Introduction, questions and NGD: 1998 Jackson Shannon Soloist

[TedintheShed]

Hi all!
New member here so I thought I'd introduce myself.


I've played bass for 34 years, so I am a child of 80's metal. My biggest influence is "The Big Four", with Metallica and Megadeth leading the charge and then later Pantera.


I recently started picking up guitar about 3 years ago. I started out with an Agile and a Krank Rev Jr. I ended up with a PRS and an Archon stack.


In my day, Jacksons were the dream guitar, the ultimate custom shop. Now that I'm older, my "1959 Les Paul" (holy grail) in an 80's Jackson Soloist. While I did not get one, I am pleased to say that I am now the proud owner of what I consider to me the next best thing: a 1998 Jackson Shannon Soloist.





So I've searched this forum and other places and was able to confirm the following about this guitar (please correct me if inaccurate):

Poplar body wings
Maple neck through design with a four degree neck angle
Older style Jackson heel.
Ebony neck Pearl Sharkfin inlays
Bound fret ends
25.5" scale
Non-recessed tremolo
Original Floyd Rose bridge
Duncan Pearly Gates/SSL5V/SSL5V

Limited to 50 in black?

Here is the confusing part: while the have a standard production serial number, the 1998 Jackson Catalog that is archived on Jackson's website say this:

"For 1998 we are offering a limited number of the early 80's version of this Jackson classic, via the Shannon Soloist. Mike Shannon has been with Jackson since the beginning and built the early guitars that are now widely sought by collectors. These will be hand built by Mike, individually numbered and have the same specs as the early models, i.e. non-recessed tremolo, bound fret ends and a a four degree neck angle."

What at question is the emboldened part: were the hand built by Mike? I know he has little to do with the paint process, so I know he's never built then from beginning to end. I just want to know if this is more of a tribute or if he had his hand in the build process.

Thanks,
Ted

[PowerTube]

Congrats on the score, but I have to ask the rest of you.... can you really feel a difference between the Shannon and a standard SL1?

[toejam]

Congrats on the score, but I have to ask the rest of you.... can you really feel a difference between the Shannon and a standard SL1?

Non-recessed trem and neck tilted back so it's more like a Les Paul in playability with your hand higher off the body. It's definitely a different feel than a standard SL1.

[Number Of The Priest]

Limited to 50 in black?

Nobody could ever confirm whether it was 50 or 52 in black. I'm probably the guiltiest party of perpetuating the "either 50 or 52 in black, nobody knows" myth that it has transcended into Shannon Soloist gospel until the precise number is proven conclusively. Either way, personally it hardly makes a difference to me.

What at question is the emboldened part: were the hand built by Mike? I know he has little to do with the paint process, so I know he's never built then from beginning to end. I just want to know if this is more of a tribute or if he had his hand in the build process.

I like to take this line at face value. I enjoy believing Mike was personally involved in as much of the process as possible, and prefer to trust what the catalog says until concretely proven otherwise (contradictory evidence of which, to my knowledge, has yet to materialize). I'm not complaining, but it would have been nice if the guitars were actually numbered by hand, as the catalog description envisioned.

A "tribute to Mike" makes little sense to me at an intuitive level, especially in 1998 when Mike was (and is) still at full capacity. AFTER Mike retires (let's hope not anytime soon, long may he reign) and perhaps if/when his prodigy Joe Williams ascends to the throne, PERHAPS a limited run of guitars to pay "tribute to Mike" led by Joe makes more sense.

I am religiously fanatical. Don't shatter my fragile beliefs.

Hard to believe it's now 2018 and these guitars are 20 years old. Mine has been my main guitar since receiving it in 2004 and it's still in the same condition as day one. Yours looks very clean too! Congrats!

You mentioned the Shannon Soloist as the "next best thing" to an 80s Soloist. If you're interested, there are a few other modern-made, retro-flavored Soloists available: https://www.jcfonline.com/threads/15...ist-any-others I feel compelled to collect them all.

Congrats on the score, but I have to ask the rest of you.... can you really feel a difference between the Shannon and a standard SL1?

I actually have more guitars with low bridges and zero neck angles (v-trems and recessed double-locking trems) than I do guitars with high bridges and angled necks (TOMs and non-recessed OFRs). I can switch back and forth easily, but I prefer the high bridges and angled necks as I feel like I don't need to hug my picking hand around the face of the guitar as much as I do with low bridges. Also, a higher bridge means my picking hand sails over a closely-positioned volume knob, so I never accidentally bump into it when playing, rendering knob placement less important.

