What year is my KE3 made in?

[Number Of The Priest]

Y'all know what it looks like already. Serial number reads "J 012096" on the back of the headstock. I asked NewCeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee once but he never checked back in that thread. Oh well! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Thanks for any info you can provide.

[wulfe13]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

Uhhh... just a guess, but I'll say 2001... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

On one hand, I can see how you're equating the 01 at the beginning of the serial number to the year 2001. On the other hand, I remember reading that the import Jackson serial numbers tell you SQUAT about its history. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Strange, because I bought it USED in February 2002 where the store advertised it as made in the mid-1990s or so. It had a few very minor cosmetic flaws and the SKB case's little round feet were pushed into the case and the plastic on one corner of the case is missing, exposing the styrofoam underneath. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Owner must've hated my baby. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

When did the Professional Series lose the "Professional" script on the headstock to become the current Pro Series, pretty recently right?

[Newc]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

Does it have the "Professional" on the head?
Anyhoo, I probably didn't see that other thread when you asked [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

It's a 1990. The first number after the J is always the last number of the year it was made (J0=1990, J1=1991, etc), until you get to 2000, when I do believe they added another number to the serialization, making 2000 and up J+7-digits. My NASL is like that, but then it's a Japanese-market guitar, so maybe they have a different system altogether.
Anyone here got a recent SL3/SL4/RR5?

Newc

[Newc]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

Oh wait - KE-3 - bolt-on - duh me [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Ok, I'd say it was a 96, based on the fact that the Professional JTX neck I had also had a decal with the serial number on it, and it was J0xxxxx, which confused me at the time, and also the KE-3 was not around in 1990 [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

It seems they put the year at the END of those numbers. Not sure for how long, though.

Newc

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

Alrighty, 1996 it is. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Yes, it says Professional on the headstock. Fabulous-playing guitar and it's my best sounding one too.

[Newc]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

Reason I ask about the "Professional" is they (obviously) stopped doing that but still have the KE3 model.
Anyhoo my first Jackson was a KE3 (or was it a KX10D? I forget) anyhoo, it did indeed play and sound great [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

Ahh, yes, I totally see where you were coming from. I've never played a newer Pro Series KE3 so I'm not sure how those would hold up to my Professional Series KE3. The Kelly shape is totally devoid in my area. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[rakh1]

Re: What year is my KE3 made in?

96 would tie in with my old Kelly...although I bought it in 97 (I think). It appears the next years KE3 lost the professional tag and the reverse shark-fins...

R