How did it all start?

[Black Mariah]

Re: How did it all start?

My first exposure to Jacksons was a guy that lived across the street. He had what I know now to be a DX1 and holy hell that thing was a POS. That was enough to put me off of Jacksons forever, but then I somehow ended up with a job doing QC for Jackson. I was pretty much hooked the day I started when I realised that none of the necks annoyed me. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Everyone else's necks bugged the hell out of me for some reason or another, with the exception of some Fender necks. Seeing as many of these things on a daily basis as I did I understand completely why people think Jacksons are the best. [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: How did it all start?

When I was 13 I bought Master of Puppets by Metallica...I looked at the pics in the back and I saw Kirk Hammett playing his old Jackson Rhoads Custom. About the same time I got my first guitar catalog, Musician's Friend, and at the time it had a ton of Jacksons in there...before that I was into Fender Strats and Gibson Flying Vs, but after I saw them I was hooked...my mom took me to a music store and I played a Kelly, which I thought was really rad. Being into Randy Rhoads didn't hurt either! Finally after saving for years, I got my first Jackson...a Randy Rhoads Custom, by coincidence the same year as the guitar that got me into them...

[mudkicker]

Re: How did it all start?

In the mid eighties everyone here in Virginia was playing Kramers. I wanted to be different. A local store brought in their first shipment of Charvels, I knew very little about Charvel. I played a bright red model 2 and was hooked. I bought it right there. A few years later I traded it for a 1977 Fender Strat, hated that damn Strat. The red model 2 is the only guitar I have ever regretted letting go.

[lantz_c]

Re: How did it all start?

Marty Friedman, Dave Mustaine, and Jeff Hanneman were my heros (still are) when I was learning to play guitar. I always wanted a Jackson because of those guys. I learned to play on a Series-A Strat copy which my parents bought for me from a friend of the family for $80 cnd. The first guitar I bought myself was an Ibanez rg-170 [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] . I wanted a Jackson by no local store was selling a Jackson for less $1000 dollars cnd and I didn't think that kind of price was justified by my playing ability.

I eventually did get my first Jackson when I decided I wanted a guitar with a Floyd. My first Jackson was a PS-2 which I paid too much for at the time ($400 cnd used, at least it was a Japanese performer) but it was the cheapest one available locally (besides the JS series).

I think now that I know a bit more its quality for the dollar that makes me want to play Jackson guitars.

[ September 25, 2003, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: Chris Lantz ]

[markD]

Re: How did it all start?

I only got in to Jacksons 3 years ago. I always hated them because of the pointy headstock. I played ESP (yeah I know - at least they weren't LTD's) or Ibanez (the guitars my childhood idols played) for years. Then I got a Charvel Model 1, for $125, and thought it smoked my other Jap guitars. So following logic, I figured that if the lowest model was good, the USA made Jacksons must kill. I went to my local dealer and played a GMG SL2H, and fell in love. I bought it. A month later I at another store, played a PC-1. Loved it. Bought it. This has gone on for the last 2 years. Now my wife says she will twist my nads off if I bring another one home. All the ESP's are gone, only 2 Ibanez remain (my first "good" guitars). All my main players are USA Select Jackson now. Shame on me for not trying them sooner.

misspelled a word...wanted to beat Racer X!!

[ September 25, 2003, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: MD ]

[StukaJU87]

Re: How did it all start?

Well., to make a long story as short as possible, I loved Sabbath since 8th grade. Started teaching myself guitar around that time. I had played drums since kidnergarten with weekly in home private lessons. Around 10th grade I gave up drums to play guitar exclusively and bought my first "new" guitar, a Gibson "The SG". Fast forward to 83. Joined the Marine Corps in Jan. 83 and when I got home from bootcamp bought a new leftover 81 Gibson Flying V. In 89 I bought a 1976 Ltd Edition Explorer.(I still have both today)Those were the only 2 guitars I have kept from the early days. About 7 years ago the other guitar player in my band bought a used RR1. Itried it one night at rehearsal and was hooked. I bought my first Jackson shortly thereafter. A used 93 RR Custom (RR2723). Since then I have picked up a WR1, KV2, (3) KE2's, RR1T, Model 6, and a Model 2. Also, still love my Gibsons, and have several of those.

[Toby]

Re: How did it all start?

