The new Jackson American Series Soloist is definitely built for speed. It has the proprietary Speed Neck, a compound radius fretboard that goes from 12" to 16" as you climb the neck, and everything is kitted out with high-performance touches, from the Floyd Rose through the truss rod adjustment wheel.
But at heart it's a just a really good guitar, so we surprised two very different players to get their first reactions: Warforged's Max Damske, a bonafide metalhead, and Ariel Posen, the renowned roots guitarist.
What all does the reborn Soloist have? Its feature, according to Jackson, include:
- Speed Neck profile: A souped-up neck shape taken from classic Jackson Soloists.
- Compound radius fretboard: Starts at 12" at the nut and flattens to 16" at the 12th fret.
- Thru-neck construction: A defining feature of original Soloists, it's the backbone of the guitar, maximizing sustain and tonal variety.
- High-performance touches: Luminlay fretboard markers, Gotoh MG-T Locking Tuners, heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel.
- More features: Shark tooth inlays, Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 and SSL-6 pickups, and Floyd Rose 1500 bridge
Watch the full video above to hear how it sounds—whether your tastes lie in heavy riffs or fleet-fingered solos. And then buy your own right here on Reverb.