Jackson is all over the July 2011 issue of Premier Guitar—including the cover—with interviews with Jackson Custom Shop master builder Mike Shannon and Megadeth signature artists David Ellefson and Chris Broderick.
Within, the cover story delves deeply into Jackson history as PG interviews Shannon about the genesis of the very first Randy Rhoads Concorde guitars—the two instruments that started the entire Jackson story, and the second of which Shannon himself built (both appear on the cover). Shannon describes the development of the Concorde, with its distinctively sleek V shape and aircraft-inspired name, and tells the story of how Rhoads, Grover Jackson and he brought those first legendary guitars to life.
The article is accompanied by seldom-seen early shots of the Jackson/Charvel staff and facility, and a rare 1981 shot of Rhoads playing the second Concorde model, the black one built by Shannon (the first Concorde—the white one—was the first instrument to bear the Jackson name).
PG also talks with Ellefson about his new Jackson Custom Shop five-string bass, on which he worked with Shannon. The Megadeth bassist describes the instrument in detail, comparing it with his modified Concert Bass model and elaborating on the experience of working with Shannon once again.
“Mike is a guru in the woodshop,” Ellefson told PG. “He’s got a feel for instruments—he knows how to make instruments that players like. To get a guy who can pull all that together, and make an instrument that sits in a player’s hands, is a whole other art.”
Ellefson’s bandmate, Broderick, also weighs in, discussing his signature six- and seven-string Soloist models. He meticulously describes elements from body style to control placement, noting that he loves the asymmetrical offset body in particular.
“I’ve always been a fan of that, which is why I designed it that way,” Broderick said. “It also serves a very ergonomic function: it takes the balance of the guitar and makes it so that you can angle the neck up. The neck doesn’t want to drop down like on other guitars. That was a huge plus for me.”
Read the article now at premierguitar.com.