Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

[Todd]

I considered getting a strat because I love the sound but do want to eliminate hum as well as increase tone from a thin sound to a more robust one, yet retain crisp on the bass and hot on treble. After looking around I loved the Jackson SL2 sound (JB-TB4 at trem - SH1n for mid & neck) but not the price. I looked at the SL3 (JB-TB4 trem) and decided this would do, but I don't know about the SHR101s for the mid and neck pups. I'm worried about to much booming drowning clarity in the bass and 3rd strings. Nobody seems to have this guitar so I can't hear it. I'd buy a strat, but loved the Jackson neck and trem. Can someone tell me if the SL3 is the right move, or should I look around at another guitar, or just buy it and consider changing these pups.

I play slow to moderate blues (bloomfield), country(clint black), and some (cris smither). Clean sound with even tone and volume balance across entire frequency range in each pup... little to no crunch

JACKSON SL3 - maple neck set into alder body with ebony fboard, tremolo bridge. JB-TB4 trem, SHR101 mid & neck pups.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

welcome to the forum!!


from that list of music i wouldnt put the sl3 in your top 3 guitars most wanted. if you kept the hr really low youll get a brighter pluckier tone, and i bet the combined tone is pretty nice too. i might look around a little more and try some other stuff and maybe youll find either a sl3 or something else that you really love.

what is a cris smither?

for a great clean tone a pair of ssl1's with either a seth or antiquity in the bridge would sound killer. a 59b would be a good, less expensive option

 

[Guitarist]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

For moderate blues I'd pick up the pricey SL2. With the JB and the 59, you can get a very wide palette of tonal options. Very pure and natural sounding pair. Both are very sensitive and seem to have a nice airy sound to them. I wouldn't like the HR in the SL3 for anything too calm, they seem to want dirt more than a groundhog.

Like Jeremy said, the SSL1's are very sweet SC's. You can test play those in a SL1. Very glassy and chimey with impeccable definition. That'd be a worty swap in a SL3 if you went that route.

Great blues sound - SL2 - flip to the neck pickup (being the SH1) and give it a little hair. Fat, warm, and purring. Very satisfying.

If money ain't a thang, cause you r0Ll like that, grab an SL1 or SL2 depending on what you want in the pickups. There's simply none other.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Only one thing to add...

.....Like Jeremy said, the SSL1's are very sweet SC's. You can test play those in a SL1. Very glassy and chimey with impeccable definition. That'd be a worty swap in a SL3 if you went that route......

Since 1995, Jackson SL-1s and DK-1s w/H-S-S Pup configs have been shipped with STK-S1 Classic Stacks instead of SSL-1s

 

[Sozos]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Try playing with that guitar at any Jackson dealer, although I don't think it is necessary, and you will see that this guitar is a far more sophisticated strat with warmer tone and higher output. It is the one you are looking for!!!

 

[Sozos]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Have you tried the SL1?

 

[Todd]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

I considered getting a strat because I love the sound but do want to eliminate hum as well as increase tone from a thin sound to a more robust one, yet retain crisp on the bass and hot on treble. After looking around I loved the Jackson SL2 sound (JB-TB4 at trem - SH1n for mid & neck) but not the price. I looked at the SL3 (JB-TB4 trem) and decided this would do, but I don't know about the SHR101s for the mid and neck pups. I'm worried about to much booming drowning clarity in the bass and 3rd strings. Nobody seems to have this guitar so I can't hear it. I'd buy a strat, but loved the Jackson neck and trem. Can someone tell me if the SL3 is the right move, or should I look around at another guitar, or just buy it and consider changing these pups.

I play slow to moderate blues (bloomfield), country(clint black), and some (cris smither). Clean sound with even tone and volume balance across entire frequency range in each pup... little to no crunch

JACKSON SL3 - maple neck set into alder body with ebony fboard, tremolo bridge. JB-TB4 trem, SHR101 mid & neck pups.

Chris smither, don't know where he's from but heard him in Wash D.C. and have CDs. He's a Travis picker playing blues on a "plugged in" ovation, foot tapping acoustic solo blues artist. Sort of folk blues but not Mississippi style. Hard to expain exactly! Playing his tunes thru an electric guitar with a band could sound a bit like clint black style country, sort of, maybe!

