The Jackson Kelly guitar was originally designed in the early 1980s by Australian heavy metal guitarist Bradford Kelly for his band Heaven. It was later popularised in the 1990s by Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, who had his own signature model. The Kelly is a heavily modified version of the Gibson Explorer, featuring a distinctive pointed headstock, thin neck profile, and neck-through design that makes it highly playable for heavy metal styles. Over the years, the Kelly has been available in various formats and pickup configurations, with both active and passive pickups. It has been a popular choice among metal guitarists such as Bullet for My Valentine's Matt Tuck and Ozzy Osbourne's Zakk Wylde.
