Guitar Origins with Grover Jackson! Eddie's Bumblebee, Randy's V, Vai's Green Meanie! 

Flashback to our first show with Grover Jackson! These are the highlights of these three iconic guitars with new added pictures.

I could sit for hours and listen to Grover tell stories....he should write a book!!!!!

This is so cool! Grover is a legend! I could spend the whole day listening to him.

Need another full Grover episode with even more stories and info!

35 years ago I bought my first 'real' guitar, after a cheap Aria Pro II. A red Charvel Model II from 1987. Still have it. Got it refretted, and it rocks as good as ever.

This is freaking amazing to hear about these specific guitars that are so iconic now. Interview with Grover Jackson. The Steve Vai story was so funny 😁

That first show with Grover was killer. I have watched it twice, may watch it again after this...

That was GREAT!!!

Priceless interview❤️🎸

So awesome!!!!!!!

Just love these conversations!

That was great - thanks for posting! Guitar History at its finest.

Thanks for posting this, Mark!

Loved this Interview ,I remember ordering a T shirt from Jackson guitars in the mid 80's...Still love jacksons from that era!

I interviewed with Grover Jackson when he was production manager at Rickenbacker. Nice guy!

This is so awesome hearing these stories from the past 😃

Wow, what a musical legacy...amazing!

So cool

Mr Jackson is a humble legend and a wonderful person as well as he speaks of the musicians he met throughout these years!

Grover, your service to metal and guitarists the world over is insurmountable and will live on forever. Thank you.

Always loved the white RR Jackson. Definitely a bucket list gtr. LOL at the Green Meanie story. Cheers guys!

I have watched this interview a few times and love it! Keep this up Marc and thank you guys for what you do...My absolute favorite channel!

Cool!!

I had to go watch Mister mister, to see that other guitar. it sounded really good. All this started before my time but i have followed these guitars forever. I finally got to hear Grover say what he said about the concord in his own words.

Grover is a gem, these are great

I really enjoyed this bit of history 👌 I'm a Jackson fan through & through, i own a few Jackson Kelly's & have a JS32 Rhoads which i love very much 👌

Epic!!! Grover is so incredible.

I used to work for Grover Jackson in 1997 at the Rickenbacker factory as a guitar and bass player painter in the city of Santa Ana California. I used to love talking to him at lunchtime.

Great little interview. Super interesting. Grover is a legend. I always wondered tons of this stuff with Charvel and Jackson.

I watched that episode live. Great stuff! I’m going to get me one of those Calis from Friedman and Mr Jackson himself. Good to see great builders still building quality guitars. Worth the money!!!

I Absolutely Love Grover Jackson, I met him half dozen times back at the Sam Dimas Charvel Jackson Factory (1983-1986) when I was a 16-18 year old local San Dimas Teenage Guitar Player who had relocated to San Dimas from Tujunga who at first only liked Ibanez Destroyers, Hamer Standard & Dean Z Explorer type Guitars, so after Transferring to San Dimas High School, it wasn't long before I was Cool with, got to know a few of the Other Good Hard Rock Metal Guitar Playing Classmates at San Dimas High, and I kept hearing about this Charvel Guitar Factory right up Lone Hill Ave at Gladstone Street my Guitar Buddies kept telling me about, that had this Guitar Making Genius named Grover Jackson who had become Fairly Famous having made Randy Rhoads White Jackson V Guitar and later the more Sleek Black 2nd Version Rhoads V, so I was Intrigued, so I ditching Class one day and went up to the Charvel Jackson Guitar Factory and Went into the Office and Met Grover, his Wife Joanne, her Secretary Buddy Darla, and a Guy named David Williams, and although they were Busy, they were So Friendly to me a 15 year old Teenager, and I told them I had a Gibson Acoustic and I Really Loved Hard Rock and Metal, and I told them i had been wanting to get an Electric Guitar and was really into the Hamer's Ibanez and Dean Explorer type Guitars i had recently tried out at Nearby Hanich Music in West Covina, knowing Absolutely Nothing to very little Really about Charvel and or Jackson Guitars, although the Walls of the San Dimas Factory were very Impressive with About 40 Framed Pictures featuring Charvel Jackson Players Famous and Not as famous, Grover was Really Nice and Spoke with me a little, and then Grover asked me if id like to see Guitars being Made, etc on a impromptu Factory Tour, and Artist Relations Guy Dave Williams took me on my first of about 25 San Dimas Factory tours that would last until about March 1986, I was Blown Away, Seeing many Iconic Guitars In Person, I would a year or two later see in Pictures in the Hands of Warren DeMartini, Vinnie Vincent, Amir Derakh, Original King Kelly Guitars with the Inward Cuts, The VH Shaped Guitar 2nd Neck Thru Body Version with Jackson Headstock that they said was a Gift from Grover to Edward Van Halen congratulations for the Massive Success of the then New 1984 album, I have Never Seen this Neck Thru VH Guitar pop up anywhere afterward, just Awesome Memories from Meeting Mr Grover Jackson, I will Definitely be Sad ,Crying if I hear that Grover Jackson has Died, he's Definitely a Hero of Mine❤

