No more custom Serial numbers.

[thetroy]

Oooh, you can't get custom serial numbers?!? Stop the presses, the sky is falling, the world is ending.

If it's not that big of a deal then why is it too much to ask when spending $3k+?

[VitaminG]

I'm not likely to be ordering any custom instruments any time soon, but I wonder, do other manufacturers offer custom serial numbers? If I was to go to say, Fender, and demand my initials and a 001 - GPB001 - will they provide it? Will Gibson? PRS? In the future, how do folks then date these guitars, or confirm their legitimacy?

I know Mustaine had personalised serials, but then, weren't they also used sequentially on his signature line of guitars? So while it was a "custom" serial, it wasn't an untrackable one-off, it was a designation for a whole run.

And if this was changed at the start of '03, why is the sky suddenly falling 4 years later?

[Newc]

Well, it takes time. Crap flows downhill, but the really peanutty stuff takes longer than the really runny crap

As for not being able to get a custom serial number, if I'm spending that much money and want a custom serial number, I do not see a legitimate reason why I should not be able to get it.

I work in a factory that deals with the same type of numbered stamps Jackson uses, so maybe they're just under-equipped?
Here's a link J/C should check out:
http://www.argontool.com/ecatalog/fr...ry=Hand+Stamps

They make good stuff, and it's inexpensive. Plus you can order online. You can get complete letter AND number sets instead of being stuck with the limited set they're obviously stuck with if they have to enact this "policy".

[NextInLine]

Oooh, you can't get custom serial numbers?!? Stop the presses, the sky is falling, the world is ending.

you could have said the same if they decided not to produce Jacksons anymore, so your statement doesn't make any sense to me

It's not a big deal so why not offer custom serial numbers? If they have an acceptable reason for this then no problem. But questioning/complaning about this subject is UBER normal imo

[ejs0614]

Is it me or does it sound like you can order your custom shop guitar anyway you want it...as long as you want it their way...

I am suprised this isn't a option with an insane upcharge like everything else...

[MEX3]

Jacksons custom shop motto used to be "If you can dream it, we can build it" Now it should be "Shut up and take what we give you".
The only issue I'm aware of with AMIC era guitars was that they catered to guitar centers every whim. You had to wait a little longer for a USA select guitar if GC put in an order. I don't think custom shop wait time has been reduced and I don't think quality has improved. They cut custom shop body styles, finish options and guitars from the USA select line. God forbid someone might find your choice of finish offensive, because they wont build it then either.

[delt]

oh well, there goes my "GOD 666" triple-neck kellystar-roswell

[slayer]

Jacksons custom shop motto used to be "If you can dream it, we can build it" Now it should be "Shut up and take what we give you".
The only issue I'm aware of with AMIC era guitars was that they catered to guitar centers every whim. You had to wait a little longer for a USA select guitar if GC put in an order. I don't think custom shop wait time has been reduced and I don't think quality has improved. They cut custom shop body styles, finish options and guitars from the USA select line. God forbid someone might find your choice of finish offensive, because they wont build it then either.

Well said bro, that is exactly what I was trying to say. They won`t build you dream guitar anymore if you want certain body styles, etc. That "If you can dream it, we can build it" statement doesn`t apply anymore. FMIC has cut back on the "Dream Guitar" moto and raised the prices dramatically on the CS guitars and upcharges. If some are happy with that direction, I say spend away, but not me anymore Jack.

[~K~]

Man how people forget ...

AMIC ran it into the ground. Outdated equipment, lack of good benefits etc etc They drove people out and brought in less experienced labor ...Jackson was on the verge of being shut down ...

Are there issues that need to be addressed now? Most certainly there are... it isn't delivery times.. I can wait a year for a guitar ...it's the quality that needs to be addressed to remain competetive longterm ..They have a good product and years of history to build from ..they just need to get it back to what it once was ...

As far as price increases I can't speak for them ..I can relate it to my own experiences. I work as a Model Shop Machinist for a Semi Conductor company. There was 3 of us in the shop .. 2 of us in our late 30's (at the time) and one was a 65 yr old hungarian guy who was incredibly talented. The Hungarian got layed off and was offered to work as a contractor..

He doesn't want to raise prices because it embarasses him and quite frankly the company beats him up for it. Because he is that good and his prices are so low the get's so overwhelmed with work pushing his delivery times way out. He feels trapped by it ..

Because he's always under the gun things can suffer..Sometimes he subs work to others who are less qualified and his quality gets affected by his work load ....

