Help! Mystery Jackson Soloist Prototype?

[Customguitars87]

Hi all, new to the forum. Looks like a great resource for all things Jackson!

I thought I really knew a ton about Jackson guitars, but I picked up something really unusual last week and not only am I completely clueless about it...the rest of the internet seems to be as well. It's been suggested that it may be a prototype.

I hope someone here can help!

I picked up this up a few days ago and it arrived today, listed just as a "Jackson Soloist Red Flame". The issue is that this guitar doesn't seem to exist anywhere that I can see across the vast plains of the internet.

Here's what I do know now that it's here:

-It has a 6 digit serial starting with 0 (so it is MIJ, either 1990 or 2000?)
-It has a real mother of pearl headstock logo that just says "Jackson" - no "Professional" or anything else written after it
-It has MOTO (aka pearloid) sharkfin inlays on an ebony fretboard with cream binding
-It has direct mounted EMG pickups and a Jackson Floyd Rose (not Schaller, not OFR)

That's basically it. I'm attaching a few photos...if anyone has a clue what the heck it is I have here, I would really appreciate any information. Cheers!

[Customguitars87]

Anyone? Bueller?

[Nightbat]

Dkmg?

[Customguitars87]

Dkmg?

Nope, the DKMG is a totally different guitar. This is definitely a Soloist...

[Number Of The Priest]

That is nothing like any production model I have ever seen or am able to personally identify. Great looking guitar with really nice specs. Specifications-wise, it's practically a few MOP fretboard inlays and "Professional" headstock logo away from being a Japanese Professional Pro guitar from the early 1990s. It's up there with the best.

Direct mounted humbuckers pretty uncommon.

That switch tip looks stubbier than most switch tips on Jacksons. It's usually pointier. Interesting.

The SKB case, if original to the guitar, suggests late 1990s or early 2000s.

A puzzling and compelling specimen for sure.

Could you please show some closeups of the trem? Can you also provide us links to other discussion threads on other websites where you've asked for help? Perhaps their puzzled replies and vague clues might help us, even if just a little bit. Anything helps.

[Customguitars87]

That is nothing like any production model I have ever seen or am able to personally identify. Great looking guitar with really nice specs. Specifications-wise, it's practically a few MOP fretboard inlays and "Professional" headstock logo away from being a Japanese Professional Pro guitar from the early 1990s. It's up there with the best.

Direct mounted humbuckers pretty uncommon.

That switch tip looks stubbier than most switch tips on Jacksons. It's usually pointier. Interesting.

The SKB case, if original to the guitar, suggests late 1990s or early 2000s.

A puzzling and compelling specimen for sure.

Could you please show some closeups of the trem? Can you also provide us links to other discussion threads on other websites where you've asked for help? Perhaps their puzzled replies and vague clues might help us, even if just a little bit. Anything helps.

Thanks! I actually own a few of the early Jackson Professionals (a blue 1990 Soloist Professional Pro and a red flame top 1990 Fusion Professional Pro) and they really are incredible instruments. The switch tip is definitely puzzling on this one, as is the combo of a real MOP logo with the MOTO fretboard inlays.

I do think this is likely a 2000 model, as the serial can really only be 1990 and 2000 and I don't think it's THAT old. I would guess that maybe this is a prototype that never went into production (maybe a result of the FMIC buyout), but since I can't find any information on this guitar existing other than it being on my couch right now...hard to say!

I'll post a few more photos of it tonight, happy to provide any pics that might help figure out what this is.

So far I've only asked about it over at The Gear Page, here's that link: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/in...#post-26434921

[Luca1973]

Very odd Soloist

and a Jackson Floyd Rose (not Schaller, not OFR)

To me, that bridge seems the Jackson 590, made by Schaller.
Shure that the saddles are in the right position?? I think you have to register (at least) the low E to have a right intonation.

The neck pickup is a bit strange. It's very very close to the edge of the fretboard.

The tip of the pickup selector may have been changed, it's not a problem.
Rather, usually an HH Soloist would come with the 3-way round toggle...the blade selector (5 positions) is usually used in the HSS configuration.

But, as a first thing, I'd remove the battery box to see if there's the painting inside. If not, it's highly possible that the EMGs and the entire circuit could have been added later..
Sometimes if the work has not been done perfectly it's also possible to recognize if the soldering on the pots are not the originals and have been done more than one time.

Let us Know!!

[Customguitars87]

Very odd Soloist

To me, that bridge seems the Jackson 590, made by Schaller.
Shure that the saddles are in the right position?? I think you have to register (at least) the low E to have a right intonation.

The neck pickup is a bit strange. It's very very close to the edge of the fretboard.

The tip of the pickup selector may have been changed, it's not a problem.
Rather, usually an HH Soloist would come with the 3-way round toggle...the blade selector (5 positions) is usually used in the HSS configuration.

