The Jackson Kelly: Heavy Metal Perfection
Published on 14 February 2025
When was the first time you saw a Jackson Kelly?
For me, it was Marty Friedman from Megadeth, around the Countdown to Extinction time. I was a very small child at this point, and Friedman’s spectacularly exotic playing was quite beyond my comprehension, but I could definitely appreciate his guitar! I think it was blue, and I know it was cooler than Dave Mustaine’s Jackson King V (there wasn’t much in it, actually), and so ever since, I’ve had a soft spot for the style.
Given how recognisable and well-loved the Kelly is, I feel that we at guitarguitar maybe haven’t given it enough of a moment. Therefore, let me take you on a thrill ride today, filled with the guitar’s backstory, its current place in the Jackson catalogue, and of course which spicy models we currently have available!
Contents
Who is Kelly? The Origin of the Name
The Jackson Kelly: For All Your Metal Needs
Who is Kelly? The Origin of the Name
Up until recently, I had never even pondered as to why the Jackson Kelly had that name. Obviously the Jackson part is well known (the company owner and lead designer/builder was Grover Jackson - formally of Charvel guitars - for those who weren’t sure!), but what of the ‘Kelly’ part? I suppose it doesn’t have to have been in reference to anything much - It’s not as if BC Rich named their ‘Gunslinger’ or ‘Warlock’ after anyone in particular, after all - but the Kelly name seems more specific…
Yes, indeed, there was such a person! Bradford Kelly, in fact, from the Australian 80s metal band Heaven. Heaven are kind of forgotten now, but they were a much bigger deal back then, touring with Iron Maiden and having several ties with AC/DC. Bradford Kelly apparently came up with the blueprint for the guitar either by himself or in collaboration with Grover Jackson (much as Randy Rhoads did) and the design was complete from start. It has essentially never changed since its 1982 inception, which is a testament to its strong design sense and appealing look.
Bradford Kelly sadly passed away some years ago, and had stopped making music years prior to that, so his latter days are something of a mystery to a stranger like me. His legacy though, through this celebrated guitar design, is pretty awesome!
The Kelly Shape
So, how would you describe the Kelly? An extreme Explorer? An offset singlecut? An exaggerated Surrealist masterpiece? They all sound fine to me, but I’ve got another description for you: the most badass 80s metal guitar there ever was. How does that sit with you?
The Kelly is undoubtedly a ‘pointy’ guitar (and features Jackson’s iconic sharp headstock and sharkfin inlays, usually) but there’s an elegance to the lines that stop this from devolving into ultra-niche territory. It’s more in line with an Ibanez Iceman than it is with a BC Rich Bich, for example. Somehow it’s less…vulgar! Its size makes it an effective choice for riff mongers who like to stand with their legs three feet apart when they play, and its ultra-access design and performance neck make it a pre-eminent choice for shredders.
In short, it’s everything a hard rock player needs in order to cover all metallic bases. It’s very comfortable to sit with; it hangs great from a strap (not too high!); it has full access to all frets: in short, it’s a great guitar design on a practical level, and it’s gorgeous to look at.
Original Kellys
Original Kelly models sported 24 frets, thin necks and neck-through construction, much like the brand’s flagship superstrat, the Soloist. As I mentioned, the shape really hasn’t changed since those early days, so the Kelly you know today is pretty much the blueprint from 1982.
Alongside the Ibanez Destroyer, the Kelly was an 80s update on obvious inspiration the Gibson Explorer, which looked practically soft in comparison to the Kelly’s sleek sharpness. The traditional Explorer shape was resurrected by Japanese/US brand ESP in the mid-80s, and famously played by Metallica’s James Hetfield. Back then, Metallica and Megadeth were two of the world’s biggest thrash metal bands, and so whatever guitars they played would be extremely visible to fans and members of the guitar community. Marty Friedman was just one of a number of gunslinging guitar heroes who chose the Kelly, and had his own signature Jackson Kelly model at the time. All of these elements conspired to create the classic guitar we are talking about today.
Jackson Kelly Models Today
These days, the timeless Kelly design is widely available from Jackson, in a number of ranges and price points. Let’s check out a few…
Jackson JS32 Kelly
Just look at how much guitar you get for £319 in 2025! Jackson must be making other big name brands tremble with the JS range, because not only are the instruments fantastically affordable, they are also made to a very respectable level of quality.
They feature the proper Jackson shapes we all love (you can have Rhoads and King V guitars at this price too) and there’s no Squier/Epiphone sub-branding going on here: these guitars all have the full Jackson logo on the classic pointy headstock!
I really love it when big brands are confident enough to do this with affordable guitars, because it makes a winner out of everybody and doesn’t gate-keep cool features behind price walls. Indeed, this super-affordable JS32 Kelly guitar even has a locking Jackson-branded Floyd Rose tremolo!
One acceptable concession to economy is the bolted-on neck build. Whilst this is obviously something we see on most electric guitars (regardless of their price), the traditional Kelly build is a through-neck (the neck continues through the entire length of the guitar’s body, and the body itself is formed by adding two shaped ‘wings’ to the central neck timber), which is a far more expensive method.
The neck on this JS32 Kelly still feels great though, and offers the correct jumbo frets and compound radius experience that all Jackson fans will crave and expect. If set up properly and looked after, this will be a fantastic, hard-rocking axe for any mosh fan.
Jackson X Series Kelly KEX
The Jackson X Series is a tantalising proposition. Whilst a chunk more expensive than the JS range, they are still very much price-friendly guitars, but the real story here is the quality: these are seriously nice guitars! Stage-ready? Absolutely!
The first thing you’ll notice with the Jackson Kelly KEX are the delicious colours it is available in (metallic purple, metallic lime green etc), which already scream ‘ROCKSTAAAR!’ at the top of their voices.
The next thing you’ll notice is the wonderful through-neck construction, a big upgrade on the JS model. This gives you the true feel of a Kelly, as they were originally designed and made in the 80s. At this price, it’s a lovely thing to have!
Later, you’ll acknowledge the upgraded Floyd Rose Special tremolo and slightly nicer pickups, but the overall package is just one of improved quality and finesse. Very cool and still very affordable.
Jackson Pro Plus XT Kelly Baritone
Now, how cool is this thing?! A 27” scale Jackson Pro Plus baritone Kelly with Seymour Duncan pickups, a reversed headstock and black sharkfin inlays? Whoever put this particular combination together needs to design a lot more, because it’s exactly what today’s contemporary metalhead needs!
The pickups are the SD Sentient and Nazgul pair, a set that have proven uniquely popular amongst extreme metal players for the last decade or so. This brings Jackson’s sound up to date and creates a different vibe from the frequently 80s-dwelling pickup choices on other models.
That extra inch and a half in the scale length allows modern moshers to comfortably tune down to low A and even beyond without suffering from Spaghetti String Syndrome, and the whole fit and finish is as clean as a whistle.
There’s only one word for this guitar, and that word would be ‘mighty’. If you think you’ll like this guitar from seeing it here, trust me: just wait until you get your hands on it!
The Jackson Kelly: For All Your Metal Needs
I already know you like the Jackson Kelly. I know this because we are at the end of this blog and you’re still reading, so you’re a true believer! It’s one of THE great heavy metal ‘shape’ guitar designs, and one of the relatively few that you can sit down with to play!
As if you would, though! This type of design demands that you get it around your neck and then plug into something ferocious. Whether you are a machine-gunning riff lord or a shred maniac, the Jackson Kelly - in all of its current iterations - is more than up to the job. You’ve met your match: it’s time to play a Jackson Kelly.
Click to View our Jackson Kelly Guitars
