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Jackson Guitars Unveils the Pro Series Signature Brandon Ellis Kelly

Brandon Ellis Kelly
Photo by Jamie Kaufman

The Black Dahlia Murder guitarist has been captivating the metal realm since taking over lead guitar duties on the band's 2017 album Nightbringers. Jackson is proud to honor the incredible talents of the self-taught axe ace with a signature model that seethes with metal sophistication, while also delivering massive sound and high-performance efficiency.

"This is my first signature guitar and it's a huge honor to me to work with Jackson and to offer this as a production model," said Ellis. "It's based on my custom shop Kelly, which is the guitar I ordered when I first teamed up with Jackson. I went with the Kelly body shape because of course it's classic Jackson, and I really wanted to represent that. The sharp contours really embody the whole attitude that I like to put into my guitar playing. It looks pure metal." This instrument features lightweight and resonant poplar body-wings and a through-body maple neck with graphite reinforcement and scarf joint for enhanced sustain, stability and comfort. Built for pulverizing speed, a 12"-16" compound radius bound ebony fingerboard hosts 24 jumbo frets and reverse pearloid sharkfin inlays.

Brandon Ellis Gives the Deep Dive on his Jackson Pro Series Signature Kelly

Ready to roar, this sig model is also equipped with a single Seymour Duncan Parallel Axis bridge humbucking pickup. This humbucker rips with plenty of over-wound attitude for bright, expressive high-end and endless sustain, while a Floyd Rose 1000 Series double-locking tremolo system provides exceptional dynamic response and reliable tuning stability throughout extreme pitch changes. "I have never seen this pickup offered on a production guitar so that's really cool," said Ellis. "It's designed specifically for guitars with Floyd Rose tremolos.

On each side of each string, there are actually two pole pieces that run parallel, which creates a really precise magnetic field and you just get a really high-clarity, hifi kind of sound out of it." Ellis also elaborated on why he skipped a neck pickup.

"I'm really going for that heavy metal, rich overtone, searing harmonics thing and the bridge pickup is where I find my tone," he explained. "I'd also be lying if I didn't say it was paying homage to Eddie Van Halen. If Eddie didn't need it, I don't want it." Other features include a single volume control, Dunlop dual-locking strap buttons and Jackson sealed die-cast tuners. As distinctive as its namesake, the Pro Series Signature Brandon Ellis Kelly comes in a standout Green Crackle finish with black hardware and a reverse pointed 6-in-line black headstock with green Jackson logo. "I'm a diehard fan of the crackle finishes," said Ellis. "It's just awesome. It was around in the '80s and then you couldn't get it for decades. I used to collect these old guitars, but now it's back in full force and I'm really psyched to be able to offer this.

For more information, visit jacksonguitars.com