Help me with my new (old) Jackson

[gerrekat]

Hi guys, I am a long time lurker, but I finally obtained a Jackson through a trade with one of my USA DEANs. Now I am not shure about the origin of this axe, I do know it looks killer, it definately feels like a USA and the built quality also looks USA to me. I always thought the Professional series were made in Japan....

It has REAL MOP inlays and Jackson logo, Schaller Floyd, EMG's and Jackson tuners.

Anyway can you guys help me out, the serial number is J202184














Cheers

Hans

[toejam]

Yep, Professional series are made in Japan. Those older Pro models were made just like the USA models, but they soon cut into USA sales and then were later "downgraded". Very nice guitar! Welcome to the board.

[gerrekat]

Cheers man and thanx! Yeah it looks and feels very USA to me, but just like I thought it's Japanese....oh well, I agreed with the other guy involved if it appeared to be non USA we would see what to do to even up the trade. He told me he bought it new in the early 90's.

[jackson1]

Hans, welcome to the board!

Click on the "Rhoads Pro vs RR1" in my signature if you want more info on your model.

[gerrekat]

Cheers man! I definately will check that info. like I said I was never a huge fan of Jackson necks, EMG's or Floyds but I am digging this axe because for such an extreme model it is balanced very well and just feels "right". I am a bit bummed it's not a USA though....

LOL pretty cool page you have there, strange I haven't read it before yet I also noticed straight away the balance on the pro was awesome and much better than what I remembered from other RR's I played.

[zeegler]

Hans, welcome to the board!

Click on the "Rhoads Pro vs RR1" in my signature if you want more info on your model.

That's a pretty cool comparison, but considering the huge variation in USA Rhoads guitars over the years, it's pointless comparing hardware, pickups, strap button location etc. For example, my RR1 has a Schaller Floyd, just like the Pros have, plus mine had Jackson J80s in it with the pre-amp, and not Deymour Duncans. What I think you will find, is that the Japanese made Jacksons probably vary much less, than the USA Rhoads.

The important thing here is the build quality/workmanship. Japanese made Jacksons (the Pros anyway) were generally made as well as their USA counterparts. The only place I have noticed a significant difference is the fret work. My buddy's King V Pro has atrocious, finger shredding fret ends. Other than that, it's a very nicely made guitar.

[jackson1]

What's up with the high E on that guitar? Looks very near the edge in all the photos...

[jackson1]

zeegler, i agree it's somewhat pointless, but it's fun too. If you gather all info you can, you start getting a feel for what is happening to a specific model through the years. Like, when you see an RR1 from before 1995 (i think) it will have a pretty thin neck compared to the later models.
I actually enjoy this "pointless" information

[wilkinsi]

Whatever it is, I say keep it... but i'd get that bottom E looked at.

[Nazgul]

That's a very nice guitar! Congrats!

Yeah, what's with the high E string btw?

[gerrekat]

Something with the floyd, the saddle got loose, I already corrected it....pff pain in the ass to set up!

The guys I traded it with had it in C with very thick strings, I use standard E tuning with standard .010 strings....pretty major change!

[JZ06]

Something with the floyd, the saddle got loose, I already corrected it....pff pain in the ass to set up!

The guys I traded it with had it in C with very thick strings, I use standard E tuning with standard .010 strings....pretty major change!

Nice axe! I can relate to your story on the tuning. I bought a black model 3DR charvel, I kid you not, the guitar came with tree trunk strings and it was tuned to "B"! Now it's nicely tuned to standard "440" with .009's.

I like the pearl paint!

[straycat]

NIce RR you will find the Jap pros are every bit as nice as the USAs of that time period.Worth good money too.

[RacerX]

Henrik has covered this very well (Nice web page, Hen! - not pointless)

I'll add a quick note on body wood...the PROs were usually poplar
while RR1s are alder.

Also, and I still think this should be on the Jackson website:

ALL JACKSONS MARKED "PROFESSIONAL" ON THE HEADSTOCK WERE MANUFACTURED AT THE JAPANESE FACTORY"

[zeegler]

zeegler, i agree it's somewhat pointless, but it's fun too. If you gather all info you can, you start getting a feel for what is happening to a specific model through the years. Like, when you see an RR1 from before 1995 (i think) it will have a pretty thin neck compared to the later models.
I actually enjoy this "pointless" information

I believe you're right about the neck especially. Mine is a 90, and has a very thin neck. Other details make me believe the RR Pros are modelled very closely after the older USAs, such as the angle in the side of the headstock. I checked my RR1, and it has the slightly angled headstock edge like you describe on your Pro. Plus, the neck pickup is very close to the fretboard on my RR1 just like on your Pro. I'll bet that if you compare a Pro and USA of the same year, they will be extremely close. I would like to see a comparo of a Soloist Pro, and USA soloist of the same year too. My old Soloist Pro was exceptionally well made.