KV2T Ghost Flames - HELP ON BUYING!

[schizotronic]

Hi, all. Long time without typing here. I'm from Brazil and I live in Brazil too.

A guy from another state is selling a Jackson KV2T nearby and besides having 3 Indian King V's, 1 Japanese Kelly and 1 Chinese Warrior, I desperately need an American One.

Link to the advertising with pics (REALLY sorry, but it's in Portuguese).

Guy told me its serial number is U23455.

It's really rare finding an American one in this country, evem more a KING V .

Could you help me with any of these questions? Thanks in advance!!

1. SERIAL: the Jackson website says it was made at Ontario in 1993. As far as I know, these guitars didn't existe at that time.
- Serial is located where? After the last fret?
2. ELECTRONICS: The pickups, originally are the Zebra JB/59?
- There are two controls only. Most of the info I could get show me that these guitars came with three...
3. CASE: those guitars were sold with an already included SKB-Type case?
4. WOODS: These have maple necks, ebony fingerboards and Alder "wings"?
5. PRICE: converting to US Dollars the seller is asking for 2.274. How does it sound to you?

Sorry if I posted this at the wrong section. ANY HELP will do.

[VoiceX3]

1. SERIAL: the Jackson website says it was made at Ontario in 1993. As far as I know, these guitars didn't existe at that time.
- Serial is located where? After the last fret?
2. ELECTRONICS: The pickups, originally are the Zebra JB/59?
- There are two controls only. Most of the info I could get show me that these guitars came with three...
3. CASE: those guitars were sold with an already included SKB-Type case?
4. WOODS: These have maple necks, ebony fingerboards and Alder "wings"?
5. PRICE: converting to US Dollars the seller is asking for 2.274. How does it sound to you?

Sorry if I posted this at the wrong section. ANY HELP will do.

Ok, I have a rare KV2T so I guess I'll chime in.

1. SERAL - The serial has an extra digit, so it is not 1993 and you're right, they didn't even exist back then. That's a much higher number than mine, so I'm betting it is towards the end of KV2T production. And yes, the number is after the last fret.

2. Correct. And the 2T only came with 1 Vol, 1 Tone and a 3 way toggle.

3. Yes SKB style. Early ones got the big rectangular SKB while the later ones got the V shaped case.

4. The KV2T was always Mahogany necks and body/wings with an ebony board with Jumbo frets...no maple or alder here.

5. Price - for outside the USA, that's pretty fair. A little high for in the USA but not much.

The one thing you need to know is that they come with RECESSED DUNLOP STRAP LOCKS. So there are no strap buttons. If you look at the first pic where the button would be you can see it's just an insert with a metal hole. I love the look, but you have to have Dunlop strap locks on your strap or play it sitting down. Also, these are 24 3/4" scale like a les Paul whereas all your others are 25.5" scale like a strat.

Good luck she's a good looking guitar.

[schizotronic]

Ok, I have a rare KV2T so I guess I'll chime in.

WOW! Do you have pics?

1. SERAL - The serial has an extra digit, so it is not 1993 and you're right, they didn't even exist back then. That's a much higher number than mine, so I'm betting it is towards the end of KV2T production. And yes, the number is after the last fret.

Hum... I guess I got it. So, is there a place where we can search for the serial number? What would you suggest? Jackson twitter? e-mail?

2. Correct. And the 2T only came with 1 Vol, 1 Tone and a 3 way toggle.

Nice! Because I end up bypassing the tone control on all my V guitars!

4. The KV2T was always Mahogany necks and body/wings with an ebony board with Jumbo frets...no maple or alder here.

How do you know that? I just remembered, I have some old Jackson brochures, gotta check them out!

5. Price - for outside the USA, that's pretty fair. A little high for in the USA but not much.

If a KV2T is available in the US, what is a reasonable price?

The one thing you need to know is that they come with RECESSED DUNLOP STRAP LOCKS. So there are no strap buttons. If you look at the first pic where the button would be you can see it's just an insert with a metal hole. I love the look, but you have to have Dunlop strap locks on your strap or play it sitting down.

I'm going to ask the seller. I already have a Dean VMNT and it comes with these kind of strap locks! But I would never figure it out by myself! Thanks a lot!

Also, these are 24 3/4" scale like a les Paul whereas all your others are 25.5" scale like a strat.

I've read that out somewhere. But I wasn't shure. Hum... sounds nice a dream coming true. Because when I play my Gibson V I think I can feel the difference. Is this the only KINGV that sports this scale length?

Good luck she's a good looking guitar.

MAN!!! Thank you very much. Indeed she is! I will keep you informed! Thanks again.

