The King V is an electric guitar made by Jackson Guitars.

• 2Variants of the King V

Origin and history[edit]

The Jackson King V was originally named after Robbin Crosby of Ratt, his nickname being 'King'. Crosby popularized the guitar throughout the 1980s, however the guitar he played most often was his Double Rhoads guitar, a modified design of the Jackson Rhoads guitar. King V model surfaced as a down-sized version of the Double Rhoads, which was designed and targeted for shorter, more ordinary person (Crosby was 6.5 feet/198 cm tall, hence the nickname 'King').

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine eventually became the guitarist most identified with using this model. After creating a custom King V for Mustaine (completed October 10, 1986), the company later began mass-producing a Dave Mustaine Signature Series King V, which featured 24 frets (as opposed to the typical 22 frets) and would become one of their best selling guitars. This line continued into the early 2000s, when it underwent massive changes and became the Y2KV, a guitar based much more heavily on the Gibson Flying V. Mustaine then sold his entire personal collection of Jacksons, and subsequently signed endorsement deals with ESP Guitars then Dean Guitars.

Variants of the King V[edit]

Listed below is the range of King V models in chronological order.

San Dimas/Ontario custom-shop era (1980s - 1990s)[edit]

Double Rhoads

The Double Rhoads was a symmetrical version of the Jackson Rhoads with two longer horns, the first one was ordered from Overkill guitarist Dave Linsk. While the guitar was made, Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby saw it and wanted a similar guitar. Jackson built him two, one red and one black (he later got his white DR). Circa 10 Double Rhoads' were built and never in mass production before the design was changed with smaller wings and became the King V, the first King V was silver with black bevels.

King V Custom

From start to 1985 this was the name for a King V with sharkfin inlays, neck binding and ebony fretboard. Pickup and bridge options were anything the purchaser wanted.

King V Student

Same as above, but with dot inlays, no binding, and rosewood fretboard.

Ontario mass production era (1990s)[edit]

KV1(Artist Signature Series)

The KV1 is a Dave Mustaine signature model and is the first commercially-sold model of the King V. Previously known as the King V Pro, the KV1 supersedes the King V Pro and eliminated the Cherryburst finish in favor of a natural Korina wood finish. The tuners were replaced with LSR locking tuners as well. The end-points were shortened from the prototype created for Robbin Crosby as it was created as a 'Double-Rhoads' which has a longer point than this model (The 'Double-Rhoads' has 2 equal length long points). All other variants below stemmed from this design including 24 frets. USA-made versions of this guitar are highly coveted by metal guitarists and are typically difficult to locate ones for sale. No longer in production.

Y2KV (Artist Signature Series)

The Y2KV is a Dave Mustaine signature model and differs from all other King Vs in that it has rounded ends which seem similar to that of the Gibson Flying V. No longer in production.

KV2 (USA Series)

The KV2 is a variant of the King V which comes under the 'USA Select Series' of Jackson Guitars. The body is made of alder and is intersected by a neck-thru quartersawn maple neck with ebony fingerboard. It has Neck and Bridge humbucking pickups, both from Seymour Duncan, which are both the JB model. This model has 24 frets and a 2-point double locking Floyd Rose tremolo and is constructed in the US. The KV2 is one of the 4 USA Select Series guitars (alongside the KE2, RR1, and WR1) built with the 'Jackson Speed Neck' profile, a slim neck thickness for a fast playability.

KV2T (USA Series)

The KV2T is a variant of the King V which comes under the 'USA Select Series' of Jackson Guitars. The body is made of mahogany and is intersected by a three piece neck-thru quartersawn mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. Later made the alder body and quartersawn maple neck, with ebony fingerboard, too. It has neck and bridge humbucking pickups, both from Seymour Duncan, with a JB in the bridge and a '59 in the neck. This model has 24 frets but what is unique to this particular model is that it has a string through body, 'shark eye' fretboard inlay, an abalone Jackson logo on the headstock, the headstock itself is an SLS type rather than the traditional concorde Jackson headstock and has Sperzel locking tuners. Also to note is that the body is a flat top and lacks the bevels of the other Jackson King Vs. The guitar is also a 24​³⁄₄' scale rather than the 25.5' scale that other Jackson King Vs have, though it was originally produced in a 25.5' scale.

