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Japanese Neck Through Serial Code question

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  • Japanese Neck Through Serial Code question

    Do all if not most Japanese Serial codes have only numerical characters? And if so how many digits. If memory serves me well, i think they were always on the last fret and were 6 or 7 digits. And was this consistent also for the Japanese exclusive Grover Jackson and Jackson Stars sub brands? example my two Kellys are 000783 and 001006. thanks in advance guys!
    MY GEAR
    -GROVER JACKSON KELLY KE-c.u.95 Transblack with Seymour Duncan Black Winter bridge trembucker custom and Floyd Rose Original Gold Satin custom
    -GROVER JACKSON KELLY KE-c.u.95 Transblack with EMG HZH4s and Floyd Rose Original black satin
    -FENDER STRATOCASTER AMERICAN STANDARD 2002 Black with white pickguard. All Stock.
    PEAVEY RAGE 258 25watt modelling amp solid state

  • #2
    I've never completely figured out the Japanese market serials.
    For us, the '90-'95 neck thrus had 6 digits and a J prefix. J0XXXXX-'90.
    The 2000's MIJ's were also 6 digits, but the J was dropped and the first 2 digits represent the year. 00XXXX-2000

    Yours may be 2000's if those models were available for sale in 2000. I can't be sure either way.
    96xxxxx, 97xxxxx and 98xxxxx serials oftentimes don't indicate '96, '97 and '98.

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    • #3
      Japanese neckthrough Kelly was available in 2002 IIRC. They did drop the "J" prefix but kept the 6-digits stamped in the end of the board. IIRC they dropped everything but the Soloist and Rhoads in late 2003, just before the FMIC buyout.

      When they streamlined (read: scaled down) the model offerings to only 2 of each model (TN01 and TN02) in 2002, I recall there being the Warrior, Soloist, Rhoads, and Kelly.
      In 2001 these were still J1 and J2 model designations (with an "E" appendix for EMG-equipped).

      The JacksonStars line went through a ton of revisions in 2 years. At one point there were at least 5 neckthrough RR models (RR-110 (Student Rhoads specs), RR-120 (same but with bridge options), RR-135 (Schaller and fins on striped ebony), RR-160 (flametops, Schaller, fins, ebony), and the RR-175 (equal to USA) - the only model in that numbering scheme to go above the 160 designation.
      There may have been an RR-145, as well, now that I think about it.
      All of them had 24 frets.

      The numbers represented the MSRP in Thousands of Yen. RR-175 cost 175,000Y (roughly $1750 USD at the time).

      JacksonStars Kellys with those serial numbers would be KE-160s from 2000. I want to say the KV and KE had something between the 135 and 160 mark that made it "just a hair below" the 160 - maybe a 145?
      I want to depart this world the same way I arrived; screaming and covered in someone else's blood

      The most human thing we can do is comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

      My Blog: http://newcenstein.com

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Newc View Post
        Japanese neckthrough Kelly was available in 2002 IIRC. They did drop the "J" prefix but kept the 6-digits stamped in the end of the board. IIRC they dropped everything but the Soloist and Rhoads in late 2003, just before the FMIC buyout.

        When they streamlined (read: scaled down) the model offerings to only 2 of each model (TN01 and TN02) in 2002, I recall there being the Warrior, Soloist, Rhoads, and Kelly.
        In 2001 these were still J1 and J2 model designations (with an "E" appendix for EMG-equipped).

        The JacksonStars line went through a ton of revisions in 2 years. At one point there were at least 5 neckthrough RR models (RR-110 (Student Rhoads specs), RR-120 (same but with bridge options), RR-135 (Schaller and fins on striped ebony), RR-160 (flametops, Schaller, fins, ebony), and the RR-175 (equal to USA) - the only model in that numbering scheme to go above the 160 designation.
        There may have been an RR-145, as well, now that I think about it.
        All of them had 24 frets.

        The numbers represented the MSRP in Thousands of Yen. RR-175 cost 175,000Y (roughly $1750 USD at the time).

        JacksonStars Kellys with those serial numbers would be KE-160s from 2000. I want to say the KV and KE had something between the 135 and 160 mark that made it "just a hair below" the 160 - maybe a 145?
        Sorry to say that, but you are totally wrong here.

        TN series were launched in December 2007, lasted till the 2010. J1/2/3 series were launched in June (IIRC, may be July) 2002. They never dropped any of the classic models (SL, WR, RR, KV, KE), just played with model specs and names, somewhere between 2000-2004 there was more that 10 versions of each neckthru model with different specifications and numerical indiсes from 75-80 up to 265 (Jackson Stars J.I.SL/E-265 SSH, so-called "Japan Identity" series).
        RRs you are talking about - https://i.imgur.com/79baEGm.jpg (1999 catalog models)

        Concerning serial numbers - all Chushin-made neckthru Jackson guitars shared the same serials, was in export Jackson or local Grover Jackson/Jackson Stars guitars, so 00xxxx stays for 2000, but serial number doesn't encode model or any other information. Moreover, topicstarter already know that his KEs are GJ c.u.-95 ("student" neckthru models in 2000-2004).

        Hope it will help. May be one day I will stop being lazy dog and compile all known GJ/JS models into one big list, but it will take some time

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        • #5
          Thanks for the clarification. I thought those dates sounded off, but it's been so long since I got my NASL-135, 160s, and J2E that the whole thing got blurry

          And then there was all the TeamGJ stuff, but I never kept track of those or the Grover Jackson lines - my primary focus at the time was the JacksonStars line, specifically, the NASL.
          I had a bunch of printed literature from the time, and had been all over the Japanese website trying to get it all sorted out, but then one day the old site was completely changed.

          The most I knew of the Grover Jackson lines was from when they were mostly Japan-market versions of whatever imports the rest of us got - DK2, KE-3, RR-3, Model 6, neckthrough Pros, etc.
          Beyond that, it was like keeping track of the lineage of stray cats.
          I want to depart this world the same way I arrived; screaming and covered in someone else's blood

          The most human thing we can do is comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

          My Blog: http://newcenstein.com

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