One of Marty Friedman's main guitars during Megadeth's Rust In Peace era, a 1985 US Jackson Kelly, has gone on sale on Reverb.
Its $125,000 price tag will put many off – that could get you 545 Squier Affinity Stratocasters plus change – but it is a genuine piece of thrash metal history.
The all-black, U.S-built guitar is nicknamed #2 and has a matching sticker on its side. It was also used on Rust In Peace's 2x platinum-selling follow-up record, Countdown To Extinction, and has over 1,000 Megadeth shows under its belt.
Many guitars would crumble under such extensive usage, but the Reverb listing underscores how it has been looked after by some of the world's best luthiers over the past five decades, with Gary Brawer chief among them.
The guitar was retired from duty when Friedman left Megadeth in 2000 and has since been kept in climate-controlled storage to ensure it remained in tip-top shape.
Aside from Megadeth, the guitar was also used extensively on his two albums with Cacophony, his band with Jason Becker, and on his first two solo albums.
The listing also claims it is one of the first 500 Jackson guitars ever made, “making it a true San Dimas masterpiece.”
“The guitar was the first USA Jackson I ever owned, and the first quality guitar I purchased,” a statement from Friedman on the guitar's certificate of authenticity reads. “I purchased it in Hawaii around 1985 while I was in the band Hawaii.
“It originally had a black-and-white tiger striped graphic, along with two humbuckers and two tone pots. When I joined Megadeth it was re-painted black and converted into a single humbucker with volume pot.”
It also features Jackson's famed sharkfin inlays and pointed headstock, with extensive scratches seen on the back of the guitar, pointing to its role as Friedman's main touring guitar while in Megadeth.
Friedman inscribed ‘Speed Metal Symphony’ on the guitar’s backplate, while the old label of Friedman's home address can be found on the hard case.
![Megadeth - Hangar 18 [Live on Arsenio Hall Show, 1990] (High Quality) - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hM3jpNfxFUg/maxresdefault.jpg)
“This isn’t just any guitar; it’s a legendary instrument that helped shape the sound of metal and shred. Marty Friedman recorded several groundbreaking albums with this very guitar,” continues the listing.
The instrument has been in the possession of Friedman's long-time manager since it was bought during an eBay auction on May 15, 2011.
The proceeds of the sale benefitted the Jason Becker Special Needs Trust & ALS Therapy Development Institute, “making this instrument not just a piece of metal history, but also a part of an important cause.”
Head to Reverb to view the listing.
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