Jackson Guitar Serial Number Nhjg
Thanks to the marketing people at Jackson, there has always been a lot of confusion regarding the Japanese Jackson guitars labeled Professional or Pro. Sometimes Pro is short for Professional and sometimes it's not! And what are the differences anyway?Headstock of a 1993 Jackson Rhoads Pro from the Professional series. The Golden Years of Jackson import guitarsThe Japanese Jackson Pro models introduced in 1990 and terminated in 1995, are some of the best imports ever to be released under the Jackson brand. Notice I said Pro models. The Professional series continued until 1999.audiozone.dkIt is quite useful to know exactly which guitars we're talking about here, so you can spot the Pro's in the crowd.
Everywhere you look, be it on eBay or Internet forums, the mixup between 'Professional' and 'Pro' is present and almost the norm. My interpretationThe label Professional denotes a series of guitars. The most expensive guitars from this series are called Pro's. They have expensive and sound-enhancing features like quartersawn necks, bound ebony fingerboards and German made Schaller tremolos (if not a string-thru).When Jackson introduced this series of guitars in 1990, there were only Pro models. Every guitar from the Professional series were Pro’s. They all had these expensive features.
They were all priced well above the $1000 mark. That is my take on it.
Root cause of the confusion - the 1990 IndexJackson's presentation on the other hand, was a bit more blurry and later caused a widespread confusion about the labels Pro and Professional - a confusion that still exist today. Take a look at this catalog index from the introduction in 1990:Index of the 1990 catalogue. According to Jackson, the 'Pro series' consists of 8 guitars. Apparently, only 4 of the 8 models are Pro's.
But they all carry the same expensive features described earlier. So what are the differences between them, Jackson? A better 1990 IndexI have made my own (photoshopped) 1990 Index to show you how I think it should have been. It makes a lot more sense to me this way, especially when you look at what happened the following years, when the series expanded:Notice how the headliner in red is changed - the series should have been called (and spelled out): Professional and all the model names should have been followed by the label Pro. Photoshopped 1990 Index! Cheaper models benefits from the Pro labelWhat happened later in history, was that Jackson included more guitars under the label Professional series - guitars that did not have the expensive features of the Pro's.
They were named Std or EX, to name a few. That is not a problem in itself. But when Jackson use the terms inconsistantly, it becomes confusing. On the headstock it says Professional. But in catalogs Jackson abbreviates it to Pro. But Pro are the top-of-the-line expensive guitars, remember? That's confusing!
But maybe it's all a deliberate marketing trick by Jackson, making us think that Professional's are all the same.Say you have a Rhoads EX (retail $695). It says Professional on the headstock under the clearcoat. In catalogs, Jackson refers to it as a Pro series, because they can't be bothered writing the whole name (like they do on the headstock). Does that make it comparable to the Rhoads Pro? But we easily get the impression that it does.
Blank truss rod cover?Furthermore, from early 1992 thru 1995, the word Pro suddenly appeared on the truss rod covers of the Pro guitars. Helpful and confusing at the same time, because where does that leave the first batch of Pro guitars (90-91), which had blank truss rod covers? D'OH!The Japanese made Pro guitars, are the guitars that are known to equal the USA Jacksons in terms of build quality, features and workmanship.
These are the ones you want to hunt down on eBay, but expect to pay good money for them.Most of the other Professional series models are killer axes too - I am only pointing out, that the Pro's are the closest match for a USA made Jackson from the same period of time and deserves to be recognized as such.audiozone.dkHere are the words of Jackson on the series when introduced in 1990:The Jackson Pro series is designed for the professional working musician who requires a superior caliber instrument to match his or her superior talents. Jackson Pro (by Jackson, 1990)For years the only way for some of the world's best guitarists to get their hands on a Jackson guitar was to custom order it from the factory, and many of you still do (see page 50) but now there's another way. In response to the monumental demand for Jacksons, and with an eye toward making them affordable to virtually any working professional guitarist, Jackson has introduced a standardized line of guitars. By limiting the custom options to finishes and having the guitars made to Jackson's stringent specifications at the Charvel plant, we're now able to produce top quality guitars for very competitive prices. These guitars are made to the same exacting Jackson standards and with he same hardware, woods and electronics that have made Jackson the most sought-after guitars and basses in the world.The Jackson Pro Series is designed for the professional working musician who requires a superior caliber instrument to match his or her superior talents.From the 1990-91 Jackson catalog,Jackson Guitars, 1990. Reference chartBelow is a summarized chart I put together, making it easy to spot the Pro's and compare them to the other models.
The list covers the period from 1990 thru 1995 and info is added continuously.Every guitar with Pro in their name on that list, is a Pro from the Professional series of guitars. The Limited '91 model is also a member of the high-end Pro's, being the most expensive of the series overall.To get the full picture of these legendary guitars, make sure to also check these links.
Import Jackson Guitar Serial Number
Chart notesThe models in the chart below, can be found in more than one guitar catalogue, so be sure to check out all Jackson catalogues from 1990 thru 1995, to get the full picture.Note that the configuration of the models changes slightly during this 5 year period; especially the tremolos gets swapped around.You should also know that the original catalogues sometimes contains errors, like wrong tremolo or wrong number of frets listed. Cross checking a catalogue page with its corresponding pricelist, will often reveal inconsistencies, especially regarding tremolo model.Jackson will sometimes display a guitar in the catalogue with features NOT found on the final production model.
Here's a quick guide to help you get an overview of the legendary Jackson® Rhoads import guitars, made in Japan from 1990 thru 1995. These guitars seems more popular than ever, as I am getting many questions about them lately. This little article is to address some of the questions and to help you identify a Jackson® Rhoads from this era. More info and serialsFor more information about this first batch of Japanese Jackson® import guitars, be sure to check out the links on the right.
Also, further down here are the serials explained, which apply to the Jackson® Pro guitars from the 1990-1995 Professional Series. 22 fret quartersawn maple neck through body, ebony fingerboard with Mother of Pearl (MOP) sharkfin inlays and MOP sticker logo, cleared over just like the USA RR1 Rhoads. Poplar wings (sides), active Jackson® electronics, some guitars having two covered Jackson® named humbucker pickups, some with Reflex logoed humbuckers (Made In England).tremolo, metal back plate and a control layout just like the USA RR1 Rhoads. Around 1993, the pickups on the Pro were uncovered and its truss rod cover engraved ' Rhoads Pro'. Nothing else changed to the series.
In My Guitars Gallery, several pictures of a can be viewed. The production of the Professional Series Rhoads Pro guitar ends and the EX and Std disappears as well.
A major name change for several models and series takes effect, as the new 1995-6 product line hits the distributors. Several other Rhoads import models has since been made, but the quality of the 1990-1995 Imports (Pro models in particular) never returned.Jackson® did include the Rhoads Pro in their 1994-1995 catalog and on their 1995 Pricelist, but such a late Pro is somewhat rare. My feeling is that most of the late Pro's went to the European market.
A letter from a former Jackson® employee, Kevin Easton, sent to one of my guitar friends in The Netherlands, indicate that the production month of a Jackson® Professional can be determined from the 7-digit serial.I have examined a lot of serials to try decipher the Jackson® 'code', but I haven't had successyet. The only clue I can give you, is the serial from the letter where Kevin Easton somehow dates a Rhoads Standard to March 1995.
The serial is J500303.Before jumping to conclusions, keep in mind that I own a 1993 Rhoads Pro with the serial J303045 and that e.g. December would need 2 digits.