Jackson has announced its new Legend Series, which will honor some of the firm’s most influential artists and electric guitars.
Randy Rhoads, Scott Ian, Marty Friedman and David Ellefson have been honored in the collection’s first drop, which comprises recreations of each player’s most iconic Jacksons.
For Rhoads, it had to be his famed white, gold and asymmetrical Concorde V which he built with Grover Jackson in 1980. At the time, he was igniting Ozzy Osbourne’s post-Sabbath career, and was widely regarded one of the greatest guitar players in the world before his tragic death in 1982.
So, the Legend Series Randy Rhoads CD1 ($2,499) looks to get as close to the source material as possible. It pairs an alder body with a bound 12”-16” compound radius ebony fingerboard. It is wired with Seymour Duncan JB/59’ humbuckers so it should have plenty of bark, bite, and nuance, and boasts a vintage-accurate six saddle tremolo with whammy bar.
Elsewhere in the drop, Scott Ian’s V ($2,199) is also a Rhoads model, complete with the “Not” graphic that was central to the Anthrax’s 1980s imagery. Built with a neck-through construction, it’s also appointed with a top-mount Floyd Rose 1000 trem, and an alder body.
“My Not Rhoads was such an important part of my journey,” Ian says of the guitar the Legend Series recreates. “It’s been used on every Anthrax record, and it was the main guitar on those first five albums in the ’80s. It’s the guitar that made my life – I discovered my tone with it.”
After joining in time to blaze a thousand solos on Rust In Peace, Marty Friedman was a valued weapon during Megadeth’s most prolific decade. Here, his late ‘90s Jackson Kelly signature ($2,299) has been faithfully revived.
Built from the original sample, it boasts an angular alder body, three-piece maple, 12”-16” compound radius ebony fretboard and, once more, a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge. Elsewhere, there are Jackson’s famed Sharkfin inlays, and a fixed Kahler 7330 bridge.
“The KE-1 represents living the dream to me,” says Friedman. “When I had the opportunity to create my own signature guitar, I went all out with Jackson to build the ultimate heavy metal guitar. No expense was spared. The KE-1 remains a huge part of my journey and an iconic instrument that people associate with me.”
Finally, his former bandmate David Ellefson represents the cream of Jackson’s bass player crop. The Jackson Legend Series Limited Edition Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CB V ($2,499) is a reproduction of the firm’s first-ever five-string bass, which was built for him in 1990.
At its core, it marries an alder body, three-piece through-body quartersawn maple neck and 12”–16” compound radius ebony fingerboard. A Jackson HiMass bridge, open-gear hipshot tuners, and EMG 40DC and CS pickups – complete with a three-band EQ – also make the cut. Ellefson calls it a “sleek, high-octane” instrument.
Jackson’s four horsemen of metal guitar playing are heavy hitters, and to steal a phrase from Megadeth, these are guitars that take no prisoners.
“From Ozzy Osbourne and Anthrax to Megadeth, these artists have pushed the boundaries of music and inspired generations of players who followed,” says Jackson.
“Together, their fingerprints are on nearly every riff, run and record that followed, cementing Jackson as the instrument of choice for the players who built metal from the ground up.”
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