With changes in musical thought and styles comes a change in the requirements demanded of the instruments. So it was when heavy metal arrived. Black Sabbath are credited with being the first real metal band, driven along by Tony Iommi.
Iommi played a Fender Strat, but it broke on their very first recording session, so he used ‘Monkey’ instead. That was an SG, and he never went back to the Strat. The heavily distorted Gibson SG wasn’t enough, as the heavy metal sound got louder and wilder.
Requirements for the sound of the guitar were changing. Fender and Gibson couldn’t do it to the level that some required. So other companies arrived that could; Jackson was one of them.
They arrived in 1980 when the excellent Randy Rhoads, Grover Jackson, and a few others sat down to create a very special guitar. The result was a Flying V look alike. During the 80s heyday of ‘metal’, they grew in popularity and esteem. A number of differing Jackson models appeared and were gobbled up by the ‘metalhead’ guitar players of the time.
Tastes began to change, and Jackson reverted to also producing cheaper models made overseas. IMC had already bought out Grover Jackson when Fender came knocking in 2002 and bought the now struggling brand. If they had hoped to revive their fortunes, they failed to do so.
Jackson are still highly thought of in certain circles, especially the older US made guitars, but their influence has declined
The Dinky is what is fondly known as a SuperStrat design. Simply put, that means it has a more aggressive double-cutaway look. It has all the looks it should have and bears the hallmarks of some of its illustrious predecessors.
It is called the ‘Dinky’ because it is slightly smaller than a full-size body. About ⅞ of what is generally considered full-size. A nice size for a starter and at eight and a half pounds a nice comfortable weight.
It is given all the styling you would expect to create that 80s sound. A couple of screaming humbuckers and a wider neck for excessive bending. To add a bit of ‘attitude’ the hardware is painted black.
this is what is known as a ‘SuperStrat’ design — made to look like it is a more adventurous version of the non-metal Fender. It has an arched body made from Basswood. Not the strongest choice of tonewoods they could have made, but a lot cheaper than some of the others.
The edges inside the cutaways have some bevels. This is a nice design touch, and it will help when you are letting rip at the 24th fret somewhere.
It is finished in an atmospheric matte black. There are two controls, a tone, and a volume and a slider for pickup selection. There is also a through the body stringing arrangement with the all-important whammy bar. It creates the right image. It looks aggressive – it looks metal!
It is designed to play quickly, and it would have to, that is one of the cornerstones of a successful metal guitar. We mentioned before that the fingerboard flattens out a little the further you come up towards the body. With the width of the strings, it makes for a good environment for some speedy soloing, tapping, sweeping, and just about anything else that sounds impressive.
For a beginner, it is going to play nicely. The neck is smooth and wide and allows a lot of space to make the chords they will start out with. The action is quite low, and that will also be a help. As a starter guitar, it has good playability, even if it is a little one-dimensional.
As we said, the humbuckers deliver a solid sound with massive sustain. It is going to bite and crunch and do what it is supposed to do in the genre it is most at home in.
The problems will arise when you take it out of its comfort zone. If you try to play clean, you will notice that the sound falls down a little. The clarity suffers as does the note definition. With a good amp, you can probably adjust the sound to make it acceptable. However, a fish out of water might be the best way of describing it.
We must remember, though, this is a budget range guitar. If you compare it to similarly priced opposition, it is good, and you should have no complaints. We should not be expecting it to compete with much higher priced instruments.
It is not a great guitar by any means. But for the price point, it is a very good guitar. Does it fit the bill? Just look at it. It snarls at you with its all-black finish. Even the shark fin inlays feel threatening. It’s got the look. Confrontational is the word to describe it. It has an attitude, and it has plenty of it.
It looks good and has a decent sound. And it is well made with adequate hardware. It is going to impress the market it is designed for – the starter and improver. Some might think it is a bit outdated, but the kids are gonna love it.
