Jackson - JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X Safety Orange

This Jackson JS Series Dinky Minion JS1X guitar doesn't ask for permission, its Safety Orange colour will spot you a hundred yards away, and its aggressive curves make its intentions clear. The miniature Dinky body fits in any car boot and its humbucking bridge rumbles like a full-size guitar. Beginners take to it straight away - at last, an instrument that doesn't make them look like well-behaved children.

Your left hand meets a neck that feels tailor-made. The 57 cm of pitch turns difficult extensions into natural gestures, and the 24 jumbo frets open up a huge playground. The amaranth fingerboard, harder than standard maple, gives bends a remarkably fluid feel. Even the smallest fingers can effortlessly reach those high notes that cut through the mix.

The electronic section is no joke. These high-output Jackson humbuckers spit out a dense signal that remains clearly legible through extreme distortion. On repeat, the bridge position pierces through the drums without the need to push the volumes. The three-position selector becomes your dashboard, allowing you to switch from crunch rock to clean jazz with the flick of a switch.

You'll use it for rehearsals on the bus, writing sessions on the sofa, or those gigs where every kilo saved counts. Parents see it as the instrument that will motivate their teenagers for years to come. Professionals will find it an emergency guitar that won't blush in the face of their main instruments. Its affordable price doesn't make it a toy - it's a whole Jackson, just in concentrated form.