My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoRound

[aliensporebomb]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

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If anyone knows where to find one of those in black, please let me know - I've GOT to have one [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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There's one in my living room right now...and it's fantastic! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Aliensporebomb, I had commented on your SL2 on the Harmony-Central forum, but didn't know the background of yours. Did you buy it from a MGR store in Minnesota?

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Snipped for brevity.

Yep, it was the Music Go Round in Bloomington which used to be in Southtown Center briefly. It was about a mile away from the Mars on 494 so I guess they went byebye once all the cool Jacksons and Fenders they had dissapeared because who could have competed with Mars when you only have weird strat copies.

I also posted shortly at HC when I got the guitar and got a similar irate e-mail but what could they do? I was simply telling the truth. I think the only way that we'll find out the REAL story is if a MGR employee spills the beans.

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

It's funny to see there are more Used stamp,sticker serial# and blank plate.
My RR2 I bought has the same condition.
Blank plate, Used stamp on the back of the headstock and serial # by sticker.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Ditto my JJP Toru. I wonder if this Soloist isn't a factory 2^nd. I thought the unserialized "USED" stamped ones were seconds but I've not heard of Jackson scratching the S/N off of the fretboard before.

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Scratching the S/N off the fretboard end must be because maybe the guitar was stolen and someone sold it to the store?

[BigKent]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Man sorry to hear about your MGR problem...Most of teh time they are stright up on their guitars...sometimes they don't know what they have most times they do...Well either way nice axe bro !!

BigK

[Inazone]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

I honestly don't think that the MGR guitars were stolen, but every version of the story behind the "mystery" guitars is suspicious. Why not just tell the truth? Every USED stamp or rebadged serial number just perpetuated the stupidity, and made the employees (who probably had nothing to do with it) look like weasels.

I always found it odd that it was usually similar guitars that were marked, such as Jackson RR2s or Hamer super-Strats. It most likely was inventory bought from other dealers, but they managed to make a legitimate arrangement seem shady.

The Bloomington MGR was always the black sheep of the Twin Cities stores. They rarely had more than a fraction of the inventory of the other locations. I know that one of the managers works at Guitar Center in Edina now. Once in awhile, they would get something neat in. I bought my Charvel 3B and an ART Xtreme there, and they had one of the pre-MusicYo Kramers that probably came from MARS. There aren't many MGRs left now, but the Uptown Minneapolis store still gets some cool gear now and then. They seemed to pick up a lot of USA BC Rich and Bogner inventory, which seems odd around here.

[axeman81]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

welcome to the board, and WOW that's an incredible story and a nice investigation you've done [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Very nice axe indeed...cool photos too!

Anyway..USA or import, what matters is that you're happy with it! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

- Rune.

[aliensporebomb]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

More bits:
At the same time I bought the Soloist, I also bought a weird green Washburn acoustic CE with piezo pickup for
a really low price.

The guy said that the guitar was one of the first made at a factory in indonesia that Washburn started up and it was painted green by mistake, it was supposed to be blue.

It was apparently a factory second but I consider it a custom color. It has the same "used" stamp and there is a music-go-round "stock serial" over the paper serial inside the guitar as well as a black magic marker marked over the real serial.

Totally weird.

Next time only new guitars for me.

[aliensporebomb]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

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Ditto my JJP Toru. I wonder if this Soloist isn't a factory 2<sup><small>nd</small></sup>. I thought the unserialized "USED" stamped ones were seconds but I've not heard of Jackson scratching the S/N off of the fretboard before.

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I wonder why it would be marked a second - when I got it new it was in perfect condition, anally retentively perfect fretwork, mirror-like paint. Unreal. The guitar still blows people away when they see it.

[aliensporebomb]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

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I honestly don't think that the MGR guitars were stolen, but every version of the story behind the "mystery" guitars is suspicious. Why not just tell the truth? Every USED stamp or rebadged serial number just perpetuated the stupidity, and made the employees (who probably had nothing to do with it) look like weasels.

I always found it odd that it was usually similar guitars that were marked, such as Jackson RR2s or Hamer super-Strats. It most likely was inventory bought from other dealers, but they managed to make a legitimate arrangement seem shady.

The Bloomington MGR was always the black sheep of the Twin Cities stores. They rarely had more than a fraction of the inventory of the other locations. I know that one of the managers works at Guitar Center in Edina now. Once in awhile, they would get something neat in. I bought my Charvel 3B and an ART Xtreme there, and they had one of the pre-MusicYo Kramers that probably came from MARS. There aren't many MGRs left now, but the Uptown Minneapolis store still gets some cool gear now and then. They seemed to pick up a lot of USA BC Rich and Bogner inventory, which seems odd around here.

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I had visions of an insane scientists lair with chisels, mint superstrats and metal stamps with the words "USED", and buckets of cheap paint and confused expressions on the employees. These had to be in the back of every store since I couldn't imagine them sending guitars to the "central defacing facility." Who would work at such
a place? How would it look on your resume? What would be the job description?

And why would a used store CARE if someone had tried to make a warranty claim on a used guitar? It's not like the used instrument store is the faulty party but the owner of the guitar. Did Jackson and Hamer and others send insulting letters to MGR management or what?

Just pondering.

[JACKSONWOLF]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Thats a really nice guitar [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]
These USA SL-2's are listed in the 1996 catalogue as available in the following finishes:
Black
Gun Metal Grey (Gray in the US!!)
Blue Green Pearl
Yellow/Gold Pearl
Deep Candy Red.
Specs:
Body.........Poplar
Neck.......Maple/Neck Thru
Fingerboard...Ebony
Bridge........JT580LP
Neck Pickup....JP-11
Bridge Pickup..JP-10

[Surge]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Welcome to the JCF! Great looking guitar you have there.

[RacerX]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Cool! C.S.I. Jackson! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

I've got the exact same SL2! Do you happen to be 'crash'?

[Newc]

Re: My 96 Mystery Soloist or Thanks (NOT) MusicGoR

Actually for warranty service the store that sold it is responsible for handling the details (i.e. filling out the warranty/repair info, getting a Return Authorization #, then shipping the guitar to and from Jackson), and if they bought it from another store, they didn't want that responsibility (or "hassle" as they would see it).
If that MGR was not an authorized Jackson dealer, then I think the store has to pay for shipping both ways. To avoid that, they deface the guitar.
Yet again, since they did not originally purchase the guitars from the manufacturers, they have no record of its handling (i.e. Guitar Denter, etc) and did not want to have to deal with people running damaged goods through their service center or on their warranty claim contracts (in the event each store had a limit on how many could be submitted in a given time - you send 5 in for repairs that came from another store + 5 that came from your store and you've got a 10 piece limit, what happens when another one from your store's original stock has to go in?)

Still, it's a sh1tty thing to do, rather than just say "we bought that from another store's stock, so we can't honor the warranty claim".
That may, however, be illegal in some states.