Opinions on Indonesian Jackson SL3X Soloist?

[Number Of The Priest]

Did a search. Only three threads come up that mention "SL3X" but none of them are reviews:

http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/148...highlight=sl3x
http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/148...highlight=sl3x
http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/148...highlight=sl3x

I understand why so few hits. The SL3X is new for 2016. Since we're two-thirds of the way through the year, who has owned/played one by now?

There's a slime green for sale locally for CAD$300 (USD$232), non-Jackson gigbag included. Having never owned/played an Indonesian Jackson, I cited my recent Japanese Jackson/Charvel purchases and I offered CAD$250 (USD$194). The seller countered with CAD$275 (USD$213).

I believe Cort makes Indonesian Jacksons, as seen in these serial number photos of an SL3X? The Ibanez RG Facebook group guys seem to like their Cort-made Indonesian Ibanezes, so that's slightly reassuring.







Thoughts and comments appreciated.

[rjohnstone]

The only one I've ever played was at a GC here in Phoenix.
Things to note, it felt cheap. At 10 feet, it looked decent.
In the hand, the inlays looked like cheap white plastic and felt like it too.
The binding is VERY WHITE. It was already dirty looking from being a wall guitar and used a bit.
There were some blemishes in the paint work around the fret board as well.
Fret work was Ok, but something that could be improved with a proper fret dress.

As for how it played, pretty decent. The one I played needed a setup, but wasn't horrible.
I'd grab one if the price was right and ditch the Duncan Designed pickups.
The Floyd Rose Special is what it is.

[Number Of The Priest]

Super useful, thank you! I'll keep these things in mind when I see the guitar tonight. After my recent lemon purchase (http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/150...er-cheap-deal)) I need start scrutinizing purchases more closely again!

[Force]

I got to spend some time last year with an SLX which is essentially the same, that was phenomenal. Not a flaw anywhere, played like butter, even the DD pups sounded great.

It is what it is, a made in Indonesia guitar, qc not the best,, you might get firewood, you might get a keeper.

[Sukkoi19]

I work at Guitar Center and have handled a few. They feel cheap and the pickups sound weak. I spent some time on one and set it up. It was ok. If you hunt around usually you can pick the Seymour Duncan\FRT 2000 equipped Japanese SL3 for about the same price used as the new SL3X.

[Number Of The Priest]

OK, I bought the guitar with gigbag for CAD$275 (USD$213). This thing is dead mint, having only been purchased from a local music store on June 2 for over CAD$900 (I saw the receipt). I'm guessing factory setup and factory strings are still on it. Action is a little high but not difficult to play. This guitar should be easy to set up and refine.

Either I got a good one or this thing punches well above its weight class (ie - my purchase price). It's 1/4 the cost of my 1998 USA Shannon Soloist but definitely not 1/4 the guitar.

It's dark-sounding, very much like my Shannon. I have a bank of patches on my Boss GT-6 for the Shannon, and a bank of patches for my favorite bolt-on (Charvel Model 1C), and the SL3X sounded at home with the Shannon bank. Pickups are HOT, easily clipping my Model 1C bank.

The three-way blade switch is interesting considering it's a three pickup guitar. I expected a five-way.

This has the modern heelless heel, making upper fret access so easy. For the last twelve years, of all my guitars, my Shannon had the best upper fret access and that has the old-school heel. Bolt-ons, I have to really work to play the upper frets.

Given the neck specs don't explicitly say quartersawn maple, I suspect it's not. The website says, "1-Piece Maple Neck-Through-Body with Graphite Reinforcement and Scarf Joint". Compare with the description for the SL1: "Quartersawn Maple Neck-Through-Body with Scarf Joint".

One gripe I immediately found is that the high E string is slightly closer to the edge of the fretboard than the low E string. This is an easy fix on a bolt-on where you can just nudge the neck in the pocket. On a neck-thru, gotta live with it.

I'll need to get adjusted to the 2016 volume knob relocation. I'm someone who is accustomed to superstrats with the volume knob very close to the bridge pickup, which gives a larger distance between volume and tone knobs, allowing me to easily access the blade switch using my pinky. Now the volume knob is slightly in the way of the switch.

I haven't yet noticed any sharp fret ends or inconsistent frets.

For my first non-Japanese and non-American J/C, I really hope this is an example of a good Indonesian Jackson.

I'll get around to taking and sharing pics.

I was also fortunate to buy a used, but excellent condition, unlabeled TKL 8530 case (http://www.tkl.com/site_item_details...ic+Guitar+Case) for CAD$40 (USD$31) from a different nearby seller. The SL3X is right at home in it, minus slight shifting, which I'll pad with an old towel or something.

A good night for great buys here in town, proof that deals are out there if you're quick to act. (Both the guitar and the case were just listed today.)

[rjohnstone]

Nice!
Sounds like you got a good one.

[Mudlark]

I hear more good than bad about Indo models from owners online.

My understanding is the 'C' is for Cort, but I can't confirm. There've been Indo's with an S and a W, also.

[Grandturk]

I bought an SL2X or whatever and it was a phenomenal guitar. It made me want another soloist and I had to buy a custom shop usa model. It is nearly as good. Fit and finish was great. Parts were cheaper but that's to be expected. Only difference in feel was the slightly rougher gesture of the rosewood fretboard.

[Number Of The Priest]

Quick pics below. Just needs a little cleaning. You can see how the high E string is closer to the edge of the fretboard at the upper frets, but it's not too severe and I think I will adapt.

If someone had told an old version of me who only owned black guitars that I would one day own an obnoxious-colored guitar, that it would be a sub-$300 Soloist, and that it was actually good, I would have laughed in disbelief.

[Mudlark]

I like the volume placement on the recent models. My 2011 Dinky has the volume directly under the pickup, but I've completely adjusted to it now.

Wow, the string is perilously close...possibly too close for my clumsy hands.

[Number Of The Priest]

If the trem is non-recessed and very high off the body, I don't mind the volume knob being close to the bridge pickup. The bridge being so high makes less of the volume knob get in my way.

It's unusual for me to play multiple guitars in one evening but I did just that tonight. My USA So-Cal and Shannon Soloist sound alive and organic as usual. Switching to this SL3X, it was very evident that it sounded duller, more muffled, more bland, I dunno what to call it. The pickups are hot indeed, but they don't seem to have much personality.

It sounded fine when it was the only guitar I played the other night because I didn't play other guitars for comparison.

I know I'm comparing guitars with completely different specs, and I don't necessarily want all my guitars to sound alike (because what's the point?), but I was using identical patches on my processor for all three guitars and the SL3X shows its weakness. The bridge pickup is a Duncan Designed HB103, their version of the Duncan Distortion. I wonder if a real Duncan Distortion can wake up this guitar. Or, I can probably just dial in a ballsier bank of special patches just for this guitar.

[rjohnstone]

I pickup swap and maybe some decent pots should bring some life to it.
The guitar looks good... the inlays on yours look much better than the ones on the guitar I played at GC.

[lepard]

IC = Indonesia Cort
IW = Indonesia Wildwood

[Mudlark]

IS= probably Samick