![Jackson guitars made in china Jackson guitars made in china](http://i.hizliresim.com/YqgyVl.jpg)
Anybody know anything about Jackson's Serial numbers. The only information I can find is about their american made guitars. Anyway, I have a KE3, whic.
Yamaha first began making musical instruments in Japan in 1887. The company began as a manufacturer of reed organs but eventually became the world's largest manufacturer of musical instruments. Yamaha guitars date back to the 1940s. These guitars originally were produced solely in Japan, but over the following 70 years, Yamaha guitars have been made in Taiwan, Korea and Indonesia. The serial number on one of these instruments is the best way to determine when it was created.
Locate the serial number on your guitar. On acoustic guitars, the number usually is written somewhere inside the guitar's sound hole. On electric guitars, the serial number generally is located on the headstock. Check the neck joint of the guitar if you can't find the serial number anywhere else.
Look at the first letter of the serial number, which indicates which year the instrument was made. Yamaha's guitars serial numbers repeat every 10 years, so additional research may be needed to find the exact year your guitar was made. The letter 'H' is used for years ending in one, beginning with 1961. The next nine letters of the alphabet correspond to years ending in the next nine numbers. For example, a guitar with a serial number starting with an 'M' was made in a year ending in a six.
Look at the second letter of the serial number, which represents the month the instrument was manufactured. The letters 'H' through 'P' correspond with January through September, and the letters 'X,' Y' and 'Z' correspond with October, November and December.
Read the next two numbers in the serial number, which indicate the day of the month that the guitar was created.
Examine the last three numbers, which indicate the order of production. For example, a 013 would be the 13th guitar made that day.
Tip
Certain types of Yamaha guitars have a slightly different serial number system. Yamaha offers a convenient serial number wizard on its website to determine the age of instruments. If you are having trouble determining the decade in which your Yamaha guitar was made, try taking the instrument to a guitar shop and ask if someone can help date the guitar.
The PS4 was a Jackson Performer series guitar based on the Dinky model. The Jackson PS4 electric guitar was discontinued after 2000 along with the rest of the Performer series. The guitar had a manufacture suggested retail value of $595 in 1998. Similar to most Super-Strat guitars, the Jackson PS4 was primarily designed for rock and metal guitarists.
Jackson Performer Series
The Jackson PS4 electric guitar was part of the Performer series and shares several characteristics with other models in that series. Jackson Performer guitars were manufactured in Korea using the Jackson Dinky, Rhoads or Kelly body designs. These guitars were fitted with lower quality pickups and hardware in comparison to the same guitar designs from the USA or Professional series versions. The lower retail value of these guitars marked them primarily for use by beginners and hobbyists.
Body
![Jackson guitars made in china Jackson guitars made in china](http://audiozone.dk/images/charvel-japan/headstock_cap_02.jpg)
The Jackson PS4 used the same body design as the Jackson Dinky electric guitar. This is a standard double cutaway body found on most Super-Strat guitars, which are patterned from the Fender Stratocaster. The body wood of the PS4 was alder, which is standard for many Jackson electric guitars.
Finish
The Jackson PS4 electric guitar came with five different solid color finishes. The options were Black, Black Cherry, Red Violet Metallic, Dark Metallic Green and Dark Metallic Blue. The metallic finishes in Jackson electric guitars are a solid color finish with flecks of material inserted to cause it to sparkle in the light.
Neck
The PS4 electric guitar, like the rest of the Jackson Performer series, came with a bolt-on neck. The neck was made of maple with a rosewood fretboard. The neck had twenty-four frets and a 25.5 scale, which is standard for most Jackson electric guitars. The headstock was reversed in orientation, with the tuning keys facing down instead of up. The guitar nut was a locking nut for the JT-500 tremolo.
Hardware
The Jackson PS4 came with lower quality hardware and pickups that were typically only used for the Performer series. The pickups consisted for two humbuckers and a single coil. The models were J170 humbucker for the neck pickup, J-135 single coil for the middle pickup and a J70 for the bridge pickup. The guitar came with a JT-500 floating tremolo bridge.