Jackson Dinky Vs Soloist Guitar: Review & Which is Better

While choosing guitars, your eyes might get stuck on Jackson Superstrat. Electric guitars create a magical and grim melody to enhance the music in a very beautiful way. Most guitarists start their journey with an acoustic guitar but end up longing for an electric guitar after they become skillful in playing the former one.

However, if you are already an electric guitarist, you know the value of Jackson Superstart.
Also, you might loiter in confusion among Jackson Dinky Vs soloist, which one you should take home and explore. As both guitars are from Jackson guitars, they are from many features the same.

But of course, there are certain differences between both these electric guitars and that’s why most people want a clear comparison between them. Electric guitars normally depend on pickups because these help the sound of the strings into electrical signals.  These signals, later on, amplify the sound to beautify the music.

However, both Jackson soloist and dinky are reliable guitars of Jackson and you won’t get disappointed buying one of them. The slight difference between these two guitars matters to a professional guitarist and that’s why we’ve decided to put detailed information about them. So, let’s check out at once

Jackson Series and Its Lineup:

Since 1980, Jackson’s guitars are being seen in the hands of metal or hard rock lovers. Since then, a series of Jackson guitars with different modifications have been produced with great sanctity.

Metal or heavy metal or death metal, Jackson guitars know how to continue creating history. Their lineup started from the new wave of British Heavy Metal and it’s still keeping footprints there.

To get a total vision of Jackson Dinky and Soloist, learning about the history of Jackson guitars is necessary from our point of view.

 The JS Series –

From the JS Series to Jackson X Series and then to Jackson Pro Series, you can already comprehend what magnificent lineup they have been taking and carrying till now.

Before the Pro Series, Jackson introduced the JS Series. The guitars of this series are affordable and made for both professionals and noobs. The quality does not decline due to its affordable price rather it is the best option with which you can start your music carrier initially.

The X Series –

After the JS Series with a comfortable price rate, Jackson started to produce the X series with great efficiency. This series modified the former series providing and combining some modern classic features.

This modification helped to upgrade the sound of the strings of an X Series guitar. The overall intention of this series was to provide a classic look with an upgraded sound through the addition of tech.

The Pro Series –

Jackson guitars finally released their next best lineup which is the Pro Series. With a serious feature, you will find this series full of authentic guitars with huge proficiency.

Between Jackson Pro Series Dinky Vs Soloist, even the pro musicians cannot decide which one to collect for their music studio. This series provides guitars that will make you feel like a master of playing an electric guitar.

The USA Select Series –

However, the next lineup in the USA Select Series of Jackson guitars. With great demands, this series provides guitars for professional performers in bigger concerts.

Not only these guitars are demanding in price rate, but they also require great care to continue their agility. It is needless to say that this series reaches an extreme point to provide the track of sound for the utmost satisfaction of the users.

The USA Signature Series –

After the Select Series, the USA Signature Series offers a very unique style to get along with the common people.

Besides, you can find the advantage of customizing some features of the guitar giving a touch of your idea and making the best out of it and this is the primal uniqueness of this series. People long for Customized Jackson guitars just for an appeasing performance.

Features of Jackson Dinky:

Jackson Dinky is a guitar of Jackson Pro Series and the name of the guitar is highly symbolic. We normally assume 7/8 as the general body size of an electric guitar.

But Dinky is a little smaller than the normal size and that’s why it has become its name. What is actually unique about this Jackson Dinky guitar is it certainly comes with the modern features to allure the sound more magically.
Besides, Dinky is famous for providing more metal-oriented sounds than other Jackson guitars. That’s why Dinky is mostly demanded by professionals. However, other important features of Dinky do also matter in this case.

Most Dinky models ask for a pickup with two humbucker configurations. Other fits in single-coil pickups as well. The fretboard of this guitar is also made from different wooden trees.
It is not limited to ebony or rosewood. The fretboard is also made out of rock maple or maple for durability and to have a nonporous texture of the board. Almost all the Jackson Series added Dinky as their one of the sole types of guitar.

Therefore, you can have a total of 15 variations of Dinky guitar. While you will get Jackson Dinky DK1 in the USA Select Series, Jackson Dinky DK2 will be found in the Pro Series of Jackson Guitar.
The reason we talked about Dinky DK1 and DK2 is they are made almost in the same matter using almost the same materials.

These two variations of Dinky guitars have bolt-on necks made from alder using maple. However, every other variation of Dinky is slightly different from each other.

But Dinky is also famous for its thin neck. They have Floyd rose bridge and EMG active pickups, especially in the USA Select Series.

Pros:

• Provides a grim and brighter sound with the strings
•  Popular because of its appearance in 1980s hard rock trends
•  Contributed a lot to the increase in the genre of hard rock
• A fantastic instrument offers magnificent sound when amplified using tech

Cons:

• Smaller than the normal and popular size
• Features of Jackson Soloist

Features & Review of Jackson Soloist:

The Soloist is the later addition to the Jackson guitars in the year 1984. There are actually many similarities between Jackson Dinky and Soloist. But what makes Soloist different than the Dinky is its feature of the neck.

This specializes in Soloist guitars for being a superstar model. Also, it is one of the main reasons that the superstrat is different from Stratocaster for its unique construction of the neck.

The neck-thru design of Jackson Soloist guitarist is the primal difference between a Jackson Dinky and Soloist.
However, immense variations within Soloist guitars are common. Being a traditional model among other Jackson guitars, you can find a vintage aura in the sense of its manufacturing process.

