Jackson Adrian Smith SDX MN SW

Really great guitar if additional tuning is done

I had this one 10 years ago already - that time from India production. Sold it due to known E string slippage issue which I did not know could be solved so easily by just locking nut replacement :-) Then 2 years later I got the version with white pickguard & palisander fretboard - sold it again as the palisander was not so great looking like ebony on the US model :-) Now I bought this piece which looks exactly like the original US one & that was the main driver for this purchase. However I was shocked when realized that neck (including fretboard!!!) is completely without any surface treatment (except of its headstock) .. this is not even described in any description on any website - just had to investigate & got to a forum when Jackson representative explained doing this by a purpose of given authentic feel & look of the original Adrian Smith prototype which had aged a lot since late 80ties when it was manufactured :-) Honestly I do not like such approach at all & decided to put new satin finish on the complete neck by professional local guitar shop here in Slovakia. At the same time they replaced original frets by stainless steel ones which make this guitar even more special now. And on top of this I have installed special "string through" saddle screws on the Floyd Rose bridge exactly like it was produced in late 80ties for some models only - now strings replacement makes no headache & is so convenient like with any other standard tremolo bridge. I am still planning to replace serial pickups for real DiMarzio ones so at the end of the day with all these improvements the overall cost for this guitar would be around 1000 Euro - however I am sure it'll be able to compete with the US model then & for much less money :-)

Super Superstrat!

First of all – yes, I am huge fan of Iron Maiden and mr. Adrian Smith but my review will be as neutral to that fact as possible.

Guitar itself looks stunning, totaly 80's guitar in that snow white finish with a black pickguard. All maple neck fits perfectly in my hand and the filing is smooth as a silk and so comfortable.

Jackson pickups are okay for the start and there's no need to replace them if you are on a budget. In case you want to have identically what Adrian Smith use, replace humbucker with the DiMarzio Super Distortion and 2 single coils with 2 Fender noiseless pickups and you have exactly what Adrian use. But, that is highly optional since Jackon pickups are working quite well.

Floyd rose special bridge is good but do note that it is not recessed, only for dive bombs and the fact that the guitay will stay in tune after using it (not like Fender bridges, for example  ).

If I have to find any minuses to the guitar then it is the fact that the truss rod adjustment is at the end of the neck so if you change strings gauge or want to do an initial setup – you have to remove the neck, do the adjustment, put the neck back and check if it is OK now... if not, again the same procedure. Not a major pain in the backside but if I dont have to do that – i'd choose not to.

All in all, it is one truly super superstrat! 

Not even good for a beginner

Im a huge fan of Adrian Smith but this guitar has to be the worst ive ever played, ever. It looks great but the guitar is poorly put together, the action was too high when it arrived and there was no access to the truss rod to repair it. The tone was absolutely terrible and the neck pickup sounds awful. It was very difficult to play. Its a shame because I was really looking forward to playing it when it arrived. Im still a big Adrian Smith fan but I dont think ill chance upgrading to its more expensive models after this. Purchase with absolute caution!

The only complaint to the manufacturer of this guitar is that replacing the pickups involves removing the guitar neck. Also, in order to adjust the truss rod, the neck must be unscrewed again. It is unbelievable that the manufacturer could not find a simpler solution.

Good bang for the back

I bought this guitar because I always liked how it looks, and the features you get for the money are hard to beat. Good quality floyd rose which stays in tune much better than I expected, no need to replace it for the "original" one. Pickups are ok, but I just couldn't resist replacing it with Dimarzio's (Super Distortion in the bridge, Cruiser neck in the middle and Air Norton S in the neck, all splittable with push-pull pots, which I also swapped instead of regular ones) and the tonal options are insanely good.

The guitar is very pleasant to play, I absolutely recommend considering it.

nice for the price

I'm a great fan of seven son of a seven son period and my first idol was Adrian Smith so this guitar must be in my equipment.

Great neck and fretboard, ok pickups, excellent finish and well balanced, the only thing that bothers me is the place of truss rod.

Not my best guitar but I enjoy my playing time with this Jackson

edit after 3 years...

The Floyd Rose Special is really bad, all the saddles need to be replaced.

Also one of the tuners became ''jumpy'' really quick

Keep that it in mind in the future.

Very Nice

I really like almost everything about this guitar.

It's very well build, so much versatility and tones to search, it really can play everything very well.

The only problem I can find it's the finish on the wood of the fretboard that could be better finished, I find that it gets dirt easy and it's hard to clean.

ok guitar...

this guitar is quite good and one of my favorites.of course I'm planning to replace the pick ups but i knew that before I bought it.even though the bridge pick up is not too bad but the single coils are weak. what I didn't know is that I will have to take it to a shop for fret work as the high frets were not well leveled and notes were dying.

after I had that fixed it plays wonderful. the floyd rose special is very good and doesnt detune even if you go crazy with it.

overall its a good guitar for the money.looks amazing especially if you are a maiden fan and if you're willing to spend a couple of hundreds for better pick ups you can make it a true superstrat

What an instrument

Adrian Smith was the guitarist who first inspired me to pick up and try to learn to play. Nearly 30 years later, I decided to treat myself to a new guitar, and it just had to be this. I was not disappointed.

Some may not like the lack of tremolo cavity, but I appreciate the security of not being able to pull back too hard on the strings - I have broken them at awkward times doing that in the past. Single volume control means you can't blend the pickups when selecting more than one, which also doesn't bother me, but might bother others.

It sounds tremendous, either through my modelling board or my Bugera 333, from chunky blues to 80s thrash, it can cover it all. And the single coils sound lush played clean with a little chorus.

The neck is fast, easy and the action very low (OK, I did lower it a bit more myself).

I've tried out guitars that cost twice as much that I'd not rate above this one. If you want a Floyd equipped guitar for rock or metal, you can't really go wrong with this.

Also, "Up the Irons!"

Nice guitar

Great guitar for the price. Action is a little high straight from the box, and the protective plastic film is a bit of a pain to remove. Overall really happy with the sound and playability