{"product_id":"1996-jackson-kelly-mij-chushin-gakki-japan","title":"Akira! - 1996 Jackson Kelly Made in Japan – Chushin Gakki MIJ Electric Guitar","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1996 Jackson Kelly Made in Japan at Chushin Gakki\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeet Akira, a 1996 Japanese-made Jackson Kelly built during the celebrated Chushin Gakki era of Jackson production, featuring the unmistakable offset Kelly body, 24-fret maple Speed Neck, dual Jackson humbuckers and a Jackson JT-500 licensed double-locking tremolo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAkira arrived at The Stray Chord after almost three decades of use, carrying plenty of genuine battle scars alongside a badly adjusted tremolo, dry fingerboard, tired fretwork and neglected setup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than erase his history, his restoration focused on preserving the character he had earned while returning the guitar to full playing condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing extensive cosmetic restoration, complete fretwork, tremolo rebuilding and a professional setup, Akira was successfully rehomed for \u003cstrong\u003e£475\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Akira\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Jackson Kelly is one of the company's most distinctive designs, combining an aggressively offset body with the fast neck and high-output electronics that helped establish Jackson as a defining name in rock and metal guitars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAkira was manufactured in Japan in \u003cstrong\u003e1996\u003c\/strong\u003e, during the period in which many Japanese Jackson instruments were produced by \u003cstrong\u003eChushin Gakki\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis solid poplar body is paired with a hard rock maple Jackson Speed Neck and rosewood fingerboard carrying \u003cstrong\u003e24 medium-jumbo frets\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe electronics are appropriately straightforward for a performance-focused Jackson. A pair of Jackson humbuckers is controlled by a three-way selector and master volume, providing powerful rhythm sounds alongside articulate lead tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003eJackson JT-500 licensed double-locking tremolo\u003c\/strong\u003e provides the pitch manipulation expected from a 1990s Jackson while allowing the strings to be locked at both ends for improved stability during more aggressive tremolo use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlmost three decades of playing had left their mark on Akira, particularly around the Kelly's notoriously vulnerable points. Those scars became part of the restoration rather than something to disguise completely, retaining the character of an instrument that had clearly been played rather than preserved as an ornament.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRestoration \u0026amp; setup\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAkira required considerably more than a routine setup when he arrived.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis JT-500 tremolo was sitting incorrectly, the neck and fingerboard had dried significantly, the frets showed years of wear and the pointed Kelly body carried numerous chips and knocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring his rehabilitation at The Stray Chord he received:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComplete professional setup\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBody thoroughly deep-cleaned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDamaged areas around the Kelly body points carefully repaired\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinish repairs colour-matched to the surrounding bodywork\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOriginal battle scars sympathetically retained where appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMulti-stage machine polish\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProtective carnauba wax treatment\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHard rock maple Speed Neck correctly adjusted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAll 24 medium-jumbo frets levelled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrets recrowned and polished to a mirror finish\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFret ends inspected and refined\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRosewood fingerboard deeply cleaned and conditioned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFingerboard edges carefully rolled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThree-way selector cleaned and serviced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVolume control cleaned and serviced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJackson humbucker heights individually balanced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJT-500 licensed tremolo completely stripped and serviced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTremolo knife edges carefully dressed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaddles individually adjusted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTremolo spring tension correctly balanced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBridge returned to the correct position relative to the body\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAction lowered and optimised\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFull intonation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFresh Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom strings\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinal electronics and playability inspection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result was not a cosmetically erased museum piece, but a properly rehabilitated \u003cstrong\u003e1990s Japanese Jackson\u003c\/strong\u003e retaining the marks of its previous life while playing as a serious performance instrument once again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"group TyagGW_tableContainer TyagGW_tableContainerWithTableOfContents\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"TyagGW_tableWrapper flex flex-col-reverse w-fit\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"w-fit min-w-(--thread-content-width)\"\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth class=\"last:pe-10\"\u003e\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth class=\"last:pe-10\"\u003e\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJackson\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKelly\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYear\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1996\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry of manufacture\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJapan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFactory\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChushin Gakki\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstrument\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSolid-body electric guitar\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBody shape\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKelly\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBody\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePoplar\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNeck\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHard rock maple Speed Neck\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFingerboard\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRosewood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrets\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24 medium jumbo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePickups\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 × Jackson humbuckers\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eControls\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaster volume\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePickup selector\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3-way\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBridge\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJackson JT-500 licensed double-locking tremolo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStrings when rehomed\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eErnie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRehomed for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e£475\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAkira's adoption\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e💙 REHOMED 💙\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter almost three decades of service, Akira's wounds were dressed, his weapons rebuilt and this old ronin was ready to fight another day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe has now chosen his next home and is no longer available for adoption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis page remains permanently in \u003cstrong\u003eThe Stray Chord Rehomed Archive\u003c\/strong\u003e, documenting the restoration of this 1996 Japanese Jackson Kelly and providing a reference for players researching MIJ Jackson guitars from the Chushin Gakki era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRescue • Restore • Rehome\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Stray Chord","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58473209790728,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1059\/2829\/4664\/files\/8109610c-9c28-4441-a595-cfb066497888.jpg?v=1787145909","url":"https:\/\/thestraychord.com\/products\/1996-jackson-kelly-mij-chushin-gakki-japan","provider":"The Stray Chord","version":"1.0","type":"link"}