Jackson Soloist SLA 3 | Evaluate
MSRP: (UK) £1299 / (US) $1399

Nick Jennison opinions the Jackson Soloist SLA3. Constructed for pace and efficiency, this solid-body guitar options an alder physique with a through-body maple neck, offering distinctive maintain and stability. The ebony fingerboard, with its 24 jumbo frets and 12 “-16” compound radius, ensures quick, comfy playability. Geared up with a trio of high-output Jackson humbuckers, the Soloist SLA3 delivers highly effective, articulate tones suited to heavy rock and metallic. The Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system gives superior tuning stability and dynamic pitch management. The Jackson Soloist SLA3 is the right alternative for critical gamers.



Some guitars are delicate, understated designs that do not draw consideration to themselves. They’re visually inoffensive and match comfortably in any musical setting with no need to be the centre of consideration. The topic of this overview is about as distant from that because it’s attainable to get. It is an all-gold, Floyd-loaded shred machine that is actually known as a Soloist. That is the Lord Flashheart of guitars (youthful/non-British readers, google the title – you’ll not be disenchanted).

The guitar in query is the Jackson Soloist SLA3 from their Professional Plus sequence — a brand new line of guitars that supply absolutely the highest efficiency for comparatively reasonably priced costs due to East Asian development. The SLA3 Soloist sports activities all the basic options that outline this legendary mannequin, with no corners reduce and no shortcuts taken. And it is quick. Actually, actually quick.

Like all Soloists, it sports activities a neck-thru development with the addition of carbon fiber reinforcement for added stability, which means as soon as you have obtained your setup dialed in, it is staying put. That is essential for high-performance guitars, the place the distinction between “tremendous low motion” and “unplayable buzzy mess” is measured in fractions of a millimeter. Talking of low motion, it is comically low from the manufacturing facility, however there’s not a buzz or choke to be discovered. I did not have instruments with me to measure the exact peak, however the twelfth fret motion is nicely beneath 1mm on the treble facet. It is attainable to get the motion this low due to the stainless fretwork (chrome steel frets too, which suggests they’ll keep this fashion) and 12″ -16″ compound radius ebony fretboard. 16″ would possibly as nicely be flat so far as play really feel is anxious, however the 12″ radius within the decrease areas makes for extra comfy chord taking part in — and extra natural-feeling finger rolls throughout sweep-picked passages if that is your bag (and let’s be sincere, in case you’re taking a look at this guitar, it IS your bag).

Tones come within the type of a basic HSS set, with a Seymour Duncan Distortion within the bridge place and a pair of Flat Strat single coils within the center and neck. It is truly a surprisingly conservative set given how outrageous the remainder of this guitar is, however what you get is a gloriously juicy old-school shred tone within the bridge place, with the added versatility of a number of single-coil voices for extra considerate moments. The neck place will do all the pieces from Lukather to Malmsteen, whereas the break up positions 2 and 4 are perfect for “energy ballad” cleans and trendy fusion leads. It’s going to additionally do completely satisfactory funk and Texas blues tones, as long as everybody within the room closes their eyes.

The 1000 Collection Floyd Rose tremolo is a fully non-negotiable addition for a guitar of this type. It gives rock-solid tuning stability regardless of how loopy you get with the bar — and you will get fairly loopy. Harmonic squeals that can have the ghost of Dimebag smiling from metallic paradise, totally slack dives, motorcycle/spaceship/elephant noises, and much more delicate concepts like fake slide and delicate chord vibrato — this tremolo will go along with you wherever your creativeness does.

The Jackson Professional Plus Soloist SLA3 is a soloist within the truest sense — a no-compromise shred machine that heaps scorn on the shy and retiring with its daring tones and even bolder appears. It is a dragster in a world of household SUVs — an unapologetically outrageous guitar, and I find it irresistible.

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