Jackson has launched the Virtuoso HT, updating its US-made high-performance bolt-on electric guitar with a Hipshot hardtail bridge.
The Virtuoso HT is the latest in the Californian brand’s American Series, which debuted in September 2022 with the Soloist SL3. This was Jackson’s homecoming, with production returning to the brand’s birthplace on the West Cost of the USA. And it was a test of Fender’s Corona facility, too, which building its first ever neck-through guitars at the plant.
A year on, the Soloist was followed by a the bolt-on American Series Virtuoso. Offered in four finishes, it is equipped with a Floyd Rose 1500 Series double-locking vibrato unit and a pair of Seymour Duncan humbuckers, with a JB in the bridge and '59 in the neck, and five-way pickup switching that caters to but expands its appeal beyond the metal guitar demographic that the brand has served since it was founded at the dawn of the ‘80s.
For all intents and purposes, swap out the Floyd Rose for a tidily engineered Hipshot hardtail bridge, add a Graph Tech Tusq XL nut, and with four fresh finish options, and the Virtuoso HT is the same guitar as the above. And it is a real doozy for players who prefer the response – and the lower price – of a bolt-on electric, and who can’t be doing with all that tweaking that comes with having a Floyd Rose-equipped guitar.
Sure, you can’t hit a harmonic and ride the whammy bar but just think of all the time saved when changing the tuning on your guitar.
Jackson is offering these in a slightly more utilitarian finishes. There’s Mystic Blue, Red Crystal, Satin Black and our favourite Snow White. Once more, that Jackson six-in-line headstock looks the bee’s knees, with a little binding to tie it all together.
If you are familiar with the spec on the Virtuoso, it will be old news to learn that its hardtail-equipped sibling has a solid alder body, with a five-piece neck of caramelised maple and maple to make the instrument even more stable in temperature fluctuations.
We should have few concerns here; there is also a graphite rod reinforcing the neck, which should make this one tough cookie (that Pete Townshend admitted that he has been getting into Jackson guitars of late could present the brand with an obvious marketing opportunity should it want to demonstrate just how hard these guitars are to destroy).
Once more, we’ve got that streaked ebony fingerboard with subtle offset MOP dot inlays. Luminlay side dot markers glow in the dark and aid navigation.
That neck, by the way, is super quick, and with the 12” to 16” compound radius fingerboard and 24 jumbo frets makes for an eminently playable instrument.
You’ve got a set of Gotoh MG-T locking tuners keeping things stable at the headstock. If you need to make setup tweaks to the neck, the truss rod adjustment wheel is conveniently positioned at the top of the fretboard.
The Virtuoso HT is priced £1,899 / $1,949 and is available now. It ships in a Jackson Foam Core guitar case. You can read MusicRadar’s review of the American Series Virtuoso here. You can hear the Virtuoso HT in action above. And you can find more details at Jackson.
