What exactly is a Jackson Dinky? What makes it different from other Jackson guitars?
These are two of the main questions I hear from players about this famous guitar, so I thought I’d write a little explainer for everyone who wants to know more.
If you’re a confused Jackson fan - or just a curious guitar fan - then check out this accessible guide for everything you need to know about the famous Jackson Dinky!
Who are Jackson?
Briefly, Jackson is one of the biggest and most famous hard rock and metal guitar brands. They developed out of another brand - Charvel - in the early 1980s as a way for company owner Grover Jackson to try out unorthodox guitar designs without risking the reputation of Charvel guitars on untested ideas.
Jackson’s first guitar was the ‘Concorde’ for Randy Rhoads, which quickly morphed into the famous RR design you’ll no doubt recognise today. Quickly after that, Jackson began making more and more cool designs, and saw fast success within the hard rock, thrash and hair metal genres of the 80s.
Their success continues today. They are one of the most distinctive and easily recognised brands on the market, and hard rockers still swear by them for consistent quality, great playing feel and outrageous designs.
What is the Jackson Dinky?
The Jackson Dinky is a double cutaway electric guitar with a bolt on neck. We refer to this sort of guitar as a ‘Superstrat’, because it often appears as a hot-rodded, souped up version of the general Fender Stratocaster style. Jackson are very famous for making this type of guitar, onto which they add their own personal touches. These are distinctive trademarks such as the ‘pointed’ headstock and ‘sharkfin’ triangular fingerboard inlays.
The Dinky is available in a number of variations in terms of hardware, spec and finish. The most ‘definitive’ version - if such a thing exists - has two humbucker pickups and a locking Floyd Rose tremolo system.
The Jackson Dinky is not the brand’s only superstrat. Jackson also makes a guitar called the Soloist. I’ll talk more about it below, but the Dinky was released in 1986, two years after the Soloist, and was developed in the Jackson Custom Shop before making it into a number of Jackson ranges and steadily becoming its most commonly made guitar model.
Initial Dinkies had slab bodies - as many do today - but there’s now also arched top Dinky models, which aren’t so much ‘arched’ tops (Jackson’s terms) as nicely carved tops.
Features of the Jackson Dinky
- ⅞ sized superstrat body with or without ‘archtop’ carved contours
- 24 fret bolted on neck
- Jumbo frets on a flat radius board (normally either 12” or 12-16” compound)
- Sharkfin inlays
- Jackson trademark pointed headstock
- Two high output humbuckers (variations exist)
- Floyd Rose locking tremolo system (hardtail models also exist)
Why is it called Dinky?
The Jackson Dinky got its name because it is one eighth smaller in body size than a Jackson Soloist. It’s still very much a full-sized guitar, it just has a very slightly smaller body than some other superstrats. I’d say you feel the slinkiness more than see it, to be quite honest.
This slight downsizing was apparently requested by players at the time, in order to make their custom orders feel even more ergonomic and tactile. Jackson took note and quickly introduced this to their production line guitars.
What is the Difference Between a Dinky and a Soloist?
There are two main differences between the Jackson Dinky and the Jackson Soloist. We’ve encountered one already: body size. The Dinky is the same rough shape as the Soloist but the body is ⅞ of the size. Again, this is still a full-sized guitar, it just has a slightly ‘shaved down’ size.
The other difference is perhaps more significant.
It’s the neck joint. The Soloist has a ‘neck through’ construction method, where the neck timber actually continues through to form part of the body. It travels the length of the guitar, and the body is actually two ‘wings’ that are glued to either side of this extended piece of neck. It’s expensive to do, but it allows a rich tone and high level of sustain, as well as no discernible ‘heel’ where the neck joins the body.
The Dinky is bolted-on just like a Fender guitar, so there is a heel and four long bolts keeping the neck on. Neither method is ‘better’, but bolted-on necks are certainly cheaper and quicker to make.
Who Uses a Jackson Dinky?
The Jackson Dinky is their most popular and best-selling guitar design. It was released to cater for shred-happy rockers in the heyday of the shred scene, but it has outlived that thanks to being embraced by thrash metallers and technical players from a range of genres.
Although designed to shred, the Dinky’s inherent quality and performance mean that lots of fusion players, jazzers and avant-garde players love it. Still, it’s mainly used for rock and metal. Here’s a quick list of notable guitarists who use the Jackson Dinky:
- Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)
- Chris Broderick (In Flames, ex-Megadeth)
- Misha Mansoor (Periphery)
Which Jackson Ranges Does the Dinky Appear In?
As Jackson’s most popular guitar style, the Dinky actually shows up in every single Jackson production range. That means you get a Dinky in the JS, X Series, Pro Series, Pro Plus, MJ and American ranges. Here’s an example of a few:
- JS: Jackson JS32 Dinky Arch Top
- X Series: Jackson DK3XR
- Pro Series: Jackson Pro Series Dinky DK Modern Evertune
- Pro Plus: Jackson Pro Plus Series Dinky MDK HT6
- MJ: Jackson MJ Made in Japan DKR Dinky
- American: Jackson American Virtuoso
Which Jackson Dinky Should I Buy?
If you are looking to get a Dinky of your own, there’s a lot of choice available to you! Good news, I’d say, but if you’re unsure which model fits your budget, please let me recommend a few models here…
Best Budget Dinky: Jackson JS24. If you are just beginning your path toward shred infamy, I think one of the JS24 Dinky models with a standard (non-locking) tremolo will serve you amazingly for the time being. Progress to Floyd Rose-equipped guitars once you are more confident with how those devices work. In the meantime, these are solid, feel good and look the part!
Best Mid-price Dinky: Jackson DK3XR. The X Series offers a lot of quality for the price, and this model I’ve chosen out today has an H-S-S pickup configuration, allowing you a greater selection of sounds. Great colours too, including neon green!
Best Top-End Dinky: Jackson American Virtuoso. Not a Dinky by name, but that’s really what this exceptional USA-made Jackson is. Expertly made and as good as anything from the 80s. Top drawer hardware from Floyd Rose, Gotoh and Seymour Duncan matches the build quality here. See also the Jackson MJ Dinky for a similarly excellent guitar (made in Japan) but with the sharkfin inlays!
A Jackson Classic
Jackson are a brand with more than one classic guitar in their roster. The Randy Rhoads, Soloist and Kelly are all undeniably iconic electric guitars, and I’d add the Dinky without question. It’s the most popular, most capable and most versatile guitar they make.
When are you getting yours?
