Formed in 2009, Australian progressive metalcore act Northlane has emerged as trendsetters in the space, constantly evolving and ambitiously chasing uncharted territory with each album release. Founding member, co-songwriter and rhythm guitarist Josh Smith is central to the band’s expansive and pummelling sound, and Jackson is proud to present the all-new Pro Series Signature Josh Smith Soloist™ SL7 ET in his honour.

The 7-string collaboration begins with a 27” scale length, essential for providing a wider sonic palette and handling the extreme low tunings Smith depends upon. The Soloist™ alder body is sleekly sculpted for ergonomic comfort, and has been paired with a graphite-reinforced through-body caramelised maple neck for enhanced stability and sustain.

Designed to deliver effortless playability, the 12”-16” compound radius ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets has a more pronounced curvature across its width near the nut for comfortable chording, and gradually flattens to a very slight curvature toward the upper frets for blazing fast solos and comfortable bends. Considered must-have specs for today’s touring musicians, the Luminlay® glow in the dark side dots provide fingerboard guidance on the darkest metal stages, while the heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel makes for quick neck tweaks on the fly.

Under the hood is an HS pickup configuration featuring Smith’s signature Bare Knuckle Impulse pickup set. The Impulse humbucker in the bridge is a full, tight pickup that embraces down-tuned guitars but can also handle medium-gain applications for full, muscular, rock mids as well as overdriven tones without getting lost in the mix. The Impulse single-coil neck pickup delivers a focused low end with super smooth treble response. The control layout consists of a three-way pickup blade switch and a pair of black skirted Strat®-style volume knobs for each pickup.

The guitar is decked out in a mouth-watering Aquamarine finish with a 7-string colour-matched licensed Fender® Stratocaster® headstock, complete with all-black hardware including the PPS nut, Dunlop® strap locks and Jackson locking tuners. An EverTune® F7 bridge ensures that the guitar will never go out of tune, and will also intonate all the way up the neck so that no matter how low the guitar is tuned, it remains perfectly tight and focused throughout the most vicious chugs. A Jackson foam core hardshell gig bag is also included.