SL2 - Is this a USA ??

[shredmonster]

A guy on the Hamer board recently purchased this. It is supposed to be USA but the serial number doesn't jive.

Here are some details:
Neck Through w/ trans blue top
Serial Number stamped on fretboard after last fret 061893. There is NO "J" or "UO" Prefix. No other numbers on guitar.
Dual Humbuckers Neck SD SH-2N (0641 IRI64), Bridge SD TB-4 (0726 IRK39)
Bound Neck and Headstock.
MOP Sharkfin Inlays
Headstock is Black and NOT color of the body. Jackson logo is NOT Mother of Pearl. It does NOT say "Made in USA" but from what I've found there are quite a few USA's that don't have this.
REAL Floyd Rose.

[Twitch]

PICS!! Right off hand it could be late 80s to mid 90s and be USA, otherwise Id say it is indeed Japanese.

[toejam]

Not all Jackson logos are MOP. I've got a 2000 RR1-T that has the MOP, but I had a 2004 RR1-T with the silk screen logo. We'll need pics.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

99% sure it's a Sam Ash trans blue archtop, not USA, but pics would be good.

[Inazone]

Once people actually learn to distinguish MOTO from MOP, IDing would be a bit easier!

[potatohead]

99% sure it's a Sam Ash trans blue archtop, not USA, but pics would be good.

Sounds like it, I have the same guitar. It has MOTO inlays, not MOP. Everything else he is saying jives. Made in Japan, mine is a serial starting with 06 as well. A USA would have an ebony board as well.

[Forrest]

Once people actually learn to distinguish MOTO from MOP, IDing would be a bit easier!

What's the best way to learn that? I don't think I've seen any examples of MOTO in person.

[Spivonious]

I can't tell the difference between a well-done MOTO and MOP.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

It is hard to tell... Usually I will guess based on how consistent the inlays are, if they all have about the same amount of "pop" but don't look spectacular, then I will guess MOTO and if some really stand out and others are meh, or they all really pop, I'll guess MOP.

Like, MOTO doesn't ever look amazing, but MOP doesn't always look amazing... But I've yet to see a USA Jackson that didn't have at least most of the inlays have a niece piece of MOP.

[ezbprimerib]

yup, looks just like a Sam Ash SL2H (made in japan) that I checked out. Jackson really goofed by giving it that model number. It confuses a lot of people.

[Inazone]

OK, about the whole MOP vs. MOTO thing, here's my take on it:

MOTO is basically white or light grey with a generally consistent "figure" to it, and is pretty glossy under light. Although different manufacturers might use different specific materials, it's all plastic with very little variation. In contrast, a lot of MOP is *not* consistent. Some pieces have a lot of coloration to them, especially as you move them under light (purple, blue, green, etc.) but the material itself is silver-grey. Some pieces have a metallic look and reflect quite a bit under light, while others are pretty dull. There can be some natural figuring to MOP, but it's pretty subtle compared to either MOTO or some of the quite wild patterns seen in abalone.

The important thing is that MOP is *mother-of-PEARL* and has a similar reflective quality to pearl itself. It's a natural material, so if you look at the inside of a shell (clamshell, seashell, etc.) you can get a good idea of how it reacts to light and what kinds of pattern or figuring to expect.

I've only been tricked once, and it was on an old MIJ Electra Omega (Les Paul copy) with some of the most "natural" MOTO I've ever seen.

[TheShadow]

Yes, that is indeed the Sam Ash model.

[banditdk1]

Made in Japan arch top.