Jackson Soloist Set Up

Guitar people can argue for weeks about 'pointy headstocks'... some think they look awesome, others think they look ridiculous for starters. But beyond that, there are many - like me - for whom the aesthetic (even if we liked it) doesn't compensate for the stresses imposed by the unhelpful tuner positioning and string stagger. Yes, it puts a LOT of sideways pressure on some of the slots. Yes, that pressure translates into having to have deep slots to retain the strings and this results in more friction and often tuning problems. And yes, the fact that the nut has to be slathered with glue to stand any chance of staying in place. And finally, yes, the fact that it won't stay in place makes it to all intents and purposes impossible to sand to a perfect 1st fret action from the bottom up.... Now, in comparison, let's consider the upside. Ok; well, it looks totally 1980s hair metal. Er.... that's it. So this headstock design has only the aesthetic going for it - and only then for people who like that sort of thing. Functionally, it's a very, very bad idea all round. As any tech or luthier. So in this video, you'll be amazed at how little criticism you'll hear from me about this headstock design as I set about making the action lovely, low and light. The nut provided me with the usual store of... 'entertainment'; the e-to-e spacing was bang on but it was a fraction short and a tad thin (front-to-back). I didn't do anything to correct the thin issue but I did have to add some scrap Tusq XL to the base and then sand it back to a wafer thin 'shim' to lift the nut by some tiny amount like 0.3mmm... With that done, the precision fret levelling of this 7 string guitar was mercifully straightforward - thanks in large part by the good quality of the neck. Very few highs and lows under load; so easy to level and perfect.