1985 Jackson Soloist Custom, 100% original from the SAN DIMAS factory, rare 3 TITE layout, it's WHITE TITE and OUTTA SIGHT!

Bobby D · October 14, 2016

This is an amazing guitar - all original and in excellent condition 1985 Jackson Soloist Custom - built in September of '85 at the original San Dimas shop. I have owned dozens of Jackson Soloists over the years, and this is easily in the top 10% of Jacksons I have ever played. Frets are in remarkable 95% condition - this guitar was a case queen, I know the original owner and he was meticulous with his gear. The 3 TITE layout (tuck in the electronics) is a pretty rare setup, most Soloists were H/S/S or H/H. The 3 TITE layout was a favorite of Jeff Beck, among others....the rear pickup has been changed to an 80s era Seymour Duncan Hot Rails - but the original Jackson J-100 pickup is in the case, should you want to reinstall it. By the by.....did you know that Abigail Ybarra wound most of those USA made Jackson pickups in the 80s? Yep......when Fender let her go, Grover hired her and Abby wound many of the USA made Jackson pickups. So instead of giving FMIC $300 or more for a set of Abby pickups, search for some Jackson J-100 pickups! The only other change was the removal of the tone knob, which has been replaced with a Les Paul style toggle switch - this gives you TWENTY SEVEN pickup permutations, instead of just 9 with the stock mini switches. It's a MUCH more gig-friendly pickup switching setup with the 3-way toggle.

This guitar came stock with the Kahler Trem system, and this Kahler is in EXCELLENT condition, with no rust or corrosion. The rollers are all in excellent condition, as are the springs inside. The locking nut has been removed, but it's in the case if the new owner wishes to re-install it. I also have a BRAND NEW Bill Edwards Finger Tite locking nut that has just been re-released, so I will include that as well - the finest locking nut ever made, and you will never need an allen wrench for tuning ever again!

Most of the Soloist Custom guitars are a bit on the heavy side - as the bodies are made of poplar. This particular guitar is only 8 pounds, and is one of the lightest and most resonant Soloists I have ever played. It's a very comfortable guitar to gig with, and will not give you a sore back after that 4 hour gig. The neck profile is really comfortable on this guitar, it's not a "shredder" thin profile. Like most of the San DImas made instruments, it's a bit more substantial and meaty neck, like a full "C" shape. And like most of the San Dimas era guitars, this one has the binding "nibs" still intact on the ends of the frets - something that is a very labor intensive option, but makes the neck feel more smooth and easy to play. However, by 1986 Jackson had stopped doing the binding nibs, opting to start saving labor costs - which also saw the demise of the good quality hardware used up until this point - and we see the useage of such disasters as the JT-sux...I mean the JT-6 tremolo lolololol....

The Soloist Custom is arguably the most famous and fully realized superstrat design OF ALL TIME. Grover Jackson will be remembered for many contributions to the art of guitar manufacturing, but his most significant acheivements will undoubtedly be the Soloist Custom and the Randy Rhoads guitars. .

This is a 9/10 condition '85 Soloist Custom in all original condition, and she comes with a BRAND NEW Jackson ATA style "TSA" case - which has the locking latches that allow those full cavity search minions at the TSA to open and inspect the case as you travel - and this case (which was a buck-fiddy, homeboy) is actually substantial enough of a protective case that I would trust it to fly with as checked baggage.

It's getting harder and harder to find ALL ORIGINAL San Dimas era guitars in this kind of pristine condition. Most of them were played HARD, and the young men playing them (like myself back then) were wearing quite a bit of hardware and jewelry, so most of these got belt-buckled and quite a bit of player wear. This particular guitar is one of the cleanest I have seen in a minute, and it plays and sounds GREAT. Light and resonant with great tone and playability. I have owned dozens of these over the years, and have played hundreds of them - and this one is easily in the top ten of all the Soloists I have ever had the pleasure of manhandling.

New ones (that are being built by the corporate behemoth that FMIC has become) range from $2k to $6k for some of the custom shop models. And they have changed from poplar bodies to alder or ash. But the magic ones are the early SAN DIMAS made instruments that were built in the glory years of 1983-1986. That is the "sweet spot" for Jackson guitars, just as 1980-1985 are the glory years for the big brother Charvel guitars. YOU can own this beautiful piece of southern California rock history for $1699 - shipping included in the 48 states of the USA, and only $100 extra will get it to you internationally.

I would prefer cash, but if you have some interesting guitars to trade, as well as effects pedals or synthesizers, I'm all ears! I like superstrats, perhaps a PRS?