Engineers have told him he needs to raise his prices. He'll get less work but he'll still make the same money. He reduces his work load because of the higher prices. The company will have to pay premiums for his work and that reduces the trival stuff to only what is truly needed. Then quality goes up and he meets his deliveries this way. Job shops that can do stuff cheaper get the stupid small stuff and he still gets the intricate higher priced work ...

Supply and demand.. If JCMI is so slammed and backlogged with work they feel it is priced to low and people will pay a premium to get custom stuff. FMIC didn't cause this .. the popularity of Charvel/Jackson and the people who buy caused it ...


I can't say this is what is happening at the factory ..It is just a theory that seems to prove out in manufacturing now .....


The bottom line is ..Without FMIC buying JCMI ... there would be no JCMI today to complain about ... AMIC treated it that poorly ...

[slayer]

Very good points, and if true, I agree with you to a point. If they do better work, a slight increase in price is justified in my book, but not 20% is all I am saying. 5% at first is fair and then go from there. 20% is an over the top price increase in my book. Jack.

[jimjones]

Who left besides Shannon? And that was to run the Fender Custom Shop IIRC so it was a promotion. Upgraded machinery (CNC) probably eliminated a couple positions so I dont think that could benefit the workers. Im not a accountent and have never had access to the Akai financial records so Ill not comment on that and leave it to the experts in the know...But IMO all they needed was a little better marketing. Anyone can see that rock/metal is making a comeback and that guitars will be selling again. They were always highly regarded guitars and viewed as a good buy for the $.

[AK47]

Quote/The bottom line is ..Without FMIC buying JCMI ... there would be no JCMI today to complain about ... AMIC treated it that poorly .../quote

I totally disagree with this statement Jackson would have been bought by either Dave Mustaine or another private enity FMIC was the worst thing to happen you know since the buy out how many ideas options they will no longer do anymore. Its been slowly incrementaly one thing at a time.

It seams like alot of people are cool with all the BS FMIC has pulled including the no artist models, thats just coporate BS all the way to the top.

Jackson as brand had to much loyalty to be killed off by AMIC.

[VitaminG]

FMIC is the worst thing to happen to Jackson? Now that's a revelation.

Unlike Jackson under AMIC, I can actually find new Jacksons in the shops here now. Before the buyout, most of the stores around my city that had previously carried Jackson no longer did. They all gave up their Jackson dealerships and were selling Ibanez & LTD. So that's NO Jacksons in the stores, not even entry level JS models. Now I can go into any of several stores and try out things like the COW7 or the DK2M. One store has even had in-stores by guys like Christian when Fear Factory were in town.

What private individual has the distribution to make that happen? Of course, Dave Mustaine, drawing on all his valuable experience as singer in a band, no doubt had all of that arranged when he first attempted to buy the company.

Still no one has attempted to answer my earlier question about which other companies allow custom serial numbers. How many people here have ordered custom serials on their CS Jacksons in the past? What were the details? Were you limited in what kind of serial you could have? Did they place any restrictions on you or could you have your phone number stamped into your fretboard if you wanted to?

[xenophobe]

I totally disagree with this statement Jackson would have been bought by either Dave Mustaine or another private enity FMIC was the worst thing to happen you know since the buy out how many ideas options they will no longer do anymore. Its been slowly incrementaly one thing at a time.

You MUST have a crystal ball, because nobody can know what you claim to be fact.

In the last two years of AMIC ownership, the number of complaints about Jackson quality here jumped.... In the last year of AMIC ownership, there were at least 2-3 completely rational and valid complaints a month about problems with USA Jacksons, not to mention all the issues with the JCF01 series that was kept private.

Almost immediately after Fender purchased Jackson, the number of serious complaints here on the forum dropped dramatically... This 'no more custom serial numbers' isn't a valid complaint, it is just whiney nit-picking, most of which seems to be because some people here just have to find something to complain about.

Still no one has attempted to answer my earlier question...

You and me both...

[AK47]

The Music zoo and DOC runs had custom serial numbers ESP will do a custom number I have not checked with other companies.
So no artist similar models....
No copyrighted images.....
No Firebirds or roundhorns etc...
No more custom style Jackson logos...
No more custom serial numbers...
Only Jackson camo patterns no one elses including Germanys...
No custom inlays if they appeared on another companies guitar or paintjob that apeared on another guitar...

All this has happened after the buyout and all you yes men are cool with this. If it was private owned you could still have Jackson build you the guitar of your dreams. Except no strat heads of course.