Superstrat gem from Jackson's MIJ golden age

As a fan of the brand since my college days, I jumped right into the opportunity of buying a rather rough around the edges Dinky XL - the top of the range MIJ model of the early 90s. For reference, mine's a '92 by the serial number, sold in '93 and spec'd accordingly.

For those hunting 90s MIJ Jacksons, be aware that, as most guitar runs from Japan in the 80's and 90's, specs got more and more frugal as time passed by. I'd say mine hits about jackpot of desirable features - besides the J-92C humbucker on the bridge, the second hottest humbucker Jackson has ever made, a ceramic magnet model that sounds great, it's also paired with the Schaller, made in Germany JT-590 Licensed Floyd Rose bridge (a very rare spec, limited to the '93 run, downgraded to the in-house built JT580 the following year), uniquely stamped Charvel (properly Jackson in some models), only used on their very high-end offers.

The necks on these are also some of the thinnest of any Superstrat, though that also comes at the cost of increased risk of twisting - make sure to check for that prior to your purchase. Being from before they looked at expenses, you also get a feature you can only dream of getting in Custom Shop models, these days - real mother-of-pearl inlays. Do they make your guitar sound any better? No, though they look super neat and, next to any other guitar sporting the now mass-produced pearloid alternative, you'll grow to appreciate them. Those also pair to usually beautiful Indian Rosewood boards, which you can enjoy resting assured nothing's more sustainable than a second-hand item.

After adjusting and setting it up properly, it stays in tune very well. The Floyd Rose bridge is very durable, judging by the amount of wear on my guitar while it remains in impeccable mechanical condition; any parts can be directly replaced with Schaller replacements, too. The single coils deliver a very welcomed punch that pairs well with the humbucker that I've praised enough. The whole thing is pretty lightweight, balances well and provides great upper fret access, thanks to the extreme front and back relief carvings.

Mine required some TLC, yet still plays great with uber low action, remaining all original besides the tremolo arm, originally lost to time, and some plastic bits. Even the least nice parts, namely the plastic blade switch and output jack, are original and functioning fine 30 years later. The prices of these are reasonably skyrocketing, so don't miss a chance to one out if you find a good deal. I've owned and played several other Jackson models, from a '96 DX2 (which feels familiar and has the same thin neck profile, though much more barebones), a '07 Fender-era DK2M which was great, yet not on par with this, and even a JS30, which despite not being a bad guitar at all, played in a whole different league - the XL, however, was the keeper.

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