Brandon Ellis laid down the gauntlet to Jackson’s Master Builders with this 27-fret Gold Crackle Kelly – is this one of the most challenging custom builds ever made?

Jackson has just launched a new YouTube series, Nightmare Machines, in which it documents some of the firm’s most mind-blowing custom-made electric guitars – and first up is this 27-fret Gold Crackle Kelly build for The Black Dahlia Murder guitarist Brandon Ellis.

While your eye is caught straight away by the stunning finish, there’s a wealth of forward-thinking features packed into the instrument’s construction – among them, a 27-fret fingerboard, a Huntag titanium locking tremolo, Schaller locking gold tuners and a Jackson PC-1 Sustainer neck pickup – and that's barely scratching the surface.