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jp6 or silhouette?

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furor

Active member
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Jun 27, 2020
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43
Hi all,

I'm trying to make up my mind on settling for either a JP6 or Silhouette. Both are not an option, unfortunately ...
I want a versatile, all-round guitar, with nice, (warm) cleans, and if possible a good heavy (lead) sound, although I have other options for that (Jackson RR1 (hh), Jackson Dinky (hss), Hamer Centaura (hss)).
I want this guitar to be my main study/practice guitar (jazz, country, chords, scales, techniques, and if possible, shred). I'd preferably have a non-floating trem on this guitar, but it's not the most important feature. My first choice was a Silhouette, with the versatile HSH configuration, but I read that the JP6 also has nice 'inbetween' sounds, and can handle a lot of styles.

My question to you, without taking the shred part too explicitly into account, convince me of choosing one or the other :)
Suggestions for changing pickups in either guitar to conform to my demands are also welcome.

Need more info? Shoot!

thanks :D
 
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The Silo is an extremely versatile guitar. Even with the stock pickups, it can do just about everything from jazz to rock, to shredding. You also won't get the REAL single coil sound anywhere on a JP6. This video honestly should tell you everything you need to know:

 
They're both great guitars. The Silhouette has the advantage of a non-floating trem, and more flexibility for pickup swaps. But either could be great.

That said, there's a huge difference between the neck profiles. In your shoes, I'd see if I could try both and pick the one that felt most comfortable in my hands.
 
The JP6 is a fantastic guitar. That said, it is definitely specialized. If you feel like swapping pickups, it can do pretty much anything, but I think the silhouette sounds like a better fit for your stated needs.
 
Do you own those other options (Jackson, Hamer) or are they alternatives to a Music Man purchase? If you own them already, then a hardtail Silhouette HSH perhaps.

As beej wrote, laying hands on them may help you with your decision. The neck profiles feel quite different, indeed.
 
Pink said:
Do you own those other options (Jackson, Hamer)
Click to expand...

I do!

The JP6 is a fantastic guitar. That said, it is definitely specialized. If you feel like swapping pickups, it can do pretty much anything, but I think the silhouette sounds like a better fit for your stated needs.
Click to expand...

what pickups would you then suggest?

So far, the Silo seems to win :)
 
Still recommend laying hands on either a Silhouette or Silhouette Special to see if you like the neck shape. Your guitars have flatter fretboard radii, wider nut widths and thinner neck profiles (generalizing) compared to the Silhouette.

Just thinking out loud, but could you turn your Jackson HSS into an HSH using a single coil sized rail pickup in the neck (DiMarzio Pro Track, Satch Track, and the like)?
 
Horses for courses. My choice would be the Silo. Why?
I had a JP6 - just couldn't get on with the neck profile which cramped my forearm up.
The Silo will cover all your bases.
 
Pink said:
Still recommend laying hands on either a Silhouette or Silhouette Special to see if you like the neck shape. Your guitars have flatter fretboard radii, wider nut widths and thinner neck profiles (generalizing) compared to the Silhouette.

Just thinking out loud, but could you turn your Jackson HSS into an HSH using a single coil sized rail pickup in the neck (DiMarzio Pro Track, Satch Track, and the like)?
Click to expand...

It already is. Currently I have a SD Custom, cool rails and hotrails (neck), but I'm not satisfied about the rails. I like the custom, but would want to try a PAF Pro or Super distortion, and an Air Norton in the neck. It's a full flamed maple body, though, and I find it hard to find good sounding pickups. But this guitar has other purposes than the EBMM I'm looking for.
I do am curious about a JP6, though, but I will likely opt for a Silo, which was my first thought.
The Hamer does have a relatively thick neck. I expect a Silo to have something similar.
 
furor said:
I do!



what pickups would you then suggest?

So far, the Silo seems to win :)
Click to expand...

Maybe some PAF type Dimarzios or SDs, if they fit. I have not swapped pickups on mine because I use it for the metal/Petrucci sound. I don’t like buying guitars knowing I will likely switch the pickups, which is why I would think the Silo is a better choice.
 
johnnyboogie said:
What sound profile are you looking for? Single-coil strat-type?
Click to expand...

that too :), although I don't expect a real strat tone. That's why I'd like the HSH in the Silo for positions 2-4 (or as I read, the middle in the JP6).
But I definitely want a bridge and neck humbucker. I'll probably install a push-pull to split the humbuckers. In my Hamer I installed one, too, to split the bridge and combine it with any SC. But I want to check out the Virtual PAFs, first, of course.
 
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furor said:
that too :), although I don't expect a real strat tone. That's why I'd like the HSH in the Silo for positions 2-4 (or as I read, the middle in the JP6).
But I definitely want a bridge and neck humbucker. I'll probably install a push-pull to split the humbuckers. In my Hamer I installed one, too, to split the bridge and combine it with any SC. But I want to check out the Virtual PAFs, first, of course.
Click to expand...

I get it. There is a Dimarzio Eric Johnson custom set that's definitely worth looking into. He requested a pickup set to make his Gibson LP sound like a strat. So, humbucker size but single-coil sound. However, that would exclude the real humbucker sound.

Installing the push-pull would do the work on the JP, though I highly doubt it'd be a "true" classic strat-style tweeding sound.
 
I would like a nice, clean, warm jazz sound on the neck, and a country-suited bridge. I like a tele sound, but actually never played one. I split my Hamer bridge (currently a bareknuckle Crawler) and combined it with the neck SC (bareknuckle veneer '63), as I read you get a kind of tele sound with such a combination. So I might try that in the Silo, too.
But anyway, I'll test the Virtual PAFs, as I like a smooth lead tone, and it appears they sound smooth, but other things I'm thinking of trying are SD Jazz or Alnico II pro, or Dimarzio PAF pro in the neck, and a SD Pearly Gates bridge. I loved that one in my ESP Horizon, but never had it split.
 
Got a 2006 Silhouette coming my way :)
Black with matching headstock, rosewood fretboard, 'reddish marble/tortoise' pickguard. Could have been a more interesting color, but I can live with it :)

Very curious :)
 
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