"Made in USA" on head

[BristolRG]

Hi all,

Some Soloists I see have "Made in USA" in small lettering on the head and some only have the Jackson logo. Was there a period of time where they didn't have it printed? I'm looking at buying a 2004 SL2H and it doesn't have it.

Thanks!

[CaptNasty]

The SL2 is a model that is produced both in the USA and abroad. By 2004 USA Soloists should have “Made in the USA” on the headstock. Is it possible that there are a small number of USA Soloists that do not? Sure.

A reliable way to tell is to ask for a pic of the serial number. USA Production Soloists will use the serial # format UXXXXX. Custom Shop, and Masterbuilt Soloists will use the serial # format JXXXX. The serial number will be stamped on the end of the fretboard after the 24th fret.

[pianoguyy]

Many USA Jackson guitars do not have Made In the USA on the headstock.

But the big question is.... is it really a SL2H?
I don't know you. I don't know the seller. I just know that many people (some innocently, some with evil intentions) mislabel guitar models.
And specifically to the SL2 - You have an SL2, which is an import, being made at the same time that you have the SL2H, which is really an SL1 with 2 humbuckers. Talk about name confusion.

I mean, when I see people selling a DK2M with rosewood boards... question everything.

[toejam]

Many USA Jackson guitars do not have Made In the USA on the headstock.

But the big question is.... is it really a SL2H?
I don't know you. I don't know the seller. I just know that many people (some innocently, some with evil intentions) mislabel guitar models.
And specifically to the SL2 - You have an SL2, which is an import, being made at the same time that you have the SL2H, which is really an SL1 with 2 humbuckers. Talk about name confusion.

I mean, when I see people selling a DK2M with rosewood boards... question everything.

Well, to further confuse things, there was a USA model called the SL2 in the mid to late '90s that had a blank ebony board with import hardware and pickups (also the SL2S like this with sharkfins).

[BristolRG]

Thanks for the info everyone I appreciate it. I'll get the serial number and see what's what.

[BristolRG]

Got a pic of the serial from the seller. I asked for clarification because it's a bit hard to see but looks like "1108753". This guitar has 24 frets, sharkfins, nectthru, and a rosewood board. I found this:

SL3 - Japanese-made Soloist with 24 frets, H-S-S, rosewood fretboard, and pearloid sharkfins.

But this one has an H-H configuration. So I'm still trying to find out exactly what this is. Hopefully having the owner clarify the serial will help.

I'm thinking it might be an SLX. BTW it was me who originally thought it was an SL2H, not advertised as that.

Pic of the serial: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16j...508otYdAv2rC7e

[toejam]

The HH configuration that was like the SL3 was called the SL4, but the SL4 actually has 22 frets. Probably an SLX if it's got 24 frets. Got any better pics of the whole guitar?

[BristolRG]

Update! The owner got back to me, that serial reads "7700763".

More pics at these links:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dsJlLTaG08CVwcO3pXVLL0B7ePMmsWsI

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pniO5AE92CLliQ3ET01pk3xgKDjFI0D4

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HGxGgElCCFLpAOsHoaP19ls8qxlXcBVl

[CaptNasty]

That serial # is not for a USA Jackson.

In other words, the reason the guitar you are looking at does not have “Made in USA” on the headstock is because the guitar was not made in the USA.

[BristolRG]

Thanks CaptNasty, I kind of figured as much. What else can I determine from this serial number? Location made, year made, model ID, etc?

[CaptNasty]

I am not into the imports. If I recall correctly, they liked to use the first one or two digits to specify the year of manufacture. So yours could be a ‘07. But that was not a hard and fast rule either.

The SL2 and SL2H models were USA only back in the day. The SL2 was produced in ‘96-97 I think and had cheaper components but was still US produced. Now days, SL2, SL2H are in both the USA and Pro lines.

I would recommend posting this info over in the Jackson Imports sub forum.

[Number Of The Priest]

I vote for SLX with swapped pickups. Serial number starting with 11 is strongly indicative of 2011 manufacture because I remember the earlier X Series Soloists from the 2010s had serial numbers stamped on the end of the fretboard. By the mid-2010s the serial numbers started appearing on the back of the headstock instead; I owned a 2015 SL3X where this happened. I'm not precise on what year the transition happened.