Show Full Spec Comparison
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X | Solar AB1.6TBS | |
---|---|---|
General | ||
Brand: | Jackson | Solar |
Year: | 2024 | 2022 |
Configuration: | HH | HSS |
Strings: | 6 | 6 |
Made in: | China | Indonesia |
Series: | JS | Type AB |
Colors: | Black, Blue, Green, Red | Sunburst Burst Matte |
Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
Body | ||
Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
Body Material: | Poplar | Alder |
Bridge: | 6-Saddle String-Through-Body Hardtail With Block Saddles | Evertune F-Type |
Neck | ||
Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | Bolt-On |
Tuners: | Jackson Sealed Die-Cast | Solar 18:1 Locking Type |
Fretboard: | Amaranth | Roasted Maple |
Neck Material: | Maple | Roasted Maple |
Decoration: | Pearloid Sharkfin | Solar Logo on 12th Fret |
Scale Size: | 22.5" | 25.5" |
Shape: | Speed | Solar C Shape |
Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.775'' (19.7mm) - 12th Fret: 0.835'' (21.2mm) | 1st Fret: 0.787'' (20mm) - 12th Fret: 0.866'' (22mm) |
Frets: | 24 Jumbo Nickel Silver | 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel |
Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 13.78" |
Nut: | Plastic | Graphite |
Nut Width: | 41.3mm (1.625'') | 43mm (1.693'') |
Electronics | ||
Bridge Pickups: | Jackson High-Output Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) | Duncan Solar/Bridge (Humbucker / Passive) |
Middle Pickup: | Duncan Solar Stacked Single Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | |
Neck Pickup: | Jackson High-Output Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) | Duncan Solar Stacked Single Coil (Single Coil / Passive) |
Switch: | 3 Way | 5 Way |
Knobs: | Speed | Dome |
Pickup Mods: | None | Parallel Split |
Volume Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Tone Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Hardware | ||
Strap Lock: | No | No |
Hardware Color: | Black | Black |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X over Solar AB1.6TBS
Reasons to Get
Solar AB1.6TBS over Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X
Other Key Differences
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X vs Solar AB1.6TBS
Shared Features
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X vs Solar AB1.6TBS
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Frets
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Weight Relief
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Strap Lock
- Expensive Wood
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Solar AB1.6TBS favors large hands more than the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X:
Solar AB1.6TBS:
Beginner Friendliness
The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Solar AB1.6TBS meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Solar AB1.6TBS- Comfortable shape
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Easy-to-use bridge
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Purpleheart (also known as Amaranth) is a hard, dense wood with a brilliant tone. As its name suggests, the purple color makes this wood look exotic.
Poplar is a cheaper and heavier alternative to Alder wood. It terms of tone, it emphasizes the low-end and has cutting mids. It's relatively soft compared to most body woods. Find out more about Poplar.
Woods Used in the Solar AB1.6TBS
Roasted Maple is just maple without a finish. It's technically cheaper than regular maple, but it doesn't have any extra disadvantages because of this. The color is darker, and it's lighter weight and very stable even when there's a lot of humidity.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X has an HH configuration while the Solar AB1.6TBS has HSS pickups.
Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
On the other hand, HSS provides a great balance if you like to play with a lot of distortion, but also love to use clean tones. You'll get a lot of output at the bridge position, but you'll be able to play bright clean tones at the other positions.
Pickups Quality
The Solar AB1.6TBS pickups from a more specialized brand than the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Hard Rock and similar genres.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Solar AB1.6TBS gives you 5 switch options while the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X gives you 3. This means that the Solar AB1.6TBS gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Solar AB1.6TBS comes with some kind of pickup modification: Parallel Split.
The Parallel Split feature allows it to split and connect some of the pickups in parallel. When wired in parallel, the result is a very bright tone. This is the wire technique used in most Stratocaster guitars, and it's what gives them their signature transparent and clear sound. This is because the pickups' inputs and outputs are wired together, which reduces the signal's travel distance to the output jack.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X compares to the Solar AB1.6TBS.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X is built in China while the Solar AB1.6TBS is made in Indonesia.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Solar AB1.6TBS comes with a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
In this comparison, the Solar AB1.6TBS is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Solar AB1.6TBS's is a Evertune. It will keep your guitar in tune and intonated until the next string swap. If you really like extremely subtle vibratos, this might not be the bridge for you because you won't be able to perform them as well. However, the fact that you won't need to tune your guitar is a huge advantage that many people will gladly pay the extra price for.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS.
Tuners
The Solar AB1.6TBS has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Winner: Solar AB1.6TBS.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Solar AB1.6TBS
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Top Brand Pickups
- Parallel Split Pickups
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Solar AB1.6TBS has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 1.7mm (0.068'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Solar AB1.6TBS, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Solar AB1.6TBS has the longest scale: 25.5". The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X is only 22.5" long. This is a 3'' (76.2mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X has a D type of neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
The Solar AB1.6TBS, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Solar AB1.6TBS's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Solar AB1.6TBS.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Fret Size
The Solar AB1.6TBS has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X's Jumbo frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.