Jackson SLAT3-7 vs J-Custom ?

[Ugg]

How does the alder body Jackson SLAT3-7 sound compared to a mahogany body J-Custom / Prestige?

I'm gassing for a new seven and the Jackson looks killer (except for the ginormous headstock ). However, I'm worried that the tone will be too bright for me. I currently play a Prestige RG7CT and an ESP LTD-MH307 and I love the tone I get from the mahogany/maple cap combination. In comparison, I have a Jackson SL2H w/ alder body and find it way too bright. Do the new Jackson 7's sound as bright as their 6's? Would I be better off saving for a J-Custom?

 

[paintkilz]

id rather go JCST...itll have a higher resale value most likely, plus i would prefer the way the neck on the JCST plays...

 

[jymellis]

if you like the mahogany maple cap you could get one of these

 

[AK DRAGON]

J Customs eat SLAT3-7's for lunch. Alder is very bright compared to Mahogany Save your dinar for another J Custom, your patience will be well rewarded.

 

[djpharoah]

if you like the mahogany maple cap you could get one of these

Sorry to burst your bubble but that's a paper thin maple veneer. That guitar is mahogany with this sheet of veneer for looks and affects your tone 0%.

J Customs eat SLAT3-7's for lunch. Alder is very bright compared to Mahogany Save your dinar for another J Custom, your patience will be well rewarded.

They are two different beasts and very different tonally. One is a mid range priced (upper end of that too) and one is a high end 7 string.

 

[guitarplayerone]

honestly i love my j custom but do wish every day that it was neckthrough. and please, lets not start all of those bolt-on vs neckthrough arguments, i'm pissed there are neckthrough j custom 6's but not 7's

if you are into the RG6CT, i imagine the j custom will be more or less a really super nice version of the same thing just with an extra string.

honestly i'd look into getting the RG7CT or 8527/8127 then, and sell the six lol.

the j customs certainly do feel like a super-deluxe version of the prestige series, though if i were to compare the build quality to lets say, a k7, etc, i don't see it as being thaaat much higher, if it makes sense.

the thing about j customs is if you can buy one at a decent price, if you don't like it, you should be able to sell it and not lose too much, or any money. if you buy a jackson SLAT 3-7 new, you'll definitely lose money on the resale.

i mean honestly dude, if you have an MH 307 already, i'd probably personally just stick an OFR into there, maybe with some piezo saddles (i know that they don't fit exactly, but he can go find out) and some awesome pickups. then get a fret job done to it.

also j customs, if you find one with the stock pu's, often have a tone zone 7 in the bridge, which doesn't sound like a tone zone 6, and needs to be replaced lololol


the j custom certainly does have some mojo though... idk

hope my post helped

 

[Ugg]

Good points all around. J-Custom is a better investment and I'm already familiar with the way they play and sound. It's just hard to come up with the premium they command.

@guitarplayerone: I have the RG7CT (7-string). Basically the same as your J-Custom, assuming yours is a 7. So, yea, I'm familiar (and love) the quality of these. I agree 100%, why can't Ibanez make a J-Custom neck-thru 7 string? I've been gassing for one of those forever.

My MH-307 received a re-fret last year and I've had EMG 707's in it since I bought it. Other than the Licensed Floyd (which I'm OK with), it's good to go. I thought about buying another MH-307, but IMO the neck profile on the Ibanez is much more comfortable.

Interesting point about the K7. Those have a mahogany body, don't they? If only they didn't have that ugly inlay. The 1527 is also tempting as a lower cost alternative, but I'm not a fan of basswood and I'm not sure if active pu's would fatten it up enough. As for the S series 7's, they're too thin for my tastes and they only have 22 frets.

 

[JaeSwift]

Slat3-7 being maple neck thru will be bright, no matter what body wings you use. However, balance that out with a warm pup and you'll have a warm,
punchy and cutting tone. Just dont throw a DiMarzio Evo in it

 

[metalmachine]

Good points all around. J-Custom is a better investment and I'm already familiar with the way they play and sound. It's just hard to come up with the premium they command.

@guitarplayerone: I have the RG7CT (7-string). Basically the same as your J-Custom, assuming yours is a 7. So, yea, I'm familiar (and love) the quality of these. I agree 100%, why can't Ibanez make a J-Custom neck-thru 7 string? I've been gassing for one of those forever.

My MH-307 received a re-fret last year and I've had EMG 707's in it since I bought it. Other than the Licensed Floyd (which I'm OK with), it's good to go. I thought about buying another MH-307, but IMO the neck profile on the Ibanez is much more comfortable.

Interesting point about the K7. Those have a mahogany body, don't they? If only they didn't have that ugly inlay. The 1527 is also tempting as a lower cost alternative, but I'm not a fan of basswood and I'm not sure if active pu's would fatten it up enough. As for the S series 7's, they're too thin for my tastes and they only have 22 frets.

