Please help identify this Jackson...

[pianoguyy]

Did some older DKMG's have a separate battery compartment?

I thought they always had a separate battery compartment, but I could be wrong.

This one has the battery cut out in the electronics cavity.

Right, not a "separate battery compartment" the way we typically see.
They have a little wooden shelf in the electronics cavity for the battery to sit in.

[pianoguyy]

I'm curious if the EMG HZ with turbocharger setup has the cut out. I never took the back plate off the one I had... If so, it could be that the pickups were changed out at some point.

On one site I visited they said it was 1996 Japanese manufacture but didn't give any other info.

Yes, many passive (that would be the emg hz pickups with turbo charger) bodies had the little shelf.
The biggest telltale sign of whether it was originally active or passive is the amount of knobs. 2 knobs is active, and 3 are passive.

The site that said it was a '96 was wrong. The DKMG didn't even exist in 96.

[Mudlark]

Yeah, only believe what you read here when it comes to Jacksons.

DKMG's started in the very early 2000's. If that guitar was a '96 it'd almost certainly have a 'Professional' logo on the headstock.

What's the serial? I can usually guesstimate those numbers within a year based on my list of numbers.
The only way you'll be 100% sure of the date and model is to remove the neck and check the stamps.

[Jax]

Serial# 9670408. After all this info I think you're right, it most likely has been altered. Whoever did the work really knew what they were doing! The boost knob has been replaced and everything...

[pianoguyy]

Swapping pickups doesn't take a degree in rocket science since they invented the non-solder connections.

That serial seems early enough to confirm that you have the 3 knob version. It came with the passive pickups (emg hz).

[Mudlark]

That number should be late 2001, which would make it a very early DKMG. The model actually wasn't released until 2002.

[Jax]

Thanks guys!