Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E: An Aged Leppard
Has this old Leppard really seen a hard life?
The Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E in Worn Black is the Def Leppard guitarist’s latest signature model. It marks 40 years of Collen and Jackson’s relationship, which began in 1986, and it’s faux-aged to look like it’s toured for decades!
Contents – Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E
First Impressions of the Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E
This Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E has the classic Dinky body shape and comes in an aged look called Worn Black. I always associate Phil Collen and Def Leppard with this style of hot-rodded guitar, so it makes sense; plus, it has all the shred specifications we know and love for a player like Phil.
Aged Shred
It features a mahogany body with some very noticeable signs of wear. The entire body and headstock are coated with a Worn Black nitrocellulose finish and made to look well-used. You’ll either love it or hate it, depending on your own preferences. The matching gold hardware throughout is not aged, so it looks a little odd.
Plus, the caramelized maple neck with its ebony fretboard also hasn’t been sacrificed for a worn look. This isn’t meant as a criticism at all, just an important point. The fretboard has a modern compound radius for easy playability, plus a single pearloid sharkfin inlay at the 12th fret and 24 jumbo frets.
A recessed Floyd Rose 1000 series double-locking tremolo and Jackson die-cast locking tuners offer the rock-solid tuning we expect from this style of guitar.
DiMarzio and PC1 Sustainer Driver
The electronic components underscore the path and spirit that the Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E has followed to this point. In addition to a DiMarzio X2N DP102 humbucker (bridge) and a DiMarzio Sugar Chakra DP427BK single coil (middle), the neck position features a PC1 Sustainer Driver with an 18-volt battery system. The latter delivers endless, singing sustain.
The pickups are controlled by a volume knob with a push/pull function for coil splitting, a tone control, an intensity control, a sustainer on/off switch, a fundamental/harmonic/blend switch, and a 5-way blade switch. I own a few guitars myself with sustainers, and they can be a lot of fun to play with in the studio and live, as they allow a feedback-like sustain on demand, perfect for creating all types of textures,
Availability & Verdict
The new Jackson Pro Phil Collen PC1-E with an included foam core case is available to order now at Thomann and Sweetwater.
I like this style of Dinky, and as a guitarist I also love playing with sustainer pickups, so this model ticks a lot of the boxes for me. The whole design is simple, yet perfect for modern playing styles; as I mentioned earlier, the finish will divide opinions.
You’ll either love or hate distressed nitrocellulose finishes.
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