I’ve been watching this show since this very episode and remember Mark doing the EVH shows with the Canadian guy with the handlebar mustache. Thanks so much guys! Hope you and your family’s have a happy holidays!

Can't wait!!

Ed already had that guitar on the first tour in 78. There’s a photo of Karl Sandoval giving it to him and numerous photos of him playing it on tour.

Gold pure Gold.

It's funny how things go. You would think that with all the different brands of guitars that players would have different guitars from different companies. Yet, one guitar builder was making all the guitars for all the top artists. It's the same thing with amps. I saw a RU-vid video saying that there was a shop in LA that rented out amps. All the top players were all renting out the same head - unbeknownst to each other. It turned out that the same amp was used on most of the recordings in the 80's.

Wisdom from Grover😎🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

Very cool. Great stories..Had my first Charvel model 2 in the early 80s and man did I learn some licks on that axe..

Awesome!

Dweezil thinks that the neck on the Rasta/Circle guitar might be the original Bumblebee neck ? or at least a neck that was on it , would be nice to get his thoughts on this

Fascinating story!

Diehard Grover\Jackson\Charvel fan here. 🤘

This will be a great show! 😎🤘🎸

awesome!

I love Grover

If Eddie, Randy and Steve changed the way guitar is played forever, Grover changed the way guitars are built. He brought Rolls Royce standards with zero compromise. I remember the first time I played a Soloist and almost cried at the price tag.

Really cool stories!

I guess that the closest thing today to a 80:ies Charvel is to buy a Friedman Cali

Wow

My first guitar was a 1990 Jackson Fusion.... Loved it

I have 2 Jackson’s, a hardtail and a double locking Floyd. Both soloists. Made in Indonesia models. Amazing guitars .

Kenny Likey Flashbacks! That was fun!

Good summary

"The Little Italian Virtuoso" is Warren Cuccurullo. Steve Vai was "Impossible Guitar Sounds"

Never send your guitar 🎸 out on tour with someone lol. Damn this ended waaaay to soon!!

What are the chances that one luthier can fabricate instruments for 3 of the greatest guitar virtuosos of all times. Grover has definitely one of kind talent 🙏🏻

ive been a Charvel owner since 1985. Bought a Pointy headstock, single PU (jackson PU in there, later I put an EMG in it) Gun metal Grey with a black Kahler off the wall of my local Friendly River Music shop (i could see the shop from my bedroom window) for $999 and a Crate G40C combo. Had that till 2007 and traded it for a USA RR1 which I stupidly sold off. Now own a USA San Dimas and 2 DK24 HH FR, one is the white with gold hardware and its really nice (the custom shred PU in them are a bit different but in a good way). Im determined to buy a Jackson next but I dont think theyre as good as the MIM Charvels. I do like the Jeff loomis kelly's and think thats the one to go for.

Steve hijacked your axe🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’ve heard the story, hilarious! I believe Steve ripped the tremolo out of it on stage while pulling up on the whammy bar

Amazing stories!!

Fantastic! I saw Zappa way back in Worcester MA. I wasn’t a huge fan but went because friends had an extra ticket. I recognized Chad Wackerman on drums, pretty cool because there’s a chance John Good of dw drums may have been his tech at that point, now I’m wondering if I saw Vai play with him. This was early to mid 80’s perhaps.

The first real guitar I got was a real Rhoads Jackson which the neck and body was one piece . You could see the hand carved neck . I wish still had it

my 3 favourite guitarists

The Friedman Guitars that Grover builds are sooo good! If you haven’t tried one, please go and do it, you won’t regret it!

This just shows how important Grover was to the shape of hard rock/ metal and the beginning of the Shredder generation!! He built Randy’s V , Eddie’s Bee , and Via’s meany !!! What else is there ??? 🎸🤘🏼

My Thumps Up it’s ready!...

Correct...EVH THE most influential rock guitar player. Period.

I know for a fact Ed's Bumblebee was made and delivered by Karl Sandoval. The same guy who built Randy's polka dot V. Please feel free to fact check!

Is this David Friedman of Friedman amps & guitars?!

