The Weigh-Up: Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT6 (Gear Review)

It’s honestly so damn impressive how the guys in Periphery have shaped the modern gear landscape for players and producers. Between the three guitarists, they each have signature guitars and pickups with different companies, and their music production company GGD has provided musicians around the world with world class drum sample packs and production tools to take home recording to a whole new level. It’s safe to say that these guys are the apex of modern influencers when it comes to gear, which is why the industry always pays close attention when one of them drops something new. Speaking from experience here, as I was very stoked to have the latest iteration of Misha Mansoor’s Jackson Juggernaut model arrive on my door step a few days ago.

Firstly, the Juggernaut is easily one of the coolest body shapes Jackson has on offer. It sits super comfortably and is certainly far more widely appealing than the litter of super pointy shapes in their range. Where you’d expect the specs on a guitar for such a gear aficionado to be super elaborate, the model is actually very no frills and ready to be absolutely pummelled on the road. Poplar body, caramelised Maple neck, Ebony fretboard with stainless steel frets, Luminlay side dots make this guitar a really solid workhorse out of the box.

The neck is a breeze to play and I’m such a sucker for an Ebony fretboard. This particular guitar also features a killer flame through the maple neck, which was very unexpected, but a welcome surprise. I had expected to neck to be quite thin given the dexterity required to play Periphery material, but to my surprise, it’s got a bit of heft to it. As someone who enjoys a thicker neck profile, I was really stoked to see this on a sleek super strat. 

Now, this really threw me, but the Jackson MM1 pickups actually rip, big time. Playing the Juggernaut through my go-to Kemper patches and damn, they really sing with some gain behind them. Big chord voicings sound rich and the note definition when playing intricate parts is something to behold. Initially, I was really concerned that Jackson had cut some corners here and gone with some drop in generic pickups, but it’s easy to tell that they’ve modelled these from Misha’s signature pickups and tried their darndest to create a cost effective solution for those trying to bring the djent on a budget. 

I can definitely see the Juggernaut standing up to some rigorous touring. It’s light without being light, it’s aesthetically excellent without being too nice to beat up. The red sparkle finish is striking and bound to look sick under some stage lights. Stainless steel frets ensure that you’re not going to grind down the frets from playing this thing to death and I honestly think Luminlay’s should be stock on every guitar these days. 

I appreciate the efforts taken to make this model obtainable, rather than pricing it out of the market with all of the premium specs that you’d expect from a USA production run. It would’ve been easy for them to throw Hipshot locking tuners, a Hipshot bridge and a set of Bare Knuckle Pickups for all the purists, but then you’d have an Indonesian made import priced completely out of the stratosphere. By leaning on Jackson produced bridges, tuners and pickups, it allows budding players to get their hands on a Juggernaut without having to take out a god damn home loan. 

Budding progressive metal guitarists of the world, rejoice. The Pro Series Juggernaut is the perfect guitar to help you jump up to the semi-professional price point and quality. It’s a very working class guitar that you could sink hundreds of hours of play into, and then supe up with some boutique pickups and parts when your budget allows.

‍Jackson have really hit these out of the park and I continue to be impressed by the build quality coming out of the Indonesian factory. Go buy one, now.

Review by Nicholas Simonsen @blackechomusic

Learn more about the Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT6 here

Features

• 25.5" scale length
• Poplar body
• Bolt-on caramelized maple neck with graphite reinforcement, scarf joint and oiled back finish
• 20" radius ebony fingerboard with rolled edges, 24 jumbo frets, offset white dot inlays and Luminlay® side dots
• Heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel
• Uncovered direct mount Jackson MM1 pickups
• Five-way blade switch, single volume control and single tone control with push/pull select feature
• Jackson HT6 string-through-body hardtail bridge
• Jackson sealed die-cast locking tuners
• Horizon Devices Strings - Progressive Tension Heavy 6
• Gigbag included