The first time you ever a Jackson guitar.

[Newc]

Saw one on MTV back in the beginning, I'm sure. Can't recall who was playing it, though.

First one I saw in person was a Soloist with a purpleburst-to-white finish. I couldn't play for crap at the time, but I asked to check it out, and the playability was effortless.

Even the guys in the shop who could play marvelled at how easy it was to play.

Of course, it was $2500, which was big $$ back in the mid 80s (84-86) so it sat there for a while.

Then about a year later I saw one in some hideous yellow crackle paintjob that another store was trying to get rid of - they had a sign on it that said "Sacrifice - $600". I begged my mother to buy it for me because of the low price, but $600 was still a pretty good chunk of change, especially to a family of 4

[Musician78]

I saw a picture of one of the Iron Maiden dudes playing a Jackson Stratocaster around 1994. I was about 15. Then the next year, discovering Megadeth.... it would have been difficult not to be familiar with them.

[Glave]

Saw alot of people playing them in ads on videos and in magazines. First time I really got to play one was my friend in HS got a blue Charvel Model 6. Took me almost 20 years, but I finally was able to get one of my own.

[Robert Burns]

RR i think..around 82'.. but really stoking my fire, was RATT...and Crosby.
Mid 80's had me wanting one bad, but i could afford NOTHING over $400
So it was 1992 when i finally was able to grab this Dinky..and i went to
buy it for $1300 (which had been the price for about 8 months... but when i got there with $1400 on, they had put it on sale for $999.00!
Schweeeet! I became hooked then...just had to wait until i was 37 to
get my first one!

[Robert Burns]

[Disturbing Manor]

Vinnie Vincent, Creatures of the Night tour in 1983 after Kiss finally let the world know that Ace was out of the band. The gold sparkle paint-job on that was awesome. Too bad he got the brilliant idea to refinish it in pink.


His "Shadow V" was equally bitchin'...even if he did end up having Carvin, Ibanez and Washburn build them, too.

[diablomozart]

actually i had seen pics of a rhoads v but saw my first real one when a local guitar store guy custom ordered a ferrari red soloist...me being 16 at the time asked him "why didnt you order a rhoads if you were gonna get a jackson?"....d'oh!!!...lol...d.m.

[vondran]

First time a saw a Jackson was in `83 when I went to pickup my Charvel. They just introduced the Rhoads, and the store had one way up on the wall. I walked in and they immediately caught my eye. Ask the salesman what are those and then got the story on how it was a new highend Charvel line.

[phill_up]

Did the guy Tom Scholz or what ever his name is play a jackson?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lh4kPVh2m8&feature=related

[Bengal]

Robert,
Love that graffic man!

[Phantom Hawk]

I was an SG (Tipton) and BC Rich fan through most of the 80's. Then I saw Fates Warning's Silent Cries video and Frank Aresti was playing an RR. It was about mid 1990 or so. I thought it was just too friggin' cool looking and wanted one BAD ! Shortly after that, I was at Bill's Music in Catonsville,MD and they had a blue RR1 for sale. I grabbed the sales guy and said, "Get the case 'cuz I'm buying THAT !" A month later, I bought my second RR1 from MF, a metallic black one. I remember they were $1075 brand new at the time.

[wilkinsi]

I too was originally a BC Rich (and W.A.S.P) fan and started listening to metal, only it was in 1989.

[Robert Hendrix]

I could write a book about how I was initiated to Jackson guitars, and I may post the story someday. I think some of you would find it interesting.
Long story short tho, I had a friend who was a full blown metal freak in the mid 80s. Well she decided she was going to order a Jackson Rhoads but since she didn't play much less know anything about guitars, she asked me to help her choose pickups bridge ect.

The more research I did, the more I was intrigued by Jacksons. After placing the order, she talked to the folks at the custom shop several times, they were on a first name basis with her. This intrigued me more. A few months later, Randy's Music Mart (the local Jackson dealer) called and said the guitar was in. When we got there and opened the case, you could have heard a pin drop after the sighs subsided. It was the most beautiful, elegant creature I had ever seen.

I helped her order a King V a couple of years later. She took a picture of the cosmos from Omni Magazine and sent it in and they duplicated it onto the guitar perfectly.

Since she didn't play, she asked me to come over and set them up from time to time, and give them a workout. It was a hard job, but one I performed like a trooper.

I moved halfway across country in 2000 and we lost touch with each other. The last time I went home, I ran into a mutual friend who told me that she had passed away. They also told me that, before her passing she was getting her afffairs in order (she knew she was dying) trying to find out how to contact me to give me the Jacksons but nobody knew how to reach me.

I really think of her and miss her alot, and wonder whatever became of those to awesome guitars..

Ok, so even the short version is pretty long.

(raising my glass) here's to you Judy!

[ulijdavid]

I actually stayed away from them when they first came out. Totally into Michael Schenker and thought I was into "my own" thing. I stuck with Gibsons. I always loved the RR, but too many people had them. I didn't play any Van Halen (or Tapping) loved the Europrean metal guys. It wasn't until 15 years later that I got my first Lightning RR. Four more Jacksons later, and I am addicted. The only guitar around that I would buy sight unseen. Not a huge musical fan of Ratt, but still hoping someday Jackson will re-introduce a round horn V

[Razor]

This poster hanging on my wall when I was a snot nosed teenager.