Re: Super Strats-Jackson SL3 vs SL2H
Funny you should ask. I own an SL3 and an SL2HT. A bit of a caveat: The SL2HT is the tune-o-matic model, not the Floyd. But I've played USA Soloists with Floyds.
The SL3 is a great guitar, no doubt about it. It's a good stopping point if you don't have the money to spend on an SL1 or SL2H. Mine is an older one from when the translucent finishes had chrome hardware, and the trem was a Jackson-branded low-profile Floyd-licensed piece. Now I think they use a Korean-made variant on the OFR. I took off the Jackson trem and put on a German OFR with a 32mm brass block from the Floyd Upgrades site.
It's kind of heavy, fairly meaty-sounding, and has a dark top end. It plays great; the neck shape is very comfortable for me, and I can play as fast on it as I've ever played on anything else. With the standard-issue Hot Rails neck & middle and the JB bridge, it's probably the most versatile guitar I own and definitely a favorite.
The SL2HT is a crunch machine. It's a different animal. Quarter-sawn neck, ebony board, real MOP inlays, cool binding, better fretwork, lighter, more responsive, more resonant. When I play stuff like what you hear on Megadeth's Rust in Peace, it's the one guitar I have that gives me that tone -- no excuses, no compromises. I've basically experienced the same thing with other USA Soloists -- SL1's and SL2H's with Floyds. Great, great guitars. One possible issue I've seen is that some of them, for whatever reason, don't have the strings properly centered between the edges of the fretboard. Without a bolt-on neck to adjust, I suspect that fixing such guitars may be a non-trivial matter. Barring that, I love the USA Jacksons.
The difference isn't worth missing a mortgage payment, though. If you can't spend the extra money, the SL3 is great. If you can spend it, check out the USA Soloists.
