SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (March 29, 2011) – Jackson is proud to honor a longtime friend and one of the most dexterous shredders in metal with a new signature Soloist guitar model. Debuting in spring 2011 is the Scott Ian T-1000 Soloist.

Scott Ian is a veritable thrash godfather who has made a living out of pummeling audiences worldwide for decades with his huge sound and formidable chops. He remains the sole constant member of Anthrax, the New York thrash-metal institution he co-founded 30 years ago. Ian also plays in recently formed metal super-group the Damned Things.

Anthrax is one of the “Big Four”—the quartet of seminal U.S. thrash bands (along with Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer) that has electrified the metal world with recent shows at which all four bands have shared one stage for the first time ever. Jackson is very proud to be an integral part of this exciting chapter in metal history, and is hence doubly proud to introduce Ian’s new signature model.

Designed by Ian himself and acclaimed Jackson Master Builder Mike Shannon, the neck-through-body Scott Ian T-1000 Soloist is based on the guitarist’s ’87 Soloist (the one bearing the New York Yankees logo). It comes in single and double Seymour Duncan humbucking pickup configurations. A single pickup model with a Seymour Duncan® Scott Ian El Diablo bridge pickup and the two pickup model comes with a Seymour Duncan® ’59 pickup in the neck.

“I always felt the regular Soloist was too small on me,” Ian said. “The extra size gives me more low-end oomph. And I went with mahogany and maple because that’s what my N.Y. Jackson Soloist from 1987 was made out of, and it sounds great.”