KV3 (Pro Series)

The KV3 was produced in 1996-2001 in Japan. Features Duncan Designed pickups, Jackson JT580LP Tremolo, 22 frets, 1x volume, 1x tone, 1x 3way toggle, sharktooth inlays, bolt on maple neck, poplar body. Mother of pearl inlaid rosewood fret board. The jack output was situated upon the upper wing, just like in more expensive series. No longer in production.

KV4

Since 1999 (Korean Series) / 2001 (USA Series), features Seymour Duncan JB Model SH-4 and TB-4 pickups, Floyd Rose Licensed Jackson JT580LP Tremolo, 24 frets, 1x volume, 1x tone, 1x 3way toggle, pearloid sharkfin inlays, maple neck-thru alder body w/ rosewood fretboard. No longer in production.

KV5

This is a Japanese made 'mid range' variant for the King V. The body is made of Alder and is intersected by a neck-thru quartersawn maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. It has Neck and Bridge humbucking pickups, both from Seymour Duncan. This model has 24 frets and a 2-point double locking Floyd Rose tremolo. No longer in production.

FMIC Jackson brand era (2000s -)[edit]

KVX10 (X series)

Early models were alder w/ a bolt on maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and an adjustable bridge string-through-body design; post 2006 models are basswood. the pickups are Duncan Designed HB-103B in the bridge position and an HB-102N in the neck position. The standard model has 24 frets w/ sharkfin inlays and a Floyd Rose Licensed Jackson low profile tremolo. This model's first year was 2001 and was built in India for that year only. Subsequent models are all built in Japan.

JS30KV (JS Series)

The JS30KV is a variant of the King V which comes under the 'JS series'; the entry-level series of Jackson Guitars. The body is made of Indian Cedro, connected to the maple neck, which is bolt-on. The fingerboard is made from Rosewood. The guitar has 24 frets and Jacksonhumbucking pickups. The bridge is an adjustable string-through-body, Jackson JT390 specification. This model is built in Indonesia.

A next generation version of the JS30KV are the JS32T King V (same as JS30, but sharkfin inlays) and the JS32R King V (same as JS32, but with Floyd Rose Licensed Jackson Low Profile JT580 LP Double Locking 2-Point Tremolo).

Jenna Jameson Model (Custom Shop Limited Run)

The Jenna Jameson model is an altered KVX10. The model is limited edition and features a Jenna Jameson graphic on the body, her signature below one of the humbuckers and a copy of her 'Heart-breaker' tattoo inlaid at the 12th fret. This model features an adjustable string-through-body bridge and slightly superior humbuckers like the older KVX10 model (pre-2006). No longer in production.

25th Anniversary Model (Custom Shop Limited Run)

The 25th Anniversary Model was announced to coincide with Jackson Guitars' 25th Anniversary, 2006. Two guitars were released, one a limited edition Kelly, the other a limited edition King V, up-sized to Double Rhoads dimensions. The King V comes in Mercedes Silver only and is hand-signed by Mike Shannon, Senior Master Builder at the Jackson Custom Shop. The body is made from Poplar and is intersected by a quartersawn maple neck-thru three-piece neck. The fingerboard is made from ebony and has 22 frets. The guitar has neck and bridge humbucking pickups, both made by Seymour Duncan. The bridge is an original Floyd Rose 2 point double locking tremolo. This guitar was built in the Jackson custom shop and only 25 units were made.

Demmelition King V (Artist Signature Series)

The first signature model since the Y2KV, the Demmelition King V is the signature model of guitarist Phil Demmel of Machine Head. Demmelition King Vs however are not built like traditional King Vs, as they have two cutaways in each wing on the guitar (used to only be available as custom shop option only). The guitar has an alder body, a maple neck, a 24 fret ebony fretboard with mother of pearl sharkfin inlays, an original Floyd Rose tremolo, EMG 81 active pickup at the bridge and an EMG 60 active pickup at the neck. The Demmelition King V is also factory tuned to Drop B tuning, the same tuning Demmel uses on most Machine Head songs (some are in C# Standard, such as Aesthetics of Hate). It is available in five color schemes (black with silver bevels, white with black bevels, red with black bevels, gold with black bevels and black with white polka dots).

