JACKSON’S NEW X SERIES DINKY DK1 GUITARS OFFER STRAIGHTFORWARD SPEED MACHINES WITH COMPLEX FINISHES

Jackson has unveiled a host of new models for the new year, including two eye-catching additions to its affordable X-Series, in the shape of these Dinky DK1s. The Dinky is, of course, a Jackson classic – its name owing to its slightly smaller body (being 7/8ths the size of the firm’s other double-cutaway electric guitar, the Soloist). It also has a bolt on neck, rather than the neck-thru body build of its bigger brother.

The new models – the X-Series DK1A and DK1 H – follow that form factor but offer an appealing combination of dazzling finishes and the strippedback spec of a shred workhorse. Both guitars feature nyatoh bodies, graphite reinforced maple necks and a laurel fretboard with a 12-16” compound radius – making for a nice low-action playing surface at the body. They also share something in common on the hardware front, with Floyd Rose Special doublelocking tremolos and Jackson’s sealed die-cast tuners on the headstock.

The differences ultimately come down to pickup configuration and finish. The DK1A appears to offer an HS pickup configuration, but closer inspection reveals it’s actually an HH pairing. As such, you get Jackson’s own high output bridge humbucker at the bridge and a rail-style neck humbucker (in single coil size format) at the neck position, plus a three-way blade selector switch and tone and volume knobs. That’s all finished in ‘White Tortoise’, should you wish to channel your inner guitar heroin-a-halfshell.

Our pick of the pair though the singlehumbucker DK1 H, which channels a Van Halen-esque setup, i.e. single pickup, Floyd Rose – and go! Controls are limited to a simple volume, meaning your focus is on the fretboard and picking, rather than getting sidetracked by tone tweaks. It’s also got a killer Skull Kaos paint job, which is complemented by a matching headstock design. It is about as subtle as a sledgehammer and we respect that.