Marty Friedman Signature Guitar
Jackson And The Marty Friedman Signature Guitar
Jackson Guitars is a musical instrument company started in 1980.
Grover Jackson was part owner in Charvel Guitar Repair of Glendora California in the 1970s and took over the total interest of Charvel in November of 1978.
The brand originated when former frontman Ozzy Osbourne’s new guitarist Randy Rhoads approached Grover for a concept guitar.
Jackson collaborated with Rhoads and his Charvel Team to create the now-iconic “Concorde.”
Because of the vast departure of design from the Charvels “Stratocaster- style” models, Jackson opted to label this new guitar under his name.
The designs which sparked the now-iconic company have evolved from the initial Rhoads Models to models like the…
- Dinky
- Soloist
- King V and
- Kelly.
Over Four Decades
The Jackson brand is now associated with guitars that are high in quality American-made and popular with many artists worldwide but also creating less expensive Asian versions (Indonesian and China) to bring their products to a lower-end market.
Once such Guitar and Artist is The Jackson Pro Series Signature Marty Friedman MF-1
Marty Friedman
Martin Adam Friedman is an American guitarist-composer whose start with the guitar was at 13.
Early years
At 14, he was on stage playing Punk and Hard Rock with his band “Deuce” in his native state of Washington DC.
This momentum continued by moving to Hawaii, where he put together a band of the same name.
After touring the west coast of the states, Hawaii disbanded and Friedman stayed in San Francisco, creating Cacophony, playing with Jason Becker from 1986–89.
But ultimately, from 1900–2000, he was best known for his ten years as lead guitarist for The Heavy Metal Group Megadeth.
Friedman has been living in Tokyo Japan since 2003, where he has appeared in over 700 Japanese television shows and has released 13 solo albums with various labels and continues to tour presently.
The Blending of East and West
Friedman’s Technique and playing are not limited to the traditional Minor Pentatonic or 7 Major Modes we often see in the West.
Even though he grew up in the “Guitar Hero” culture of the ’80s, his influences in music and instruments from Asia allowed him to draw from various exotic scales/ arpeggios and chord progressions, giving him a different voice than what was around him in the music scene at the time.
Fusing styles from the East and West, Friedman created his own identifiable Neoclassical Thrash Metal and Progressive rock sound.
Also identifiable are the Artists…
Unorthodox Technique
Friedman has a unique right-hand picking technique.
He utilizes a technique known as “Circle picking” as opposed to the conventional elbow or wrist movement, along with attacking the higher B and E strings with upstrokes as opposed to downstrokes because of the angle of his wrist.
A Guitar As Original As Its Artist
The Artist has always been a fan of the “Jackson” brand, so when an opportunity to collaborate on a signature instrument with the renowned company presented itself the result was…
The Jackson X Series MF-1 Guitar
This solid-body Electric signature guitar has a…
- “Classic” single-cut mahogany body, with Friedman’s own EMG MF Signature pickups, one-piece mahogany set-neck with graphite reinforcement rods and scarf joint, neck-through-body construction, top-tier hardware and much more. (Read on)
Specifications
Body
- Body Material-Resonant mahogany body with 3/4” maple top — for a rich, warm sound & added sustain.
- Electric Guitar Body Style — Solid Body “Classic” Single Cut-Monarkh
- Body Construction — Set Neck
- Colour -Black
- Binding — 3-ply white abalone body binding
- Finish Type -Gloss
- Series — Artist Signature
Headstock & Neck
Neck Material -A comfortable Mahogany for excellent sustain, strength and rich warm tone.
- Neck Construction — Set-Neck w/Graphite Reinforcement Rod and Scarf Joint to protect against environmental depredations.
- Neck Binding — White
- Neck Finish — Gloss/painted
- Nut Material — Plastic/Black
- Nut Width — 1.6875″ (42.86 mm)
- Scale Length — 24.75″ (629 mm)
A 24.75” scale length offers less string tension to reach the concert pitch of a 25.5” scale, therefore loosening the feel of the guitar to make bending and vibrato more fluid.
