It took a while but a singlecut Jackson guitar finally made it into standard production. Debuting in 2016, the Monarkh was an obvious risk for the manufacturer as it was something not within the pointy Jackson DNA. As Marty Friedman is currently backing it following his return to the Jackson camp, it should be staying in the catalogs for some years to come. It's a commercial symbiosis, we see many models from other brand names dying without endorser support too many times.
The JS22 version of the singlecut Monarkh is an alright guitar in terms of tone. Nothing too enticing when it comes to clean, the default high output humbuckers were just not cut for that. Drive-wise, much clarity could be heard coming from both pickups but the treble dominance could be addressed. I somehow like this excess in the neck position but that's just my metal inclinations talking. On that note, this is nothing less than a shred machine or a heavy metal implement but do not expect a thin neck for manoeuvrability. You can still speed across the fretboard & such but the narrow nut cramped proceedings a little. Quite a Les Paul vibe going on here considering the 24.75" scale length, without neck stickiness which is a plus point.
After 20min of test time, the thinner body made it feel like an SG in many ways. It's compounded by the fact that the neck had a diving tendency due to the acute cutaway but the chamfered body edges added to playing comfort, definitely.
The Monarkh is a Jackson by virtue of its drive-inclined tone. The most familiar reference here is that substantial (but a Gibson 50s neck it is not) but inviting neck. A worthy consideration for a good budget purchase but nothing unique in terms of offering.
Rating: 70%
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