Charvel Jackson Guitar Company

Jackson is a guitar manufacturer originally owned and operated by Grover Jackson, a partner of Wayne Charvel of Charvel Guitar Repair. The company was started with the creation of a guitar known as "The Concord" later known as the "Rhoads" V model guitar, originally designed and used by guitarist Randy Rhoads. Grover Jackson put his name on the Rhoads rather than the Charvel name because he and Wayne felt the design was too shocking for Charvel's regular customers. This model inspired Grover to start the Jackson guitar company.

Wayne Charvel later sold his interest in the Charvel name to Grover Jackson on November 10, 1978. The shop was located in Glendora, California (while using a PO Box in neighboring San Dimas) and manufactured guitars in this location from 1979 to 1986, when the Company merged with IMC (International Music Corporation), a Texas based importer of musical instruments. The factory then moved to Ontario, California.

In the Fall of 2002, Fender Musical Instrument Corporation purchased Jackson/Charvel, and operations were moved to the Fender factory in Corona, CA. Fender is now manufacturing guitars that are almost exactly like the original San Dimas Charvels. Both Jackson and Charvel models are being produced at Corona. This had short term negative consequences, as much of the artists who were on the company's roster list in the 1980s and 1990s left to endorse other guitar companies.

Jackson Guitars has become known for its slender and elegant models, often with an aggressive look popular with harder rock and metal music.

Almost all Jackson (and many Charvel) guitars share the typical Gibson Explorer-like pointy drooped headstocks. Various models feature a reversed pointy headstock with the tip pointing upwards. Another trademark are their "shark fin" fret inlays, which inspired other famous guitar companies such as Ibanez to develop a similar design to that of Jackson's original, called "shark tooth".

Charvel/Jackson was the target of many copyright lawsuits from Fender which ended the use of Stratocaster styled headstocks for Jackson and Charvel guitars until recently.

Jackson guitars currently in production:
* The Jackson Rhoads, an asymmetric 'V' shaped body with pointy "wings". Originally called the "concord", and designed for guitarist Randy Rhoads. After his death they renamed it the RR or Randy Rhoads.
* The Jackson Soloist. The Soloist has a neck-through body with the superstrat body design.
* The Jackson Dinky, a smaller superstrat 7/8 the size of the Soloist.
* The Jackson Kelly, a sleeker version of Gibson's popular Explorer, made famous by Marty Friedman of Megadeth who had a signature model made for him, the KE1.
* The Jackson King V, a symmetric 'V' shape with long pointy wings. The guitar was originally designed for Robbin Crosby of Ratt, but was popularized, through prolific use, by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth who had a signature model, the KV1.
* Phil Collen PC1 Signature Dinky with a Jackson Sustainer/Driver pickup in the neck position, a DiMarzio HS2 Stacked Humbucking Pickup in the middle position, a DiMarzio Super 3 Humbucking Pickup in the bridge position, a Floyd Rose original locking tremolo and gold-plated hardware. It was followed by the short lived PC3 model, a moderately priced version featuring DiMarzio HSS pickups and a Wilkinson floating vibrato.
* The Jackson Warrior. An aggressive looking body consisting of four pointy ends designed in-house. The points themselves were designed after the Jackson headstock shape. The Ibanez Xiphos and B.C. Rich Stealth (the original) are similar, except the points are more rounded, and have a different shaped headstock.
* The Jackson Mark Morton Dominion. A signature series guitar designed by Jackson and Lamb of God guitarist, Mark Morton.
* The Jackson Phil Demmel Demmelition V. A signature guitar, based on the King V, with slightly changed wings, in the form of cut-outs.
* The Jackson Adrian Smith San Dimas. A signature guitar, based on the 80's Jackson custom shop models which were produced for Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith.

