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I'm traveling on business this week and won't be home until Thursday, so no pics for now...but here's the scoop.
I always hit pawn shops when I travel and there happens to be a pawn shop across from my hotel here in Scottsdale, AZ. I went in yesterday and there is musical stuff piled on top of each other. I didn't have enough time to look through everything so I decided to head back today at lunch. I look through everything and don't find anything interesting. I start talking to the owner who was a really nice guy and tell him that I'm really in to Charvels and Jacksons. He tells me he has a Jackson and starts moving amps and boxes trying to get to it. Buried out of site is a bass case with a piece of tape on it that says Jackson.
It takes both of us to move it out of the mess. I open it up and I'm surprised and dissapointed all at the same time. I notice right away that it's a USA Jackson, but it's pretty nasty looking. It's been refined by someones little brother in preschool, one of the Floyd posts is missing. The neck is in decent shape, the point is intact. It has been played and played hard as the unfinished maple/maple neck is filthy. But the frets look new and very nice, a pro re-fret.
I look at the back of the neck and notice the tuners...black 90deg set screws ala San Dimas. My heart races...just a little, I check the serial#, 1167. That's pretty low, but I don't know my Jacksons so I need to look this up. I ask him to hold it for me while I walk back to my hotel. I rush to my room and look up the serial#...San Dimas indeed.
Let's just say I got this cheap enough that I could put it on my expense report as dinner tonight and my boss wouldn't question it.
I'm pretty pumped. It's a mess right now, but I think I can resurect it. If I can't totally resurect it...it will at least be a cool player with a cool story.
OK, I went to Wal-Mart and bought some cheap tools so I could work on this bad boy in my hotel room tonight. I am really pumped about this guitar.
Got the neck off. It's actually in pretty decent shape, just dirty. Hopefully it will clean up with some fine steel wool. It looks like it might have had a repair at the nut, but it looks and feels fine. The point is almost perfect, just dirty. Pencil marks on the neck say 5934 (work order #?), FR (Floyd Rose?), and the initials OBD.
When I unscrewed the pups they weren't even wired up. The pups look new. Seymour Duncan JBG and a JNJ. The bridge is a Schaller FR and looks new. I don't even think it's had strings on it. Evidently when the paint job turned out looking like crap they put it back together and pawned it. Oh, and they painted over the pencil marks in the neck pocket.
The body is OK except for the paint. It's kind of a black and green with silver slime mixed in and it's not even smooth. It has a volume/tone and a 3-way switch. The original wiring is all intact except for the pups. It still has the copper shielding in the control cavity.
They tried to do some kind of contour sanding at the neck joint. Everything fits fine but the back side of the platform where the neck sits has been rounded...maybe an attempt for better access to the upper frets. Why they did this...? It's not that noticible with the neck plate on. It also had an odd screw in that spot. I took it out and have no idea why they put it there.
I can't wait to get home and start on this bad boy. This abused and neglected instrument has found a home.
They probably used that screw to hold it when they painted it. Maybe if you have the guitar stripped the numbers in the neck pocket will still be there..?..? Then again I doubt it... Cool score bro!
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I was thinking the same thing about the screw and the pencil marks.
Can anyone tell me how/who to contact at Jackson about this guitar to find out the original finish? This guitar will never be 100% but if possible (and if I like the color) I'd like to get it back to original.
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