Head to head
Who’s hitting the low notes and who’s a winner?
This is one of those occasions in which each of our guitars is not only competing for a similar playing experience, but squabbling for supremacy over the same frequencies and, indeed, the same demographic. There is little variance over the electrics and their setup; each guitar is equipped with two high-output passive humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions, with a three-way selector and master volume and tone pots to get the best out of them. Tonally, the first test is how the guitar handles the lower register strings, and here the Jackson and Subzero both come out ahead, if only slightly, with the eighth and seventh strings showcasing a thick industrial tone. You naturally lose definition when playing chords down there, but the separation of notes is a little clearer than on the LTD or Schecter.
The Subzero, by far the cheapest option here, had a few finish issues, but it was more than convincing in teasing out the sort of progressive metal chug and rhythm sounds that are better described using onomatopoeia and referencing sounds from the animal kingdom. Those stock pickups are not bad. So, too, the Jackson humbuckers; there’s plenty of squeal in those, and, sonically, when playing in the more conventional register, the Jackson Dinky excels as a reliable budget shredder. Where we found some of the Schecter’s low-end a bit unruly, there was no quarrel with its handling of the upper registers, with a natural classic rock tone that is powerful and authoritative. The LTD, likewise, is more comfortable in strings six through to one, and it’s easy to get to grips with its thin U neck, a profile that’s comfortably rounded in the right places. Might a longer scale have given it a bit more solidity in the bottom-end? Well, that’s a question you would be reluctant to ask Aunt Vera over lunch. But we rather suspect that she would answer in the affirmative.
the subzero’s Rhythm sounds are best described using onomatopoeia