Scott Ian Names the Metal Band That Was His Son’s ‘Gateway’ to Heavy Music

Anthrax guitar icon Scott Ian recently sat down with Loudwire to discuss all things rock and metal, and talk soon turned to his son, the 11-year-old Revel Ian. The chat also covered musical gear, with Ian introducing a new electric guitar, the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3. (Keep reading to see and hear the instrument.)

Revel is Scott's child with his wife, the singer Pearl Aday, who is the daughter of the late rocker Meat Loaf. Aday is Scott's co-collaborator in their band together, Motor Sister. Revel, like his parents, is making an imprint in the music world with the group Honeybee. Indeed, the young artist is quickly becoming a notable musician in his own right, and he already has another new project in the works.

Like his dad, Revel had a significant starting point for getting into loud music. Scott has previously discussed that marker in his youth, mainly with KISS and Elton John. Rock music has progressed, however — so it makes sense that the watershed band for Revel was masked metalheads Slipknot.

Scott tells Loudwire, "I think for him, it was his big thing that opened the door. Like his first big 'crush,' you know? For me, it was KISS. KISS was the thing that my parents weren't into it; it was my thing. Of course, my parents didn't play guitar in a metal band like Revel's dad. Or his mom who sings in a rock band."

The Anthrax guitarist continues, "But I think for him, Slipknot was the first kind of — I mean, he liked a lot of shit before that, too. But there was something about Slipknot that opened the door to everything else. He was looking for shit that came before them, shit that came after them."

Scott adds, "Slipknot to me — he might correct me if he heard me saying this — but for me, that way I see it, Slipknot was his KISS. His gateway to everything else. And that was when he was 5 or 6."

Like the guitarists in Slipknot, Scott needs a solidly pro-level and lightning-fast guitar to do his shredding in Anthrax. That's where the new Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 comes in.

The instrument's a big advance for Jackson in its quest to deliver the utmost quality to guitar players of all stripes. As a high-performance, American-made guitar built for heaviness, the idea is to bring custom shop craftsmanship to guitars that come off a regular production line.

"It's going to be the first U.S. production model, like a custom shop-level production model guitar, in the history of Jackson," Scott explains. "This is going to be a guitar that's going to be in production in the U.S. out of the factory in Corona [California]."

The rocker offers a laugh when he adds, "Now, instead of having to wait nine months for a guitar [from the Jackson Custom Shop], I can just play one of these. They're clearly built for me."

On a video chat with Loudwire, Scott played the new Soloist SL3 and mused about his long relationship with Jackson, which began back in Anthrax's early days. Ian currently has his own signature model Jackson King V guitar, and he previously had a signature Soloist on the market.

"My first experience with Jackson was at Sam Ash in New York City in 1982," Scott recalls. "I was immediately hypnotized by the sheer awesomeness of the guitars and have been playing them ever since."

He says Jackson makes "the perfect tool for the job I do, and the American Series Soloist SL3 has me playing better than ever. The neck is lightning fast, the guitar crunches like a beast, and the design is killer. I'll be adding the Soloist to my touring arsenal."

Justin Norvell, a VP at Fender, Jackson's parent company, explains, "Jackson has a DNA that is unmatched in the heavy music space. Bringing Jackson's craftsmanship back to its Southern California roots has been a labor of love for all of us. … The neck is unmatched, each pickup absolutely screams, and there isn’t a single detail about this guitar that wouldn't make any shredder proud."

Fender CEO Andy Mooney says, "Jackson guitars are built to play fast and loud. We want to ensure this generation of heavy musicians have the tools they need to inspire the diverse audiences who love them. We've gone to great lengths to make the American Series Soloist SL3 the guitar that defines today’s ever-evolving metal sound. We believe it will appeal to the many touring guitarists who want a top-quality, USA-built Jackson at an accessible price."

Anthrax recently released the live album Anthrax XL, a recording taken from their 40th anniversary livestream last year. The influential "Big Four" metal band is currently on tour. See a preview video for the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 below and learn more here.

The American Series Soloist SL3, proudly made from start to finish in Fender's Corona, Calif. factory, is a breakthrough in high-performance guitars and above all else, is designed for speed. Starting with the classic Speed Neck profile from beloved Jackson Soloists of decades past, the profile has been suped up to include masterfully rolled edges for maximum comfort. Complimenting this profile is a compound radius that starts at 12" at the nut and flattens to 16" at the 12th fret to promote screaming bends and intricate finger work as players move up the neck. Player-focused features like Luminlay side dots to illuminate the fretboard on the darkest of stages and quick access truss rod adjustment to make easy neck relief adjustments ensure the Soloist is always optimized for speed and precision.

The iconic 'Concorde' six-on-a-side headstock visually represents the precision of the instrument with its razor-sharp profile. The model is laden with quality features usually found only in custom domestic builds or import models including a Floyd Rose 1500 and neck-through construction. With four eye-catching finishes — Riviera Blue, Platinum Pearl, Black Gloss and Slime Green Satin — there's no mistaking it for any other guitar.

Jackson Guitars, "Origins of Speed"