Jackson Guitars
Fingerboard
- Fingerboard Material -Laurel
- Fingerboard Radius — Compound 12” (305 mm)-for effortless bends
- Neck shape — Slim
- Position Inlays — Traditional Pearloid block fingerboard inlays
- Number of Frets — 22 Jumbo frets make bending strings easier
- Dual Action Truss Rod — Adjustment at the nut
- Neck Joint — Neck-Through-Body construction yields out-of-this-world sustain
Electronics & Controls
Friedman wanted a new brand of passive EMG pickups where he would not need to concern himself with batteries but still get the dynamic EMG Response Punch and Clarity that is only EMG.
And they delivered…
“When I heard this pickup, I knew it was ‘the one’ because it made me want to keep playing and never stop. This is my sound — I’m glad EMG took the time to get it right.”
Marty Friedman
Added Features
- Alnico 5 magnets
- New design for custom-made windings and bobbins (custom made)
- Brushed black chrome finish
EMG MF Signature Pickups
Churn Out Classic Passive Humbucker Tones With A Modern Kick — No Batteries Needed
Brand- EMG Pickups
- Number of Pickups — 2
- Pickup configuration-HH
- Bridge Pickup — EMG MF Signature
- Neck Pickup -EMG MF Signature
- Active or passive pickups– Passive
- Coil tapping-No
Controls
- Control Knobs-Two volume /Two-tone White Speed controls-Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
- 3-Position Toggle — Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
- Control layout- Volume 1, volume 2, tone 1, tone 2
- Pickup switch –3-way
- 3-way Switch Tip -Black
Hardware
- Bridge Type & Style — Fixed, Jackson TOM (Tune-o-Matic)- The TOM-style adjustable bridge and anchored stop bar tailpiece provide excellent vibration transfer between the guitar’s strings and body.
- Hardware Finish -Aggressive-looking black hardware
Pros & Cons
Pros
- “Classic” Single-Cut Mahogany Body w/3/4″ Maple Top
- White/Abalone Body & Neck Binding
- EMG MF Signature Pickups
- Mahogany Fast Playing Neck
- Neck-Through-Body Construction
- 12” Radius Laurel Fingerboard
- Pearloid Block Inlays
- Fixed, Jackson TOM Bridge
- Black Hardware w/White Speed Controls
- MF Logo on Headstock
- Affordable
Cons
- Limited Finishes
Final Thoughts
My first exposure to Friedman’s playing was after his work with Megadeth, and I found him to be a refreshing change.
He has a solid connection to melody and uses chord progression to create nice tension and resolution.
More now for me as a player, being able to play music as opposed to guitar shred, and chasing melodic mastery as opposed to technical resonates stronger, so I can see why he is so influential.
This 24.75”-scale signature model guitar is appealing on many levels.
Firstly the “Classic” shape. It is nice to see Jackson revert to this, for even though I am a fan of the brand, not all of us can appreciate the aggressive looks of some of the designs.
Also, I am not a Floyd Rose guy; I prefer hardtails, so this guitar fits the bill.
I would have like to see this guitar’s neck be more like other Jacksons neck designs of 12″-16″ Compound Radius.
Lastly, the EMG Pickups are a no-brainer. They say pickups find YOU and not the other way around which I find to be true.
I had my first experience with a similar style guitar, the Washburn single cut carbon black Parallaxe, and it has an EMG 85N/81B pickup configuration. Indeed that sound has found its way into my DNA.
Should You Add This Guitar To Your Collection?
This made in Indonesia guitar is chock full of great features that can meet the demands of a player like Marty Friedman. You get an instrument that will take you into many playing areas at an affordable price.
Did You Like This Article?
Check out my review on the Jackson Randy Rhoads RR1 USA Select
Also…
Leave me your comments in the section below, and if you would like me to review a favourite guitar shout out.
As always, stay the course and keep playing.