Jackson guitars available through custom shops:
* The Jackson Death Kelly, similar to the Kelly; the bottom portion of the guitar is cut almost like the Warrior, but the upper portion, near the neck, remains the same.
* The Jackson Death Angel, similar to the Death Kelly; the bottom portion of the guitar is cut almost like the Warrior, but the upper portion, near the neck, has a SG/Kelly type shape.
* The Jackson Demon has a shape almost exactly like an Ibanez 540.
* The Jackson "PC Archtop" was Jackson's first Signature Model for Phil Collen, developed in 1988 after using various Soloist & Dinky custom models for 2 years. Phil and Grover Jackson decided to make an ergonomically correct guitar that had a body like a normal arched-top Super Strat, except the top horn is dramatically bigger, the lower horn has more of a Fender Telecaster shape, and was concaved much like a Spector NS-series Bass Guitar.
* The Jackson Roswell Rhoad s has the general concept of a Rhoads (asymmetric 'V'), except it's more curved, like an asymmetrical U.
* The Jackson Star is exactly like the original Charvel Star, except with the Jackson headstock and label.
* The Jackson Surfcaster is exactly like the original Charvel Surfcaster except with a different logo.
* The Jackson Xtreme Rhoads, is a Rhoads with a slightly scaled down body, and a shorter top fin.
Also all the original shapes, and even custom ones can be done in the custom shop.
Jackson guitars that were discontinued:
* The Jackson Kelly Star. similar to the Kelly; the bottom portion of the guitar was cut almost like the Randy Rhoads, but the upper portion, near the neck, remained the same.
* The Jackson Firebird, which was a copy of the Gibson Firebird but with the trademarked Jackson headstock.
* The Jackson Y2KV, used by guitarist Dave Mustaine, as a custom V with rounder edges first launched in the 2000 catalog and offered until 2002.
Jackson Professional Series:
* Jackson Professional Series was the Made in Japan line of many popular USA models.
* The Performer tag is denoted on Jackson low end models, produced during the mid-90's in overseas factories

Jackson players and endorsers, past and present
* Adnan Hatic of Agonize
* Joseph L. Jennings of Powerstance
* Chris Cannella of Autumns End[1]
* Joe Duplantier of Gojira
* Rudolf Schenker of Scorpions
* Steve Lynch of Autograph (American band)
* Petri Lindroos of Norther, Ensiferum
* Dave Mustaine of Megadeth
* Marty Friedman Formerly of Megadeth
* Kirk Hammett of Metallica (he owns several models of Jackson Randy Rhoads type)
* Matthew Tuck of Bullet for My Valentine
* Randy Rhoads of Ozzy Osbourne and Formerly Quiet Riot
* Jake E. Lee Badlands and formerly Ozzy Osbourne
* Dave Jenkins of the Jackie Moon Trio
* Sean Best of Beyond Purgatory
* Joe Becker
* Phil Collen of Def Leppard
* Christian Olde Wolbers of Fear Factory
* Mark Morton of Lamb of God
* Karl Sanders of Nile
* Kevin Bond of Superjoint Ritual
* Dan Spitz of Anthrax
* Scott Ian of Anthrax
* Ralph Santolla of Deicide, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach, Death, and Millennium
* Chris Caffery of Savatage and Trans Siberian Orchestra
* Andreas Kisser of Sepultura
* Derrick Green of Sepultura
* Rob Cavestany of Death Angel
* Ashmedi of Melechesh
* Phil Demmel of Machine Head and Vio-Lence
* James Root of Slipknot and Stone Sour
* Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel
* Mille Petrozza of Kreator
* Gary Holt of Exodus
* Rick Hunolt of Exodus
* Eric Hoffman of Deicide
* Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom and Sinergy
* Roope Latvala of Children of Bodom, Sinergy and Stone
* Jeff Hanneman of Slayer
* Criss Oliva of Savatage
* Robbin Crosby of RATT
* Rusty Cooley
* Mike Clark of Suicidal Tendencies
* Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod, Down and Superjoint Ritual
* Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden
* Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P.
* Galder of Dimmu Borgir
* Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir
* Hamish Glencross of My Dying Bride
* Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi
* C. C. DeVille of Poison
* Daron Malakian of System of a Down (studio only)
* Corey Beaulieu of Trivium
* Sergey Mavrin, formerly of Aria and Kipelov.
* Michael Chirva, of Tvangeste
* Sammy Hagar.
* Dr. Know, of Bad Brains.
* Mark St. John of Kiss
* Pat O'Brien of Cannibal Corpse
* John Campbell of Lamb of God
* Buckethead
* Lee Altus of Exodus and Heathen
* Eric Meyer of Dark Angel
* Jeff Loomis of Nevermore
* Dave Murray of Iron Maiden
* Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society Formerly [Ozzy Osbourne]
* Ben Moody of We Are The Fallen Formerly Evanescence
* Criss Oliva of Savatage
* Twiggy Ramirez of Marilyn Manson
* Jason Mendonca of Akercocke
* Helmuth of Belphegor[2]
* Infernus of Gorgoroth[3]
* Xaphan of Kult ov Azazel[4]
* Jared Tryan of Keep An Eye On Your Kidneys
* Jason Moore of Execration
* Colin Foran of Execration
* Gábor Fülöp of Overload
* The Frankore of silence of death (chilean band)
* Tj Wilt of The Maid Of Honor Is Dead!
* Kev Gommer of Crippled Faith
* Oscar Dronjak of HammerFall
* Antonio Rucci of Count Your Blessings
* Moyses Kolesne of Krisiun[5]
* Eric Gommer of Bone Dry