Someone offering me a KE3 for trade. Your thoughts?

[UrgehalFan1983]

A friend here in Philippines is offering me a KE3 MIJ green all stock but he only wants trade. He is after my Kelly MIJ exclusive Grover Jackson KE-c.u.95. If the info is relevant mine has modded EMG HzH4 passives and a black OFR.

Your thoughts guys

[Number Of The Priest]

I know you have two Grover Jackson KECU95 guitars (according to your signature), so I can see why you might be tempted to trade one away for something else.

I would consider the KECU95 and the KE3 to be equivalent guitars in quality and specifications except the KE3 is a bolt-neck construction. Do you want a bolt-neck Kelly that is otherwise virtually identical to your neckthru KECU95s? That's up to you.

Other than the neck construction, the minor aspects that could (or might not) affect the trade value of both guitars are described in the below paragraphs.

On the KECU95 you want to trade, I would not necessarily consider your EMG-HZ pickups and Floyd Rose Special to be "upgrades" from stock configuration (Duncan Designed pickups, JT580LP tremolo), but rather, parallel/equivalent replacement parts.

Your friend's KE3 could be from one of roughly three "different" generations, described below. Which one is it? Personally I think the third generation is the "best" of the three. I've owned one from the first generation and I currently own a third generation.

1) The first generation: 1996 to the early 2000s. Duncan Designed pickups, black hardware, reverse sharkfins, small oblong electronics route. KE3R was the same except it also had a reverse headstock.

2) The second generation: Early 2000s to 2006. Duncan Designed pickups, chrome hardware, standard sharkfins, small oblong electronics route.

3) The third generation: Post-2006 to 2011. Seymour Duncan pickups, black hardware, standard sharkfins, San Dimas electronics route. Occasionally had neck/headstock binding on three examples I've seen so far (https://www.jcfonline.com/threads/15...ke-my-old-one)).

Note: My hardware color chronology may be slightly inaccurate, according to https://guitarinside.com/Jackson_Kelly_KE3. But that website also lists incorrect pickups for the first generation, which had the HB-102 set (JB/Jazz equivalent) while the second generation had the HB-108 Detonator set (they sound like Distortions with the hex-polepiece look of Invaders), so use their website and my info in combination as a rough guide to date your friend's KE3 at a quick glance.

Finally, player preference should be considered. Do you like your friend's guitar more than yours? Does he like your guitar more than his?

[UrgehalFan1983]

Hey bro thanks i have lot to think about.

First off the signature is outdated haahh

I no loger have the bootleg LesPaul and Strat i only have two Kellies and a Fender.

The one with EMGs now has a real Floyd Rose Original same colour.

The main reason i want his is because its a "regular" Jackson..not an exclusive to Japan. Though yes thwyrw both MIJs.

I would hobestly consider yhe KE95 closer to a KE5 what with the neck thrus. And my friends is third generation.

One final thingni think i should mention that may or may not be significant. My mother got me my second Ke95 as a gift for recovering from BPD and a depression that lastred my 6 months in a rehab ward. She said its part of my inheritance. Its thr less played of the 2 but its definitely the more sentimentally significant. The one qith the gold OFR was acquired in a trade.

Personally i think my friend wants mine more so than i need his