to be neck-thru otherwise its a dinky... and I don't believe they've ever made a set-neck guitar.

Jackson did make a set neck guitar . The Charvel 750 XL , 1989 and the Jackson Archtop Soloist Pro 1990/91 . Both were Mahogany body body flame maple top , maple set neck with a 24.75 scale.The 750xl was rosewood board the AT ebony.

[bibz]

I love my slsmg to bits, it really is one of those 'wow' guitars. I've played a us sls and an sl2h, and the sls is the 'best' guitar I've ever played, quality and sound wise. But I'll take my slsmg over both of them, its the proper scale for starters, and even though I prefer the floyd, its the body style that makes it so great. Its a stealth soloist, and a mean shredder. The 3+3 suits it imo because it isnt just another soloist/jackson. That said I still havent got a standard jackson pointy. 2 rev's and smurf hat and a strat head. One day!

That said, theres something about the flametops. The standard black slsmg I've played (serial 050001) was awesome too, but just missed the x factor Ive found on mine. Every guitars different though!