Jackson Guitars
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On the average, most people are not skilled at differentiating one guitar brand from another unless they can see a specific trademark or feature. A giveaway feature for Jackson guitars is their triangular, pointed headstock. The shape of a guitars headstock can lead to copycats, debates and even lawsuits. Jackson guitars have experience in all of those areas.
Jackson guitars started out with Grover Jackson. Jackson was a partner in a guitar repair business with Wayne Charvel. In the late 1970s, Charvel sold the rights to the Charvel name to Jackson, and Jackson took over guitar production for the next decade. The company was merged with the International Music Corporation for another decade. Early in the 2000s, Fender Musical Instrument Corporation purchased the Charvel and Jackson guitar brands.
Even though the history of Jackson guitars involves several ownership changes, the guitars have kept their reputation of high quality. One of the features that Jackson guitars are most associated with is the speed at which they can be played. The necks of Jackson guitars are sleek and elegant which makes it easier to play quickly on them. Electric guitars are Jackson’s specialty, and they do not offer acoustic guitars. Jackson guitars also offered a hard, forceful appearance.
The appearance and speed of Jackson guitars made them a popular choice among many heavy metal artists in the 1980s and still today. Some bands that helped popularize Jackson guitars include, Metallica, Poison, Megadeth, Def Leppard, KISS, Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden. This led to several signature models endorsed by famous rock musicians.
The most notable of Jackson guitars is the Rhoads V model. This model was the first to feature the trademark headstock shape. The design for the headstock was inspired by the Concorde jet and was originally called the Concorde. The guitar was renamed after its designer Randy Rhoads. The Rhoads V was the first of the Jackson guitars to feature the Jackson logo. Jackson also had a Japanese series of their most popular American guitars. The Japanese built models were part of the Jackson Professional Series, and they feature the “Professional” logo on their headstock.
Some models of Jackson guitars featured copycat headstocks from Fender guitars instead of the trademark pointy headstock. This led to a lawsuit from Fender and the discontinued use by Jackson of the Fender Stratosphere headstock shape. The recent acquisition of Jackson guitars by Fender will allow the unique Fender headstock to once again become part of the Jackson repertoire, if desired. Jackson guitars had copycats of their own, as well. Jackson sued ESP guitars late in the 1980s because ESP was using the trademark Jackson headstock.
Jackson guitars are also available in custom models. Many of their more popular guitars have graphic finishes as part of their standard options. The Jackson brand is still most popular among heavy metal rock musicians. The brand also still retains its reputation for high quality and fast playability. The American made guitars are manufactured in Fender’s factory located in Corona, California.