Many bands chose and are still choosing this branded Soloist guitar because of its richer sound. the Soloist is compatible with humbucker pickups. Both HSS and HH configurations of pickups are found here. It also goes with the tremolo floating bridge.

You can see the preference for Eddie Van Halen in Jackson’s Soloist guitars collection. The superstrat function is modeled after the convenience of this American musician and his influence was so huge that it becomes a movement for Jackson guitars.

After hard rock, Soloist guitars conducted their influence in 1980s metal and rock at the same time. Besides, the neck-thru design and superstart function, Soloist guitars offer the user to make the best use of them. And the 7/8 body size of Soloist almost can make you mistake it for a Stratocaster.

The whammy bridge of the Soloist guitar literally makes the guitar sing. Besides, the authentic and vintage design of Soloist is famous worldwide.

Some other brands have taken inspiration to construct designs like Soloist guitars. Soloist guitars have more like a classic look and some contemporary guitars have been modeled after them.

Pros:

• Get a richer sound with a single stroke of the string
• High-graded configuration of pickups to evolve a better sound
• Not a thin neck and cutaway to enhance the movement of the performer
• Increases the sound quality of both metal and rock music

Cons:

• The thicker and wider neck provides discomfort to some users

Difference between Jackson Dinky Vs Soloist: Which Guitar is Better?

As we have already mentioned all Jackson guitars are more or less top-notch, there is no risk if you want to buy one from them.

But if you are a serious musician and know your preference pretty well, then brace yourself because we are going to provide you with the differences here.
But one thing you should take into your account is that both Jackson Dinky and Soloist are worth buying and experiencing and they don’t vary from each other to the greatest extent.

Some features are just slightly different from each other, but if you are not a picky person these differences will not matter to you.

Body Size –

Jackson Dinky guitars are not the same in the size as other Jackson Series guitars. Whereas a normal size of a guitar is 7/8, Jackson Dinky is a little shorter than the normal size.

On the other hand, Jackson Soloist guitars have the exact normal size. Though Dinky and Soloist have different sizes, they both are convenient to use. The rest depends on you regarding what size you prefer most.

Neck Construction –

People more excitedly ask about the neck construction of both Jackson Dinky and Soloist guitars.

This difference is held as the primal difference of these guitars. Jackson Dinky provides a bolt-on neck and also it is thinner and narrower. This construction of neck is comfortably built for most musicians.

However, Jackson Soloist provides a completely different type of neck profile. The construction of the necks of Jackson Soloist guitar is neck-thru. This construction makes the neck thicker and wider than the ordinary neck profile of an ordinary electric guitar.

Some people find an advantage in a thinner neck while some in thicker one.

Specs –

Jackson guitars are not all the same. There are several variants and these variants elevate one another.

However, Jackson Dinky has got almost fifteen variants within it. On the other hand, Soloist is no exception as it also got almost seven variants.
However, their specs are almost the same within the variants and outside the variants. For example, Jackson Dinky DK1 and Jackson Soloist SL1 have got almost the feature except in size and neck construction and both are efficient beyond words.

Pickups –

Though we don’t think pickups can be any barrier while comparing two renowned variants of Jackson guitars, it matters to some people on a serious note.

Jackson Dinky DK1 guitars incorporate HH pickup configuration and provide a brighter sound. And with these Active, EMG pickups the sound is highly functional.
Oppositely, Jackson Soloist SL1 incorporates pickups HH and HSS. The configurations of these pickups are rich and thus help the Soloist to provide richer sounds. Passive, Seymour and Duncan pickups pull out suitable sounds from Jackson Soloist guitars.

So, Which Guitar is Better?

So far, it can be said with surety that both guitars with their different versions are almost the same except for some features. These features will not affect every people rather you will see different people giving different preferences.

As both guitars are demanding and huge in price rate, they will not betray you. But if the size of a guitar matters to you, then consider their difference in size and pick one which is convenient for you.

Then again, if you are not a fan of the thicker or wider neck of the guitar, go for Jackson Dinky DK1 with its thinner and narrower, bolt-on neck, and vice versa.
Overall, it depends on the personal choice of a musician and what he needs and desires from a guitar. We have mentioned every possible difference between Jackson Dinky and Soloist.

But the differences between Jackson dinky vs soloist are so trivial that their own different versions can compensate for one another in these differences. So, it would be nice on your part, if you don’t be hard on yourself and go easy in choosing one between Dinky and Soloist guitars.

You may also read: LR Baggs Anthem SL Vs Anthem

FAQs –

Question: Is Jackson Soloist a good guitar?

Answer: Of course, as Jackson series guitar, Jackson Soloist is the guitar you will never forget if you once play it. With a modified structure, this guitar is a variation of the Jackson Pro Series guitar.

With Pure Floyd Rose and capable pickups, this Soloist guitar knows how to sound like a piece of real music.

Question: Is Jackson a Soloist?

Answer: Not all Jackson guitars are Soloists. Soloist are just a variant of Jackson guitars like Dinky is another. However, both Soloist and Dinky Jackson guitars create hype in the market of musicians because of their amazing capability and proficiency.

As Jackson offers customize-able options to the true enthusiast of music. You will not be disappointed if you buy one customized Soloist guitar.

Last Updated on October 17, 2022 by Perry Garner