 

[Todd]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

For moderate blues I'd pick up the pricey SL2. With the JB and the 59, you can get a very wide palette of tonal options. Very pure and natural sounding pair. Both are very sensitive and seem to have a nice airy sound to them. I wouldn't like the HR in the SL3 for anything too calm, they seem to want dirt more than a groundhog.

Like Jeremy said, the SSL1's are very sweet SC's. You can test play those in a SL1. Very glassy and chimey with impeccable definition. That'd be a worty swap in a SL3 if you went that route.

Great blues sound - SL2 - flip to the neck pickup (being the SH1) and give it a little hair. Fat, warm, and purring. Very satisfying.

If money ain't a thang, cause you r0Ll like that, grab an SL1 or SL2 depending on what you want in the pickups. There's simply none other.

I had considered the SL3 with the idea of customizing the pups to something like a SSL1s, but then I'm nearing the price of SL1. I thought three pups would be more versitile to customize than the SL2. I still have to find an SL1 somewhere to hear. None in Wash D.C. yet.

 

[Todd]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Only one thing to add...



Since 1995, Jackson SL-1s and DK-1s w/H-S-S Pup configs have been shipped with STK-S1 Classic Stacks instead of SSL-1s

Whats the difference? Or do they sound generally the same?

 

[Todd]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Try playing with that guitar at any Jackson dealer, although I don't think it is necessary, and you will see that this guitar is a far more sophisticated strat with warmer tone and higher output. It is the one you are looking for!!!

Which guitar? The SL1 ,2,or 3

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Classic Stack: Noiseless, but a bit warmer and more "woody" sounding than the SSL-1
SSL-1: Classic single coil, think early strat.

And I think Sozos means the SL-1, which I can also recommend. I personally am always torn between the SL-1 and SL-2, because I also like both Hums and Single-coils in the neck. So I´m kind of screwed.

So I just buy Jacksons with both configurations :headbang:

BTW:The SL-3 has a rosewood fretboard, and AFAIK was never available with anything else. Unless they changed it to 1.1.05, and the current price list says they didn´t

 

[theodie]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

I had considered the SL3 with the idea of customizing the pups to something like a SSL1s, but then I'm nearing the price of SL1. I thought three pups would be more versitile to customize than the SL2. I still have to find an SL1 somewhere to hear. None in Wash D.C. yet.

Isnt Chuck Levins "Washington Music center" a Jackson dealer?
GC in Falls church had a SL-3 last time I was there.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Isnt Chuck Levins "Washington Music center" a Jackson dealer?

Prerequisite for a Jackson dealership (in my day) was 6 performers or better (Would equate to > 6 "X-series"), and AFAIK there was never a USA "requirement" and still isn´t

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

What does "6 performers or better" mean?

 

[theodie]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Prerequisite for a Jackson dealership (in my day) was 6 performers or better (Would equate to > 6 "X-series"), and AFAIK there was never a USA "requirement" and still isn´t

I have noticed most stores that stock Jacksons never seem to have any USA's

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

What does "6 performers or better" mean?

Read what´s in parentheses, look at www.jacksonguitars.com -> Gear , the rest should instantly be obvious

I have noticed most stores that stock Jacksons never seem to have any USA's

Yep. It sucks, because they´re one of THE Best USA Values around, even after last year´s 15% price increase. And Ironically, Jackson is currrently concentrating on the USA Line (Rightly so IMO), so most players will never see what´s going on....

 

[theodie]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

Yep. It sucks, because they´re one of THE Best USA Values around, even after last year´s 15% price increase. And Ironically, Jackson is currrently concentrating on the USA Line (Rightly so IMO), so most players will never see what´s going on....

It sucks a donkey D*-K!!!!!! Though I love Jackson, I am tired of just seeing the bottom of the barrell lines in stores!!!!

 

[Todd]

Re: Jackson SL3 vs. SL2

I have noticed most stores that stock Jacksons never seem to have any USA's

Yeah, Iv'e just found that out. If they don't have much around D.C. then I should imagine there are even fewer in Baltimore or surrounding citites.
Too bad.