J35321 - October 1990. A lot can happen in 36 years. I am not a guitar player, My son and grandson play. My son mentioned his son would mostly take his expensive PRS to his lessons. I just had seen a Rickenbacker 355JL12 on Craig's list close to my son's house in Calif. I was thinking I could buy a nice guitar for my grandsons' 16th birthday, so I asked him to go look at it and was given a hard time, why waste my time with that. Before I could get to Calif. for a visit it was gone. Now the next best deal was $2000 more. I made an offer on one and got it. I absolutely love it and practice every day. Then they gave me a hard time about getting a 12 string. I told them it's just as easy as not knowing how to play a 6 string. I brought it with me for a visit, and they liked it. On the way home I stopped by Guitar Center to look at a 381JK. My wife said I could get it. That's what happens when your old, retired and saved your money. I haven't had them long but enjoy them immensely.
If you love it, that’s the important part. And the great thing about the JK is how many sounds you can get out of it. They were really showing off the new pickups. Cool guitar!
Not really. 250 were authorized, and they were produced over a long window between 1989 and 1995. The highest serial number on the register is 242, produced in October 1995. That’s also the last entry on the register. I suspect AI is hallucinating.
Let me be more precise. Is it possible there are some overruns produced at the end of the run? Unlikely, given the long window. Impossible, no. But they would not have left the factory with the signature pickguard if so. What’s the date on yours? I’d bet a pile of money the COA was lost somewhere along the way.
I had a COY Blueburst 12-string 381 and it played and looked great. It was slightly heavy, especially compared to a 330 or 360, but not awful. It looked so pretty I rarely took it to play with a band anyway cuz I didn't want it to get dinged. It just liked looking at it. 381s are just beautifully made and really have a solid feel. Thank you for the amazing amount of research you did for this article.
for J35321 I'm guessing the COA # is somewhere b/t #96 and 112. Is there any way to find out what # it was?
You can call the factory and ask. They won’t give you a new COA, but they should be able to look up the number.
J35321 - October 1990. A lot can happen in 36 years. I am not a guitar player, My son and grandson play. My son mentioned his son would mostly take his expensive PRS to his lessons. I just had seen a Rickenbacker 355JL12 on Craig's list close to my son's house in Calif. I was thinking I could buy a nice guitar for my grandsons' 16th birthday, so I asked him to go look at it and was given a hard time, why waste my time with that. Before I could get to Calif. for a visit it was gone. Now the next best deal was $2000 more. I made an offer on one and got it. I absolutely love it and practice every day. Then they gave me a hard time about getting a 12 string. I told them it's just as easy as not knowing how to play a 6 string. I brought it with me for a visit, and they liked it. On the way home I stopped by Guitar Center to look at a 381JK. My wife said I could get it. That's what happens when your old, retired and saved your money. I haven't had them long but enjoy them immensely.
If you love it, that’s the important part. And the great thing about the JK is how many sounds you can get out of it. They were really showing off the new pickups. Cool guitar!
AI was telling me some were made without. Is there any way to find out what # a guitar would be if missing the COA?
Not really. 250 were authorized, and they were produced over a long window between 1989 and 1995. The highest serial number on the register is 242, produced in October 1995. That’s also the last entry on the register. I suspect AI is hallucinating.
Let me be more precise. Is it possible there are some overruns produced at the end of the run? Unlikely, given the long window. Impossible, no. But they would not have left the factory with the signature pickguard if so. What’s the date on yours? I’d bet a pile of money the COA was lost somewhere along the way.
were all 381JK's made with a COA and some just lost or were there unnumbered guitars made?
No, they all had COAs new…
That 381 prototype with the 360 curve…thats my new all time dream
guitar wow
I have a 381 MG 6 string from 2015 and #5 of the JK models. Outstanding instruments !
That was fun to read, thanks Andy. The 381 in any color is one beautiful guitar. Years ago, I got to play a JetGlo 381/12.
I had a COY Blueburst 12-string 381 and it played and looked great. It was slightly heavy, especially compared to a 330 or 360, but not awful. It looked so pretty I rarely took it to play with a band anyway cuz I didn't want it to get dinged. It just liked looking at it. 381s are just beautifully made and really have a solid feel. Thank you for the amazing amount of research you did for this article.
Great article, Andy!😀