Since I seem to be leaning more toward another Jackson than a Fender, I thought I should start a new thread. There are two guitars that I'm looking at, the SL4X and the SDX/SDXQ. Here's some eye candy:
SL4X in snow white


SDX


SDXQ


All two/three are made in Indonesia. They have a Floyd Rose Special bridge which is the same as an original Floyd Rose except it has zinc saddles and block instead of steel and brass, respectively. The bridge is recessed on the SL4X and non-recessed on the SDX/SDXQ.

The SL4X is the one I've talked about before. It is a Soloist which means that, like a Dinky, the body is 7/8 the size of a Strat. The body is Poplar and the fingerboard is Laurel. The pickups are Duncan Designed hot rails. It is neck through with a painted neck and the traditional Jackson headstock.

The SDX/SDXQ is the import version of Adrian Smith's signature guitar (up the irons!). It has the "San Dimas" body shape which means traditional Strat sized. The HSS pickups are Jackson's own. The body is basswood with a flame maple top on the SDXQ. It is a bolt-on with a Fender-style headstock.

The SDX is cheapest at $499. The SDXQ is next at $549. The SL4X is $599. All reasonably affordable. I tried an Indonesian Jackson in this price range and was very impressed by the construction, fit, and finish--moreso than the Mexican Fenders if I'm being honest.

I'm leaning toward the SL4X for a couple of different reasons: 1) The SSS configuration would be way different than my DK2M's HH configuration, 2) it would fit in the Jackson hardshell case I have whereas the SDX/SDXQ would not, 3) it's a cool throwback to the old Charvel Spectrums that Jeff Beck, et al, played back in the day. The main disadvantage would be the painted neck which I think I could work around.

The SDX/SDXQ are cool because of the Iron Maiden connection while still looking relatively conservative. I probably would prefer the neck on it. The HUGE strike against it is that the truss rod adjustment is at the heel of the neck so you have to take the neck off to adjust it. Now, my DK2M's neck is rock solid. I don't think I've adjusted the truss rod since I originally set it up. If I could be guaranteed that the SDX/SDXQ would be the same, I could deal with it. If it weren't for that, I would definitely be leaning that way.

I listened to a number of clips of the pickups. All of them sound good. You will not get any traditional single coil sounds out of the SL4X's hot rail humbuckers. I'd probably have to swap out the middle and neck eventually for that purpose. The SDX/SDXQ's pickups I could probably wouldn't have to do anything with from what I've heard--at least not immediately.