Jackson has unveiled no less than eight variations of its classic high-performance S-style for signature artist Chris Broderick. The Pro Series Soloists are available in six and seven-string versions, with two finish choices, and hardtail and Floyd Rose-equipped models.
Available in Gloss Black or Trans Blue, the Pro Series Chris Broderick Signature Soloists all have neck-through builds, 25.5" scales, maple necks and arched-top mahogany bodies, and the trans finish models feature a most eye-popping poplar burl top – y'know, for when you're feeling fancy.
The former Nevermore and Megadeth guitarist has a set of direct-mounted custom humbuckers and an interesting control circuit that features volume and tone controls, a three-way pickups selector, plus a mini-toggle kill-switch, a push-pull coil-splitter on the volume control, and a push-pull bypass function on the tone control that takes it completely out of the circuit. Very cool.
The dimensions are, as you'd expect, shreddable, although it is interesting to see that, unlike other contemporary Jackson and Charvel guitars, there are not compound radius fingerboards here. It is 12” radius bound laurel fingerboards as standard, topped with 24 jumbo frets.
Other nice touches that are not necessarily performance enhancing yet nonetheless welcome are the colour-matched headstocks – always a treat – and Dunlop dual-locking strap buttons. The headstocks are the AT-1 3x3 and 3x4 arrow-head profiles, and they're razor sharp. You could hold up a liquor store with them.
If you go for the double-locking vibrato, you'll find a Floyd Rose Special right there by your picking hand, while the hard-tail models are equipped with Jackson's Single-String bridges, which rather than house saddles on part of a larger mass, use individual bridges for each string to improve intonation.
The Jackson Pro Series Chris Broderick Signature Soloists ship from September and are prices as follows:
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist 6, Gloss Black £889 / $999 / €999
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist 7, Gloss Black £1,069 / $1,099 / €1,199
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist 6P, Transparent Blue £1,159 / $1,199 / €1,299
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist 7P, Transparent Blue £1,249 / $1,299 / €1,399.00
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist HT6, Gloss Black £889 / $899 / €1,099
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist HT6P, Transparent Blue £1,069 / $1,099 / €1,199
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist HT7, Gloss Black £979 / $999 / €1,099
- Pro Series Signature Chris Broderick Soloist HT7P, Transparent Blue £1,159 / $1,199 / €1,299.00
See Jackson for more details.
