Recently scored a really cool mid-'80s ('86-'88 era), Made in USA Jackson humbucker.
What makes this one interesting, besides being a USA-made pickup from the peak of the Hair Metal era, is the fact that it's clearly a "J-85" model, but nothing like the similarly branded "J-85" dual-rail pickup that appeared on Jackson import models starting around 1993 or so.
This particular version looks like a traditional humbucker and doesn't appear in any of the old catalogs I can find online. Mine specs out at exactly 15K and has an Alnico magnet (A5 most likely). 2 other examples I could find online were said to be 15.2K and 15.4K according to their sellers.
This suggests they are indeed different from the more common "J-80" and "J-90" offerings...I wish I knew the story behind these rarities!
Mine:
![](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--WWNmDWIv--/f_auto,t_large/v1623305745/s1oykksjvhr9pinkwpkt.jpg)
Others:
![](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--9snarX-d--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1496941319/prmzihmslcn1hhbzbnnv.jpg)
What makes this one interesting, besides being a USA-made pickup from the peak of the Hair Metal era, is the fact that it's clearly a "J-85" model, but nothing like the similarly branded "J-85" dual-rail pickup that appeared on Jackson import models starting around 1993 or so.
This particular version looks like a traditional humbucker and doesn't appear in any of the old catalogs I can find online. Mine specs out at exactly 15K and has an Alnico magnet (A5 most likely). 2 other examples I could find online were said to be 15.2K and 15.4K according to their sellers.
This suggests they are indeed different from the more common "J-80" and "J-90" offerings...I wish I knew the story behind these rarities!
Mine:
![](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--WWNmDWIv--/f_auto,t_large/v1623305745/s1oykksjvhr9pinkwpkt.jpg)
Others:
![](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--9snarX-d--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1496941319/prmzihmslcn1hhbzbnnv.jpg)
![](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--fO4ESEnK--/f_auto,t_large/v1591401781/n9g65aag4g2qwjmsk4ty.jpg)
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