I have the blackout neck model in my ibby 7620 (both positions) and it is thick as hell

 

[jymellis]

Sorry to burst your bubble but that's a paper thin maple veneer. That guitar is mahogany with this sheet of veneer for looks and affects your tone 0%.

string.

i have heard people say that before BUT. i also have the s7420 blackpearl. both have the same strings and pups. but the flame maple has a brighter sound. the black pearl has more of a growl and the high notes arent as defined as with the flame maple. not arguing with ya man. just stating a point i have noticed between the 2 guitars

 

[djpharoah]

i have heard people say that before BUT. i also have the s7420 blackpearl. both have the same strings and pups. but the flame maple has a brighter sound. the black pearl has more of a growl and the high notes arent as defined as with the flame maple. not arguing with ya man. just stating a point i have noticed between the 2 guitars

That's just probably the difference between the different cuts of "mahogany" used my friend

 

[BlindingLight7]

i have heard people say that before BUT. i also have the s7420 blackpearl. both have the same strings and pups. but the flame maple has a brighter sound. the black pearl has more of a growl and the high notes arent as defined as with the flame maple. not arguing with ya man. just stating a point i have noticed between the 2 guitars

Even the slightest peice of maple brightens a tone, I can vouch because I've owned a Maple veneer DK2 and played A black DK2(no top) and the Maple certainly adds to the tone, and cosmetics.

 

[Emperoff]

1) Buy the Jackson SLAT3-7
2) Buy EMG-style covers for 4$ and put a BKP Nailbomb or Warpig set on it
3) Profit

 

[jymellis]

That's just probably the difference between the different cuts of "mahogany" used my friend

\
didnt think of that

 

[Metal Ken]

If i were gonna spend about 2 grand on a guitar, i'd get a basic custom instead of the ibanez. If i were gonna spend around a grand, i'd get the SLAT.

 

[leonardo7]

Jackson SLAT3-7 vs J Custom?

Seriously in my opinion the only advantage of the Jackson is neck thru with EMGs whereas the advantage of the Ibanez is it has Mahogany instead of Alder and a maple top plus amazing quality. Those are the advantages for me from each side. I would definitely go with the Ibanez cause while I like neck through and EMGs, I just cant get along with Alder like I can with mahogany. For me the mahogany makes all the difference.

 

[Ugg]

Update: I found a killer deal on an older 1527 in Cosmic Blue that I couldn't pass up. I know it's not a J-Custom, but it will still have the familiar Ibanez feel that I like. (And I won't be completely broke, LOL.)

I'm planning on dropping in some active pu's and the routes are passive, so I'm thinking Phase 1 Blackouts. I've never played through them. How do they sound compared to EMG 707's?

Also, is it hard to get a good clean sound out of the Blackouts? I wish Duncan would add a single coil option like the EMG 707tw. Of course I could always put a passive in the neck and use a PA-2 booster to match the active bridge.

metalmachine, you mentioned using a neck Blackout in the bridge position. Does that give you a heavier tone? Less highs? I prefer an 85 over an 81 in the bridge, so I'm assuming it's the same principle.

 

[kmanick]

If i were gonna spend about 2 grand on a guitar, i'd get a basic custom instead of the ibanez. If i were gonna spend around a grand, i'd get the SLAT.

^this^

 

[leonardo7]

Update: I found a killer deal on an older 1527 in Cosmic Blue that I couldn't pass up.

Is it the used one from Guitar Center in Kansas?

 

[haffner1]

Update: I found a killer deal on an older 1527 in Cosmic Blue that I couldn't pass up. I know it's not a J-Custom, but it will still have the familiar Ibanez feel that I like. (And I won't be completely broke, LOL.)

I'm planning on dropping in some active pu's and the routes are passive, so I'm thinking Phase 1 Blackouts. I've never played through them. How do they sound compared to EMG 707's?

Also, is it hard to get a good clean sound out of the Blackouts? I wish Duncan would add a single coil option like the EMG 707tw. Of course I could always put a passive in the neck and use a PA-2 booster to match the active bridge.

metalmachine, you mentioned using a neck Blackout in the bridge position. Does that give you a heavier tone? Less highs? I prefer an 85 over an 81 in the bridge, so I'm assuming it's the same principle.

I put phase 1 blackouts in my Jr. V 7 after I sold my Hornet pro 725 so I didn't really get to A/B them side by side. I would say, purely off of memory, that the EMG does the straight clean from the neck with "ethereal chorus" type sound slightly better than the Duncan, but not so much that it warrants routing the cavities out. I think that they both do high gain very well, though just slightly different, but that the duncans handle the "in between" tones slightly better due to the less sterile feel. Say if you were using an overdriven AC30 type sound, you could get away with using the duncans if you eq'd right-even though they wouldn't be recommended over good passives, but IMO the EMGs just never sound at all right with that type of preset/rig (whatever).