My dad Barry Anthony Jackson (the BAJ bit) was always into music and he had many friends in the industry. People such as Alan Shacklock, the guitarist with ‘Babe Ruth’ and Mick Taylor, the guitarist with The Rolling Stones.

As a child, I was constantly around these folk and it definitely had a musical effect on my development.

I had my hands on many guitars from a very early age and I remember struggling to grab my dad’s acoustic to try and make sounds on it. The noises the instrument made just fascinated me.

When I was around nine year old, my dad found out that Alan Shacklock was giving guitar lessons locally, but he was reticent to teach me at such a young age saying.
“To be honest, everyone wants to play but very few actually see it through, but if he’s really keen then I will give him a try.”

He wanted to see if I was worth it as he didn’t want to waste his time and my dad’s money which was scarce in the 1970s.

My Dad dropped me off at Alan’s where I had a guitar shoved at me then a half-hour assessment.
When my dad collected me he asked Alan “Well?”
Alan said straightaway “Buy him a guitar.”
My passion shone through and I had passed the test, so my Dad bought me my first guitar; a classical BM classico.

Later as a teenager I became interested in electrical and I believe my first electric was an Avon Black Les Paul which belonged to someone from Osibisa, I still have it to this day and I call it Jimmy the black

Then came the bands: In 1983, I along with three friends created a band called the Cellar Ratsz, and this is where the creative thing that still flows through me to this day began. It is now many bands later.

The guitar creation bit:
I’ve always tinkered rebuilding painting and messing about with things, I guess that comes from my grandad, he was a carpenter for de Havilland in WW2. There were always lots of tools, wood, glue, and metal in the shed to tinker with, which I think gave me my engineer’s brain.

I just thought ‘Well I’ll just make my own guitars as those American ones seem so out of reach, simply too expensive.’ So I modified, rebuilt, and customised my guitars. I must have done hundreds of them over the years.

It was by far the best way to put my time in and learn my craft.

So now I work with my lifelong friend and cousin Karl Bailey, whom I laughingly call ‘the artwork department’ and we build, repair, and craft exceptional, handmade guitars together.