[Mudlark]

I have zero faith in Jackson's customer service, but they may give you a build date from that serial.
The U23455 serial indicates late '10/early 2011.
U230xx-June 2010
U236xx-May 2011
U238xx-June 2011

Johnnyryche may come along and narrow it down a little more. His list is more detailed than mine.

[schizotronic]

I have zero faith in Jackson's customer service, but they may give you a build date from that serial.
The U23455 serial indicates late '10/early 2011.
U230xx-June 2010
U236xx-May 2011
U238xx-June 2011

Johnnyryche may come along and narrow it down a little more. His list is more detailed than mine.

Mudlark, thanks a lot. That helped big time. Now I have at least an ideia regarding manufacturing time...

[Johnnyryche]

I have zero faith in Jackson's customer service, but they may give you a build date from that serial.
The U23455 serial indicates late '10/early 2011.
U230xx-June 2010
U236xx-May 2011
U238xx-June 2011

Johnnyryche may come along and narrow it down a little more. His list is more detailed than mine.

As usual, Mudlark is pretty close. I have a couple on my log that are just before that serial number. From those, I'd guess this KV2T had a build date around January/February 2011.

[schizotronic]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Jonnyryche and Mudlark! And what do you guys think about the whole deal? Is it worth the money?

[Johnnyryche]

I like guitars with graphics and black ghost flames is a great graphic, especially when you see it in person. I don't play KVs much and I've never played a KV2T so that would be a personal preference on the body shape and scale length. As for the price, it's on the high end for a price here in the US but if it's rare to find a USA made guitar in Brazil, then it might be a reasonable price. And comparing the specs and playability against the other Jacksons you have, you will notice a difference.

[Mudlark]

Assuming USA's are hard to find and/or expensive in Brazil, it's not crazy high for a guitar that should be top shelf quality and one that'll last a lifetime.

You may not get all your money back, but if you did sell it in the future it would be worth a decent price. It's an investment.
Being 6-7 years old it may show little wear.

Prices in the USA are sometimes crazy good. There are far more guitars for sale than buyers, so great deals aren't uncommon.

I've seen at least 1 KV2T in Canada in the $1000-1200 range, can't be sure now. That's $800-950 USD...which certainly isn't common, but USA's can be had in Canada for $12-1500 fairly regularly.

The USA seems to range from $12-1500 for USA models if you're patient, but I've seen MANY for far less.

Places like Reverb and ebay will be more expensive. Craigslist and similar classifieds are where the great deals are. The Jackson forums on Facebook and this site offer good deals, too, sometimes.

I saw an RR1 sit for weeks at $800 USD on facebook once.

[schizotronic]

I like guitars with graphics and black ghost flames is a great graphic, especially when you see it in person. I don't play KVs much and I've never played a KV2T so that would be a personal preference on the body shape and scale length. As for the price, it's on the high end for a price here in the US but if it's rare to find a USA made guitar in Brazil, then it might be a reasonable price. And comparing the specs and playability against the other Jacksons you have, you will notice a difference.

Thanks for the reply. Nice points you brought to my attention. I'm curious about the differences in playability you told. Could you be more specific? I explain: I used to be a professional luthier years ago and now I only setup my guitars and friends'. I could level the frets keeping their compound radius and putting a nice fallout at the end of the fretboard. Ultra, super, smooth string action and playability is fantastic. Tell me, in your opinion, which are the major benefits of a North American guitar?

[schizotronic]

Assuming USA's are hard to find and/or expensive in Brazil, it's not crazy high for a guitar that should be top shelf quality and one that'll last a lifetime.

You may not get all your money back, but if you did sell it in the future it would be worth a decent price. It's an investment.
Being 6-7 years old it may show little wear.

Prices in the USA are sometimes crazy good. There are far more guitars for sale than buyers, so great deals aren't uncommon.

I've seen at least 1 KV2T in Canada in the $1000-1200 range, can't be sure now. That's $800-950 USD...which certainly isn't common, but USA's can be had in Canada for $12-1500 fairly regularly.

The USA seems to range from $12-1500 for USA models if you're patient, but I've seen MANY for far less.

Places like Reverb and ebay will be more expensive. Craigslist and similar classifieds are where the great deals are. The Jackson forums on Facebook and this site offer good deals, too, sometimes.

I saw an RR1 sit for weeks at $800 USD on facebook once.

Nice twist regarding money and investment. I'm thinking about it!
Problem is finding these babies at Craiglist and other places like that - actually, problem is having them shipped to Brazil. After that, we need to pay 60% of the OVERALL price due to taxes and import duties. So, let's say I find a King V for $1000. Shipping usually adds $80-100. Now we have a $1100 price. When the guitar arrives at the customs house, plus 60%. More or less, $1700. Our currency here (Brazilian Real) is 3,2 times less than USA dollars. To have an idea, a can of soda is 3,00 Brazilian Reais...

My price ends up as R$5400,00.