Can anyone ID this Kelly?

[REPO]

I just bought a used Kelly in the Crimson Swirl that has the exact same layout as yours. I don't know what mine is either. I was thinking mine was a KE3, but really don't know for sure.

Does anyone know what models like this came in the Crimson Swirl?

[DalyTek]

I do know that they have the KE3 in Crimson Swirl. I have not seen that color in any other Kelly models.

[MetalMan390]

ever find out what guitar it is? i just bought the exact same guitar and thought it was a kelly ke3, but now i am wondering. mine matches yours EXACTLY (same thing with the serial number on the back, how it starts with 000, and no "jackson" name on the plate too), with the only exception being that the threads for the whammy bar are on the inside, yours are on the outside.

so i was just wondering if you found out, or if anyone else can help.

thanks

[DalyTek]

No, I have not figured it out yet. I did take the neck off and there was nothing on the neck or neck pocket to indicate anything for me to ID with. I forgot to remove the pickups when I had it apart to see if there was anything to ID them underneath either.

I am pretty sure that it is NOT a KE3 and that it is NOT a KX10D either (though from my research, it's much closer to the KE3 than the KX10D.) I think might be some kind of an exclusive model. All I know is that it does not in any way seem to be a cheapie low-end model. The paint, construction, parts and everything feel very well made and put together.

MetalMan390, does yours have the unmarked pickups as well? And look on the back of the neck on yours for a sticker that indicates the country of origin. (Mine was a gold sticker on the heel of the neck, right above there the bolt-on plate is, but the ink on the sticker was worn off so I couldn't tell where it was from.) What does yours say? Can you post up come pics of yours? I'm really glad to see that someone else has what seems to be the same guitar!

[MetalMan390]

my pickups are unmarked as well. i read through everything you wrote several times over and the only thing different so far is the threads for the whammy bar. the sticker on the back is gone, i can see a bit of residue from where it was. so no help there.

you're right though, it doesn't seem cheaply made at all. hopefully someone else can help us ID this guitar, i am really curious. i just bought it 2 days ago thinking it was a ke3.

i wonder if calling/email jackson and reading off the serial number to them would produce an answer... i just might try that, if i can ever put the guitar down long enough, lol.

[DalyTek]

If you do try that, please let me know what you find out. I am really curious as well. Not that I want to sell it, I love this guitar. I just want to know what I have. I paid $150 (USD) for it, which may or may not be a good deal, but to me it's worth every penny. (and besides, I sold my JS30KE for $150 so it was an even trade!)

[j4vice]

no

[Sunbane]

Your guitar looks a bit like the "Jackson Kelly K10 Pro",
a limited import run for Musician's Fiend in the late 90's.
However, the K10 Pro apparently had chrome hardware:


Link to thread about this guitar at Jemsite.

Looking at my list of non-japanese import serials, there are many question marks around this period:

98110298	?			Kelly K-10 Pro (MF exclusive from late 90's)
99050564	1999/2000		DX10D? (Could be GC/MF Special Edition)
99080002	?			Unknown Rhoads (RX10D w black hw?)
99084326	?			?
00043101	2000/2001		RX10D
00101714	?			KX10D

The only thing I can tell you about your guitar, is that it wasn't made in Japan - because in that case it would have had stamps on the neck heel and in the neck pocket of the body, and the serial would have 7 digits, starting with "9". Guitars made elsewhere have 8 digit serials and they may not have stamps in the neck pocket (I have personally inspected an indian JS series body up close, and there was just some scribble from a marker there).

I am guessing that yours was made in 2000, since it has an 8 digit serial starting with "00", and similar guitars around the same time have 8 digit serials starting with "99".

The later indian imports seem to have taken over the 8 digit serial system, right up until 2005, when they went over to 10 digit serials starting with the full year of production (i.e. 2005xxxxxx, 2006xxxxxx, etc.).

[DalyTek]

j4vice: "no" what?

Sunbane: Yeah, it does appear a lot like that one, except for the chrome hardware. It's strange how it seems a lot like a few models, but not quite match up to any of them exactly. I guess I am just going to have to say "it's a Jackson Kelly" and leave it at that.

[DalyTek]

OK, I pulled the pickups out to check the backside of them for any markings and they are, indeed, Kent Armstrong humbuckers. There is an M213 in the neck and an M214 in the bridge. IMHO, these are the worst sounding pickups I have ever heard, especially the bridge. Far too muddy. I am going to replace them (temporarily) with either Lace pups or some stock Jacksons, until I can afford to buy a JB/Jazz combo like the KE3 comes with.

Does the Kent Armstrong pups help at all with ID for this Kelly?

[jdr94]

[QUOTE=DalyTek;1274294] I did take the neck off and there was nothing on the neck or neck pocket to indicate anything for me to ID with. QUOTE]


now thats really wierd. can we get a back pic and maybe the serial number(not sure if you already gave it and i'm too lazy to open another tab to check?

ok nvm i see you put the serial number up. i know someone here knows where 8 digits comes from. c'mon fellas chime in. could be a mutt. kx body and a different neck. although every neck i took off a jackson said what model it came from rignt on the bottom of the heel.

[DalyTek]

I think it is indeed an exclusive, because I dug through my emails with the guy I bought it from and he said he purchased it new from Musician's Friend, and everything is original (he is the only owner before I got it.) It appears that There was a K10MF that I believe this might be, that was exclusive to Musician's Friend, and all the specs seem to match up, but I still don't know the year and country of origin....

[rakh1]

Looks very much like a KE3 pro - circa 1996/8. I had one very similar to this.

Rich

[DalyTek]

Looks very much like a KE3 pro - circa 1996/8. I had one very similar to this.

Rich

From what I have come to understand, the KE3 is MIJ, and the serial number on this does not match, and also this has the 500 Floyd, not the 580.

Unless the specs on the KE3 Pro circa 1996/8 were different?

[MetalMan390]

hey dalytek, thanks for the message. i searched the MF site for the K10MF and nothing came up (obviosly not a current guitar, but thought they might have something on the site somewhere about it). i also searched google for "K10MF" and only got 89 results, none of the were guitar related. are you sure that's the exact model?