King V KVXMG (X Series)

KVXMG has a basswood body, neck through-body construction, maple neck and active EMG 85 and 81humbucking pickups. Other features include Floyd Rose Special double-locking two-point tremolo, 24 jumbo frets, and three-way blade pickup switching. Available in Black, Kawasabi Green and Snow White.

Corey Beaulieu USA Signature KV6 (Artist Signature Series)

This is a signature model for Trivium's lead guitarist Corey Beaulieu. It has 6 and 7 string models. It has alder body with quilt maple top body, quartersawn maple neck with neck-thru-body neck joint, 24-fretted ebony fretboard with pearloid sharkfin inlays, Seymour Duncan AHB-1B (bridge) and AHB-1N (neck) pickups and Original Floyd Rose tremolo system.

External links[edit]

The Serial Number Charts Refer to USA-made
Jackson & Charvel instruments only.

The below information was taken directly from Jackson Guitars website.

On Neck-Thru Body Models: The serial number is stamped into the fingerboard at the last fret.

On Bolt-On Neck Models: The serial number is stamped into the neck plate.

Models that are sold outside of the continental United States cannot be tracked using this serial number inquiry system. These models are shipped directly from the manufacturing plant to the distributor in your country and are not tracked here in the United States at Charvel. The history of these instruments are not known to Jackson since the were not shipped thru their facility and therefore cannot be tracked by Jackson's service staff in the United States. Please contact your country's distributor for more information regarding these instruments.

>><< Newsflash >><<

For All You Charvel San Dimas Lovers!

Manyof the San Dimas Guitars I have seen are fraudulent. I mean how easy it it to make a copy of a Fender copy? Oh you checked yours out with Jackson, so you are confident that yours is real. I've got sad news for you. The principal forger of the San Dimas guitars who shall remain un-named, If I say his name, he will sue me, because it is hard to prove.

Here's the sad news. This SOB, who pretends to be mister know it all on Jackson/Charvel is actually acquiring original Charvel guitars. When he is 100% satisfied that they are original & real he will make a number of exact copies of it. In this way when you call Jackson to check out the guitar you will find that all the colors and numbers match. Theoretically you could buy a perfect copy right down to the serial # and color. buyer beware. I have purposely stayed away from the old San Dimas Charvel guitars because I knew that someday this would come out and every one of them will come under suspicion.

There is only one way to get a real one and be 100% sure. If you find an old Charvel at a Tag Sale for $150.00 I will bet it's real. The minute any dealer has had it, I would immediately doubt it's authenticity. The high price taints the originality.

The FENDER Issue

As many of my customers know I have never been the biggest corporate guitar supporter on this planet. However in the case of Jackson Guitars, Ed Roman is very impressed by what Fender is doing. They are pumping money & R&D dollars into the company they are bringing in new & modern tooling. They are keeping the price structure quite low for a guitar of that caliber.

When I first heard that Fender had bought the company, I was afraid they would do the typical Gibson thing and destroy it quickly. I am surprised & happy to say that Fender is really trying to beef up the quality & clean up all the problems that existed before when Akai owned Jackson. I am watching their movements closely and it looks like they have nothing but good intentions for Jackson/Charvel.

If they change their tactics, I will be the first to bring it to your attention. At this time it does not look like they are going about anything the wrong way. These actions have caused me to look at Guild & Gretsch which are other Fender owned guitars. I have now decided to carry both lines.

It would be very cool if Fender reissued the old San Dimas model Charvel, They could actually do it with the real headstock that it came with and many peoples dreams would come true.

Who knows, (They did do It and I have some still left that are available, I bought the first 12)

Ed Roman

02/12/03

You can even search the episodes and movies and download them.

NOTES: All Randy Rhoads neck-thru's were given 'RR****' serial numbers from 1983 to the spring of 1990. After that point, only custom Rhoads guitars were given 'RR****' serial numbers; any production Rhoads guitars were considered 'USA' models and given 'U0****' serial numbers. Any neck-thru body guitar that was not a Randy Rhoads model was given a 'Jnnnn' number. This included Soloists, King V's, Kelly's, Concert Basses etc. After the spring of 1990, only custom neck-thru's were given 'J' numbers; any production Soloists, Kelly's, King V's etc. were also considered 'USA' models and given 'U0****' numbers. There are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes you will find production neck-thru's from the 90's with 'J' or 'RR' numbers instead of 'U' numbers; this usually means it was a prototype of some kind made in the custom shop. There are a scattering of Rhoads guitars out there with 'J' serial numbers instead of the traditional 'RR' number (oops!).