But, as a first thing, I'd remove the battery box to see if there's the painting inside. If not, it's highly possible that the EMGs and the entire circuit could have been added later..
Sometimes if the work has not been done perfectly it's also possible to recognize if the soldering on the pots are not the originals and have been done more than one time.

Let us Know!!

Hi Luca, thanks for the reply! I don't think it's a Schaller bridge...from what I understand all of the Schaller bridges say "Schaller Made in Germany" somewhere on them and this one just has the Jackson logo. Could be wrong though.

The switch is a 3 way, not a 5 way...and judging by the looks of things I do think it's factory stock and not a replacement.

I'll dig around in the battery box tonight and see what I find and provide some detailed pics of that and the inside of the control cavities in case that helps.

I haven't set the guitar up yet, so I'm sure anything that needs work (intonation etc) will get handled soon as that's done.

Thanks again for the input!

[toejam]

To me, that bridge seems the Jackson 590, made by Schaller.

That's what it looks like, but it could also be the cheaper JT-500 which looks pretty much the same.

[groverj3]

I don't recall any production models like this. However, I'm hardly the encyclopedia that some are here.

However, as I've always wanted a transparent red SL2H, if you ever want to unload it please hit me up!

Definitely a weird one. Jackson only recently started doing direct mounted pickups commonly. That neck pickup looks close to the fretboard, but my CS soloist with direct mounted pickups is like that too.

[Mudlark]

The second number of the serial would be the year if it's a 2000's model. 04xxxx-2004
I'm stumped, but it's a beauty.
Maybe someone stole the JT590 for a JT500 before they sold it?

[Number Of The Priest]

Thanks for linking the parallel identification/discussion thread on TheGearPage. I feel like the wide reach of that forum plus ours will hopefully, eventually, yield more postulation/clues/conclusions. I'm definitely staying tuned because this is super interesting and fun to play detective, pooling all our thoughts together. Such an interesting combination of features on this guitar that I've never seen before.

EDIT - Also, more possible evidence that it is not an early 1990s Professional Pro: Those guitars had tremolo routes painted in the same color as the body. ie - the trem route on your mystery Soloist would be red, not black, if it were an early 90s Professional Pro. It's black, and therefore more modern with that black fuzzy felt-like material that lines modern tremolo routes. Therefore it helps corroborate the serial number being a 2000s model.

[VitaminG]

Also, more possible evidence that it is not an early 1990s Professional Pro: Those guitars had tremolo routes painted in the same color as the body. ie - the trem route on your mystery Soloist would be red, not black, if it were an early 90s Professional Pro. It's black, and therefore more modern with that black fuzzy felt-like material that lines modern tremolo routes. Therefore it helps corroborate the serial number being a 2000s model.

I don't recall them direct mounting pickups as far back as 1990 either. Only remember that appearing around '94 with the Dinky Reverse, and not on any Soloist. And they weren't installing battery boxes back then either. EMGs weren't standard & because production guitars didn't have battery boxes, batteries were usually mounted (or floating around) in the control cavity when people installed EMGs. Earliest production EMG installations I can recall (and battery boxes) were when they revamped the DK1. That would have predated the MG series imports switch from HZs to proper EMGs in, what, 2002?

The whole guitar feels post-2000 to me. Not much help but it's the vibe I'm getting

Take all of the above with a grain of salt. My memory is for shit now and unlike back in the day, I'm not going to spend an hour digging through old info to confirm. Hopefully some of it is close to the mark

[Customguitars87]

The second number of the serial would be the year if it's a 2000's model. 04xxxx-2004
I'm stumped, but it's a beauty.
Maybe someone stole the JT590 for a JT500 before they sold it?

Gotcha, I think it's 01XXXX if I recall correctly, so that would make it a 2001.

I just dropped the guitar off for a set up with my tech so I should be able to post additional pics in a day or so when the guitar's done.

[Customguitars87]

Thanks for linking the parallel identification/discussion thread on TheGearPage. I feel like the wide reach of that forum plus ours will hopefully, eventually, yield more postulation/clues/conclusions. I'm definitely staying tuned because this is super interesting and fun to play detective, pooling all our thoughts together. Such an interesting combination of features on this guitar that I've never seen before.

EDIT - Also, more possible evidence that it is not an early 1990s Professional Pro: Those guitars had tremolo routes painted in the same color as the body. ie - the trem route on your mystery Soloist would be red, not black, if it were an early 90s Professional Pro. It's black, and therefore more modern with that black fuzzy felt-like material that lines modern tremolo routes. Therefore it helps corroborate the serial number being a 2000s model.

Just checked my blue 1990 Soloist Professional Pro and sure enough, blue trem route! Interesting bit of info I didn't know before, thanks! Will definitely continue playing detective, I've never been absolutely unable to ID a guitar before so it's as fun as it is frustrating