I have a Jackson San Dimas serial number 1001. It's white, one pickup one knob, maple fretboard, Kahler. I got it second hand in '86. Is it particularly rare or special as a collector peice?

That’s pretty shitty for Vai to paint Grover’s guitar that was on loan .. he was nice enough to lend it to him then takes advantage smh .

If you like this, you have to watch THE ORIGINAL CHARVEL GANG. It's the same as this but in documentary form told by the staff and all of tge Charvel artists and its an hour and a half long. It is fantastic. For any guitar player that is into 80s hair metal and the guitars they used, it is pornography.

7:07

Karl Sandoval (Who worked at Charvel at the time) said he did most of the work on Eddie's Bumble Bee guitar. He said he cut the body/neck, and took it all the way to paint. So I'd guess the painter painted it and Grover assembled and set it up.

Grover seems like a good guy!

I think my avatar says how i feel about this particular show! 😁

That Charvel/Jackson tone from about '79 through the mid '80s (especially) is THE tone of tones for electric guitars in my mind. There is a certain chimey, bell-like, ringiness to it that is intrinsic to its unique nature that I find incomparable to any other guitar maker.

Jackson Guitars rule - best ever

I thank my Dad RIP, got me into rock music, all this history, imo Jackson is no longer jackson, I almost got a new one, but I believe it is better to get ahold of an actual Jackson from the past

Bring on the Shredders!

❤❤😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

The story behind the RR and the birth of Jackson is very interesting

Okay so now I'm confused... almost every article or documentation I have ever read including a article that is found on DiMarzio's website concerning the green meanie says that the body of that guitar was made of Basswood... but hearing it straight from Grover's mouth saying that it was made of Ash blows my mind.

Randy double-handedly saved the Charvel brand with a competitor. And it’s all in the music. You can’t kill Rock-n-Roll! Edit: Ozzy’s dysfunction indirectly saved Charvel. Not so “As Above, So Below” or is it?

I always wondered if it was a Karl S. guitar because of the pictures with Karl dropping it off for Ed. Now we know. Next, I'm hoping Grover can tell us what pickup was in it when it was delivered.

Hi guys!

I heard karl Sandoval made the bumblebee guitar, he also made the rr polka dot v

I have a rare 1988 Charvel Jackson, made in Japan, model 5fx. This guitar is all original and in mint condition. I've had it since 1990. I would love to hear what Grover knows about my guitar as they're isn't too much information on some of the imports from 1986-1991. I had reached out to Wayne Charvel and he didn't have any information on this guitar as Grover had taken over the Charvel brand by then. I'd love to hear if Grover knows anything on my guitar.

Wait wait wait.... In regards to the green meanie. He said that Steve Vai had a tech named Elwood paint that guitar. Was Elwood Francis, the new bass player for zz top, Steve's guitar tech back then? Is he the one that painted that guitar?? Because that makes it so much cooler if it was. Just more to the story.

what was the scale length of the original rhoads v. who painted the bumblebee.

Ontario factory wasn't until 86..time frames a bit off but man he can design guitars!

Lol even though Karl Sandoval is photographed with the bumble bee guitar, with EVH, it is well known Grover Jackson made a lot of striped guitars without EVH’s permission

the man who created some of the greatest music and didnt play a note!

I got the opportunity to ask Grover a question on the Seymour Duncan forum, and I commented that the neck on my ‘84 Rhoads felt really similar to the neck on my ‘77 Les Paul, he told me that all those early Rhoads guitars from San Dimas had neck profiles patterned after Randy’s Les Paul Custom. Was never a fan of the Rhoads design until I got that guitar.

So green meanie is an ash body not basswood ..... what a revelation! I can listen to Grover speak all day

I don’t know, I think the pictures are shown a few frames too long.

Only guitar I have ever had that stays in tune, is a 1990 Carvin, short scale, of course. I'm still playing it:) Just had it refretted. I practice on Jacksons and Charvels, but when it's time to set my hair on fire and rok the house... it's the Carvin:)

Eddie said that the Bumblebee was nothing but trouble. It would not stay in tune. He buried it with Dime Bag.

more please....all your other videos are 2-3 hours long. This? Only 11 minutes. Must. Have . More.

I remember in the 80s when Jackson was custom shop only.... wished they'd have done something to keep that Jackson name sound.... use 2 different logos or a Gibson/epiphone type thing with two names. Now you can get a $200 Jackson so that name alone doesn't mean anything anymore.

I just came across a vid of namm 2019 and Mike Shannon agreeing to claims that he (Mike) built THE Randy V. Why would someone say that if it’s not true?? Wtf 🤷‍♂️