help with identifying guitar

[rjohnstone]

Need Mudlark the Human Jackson Catalog to intervene and help us out.

That he is...
I did a few catalog scan checks (useless btw) and then did the old eBay/Reverb check for pics and such.
The H-S-S rosewood board DK2 seems to have pretty much disappeared around 2007.

[Riverrocker]

You guys are all so helpful I can take the neck off and check for numbers. I don't know much about guitars, is there anything I need to worry about coming apart or breaking? I don't want to damage it

[Riverrocker]

rjohnstone so you are thinking pre 2006?

[Number Of The Priest]

Since you admitted you don't know much about guitars, probably best to get someone experienced to do what I'm about to describe. It's not too difficult and it's completely reversible, but I can understand why it's intimidating if you've never done it before. ESPECIALLY since your guitar has a fully-floating tremolo bridge, which baffles people who are not familiar with how it works and getting frustrated why it's "so difficult to tune and get the bridge level with the body".

Here's what I would do.

Stuff a small cloth in the tremolo cavity under the bridge.

Unlock the locking nut clamps with the correct hex wrench.

Slacken the strings; the bridge will sink into the small cloth.

Use a screwdriver to remove the four screws holding the neck against the body.

With the strings slackened, you'll have enough room to cleanly maneuver the neck away from the body, and expose and inspect any date stamps or identification marks you can see. Take photos, upload them to your Imgur account, and share them here.

When you're done, reassemble the neck and body with your screwdriver.

Start bringing your strings back up to pitch. As the strings gain tension and become straight, you'll be able to tell if you've put the neck back on straight. If it seems like one edge of the fretboard is too close to the outer string and there's too much space on the other side, follow the straightforward procedure in the video below:

Remove the small cloth. Tune properly. Lock down the locking nut clamps with your hex wrench. Fine tune using the fine tuners at the bridge.

If you've done all of this correctly, your guitar will be in the same state as when you started, except now you'll have gained the information gleaned by the neck heel and neck pocket stamps.

The whole thing should take maybe 20-30 minutes if you're accustomed to the process.

[rjohnstone]

rjohnstone so you are thinking pre 2006?

The DK2 in H-S-S config with black hardware and real Seymour Duncans came out around late 2005.
So it should fall into that 2005 - 2007 model years.

[Mudlark]

Actually, HSS/rosewood DK2's ran consistently to 2011.
Perhaps the HH model DK2M newly released in '06 is where Rick is getting sidetracked?


Without a serial I'd generally give the usual '2006-'11' range, but after a quick glance through the '01-'09 catalogues I was shocked to learn the first year offering the DK2 in white was 2009

It's well known the catalogues contain errors, but I'm geussin' it's unlikely they forgot to print White that many years in a row.

My money would go on a pocket stamp of late '08-'11.

[rjohnstone]

Actually, HSS/rosewood DK2's ran consistently to 2011. Perhaps the HH model DK2M newly released in '06 is where Rick is getting sidetracked?Without a serial I'd generally give the usual '2006-'11' range, but after a quick glance through the '01-'09 catalogues I was shocked to learn the first year offering the DK2 in white was 2009 It's well known the catalogues contain errors, but I'm geussin' it's unlikely they forgot to print White that many years in a row.My money would go on a pocket stamp of late '08-'11.

Yeah... the H-H DK2 pretty much took center stage after 2007.
Which is what you see out there on the used market today.Late 2005 was the first year for black hardware and real Duncans.
I have yet to find a post 2007 H-S-S DK2 in any marketing material and so far they've been non-existent on eBay and Reverb.

I'll defer to your knowledge on their existence past 2008.

[Razor]

That is a nice DK2, and a damn nice score!

[Mudlark]

The catalogues have the DK2 HSS through to the end in '2011.
2006 was the year of all the upgrades, which was coincidentally? 10 years after another big year, 1996.
Though, many were made in late '05, which is common.

'96 was the birth of many of the current USA model names...RR1, DK1, SL1....

[synapsistheory]

'96 was the birth of many of the current USA model names...RR1, DK1, SL1....

I did'nt know that. So that 1996 cobalt blue RR1 I picked up for $80 last month is a first year RR1? That's pretty cool

[Number Of The Priest]

Yes synapsis, you have an early RR1, distinguished by the OFR. A year earlier, it would have been called a "Rhoads Custom", and it would have been equipped with a JT590 trem. Other than that, essentially the "same guitar".

In particular, it's amazing how the SL1 and the RR1 today are still the same guitars as when they were "introduced" with these model names in 1996.

[Force]

Never seen a MIJ DK2 with H-H layout, mine is 2010 & is H-S-S. DK2M were 2 hums.

[Riverrocker]

Sorry everyone I haven't responded. I went through a really big family crisis. Soo much stuff going on. I took the neck off and the date was way different. I will upload a picture.

[Riverrocker]

http://imgur.com/Ggh5X16

[Riverrocker]

Oops i am in the wrong forum thought I was replying on tje one I posted I'm sorry