The design is a typical "superstrat"; it varies from a typical Stratocaster because of its neck-thru design; tremolo: Floyd Rose or similar, Kahler; or a fixed Tune-O-Matic; premium woods; a deeper cutaway at the lower horn for better access to the higher frets, and a sharper body with squared-off edges.

Grover Jackson began developing ideas that would manifest in the Soloist while he was running Charvel.

Early examples have set necks, Stratocaster-shaped bodies, Explorer-style headstocks, and often Charvel appointments like vintage tremolos.

It was still possible to purchase a Floyd Rose or Kahler tremolo bridge, but the JT-6 Jackson unit was the default.

The initial runs were made with Brazilian rosewood fretboards, flamed maple tops and mahogany necks and backs.

In-house manufactured pickups became standard in the beginning of 1985, and mid-boost controls were introduced in many guitars.

Pickups were handwound by ex-Fender employee Abigail Ybarra, as discovered by Fender Custom Shop founder John Page who visited Jackson in the early 1990s to purchase their then-unused pickup winding machines and found her working there.

At this time the company decided to offer Soloists in production runs rather than make them to order.

The JT6 tremolos were dropped in favor of the Schaller Floyd Rose style, which are recessed into the face of the body.

Custom models feature bound ebony fretboards, pearl sharkfin inlays, and binding on the headstock.

The SL2 can be considered a more modest version of the SL2H, made up of maple thru-body neck and poplar wings, with an ebony board and "optional" sharktooth inlays.

The body is made of alder and includes a flamed maple veneer on transparent finish models.

Additional features include an FRT-02000 or JT-580 double-locking tremolo, 24 frets, a compound radius Rosewood fretboard, sharktooth inlays and matching headstocks on transparent finish models.

The Pro Series SL3R, made in China, features a mirror with matching reverse Jackson pointed 6-in-line headstock, white body binding and chrome hardware with 12"-16" compound radius bound ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets and mirror piranha tooth inlays.

A very high quality Japanese manufactured model came to the market from the year 2000 until 2002 - the SL4 and it was from the high models of the Jackson guitars as they were made from alder or mahogany for the body-maple or mahogany for the necks but with two differences from the SL1 or the SL3 of Japan that were built late 1990s and early 2000s—the SL4 comes with 22 comfortable frets-humbucker pickups and Takeuchi JT 580 lp bridge units, as the model was coming in solid-trans-quilted maple finishes.

Along with the discontinued U.S. made SLS, the SLSMG is one of the few Soloist models not to feature the traditional pointed Jackson headstock with six inline tuners.

Jackson briefly partnered with Washburn International with headquarters in Vernon Hills, Illinois and for a short time manufactured a version of the MG model on Elston Avenue in downtown Chicago.

At that time, Jackson began to experiment with CNC equipment to customize the geometry of individual necks to the requirements of various artists.

The SL4X has the Soloist body shape, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 24 frets, and dot inlays.

The SL4X comes in the colors of Daphne Blue, Bubblegum Pink, and Neon Orange in the spirit of the '80s.