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Pros:
- Good Sound
- Affordable
Cons:
- Maple Top
The fact that there are so many affordable guitars out there is a good thing. With variety comes flexibility of choice and price. Sometimes among these choices, there will be guitars that are not up to par in terms of quality, but among all this noise there will sometimes appear instruments that are worth way more than their price. Let us take a look at the Jackson SLATHXMGQ3-6 Soloist and see what makes it one of the guitars worth more than they are sold for.
Body Quality
Let’s get right down to the most noticeable part of the guitar: design and color. The guitar is an interesting combination of features that results in an amiable look. The guitar is a double cutaway, which gives it a look similar to the traditional strats. A good thing, always, even if we do have too many strat wannabes already. The top of the guitar is made of quilted maple, which adds a little bit of a wild color/grain pattern to the front of the guitar. The coloring of the guitar is not wild, but is rather handsome and enjoyable. A nice-looking guitar overall.
The body of the guitar is made out of a combination of basswood and maple. Basswood provides the lightweight and the depth of tone that so many affordable guitars love to get from the hardwood. Basswood is known to provide a warmer, deeper tone for guitars, which is always appreciated by the players. The top wood of the guitar is made out of quilted maple which is not the best choice for sound but is definitely nice for design and sturdiness. Basswood is after all known for being a rather soft tonewood that dents easy. Adding a layer of maple allows the player to be sure that the guitar will remain undamaged for long periods of time.
The neck of the guitar is constructed out of maple adding a little bit of graphite for the reinforcement of the wood. Many of you already know that maple is known to be a rather sturdy, if a little heavy, hardwood. This means the neck will not be taking much damage over the years. Yet the manufacturer decided to add a little extra reinforcement with the help of graphite. This makes the neck of the guitar extremely sturdy and able to take most types of abuse with ease. The joint is neck through, meaning no bolts to annoy you while playing. The fretboard of the guitar is made of rosewood, which, at this point, is traditional among guitars.
Hardware
The bridge of the guitar is the Jackson HT6 6-String Hardtail. This fixed bridge allows the guitar a great string stability that can always be appreciated. The rise of the bridge also allows the player to get some nice action out of the guitar as well.
The nut of the guitar is made out of black plastic. This material is not known for its high quality, but does its job well enough on this guitar. The string buzz is almost non-existent and the harmony of the strings is undisturbed.
The tuning machine is slightly better than average. This means that the guitar does not go out of tune easily, whether you are playing it daily or are keeping it in the closet for a while.
Electronics
The guitar is equipped with two powerful EMG pickups. The EMG-85 at the neck of the guitar and the EMG 81 at the bridge of the guitar. This powerful double humbucker combination results in a guitar with a great, detailed sound from the first time you pick it up. The pickups are passive.
The guitar has a fairly simple set of controls with two knobs, one for volume the other for tone. The guitar also has a lever to control the pickup configuration.
Jackson Soloist Sound
The guitar has a rather powerful sound. The look of the guitar implies that it was made for rock and roll, but the sound implies that it was made for metal just as well. Powerful, loud, and ambitious, this guitar is a lot of fun to take to its fullest potential.
Conclusion
This is definitely an adequate guitar for the price it is being offered at. A powerful sound and a great look guarantee that it will be the favorite of a lot of affordable guitar lovers.
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