Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT - Overview and Best Prices

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Review
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  • 3 Prices - New from $2,499.98 >
  • From Jackson's 2024 American series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • Maple neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: EMG 81 (Humbucker/Active)
  • Neck pickup: EMG 85 (Humbucker/Active)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Hipshot 6 Fixed .175 bridge
  • Jackson Standard Neck-Through neck
  • 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
  • Gotoh MG-T Locking tuners
  • Weight between 7.375lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.625lbs (3.5kgs)
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Specifications
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT
General
Brand: Jackson
Year: 2024
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: United States
Series: American
Colors: Black, Green
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Alder
Bridge: Hipshot 6 Fixed .175
Neck
Neck Joint: Neck-Through
Tuners: Gotoh MG-T Locking
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Maple
Decoration: Inverted Mother of Pearl Sharkfin
Scale Size: 25.5"
Shape: Jackson Standard
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.85'' (21.6mm)
Frets: 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 12" to 16"
Nut: Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: EMG 81 (Humbucker / Active)
Neck Pickup: EMG 85 (Humbucker / Active)
Switch: 3
Knobs: Dome
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: Yes
Hardware Color: Black
Show Diagram
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's switch options

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 78
Sound 79
Build quality 89
Value for money 72
Overall Score 82
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Neck-Through Build
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Strap Lock
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Tremolo
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $3900, which means that the Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT is around 36% cheaper than the competition. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in United States.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Often Compared With

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

Videos

Unleashing the All-New American Series Soloist SL2MG and SL2HTMG Guitars | Jackson American Series
Jackson USA soloist

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT weighs between 7.375lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.625lbs (3.5kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's 25.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Scale Length Comparison
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the same scale length used in Stratocaster guitars, and it's one of the main reasons they have such a bright sound. It's considered a long scale when compared to most non-baritone guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, you'll need to give the strings more tension to get them in tune. This higher tension will allow for a couple of things. First, you can get a lower action (get the strings closer to the fretboard) because the strings won't 'wiggle' too much when pluck and won't cause fret buzz. This can allow you to use lower tunings without increasing your string gauge, and it will make it easier to press down the strings fast.

However, the frets will also have a wider separation between each other, which can make it harder to play, especially if you got small hands. The higher tension will also make the strings feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Neck Profile
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's neck thickness is approximately 0.79'' (20.1mm) at the first fret, and 0.85'' (21.6mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Jackson website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a D type neck. It's similar to a C shape, and it's one of the most common shapes right now. It's a bit flatter and thinner, even though sometimes it has a bit more shoulders. It's a fast type of neck that is comfortable, and shredders love it.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Fretboard Compound Radius
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's Compound Fretboard Radius

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT has a compound fingerboard radius of 12" to 16".

A compound radius is the best you can get because you'll get the best of both worlds. It starts curved at the nut, but it flattens as you get closer to the body. This means that you'll get great comfortability for chords on the first few frets, but also a flatter fretboard for playing solos without problems on the higher frets.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Nut Width
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Nut Width

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT has a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.

Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret guitar, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret guitar.

Finally, these are stainless steel frets. They're the best fretwire available. This means you won't need to change your frets since they should last as long as your guitar. Some people also feel easier bendings after swapping to stainless steel.

More with stainless steel frets:

Fret Size

Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT Fret Size Comparison
Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's frets are Jumbo size. This is a tall fret size that is becoming increasingly popular because it makes it easier to press down the strings cleanly. With this fret size, you won't feel the fretboard when playing, so if you press down too hard, you will get the notes out of pitch. However, this is something you can overcome by getting used to the taller size.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 100
Playability 78

Tone

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Alder Body: This is a lightweight type of wood that was popularized by Fender. According to them, it's a wood that offers a balanced tone but that favors the upper midrange slightly.

Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

More made with the same wood:

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: EMG. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are active pickups, so you can expect a lot of output with a highly compressed signal that will give your tones more distortion while retaining a clear, defined sound, which is what many Heavy Metal players need. However, they have the disadvantage of sometimes lacking a fully clean sound when playing without distortion.

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
EMG 81 Bridge Pickup
EMG 85 Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
EMG 81 Bridge Pickup
EMG 85 Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
EMG 81 Bridge Pickup
EMG 85 Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
EMG 81 Bridge Pickup
EMG 81 Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
EMG 81 Bridge Pickup
EMG 81 Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Active pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Heavy Metal or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 95
Sustain 90
Versatility 49
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 79

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT is made in United States. Guitars made in the USA have the reputation of being the best instruments you can get. This statement isn't as accurate as a few years ago, but you should still expect top-quality from a guitar made in this country.

Bridge

Hipshot 6 Fixed .175: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

More with the same type of bridge:

Tuners

The Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT comes with locking tuners, which helps with tuning stability and makes changing strings a lot faster and easier. As long as they're high quality, these are the best tuning machines you can have. The only disadvantage is that they are a bit heavier than normal tuners.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Jackson American Series Soloist SL2MG HT has a Ivory Tusq nut. This material is made to look, feel and sound like Ivory. It's made of organic polymers and doesn't contain oil or animal products. This is probably the highest quality nut you can get, so you can expect good tune stability and more clear tones when playing open strings. Most people seem to agree that it looks nicer than any plastic and even some bone nuts.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Neck-Through neck joint. Many people believe a neck-through build delivers the best sustain because some of the vibrations from the neck aren't lost like with other neck joints. However, no one has been able to prove this. What we know is that a neck-through build is usually the most comfortable when playing the upper frets because there's nothing on your way at the neck-body joint.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 81
Features 90
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 89