I playfully blame Steve Vai for the proliferation of Floyd-equipped guitars recessed into the body paired with deep routes. As a former Jackson/Charvel player, he apparently stuck foam or some sort of pad on the face of the guitar to elevate his picking hand closer to the high bridge. His solution was to recess the bridge into the body so his hand would rest on the body proper, and remove wood from under the bridge to preserve pull-up range. I feel like high bridges with no routes would still be offered more at least by Jackson, like the good old days, if Steve's influence didn't go viral across manufacturers. Now, recessed Floyds with deep routes is the "standard" configuration, much to my personal chagrin, since I prefer my picking hand higher up as described in the previous paragraph. Thanks, Steve.

[PowerTube]

Okay, I get the thing about the recessed vs non-recessed trem, but I'm talking about the overall build quality and feel. In short, what is the "magic" about a Shannon as opposed to another Jackson USA that's set up the exact same way?

[TedintheShed]

UPDATE:
I send an e-mailed to Jackson requesting more information about the guitar, and I got this response:

Carlos Hernandez (Fender)

Nov 21, 12:17 MST

Hey Ted,
I was not able to find any information for serial number "Uoxxxx". We only have information for guitars manufactured after 2002 when FMIC acquired Jackson. So probably reason why there is no info for it if it was made in 1998. Thanks for reaching out.

Regards,

Carlos Hernandez - Representative,
Consumer Relations /U.S. Direct Sales
Fender Musical Instruments Corp.

So I responded with this:

Thank you Carlos,
I've researched the guitar and have found out quite a bit of information on it. On your website, the 1998 archived Jackson catalog states:

"For 1998 we are offering a limited number of the early 80's version of this Jackson classic, via the Shannon Soloist. Mike Shannon has been with Jackson since the beginning and built the early guitars that are now widely sought by collectors. These will be hand built by Mike, individually numbered and have the same specs as the early models, i.e. non-recessed tremolo, bound fret ends and a a four degree neck angle."

My question that is there any way someone could send an em-mail to Mr. Shannon to confirm if this was the case with the Shannon soloist? The reason I ask is because the serial number is a "production" serial number and there is a lot of conflicting information.

Anyways, I love the guitar- I've wanted a USA made Jackson for 30 years.

Thanks,
Ted

So we'll see if we can get confirmation.

[TedintheShed]

I got response for my previous emain:

Carlos Hernandez (Fender)

Nov 29, 06:30 MST

Hey Ted,
You're welcome. Sorry wish I could give you more info but we are limited to models manufactured after the year 2002.

Regards,
Carlos Hernandez - Representative,
Consumer Relations /U.S. Direct Sales
Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
17600 N. Perimeter Drive, Suite 100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Telephone: 480-845-5135
Fax: 480-367-5262

So, if I read this right, They aren't allowed to talk about Jacksons "manufactured after the year 2002"?

I think FMIC is a bust and it is unlikely that I will be able to get the contact information for Mr. Shannon, so I may try to contact Grover Jackson's company.

[toejam]

They bought Jackson in 2002 and don't "know" anything about what happened before that. So they claim.

[Number Of The Priest]

So, if I read this right, They aren't allowed to talk about Jacksons "manufactured after the year 2002"?

2002 is when Fender purchased Jackson, so they won't help you for anything pre-2002.

I think FMIC is a bust and it is unlikely that I will be able to get the contact information for Mr. Shannon, so I may try to contact Grover Jackson's company.

Grover sold Jackson in 1989 and exited the company in 1990. I doubt he would be able to answer a question about a Mike Shannon guitar series from 1998.

[saffamarkus]

There are a few guys from the CS on Instagram.

RedDave, Mike Shannon, Joe Williams etc. Perhaps you can message them there?

[thenine]

I have one also. Its a killer guitar. I have a slime green and I love it - except the Pearly Gates! Why oh why was that pup used? Ive heard rumors it was a pissing contest and someone named Don ? won the battle so a PG was used instead of a JB. Whats the story?

[DonP]

Wasn't me. I've never had a Pearly Gates.

[Number Of The Priest]

Donnie Wade from Jackson.

[Axewielder]

I've tried the PG as both a neck and bridge pup. They are fabulous in the neck but too weak for the bridge.

[roodyrocker]

I have one also. Its a killer guitar. I have a slime green and I love it - except the Pearly Gates! Why oh why was that pup used? Ive heard rumors it was a pissing contest and someone named Don ? won the battle so a PG was used instead of a JB. Whats the story?

I also have one of the Slime Green ones as well as a BGF. The Pearly Gates sucks in the bridge position. It works well in the neck position though.