Jackson Kelly 1996 (Marty Friedman)

Marty Friedman is among the most talented and influential guitarists of the past 25 years. His work with guitar hero Jason Becker in Cacophony, as well as his wildly virtuosic solo work, got him noticed and later recruited by the notoriously difficult leader of Megadeth, Dave Mustaine. Marty combined styles from classical, thrash, progressive rock, and Eastern scales and modes largely unfamiliar to the Western ear. His right hand (picking) technique makes many purists cringe, but he has made it his own and executes highly complex lines flawlessly. I am so fortunate to have one of his favorite guitars in my collection; his 1996 Jackson Kelly with Pearl White finish (labeled stage guitar #2). Marty has spoken at length about his love of this particular guitars’ tone and comfort. Marty said “On Megadeth tours, I usually played 2 main guitars…I got this guitar and used it heavily on all subsequent tours.” He recorded with this beauty as well. Not only is it a comfortable tone beast, Marty said it provided a good contrast to all the black Jackson Kelly’s he was playing up until then. Pictures of him playing this guitar can be found all over the internet and he can be seen playing this guitar live on several Megadeth DVD’s. Now, for some stats on this monster:

1996 Jackson Kelly with Pearl White finish
A full 24 frets
Kahler 3310 fixed bridge
Ebony fretboard with white binding
Single S. Duncan pickup with single volume knob
Mother of Pearl Shark tooth inlays
Jackson tuners
Labeled #2 in two places by Marty (one below the bridge and one on the bass side)
Marty’s original case is included

Here’s a video of Marty playing this guitar!