“I would bringthis guitar out once or twice because it looked like a curvy version ofmy main guitar”: Marty Friedman takes us back to Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction era to tell the story behind one of the rarest Jackson guitars ever

Marty Friedman with a figured-top Jackson guitar with a reverse headstock, circa '90/'91, in an image with a yellow filter shot with a bokeh effect.

Enough time has passed since December 1991 that it feels okay that we can revisit that month’s Guitar World cover and declare it one of the greatest of all time.

Neal Preston took the photo, and it is a work of art Megadeth’s twin-guitar partnership Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman were the subjects, both in the possession of Jackson guitars, period-correct hair, and Preston even manages to capture Mustaine in a Mona Lisa mood. Just look at that face; is MegaDave smiling?