When I began to play guitar in the early 80s I was in Strats, because of the Stratocaster ever was my favourite body style. My first guitar was a cheap and poor made Stratocaster copy from Japan. The craftsmanship and the playability was catastrophic. Even since to Stratocaster ever was my favourite body style, I began to dislike some conceptions of the Stratocaster. I had my own ideas how my Strat must be. Then, still in the early 80s, I saw a white San Dimas Charvel Strat with magenta flames, single humbucker, vintage trem, maple board and pointy head in the local store here. I never heared about Charvel before. I tried the guitar, and I was fire and flame (a German idiom meaning beeing hooked) for that guitar. Wow, I loved that fantastic playable and dreamlike feeling oil finished neck. The sound was great, sensational craftsmanship and cool graphic. I was falling in a never ending love for Charvel/Jackson guitars. Unfortunately, then I still was a teenager and could not afford a real San Dimas C/J then. 1987 I got my first Jackson catalog. Since the catalog contained full size diagrams of the different body styles for custom orders, I dreamed about having a C/J Strat built to my custom order. In the meanwhile, I own some Ontario production Charvel and Jackson models, and an Ontario Charvel built to custom order of the German distributor then. 15 years after the first time I dreamed of a Charvel built to my own custom order, I started out to have my dream come true. On August 22nd of this year, my dream came true and my first custom order arrived.

[Greg Crowe]

Re: How did it all start?

Originally posted by Hellraiser6502:
Two words...ROBBIN FUKKIN CROSBY!

Seeing 'Round & Round' in 1984 on MTv did it for me...I was hooked. I WANTED that black flying V! Still want it....

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Uh, ...... that's 3 words Curt [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

No Robbin, No Steven but what the hell..... I'm seeing Ratt for free Saturday night at the local State Fair.

That's how you know your getting old!!!!!..... when your favorite bands play at the State Fair !

[Greg Crowe]

Re: How did it all start?

Toby, how did you get the Custom Shop to build you that strathead after FMIC's "NO STRATHEADS!!!" ruling?


As far as getting into C/J's. I originally started on very early 80's USA Deans and still have the custom 82 Dean ML I ordered in high school. Then EVH made everyone want a Floyd Rose. I picked up a 1982 Kramer Pacer Carerra in a local guitar shop one day and fell in love with it and the Floyd Rose. I didn't want to spend the bucks on it and ended up buying a Kramer Focus 1000 which really was a great guitar w/ a lousy pickup.

We didn't have a Charvel/Jackson dealer around here until 1987 so I played the Dean and Kramer. In 87 a local dealer picked up the C/J line and started carrying all the Japanese Model series guitars and a few custom USA Jacksons. I ended up buying a red model 3DR and then a red flametop 475 Deluxe. I was hooked. I didn't get my first USA Jackson until 1992 when I ordered both a Lightning Sky Soloist and Lightning Sky Rhoads. I still have both those guitars.

At this point, I think I have approx. 15 USA Deans, 10 Kramers, 2 Fender HM Strats, 1 BC Rich, 1 Guild, 1 Larrivee and about 30 Charvel/Jackson's.

[ September 25, 2003, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: Greg Crowe ]

[Rhoadsfan67]

Re: How did it all start?

WILLIAM RANDALL RHOADS. Period.

[neilli]

Re: How did it all start?

Like virtually everyone else it seems - it was the 80s - Anthrax, Kirk Hammett, Megadeth, Exodus, Iron Maiden & loads of LA hair bands. Look at the 1990 catalogue and that was my life! First CJ was a new model 2 charvel in april '89, and then I was hooked (with a few Ibanez (sorry!), Hamer and ESP moments!) I now have 24 guitars and all but 4 are CJs!

[neilli]

Re: How did it all start?

Like virtually everyone else it seems - it was the 80s - Anthrax, Kirk Hammett, Megadeth, Exodus, Iron Maiden & loads of LA hair bands. Look at the 1990 catalogue and that was my life! First CJ was a new model 2 charvel in april '89, and then I was hooked (with a few Ibanez (sorry!), Hamer and ESP moments!) I now have 24 guitars and all but 4 are CJs!

[Dave L]

Re: How did it all start?

What or who made me start playing Jackson? Phil Collen.

[erik]

Re: How did it all start?

The bound neck and headstock with sharkfin inlays!!! & of course the graphics. My fav. graphic pile of skulls!!!!!!!!
later erik

[hammer84]

Re: How did it all start?

Growing up thru the '80 was a big influence. One of the local band had a killer player that had a pink soloist that I thought just ruled. Went to the local Jackson dealer (cuzin Jed's guitar shed )and looked at a soloist. Way too much money. I would go by and stare at the guitar weekly. The the guy with the pink one offered it to me for a pretty good deal. I took it to my local shop and found out the neck was warped and twisted. Broke my heart.

Fast forward about 12-15 years. I flipping thru pages on the net and find this cool white soloist with an unfinished neck at DCGL. Boom, out comes the Visa and the addiction was started.