USA Soloist sounds a little weak

[warlok]

Glad you got it worked out!

Reason I mentioned the .047 cap is that's what most SD wiring diagrams have on them. That's why I used them often. I've switched to .022 now and happy. Assumed that was what Jackson used cause of the SD diagrams. Good to know..

[HOTRIFF]

I also have a SL1 (´96 model with poplar body) and I´ve replaced the JB with a TB-5 Custom which sounds much better in my opinion.
The Tonezone & Pearly Gates didn´t work for me in this guitar.The JB sounds great in my JRS-1 which is bolt on.

[veniculum]

Well...the verdict was out... when not comparing to other guitars. But I did pull out my Suhr (also loaded with EMGs, similar body shape, woods, etc - although, it's a bolt on...not neck through), and it sounds better than this SL2H. For whatever reasons, the bottom notes/strings just don't 'bounce' out as much...they're somewhat muted compared to the Suhr... This, of course, could be the difference between the bolt-on vs. the neck through. Personally, I've always preferred bolt-ons because they are a bit brighter...but the difference between these guitars is substantial.

The SL2 sounds better than it did with the stock JB.... But i have to say...it still doesn't have the 'balls' that a lot of my other guitars have at the same (low) volume with the same amount of gain, etc. This is somewhat frustrating because it's more money spent...and I don't think i'm going to get much more output than an active EMG...which leaves me to consider that there may be something about this guitar itself that just doesn't have the tone I'm looking for. Strange when you consider it's acoustic quality...as I mentioned, it sounds beautiful unplugged.
Not sure what else to look at. I may have to just reserve this instrument for when I actually do plug in and turn it up. At that level, I'm sure it will sound very nice. But the way I normally play, I have become very picky...low volume though headphones is tough...I hear everything..all the subtle differences in tone get really exaggerated at this level.
At this point, there's not much else to change. The pickups and pots were all swapped..and while they sound much better than before...it's still not up to my standards. It's been a while since a string change...so maybe I'll try that. Also, I've been playing 9's on this guitar...perhaps I'll swap out for hybrid 9-46s. The last thing I was thinking about was maybe looking at Floydupgrades.com. I like the trem block replacements..the brass ones sounded pretty good in my Charvels. I hate to drop a couple hundred bucks on titanium blocks/saddles. But it's almost worth it for this guitar.
As you can see...I'm really interested in getting this guitar right. I really have an affection for this one over just about anything else that I own. Perhaps because I wanted a USA soloist since I was 16 years old playing in my first band. I dig the somewhat retro 80s thing with this guitar as well. It just suits me perfect...so eventually i will make this thing sing. For now, it's not bad....but it's still not what I was hoping for.

[j2379]

for the most part guitars werent designed to sound good thru tiny headphone speakers. at least i dont think so, even when i recorded a few times, guitars always sound like a crazed bee hive thru hedphones. try a set of 10's and raise the action a tad....

[veniculum]

I beg to differ...it all depends on the headphones...just like anything else, it depends on the quality of the headphones. I use a 200 dollar set of Bose earbuds, as well as a 300 dollar set of traditional Bose headphones...absolutely no outside noise with this set...In my experience, when using very high quality headphones, I actually prefer it to playing through an amp.

I am going to try the new strings...only problem is, I'm no guitar tech...heavier strings...even if it's just the bottom three will throw off my bridge...I really hate trying to dial in a Floyd...I'm just not good at it. But I will give it a go. QQuestion though....to adjust the action, with this particular guitar, do you recommend adjusting the neck itself...or is this done just by raising the bridge...sorry..I don't usually fix my own guitars...and I've never worked on a neck through...especially adjustment of the neck

Thanks again!

[Hellbat]

More people should pay attention to this. If the guitar is resonant acoustically, that's a great sign.

Sully

So true. I saw an interview with Gary Moore and the guy asked him what he looks for when picking a new guitar and he said he never plugs it in until he's played it unplugged to check the tone and most of all the sustain.

[Hellbat]

Try DR Tite-fit strings. The LT-9 set if you want 9-42's or the MT-10 set if you want 10-46. The have a really snappy/bright tone to them especially when new. They may wake things up a bit for you.

[veniculum]

Well..turns out I have a bigger problem (I think). My open (low) E string is buzzing. The rest of the strings are fine..and the low string is fine anywhere first fret and after. But open E is buzzing pretty bad. I tried to adjust the truss rod...loosening to try and raise the action a bit. But no matter how high I adjust it, the open string continues to buzz.
There was no problem before I had the pickups put in...and I'm sure my tech will be able to fix it...but he's not back till Monday, and I was kinda hoping to be able to change out the strings and play it this weekend.
Would any of you have any suggestions. I tried raising the low side of the bridge (raising the hex bolt holding the low end of the Floyd)...this made no difference. Then adjusting the truss also made no difference.
Once again, I'm not a tech...so perhaps I don't know what I'm doing. But I kinda figured that adjusting one of these would raise the string up enough to get rid of the buzz.
Any suggestions? Much appreciated!

[j2379]

if its only the open position its the nut not the frets or neck.

[Hellbat]

^^^ +1

Try cutting a little piece off a business card, fold it up and put it under the e string in the nut to raise the string up. See if that helps with the buzzing.

[petez0r]

i had this same problem in my beloved kv2, my rr1 has a great full tone with its jb, my kv2....thin and low volume output. i changed it to an 81-60 combo, and its been absolutely amazing since. i also had the tech upgrade all the wiring, he used this gold shielded stuff and put in a hotter pot and did some other stuff but i cant remember exactly what he did, i only know it was a magical change as i was about ready to get rid of the guitar if it didnt work which i didnt want to do since its the best player ive ever held in my hands.

[veniculum]

^^^ +1

Try cutting a little piece off a business card, fold it up and put it under the e string in the nut to raise the string up. See if that helps with the buzzing.

Interesting...I thought someone once told me that when a floyd nut was too low to put some kind of a shim under the nut itself...I was actually going to ask if that was what I should try and if so, what to use to put under the nut. That being said...it would certainly be easier to put a piece of a business card under just one string. Problem is...I went against my better judgment last night and started playing with the truss, adjusting the bridge...doing all this shit that I really have no business doing

So with that said, now the bottom three strings are buzzing...not just the bottom E string. I'll see if I can get it back to where it was...just the one string buzzing...if I can, I'm definitely going to try the business card thing you've suggested. Just to clarify...I'm just putting this under the string itself, right...not the whole nut?
Thanks for the tip!

[toejam]

Just to clarify...I'm just putting this under the string itself, right...not the whole nut?

No, you put the shim under the nut of that particular string, just a tiny piece of business card, tinfoil, whatever.

[jacksonkellyfreak]

check the wiring on your pickup. may need to reverse hot and ground leads. worked for me.

[MetalHeadMat]

If you get a chance could you take/upload some pics? I love trans blue finishes and would love to see another