We have been doing what we love best, finding Australia's finest vintage and new American guitars for players and collectors, since 1988. In that time, we have built a world-wide reputation for service and integrity. But what makes our business really special are the people.
Customer Service: Steve Jackson Company Director: Donna Jackson Customer Service: David Roberts Customer Service: Matt Shaw Customer Service: Angus Marshall Customer Service: Georgia Juliet Moncrieff Web & Advertising Manager: Steve Lees
Come in and say hello, anytime. You are welcome to play any guitar in stock.
How it all began Steve Jackson's obsession with quality guitars began in 1974, when at the age of 14, he worked after school to fulfill his dream.
The dream was to own a 1964 Fender Jaguar in Fiesta Red and a 1963 Fender Bandmaster amplifier in cream tolex.
At $250 each they cost a lot at the time, but time ensured they were bargains.
Steve's dream grew to become his passion in life, some would say obsession. My first meeting with him was by chance in the late seventies after placing an ad for a guitar player to join my band.
Steve answered that ad and we got talking on the phone, but it did not take long to realise we shared the same fanatical interest in guitars and in particular at that time, Fender Guitars.
From the time we got together to talk guitars, Steve was like a sponge, asking questions and absorbing everything I knew at the time. Soon, he knew more than I had ever known, with a very broad knowledge of all vintage guitars and not just the Fender Guitars we loved so much back then.
We regularly got together to photograph our collection of guitars, collections we look back on now in awe because of their value today. (The photograph above is one such photo from that time, a keen eye will notice the famed 'Johnny Wade' Stratocaster in the collection!)
On occasions when neither of us was giging, I would visit Steve to see what he had acquired of late and I always took my camera.
Looking back now on one particular photograph, I realised that even way back then Steve was trading the very best, because this photo showed a late fifties Les Paul Standard Sunburst leaning up against his lounge.
Before too long he was the most active guitar trader I knew of, and this was long before the birth of the store.
But, the inevitable happened in January of 1988, in a small room with a handful of guitars, a staff of one and a passion for the finest vintage American guitars.
Today Jackson's Rare Guitars has over 300 quality instruments on display in a double store front, with a staff of 12 equally passionate people, all with one goal, which is to provide the best quality American made instruments for their customers.
In recent years the products that Jackson's Rare Guitars stocks has expanded to include some of the finest new instruments on the market today including the range of Taylor and Collings acoustic guitars, and the phenomenally successful Paul Reed Smith electric guitars.
In addition to the lineup of new guitars, Jackson's Rare Guitars has also added the best in guitar amplification from both the UK and the USA, including the full range of Matchless, Matamp, HI-Watt, Heritage and JMI.
Steve Jackson, the driving force behind Jacksons Rare Guitars, has appeared on many television programs including the 'The Guitar Show' and 'The Collectors', and has many high profile players and business people he calls friends, all because of his profound knowledge of the vintage guitar market.
From local players, local investors and right through to international touring bands, they all visit Jacksons Rare Guitars when they are after the very finest in vintage, rare or collectable guitars.
Interview with Steve Jackson on the TV Series 'The Collectors'.
08-05-2008
Just a quick note to let everyone know that as well as our YouTube site, we now have a FaceBook presence which will allows us to be more interactive with other FaceBook members etc.