Help me decide on a hardtail

[DirtbagMessiah]

I'm really psyched about being able to rejoin the Jackson community after being gone for so long. About 10 years ago I had a '93 MIJ Soloist that was my number 1 for about 4 years then I stopped playing metal and went to blues. Having been married now for 3 years, I've suddenly found the drive to get back into metal (funny how that works...) Anyway, I'm looking for a (used) simple import but no Floyd this time. Pickups aren't a concern, I'm already planning to put an EMG 81 in it. I'm also planning to use fat strings and low tunings. Here's what I'm looking at:

- DXMGT - seems adequate for the price, not too crazy about the 3+3 headstock, how well do these hold up? How fast is the rosewood fretboard?

- COW6 - like the ebony board, wish it had the sharkfins, sounds like it's very light and already has an 81, not crazy about the finish on the back of the neck.

I've seen other hardtails here and there, but honestly, I'm lost when it comes to the names that Jackson uses for it's import guitars these days so I have no idea what's good and what's not. I'd like to stay around $500 or less, but I'm willing to pay a little more if it's worth it, and paying less is always a good thing. Any help is appreciated.

[Rich#6]

check out the dkmgt and the dk2t too.

[KBRR]

Go with the slsmg, hard tail, neck thru, all mahogany and emgs. it also has an ebony board with shard tooth inlays , awesome guitar and you can find them pretty cheap used.

[RacerX]

KVX10 is the bolt-on King V, rosewood board with sharkies. I like mine.

[DirtbagMessiah]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Weren't there also a few hardtail Jackson Pro's that popped up in the late '90s?

[TVTiZtiK]

I'm gonna have to agree with KBRR; If you can go for the SLSMG. You can probably find one on eBay or craigslist for a decent price (although it'll be a bit more than what you were aiming for). It's probably the best bang for your buck.

[Sinistas]

I got my SLSMG for $400 w/case, so there are deals on them to be had.

[DonP]

Dude,

Just block the Floyd. Then if you decide you want it, it's already there. Then you can get the DXMG without the ugly headstock.

I also find my dual locking guitars stay in tune better than my fixed bridge, but I think it's because maple is a lot harder than mahogany.

[DirtbagMessiah]

The down side to the SLSMG is that it has a finished neck, which drives me nuts. I'm currently playing Music Man guitars (Axis and Silhouette), which have maple necks with a thin layer of gunstock oil and wax. It plays like there's nothing on the wood at all.

I'd rather stay away from Floyds if at all possible. It would have to be the deal of the century for me to pickup a Floyd-equipped guitar at this point.... IMO it's a waste if I have no plans for using it.

[Newc]

Best model you'll find for Blues and such IMO is the Dominion.

[TVTiZtiK]

Best model you'll find for Blues and such IMO is the Dominion.

I'll second that. The Dominion is probably the most versitle guitar in the pro series. I own one myself and love it.

[javert]

How about the fairly new SLS3?

[DirtbagMessiah]

I stopped by my local GC today to try out a couple, and I've decided not to go with a hardtail. The angle of the strings going over the body is too uncomfortable for me (strings were way too far away from the body @ the bridge pickup). I was also pretty surprised at the difference between the rosewood and ebony fingerboards, the ebony board on the SLSMG I played was very fast. The DK2 with maple board was pretty fast as well, but the one they had was pretty beat up.

So my search continues.... for a FR-equipped guitar with preferably an ebony (or maple) fingerboard. :think:

[blitz]

Take your time looking for your guitar if you jump on something too soon you will wind up not liking it. Take my RR3 for example I hated that damn thing and it wasnt what I was looking for so I traded it for a good amp I had been looking at.

[javert]

About the string height relative to the body, that depends on the type of bridge. It's true that the strings may be quite far from the body for TOM-like bridges, but that's not the case for other bridges, like the ones on USA SLS. I find that it takes takes some time to get used to a different string height, but it's not something that has a lasting impact, at least not for me.