NOTE 1:There were approximately 750 Bolt-on Charvel's made from 1979-1981 without serial numbers. The first serial number used was a Strat-style guitar with the Heineken beer bottle label painted on it, November 9th, 1981. These neck plates say 'Charvel PO Box 245, San Dimas, Ca, 91773'. The last Early Charvel was #5491, built in January of 1986. Neck plates with numbers 5492 and up were supposedly destroyed but some of them do turn up from time to time..BUYER BEWARE!! These are not real Jacksons!

NOTE 2: From 1987 to 1989 Jackson Custom Shop bolt on neck guitars were not assembled in strict serial number order. Serial numbers 5234 to 5999 do not exist (due to an error in the stamping machine). These neck plates say 'Jackson, 4452 Airport Drive. Ontario, CA 91761'. They are still in use today.

NOTE 3:The king of fighters 2013 mugen pc download. Since the Jackson Junior (JJ) is the only Jackson bolt on without a neck plate, these serial numbers can be found stamped into the fretboard.

Other Note:Charvel bolt ons were discontinued and replaced with Jackson bolt ons in 1986. This coincided with the introduction of the Japanese Charvel's. In the spring of 1990, the four digit Jackson neck plate was reserved for custom instruments only. All production bolt on instruments were given the six-digit USA series neck plate.

FENDER ® CREATES MANUFACTURING SUBSIDIARY
JACKSON/CHARVEL MANUFACTURING, INC.
New Family Of Products Brings Diversity To FMIC Distribution

SCOTTSDALE, AZ, 10/29/2002- Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is proud to announce the creation of a new manufacturing subsidiary, to be called Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc. Consequently, Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc. has signed a deal to purchase specific assets of the Jackson/Charvel Guitar Company, which was a division of Akai Musical Instruments Corporation (AMIC). The acquisition, effective as of October 25, 2002, will include all existing inventory of products and trademarks relating to Jackson and Charvel.

The industry’s leader in manufacturing and distribution of electric guitars and amplifiers with the Fender ® and Squier ® brand names, FMIC has continually sought to develop diverse and innovative products. With the addition of Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc. into the Fender fold, the company has the opportunity to produce and distribute new products, and to welcome a core consumer base geared more towards heavy metal and hard rock styles.

Says Bill Schultz, Chairman and CEO of FMIC, “Throughout our history, we’ve embraced musicians of all styles by offering products to suit their needs. Jackson and Charvel products appeal to musicians that are not traditional ‘Fender’ players, but who want a quality instrument made by people who know what their needs are. We are musicians, we know guitars, and we know how to get them to the guitarists of the world.”

“Both the Jackson and Charvel product lines consist of quality instruments with strong brand recognition and a rightful place in musical instrument history,” adds Schultz. “Many innovative product features and cutting edge artists are associated with these fine instruments, and with the creation of Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc., we are committed to exceeding their expectations in the areas of quality, service and market support.”

Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc. will immediately begin to produce Jackson and Charvel products utilizing its existing production facility in Ontario, California for all American-made Jackson and Charvel guitars, as well as its custom orders. Additionally, Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc. will continue to produce guitars with its overseas manufacturing partners.

FMIC will then sell and distribute the products through a new inside telesales and field sales department under the direction of Jeff Cary, Vice President of Specialty Sales, and will utilize its existing network of global distributors and direct sales offices. AMIC product manager, Donnie Wade, will join Fender and will head up the marketing efforts.

“This is great news for fans of Jackson and Charvel,” says Marketing Manager, Donnie Wade. “The guitars will remain with one of the most prestigious American manufacturers ever, one that is a progressive company and that will maintain the integrity that Jackson and Charvel has built throughout its years.”

Jackson and Charvel’s existing retailers, which number around 400 in the United States, will still be able to carry the products and will be contacted directly by FMIC to ensure a trouble-free change over.

“We have worked very hard over the past seventeen years to build a worldwide distribution network that offers quality instruments and excellent service to retailers and consumers,” says Schultz. “We are all very excited to have Jackson and Charvel within our family, and we look forward to working with the retailers that have supported these instruments throughout their history.”