Help dating a Jackson Kelly guitar

[paranoid30]

Hi everybody, I'm new to the forum and I just came here to ask for help dating/identifying a 90s Jackson Kelly
I'd like to sell the guitar as I'm not using it and I'm trying to understand its actual value. For doing so, I clearly need to identify the year\series and such info.
I've read this thread but I still have some doubts, as my guitar seems to be a weird case: http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/101...-of-Origin-FAQ

First of all, here are some pictures:






The guitar is in perfect condition and the only modification done was a pickup change: the neck pickup is a Seymour Duncan Jazz.
As you can see some of the info in the serial number thread is contradicting what I see on this guitar:

- The serial number is 9625645. It's 7 digit and starts with 96: this would mean it's a 1996 made in Japan guitar.
- The sticker behind the neck clearly states it's a made in Japan
- The model on the headstock is Performer: this should mean it's a made in Korea, but the serial number and the sticker disagree

Could you help me? I'm a bit confused by the inconsistency in the info given on the guitar...
Also, if you could give me a ballpark figure about the guitar's value, it would help me a lot!

Thanks!

[Mudlark]

That's a PS6T Kelly. The early Performers (mid '90's) were Korean...serial number 1xxxxxx. The later models were Japanese...sn 9xxxxxx.
That period was an especially hard era to date guitars with that serial number format. Some 96xxxxx numbers were for 1996, but by far the majority were from 1996 to 2003ish. The 96 numbers started as 9600000 and went up sequentially: ex: 9600000, 9600001, 9600002 until they hit 9700000 around 2003.

My guess is your guitar is a 1998. I have 9627xxx and 9628xxx on my list of numbers that are confirmed with a date stamp of 1998. The most accurate way to date those numbers is to remove the neck and check the stamps on the neck and/or in the pocket.

As for value? That's always tricky, but to my knowledge those guitars sold for around $400-500 US in the late '90s. In great shape, $3-350 would seem a good deal in my opinion. The Professionals were a step up from the Performers and those can be had for $3-400 used. Sometimes more sometimes less. Just my opinion.

[paranoid30]

Hi, thanks a lot for your help, that's great! That is exactly all the info I needed, you've been priceless