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Just a recent observation for the non-experts:
I've owned probably a dozen USA Jacksons down through the decades, including a black and brass non-trem '84 Rhoads, a typical white '85 Soloist Custom, one of those round horn Y2KVs, and a late '80s arched-top Soloist, as well as a gaggle of '90s and '00s 'Select' series SL1 Soloists. For a long time I'd wanted specifically an SL2HT. The compound radius board with jumbo frets are simply as good as it gets for me. The SL1s I had were nice, but I'm a 2-hum kinda guy, and more importantly, now that I am reduced to periodic sofa playing, though the locking Floyds hold tune really well, I was ready to settle down for the stability of a hardtail. (I just didn't want a black one or a trans brown one.) I spent at least a couple years waiting for something to turn up that appealed to me, and just got one. I thought I'd researched these guitars online quite a bit, but as it turns out, I missed one big detail; I naively thought that the SL2 with Floyd and SL2HT were the same guitar, albeit with different bridge and nut. This is not strictly correct. Maybe this was true in the era before recessed locking trems, but in the 'Select' series era, the non-trem version has the neck set at an angle to the body, a la a Les Paul, or a decent (non-'70s) SG, while the recessed trem guitars have either a much shallower neck angle, or no neck angle at all (like a Strat). I assume that the 'Shannon' type Soloist also has a neck angle, and I think my old Kahler-equipped '85 also had a neck angle.
I don't think its a bad thing at all; just different that what I'd expected. I've read lots of posts down through the years considering a HT Soloist, I wanted to bring this issue up, as I only found a post about it after I bought mine. I know this is prolly old news to the long-time Jackson guys on here. For anyone doubting me, do a Google Image search of SL2s and you'll see that most have the flat profile chromed pickup rings (SL1s, too), while the SL2HTs almost always have raised profile rings. The only exception was that satin blue Custom Shop HT on eBay right now, it has flat rings, but boy there is a lot of the side of the white EMG showing.
I've owned probably a dozen USA Jacksons down through the decades, including a black and brass non-trem '84 Rhoads, a typical white '85 Soloist Custom, one of those round horn Y2KVs, and a late '80s arched-top Soloist, as well as a gaggle of '90s and '00s 'Select' series SL1 Soloists. For a long time I'd wanted specifically an SL2HT. The compound radius board with jumbo frets are simply as good as it gets for me. The SL1s I had were nice, but I'm a 2-hum kinda guy, and more importantly, now that I am reduced to periodic sofa playing, though the locking Floyds hold tune really well, I was ready to settle down for the stability of a hardtail. (I just didn't want a black one or a trans brown one.) I spent at least a couple years waiting for something to turn up that appealed to me, and just got one. I thought I'd researched these guitars online quite a bit, but as it turns out, I missed one big detail; I naively thought that the SL2 with Floyd and SL2HT were the same guitar, albeit with different bridge and nut. This is not strictly correct. Maybe this was true in the era before recessed locking trems, but in the 'Select' series era, the non-trem version has the neck set at an angle to the body, a la a Les Paul, or a decent (non-'70s) SG, while the recessed trem guitars have either a much shallower neck angle, or no neck angle at all (like a Strat). I assume that the 'Shannon' type Soloist also has a neck angle, and I think my old Kahler-equipped '85 also had a neck angle.
I don't think its a bad thing at all; just different that what I'd expected. I've read lots of posts down through the years considering a HT Soloist, I wanted to bring this issue up, as I only found a post about it after I bought mine. I know this is prolly old news to the long-time Jackson guys on here. For anyone doubting me, do a Google Image search of SL2s and you'll see that most have the flat profile chromed pickup rings (SL1s, too), while the SL2HTs almost always have raised profile rings. The only exception was that satin blue Custom Shop HT on eBay right now, it has flat rings, but boy there is a lot of the side of the white EMG showing.
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