FEaTuRE
BACK IN THE RACK:
THE RETURN OF
LEE JACKSON’S GP-1000
By JoHn EvosovIC
You could easily be forgiven if you thought
you’d never, ever hear the adjective vintage
applied to rack gear. Given enough time and
change, though, and even once-baneful and
shunned ‘70s and ‘80s guitars ride on a wave
of steadily rising guitar values and approach
their own near-mythical status. Tugged along
with this rising tsunami is the humble equipment used by a diverse array of players, from
anonymous barroom rock troopers to Ozzy’s
Zakk Wylde to Japan’s Akira Takasaki, to attain
sonic satori: rack gear… vintage rack gear.
But just as a new era has dawned for metal, so
have up-to-the-minute modern players such as
Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho sought out and
utilized certain vintage rack pieces for recording and live performances. Of course, we’re
talking about Lee Jackson’s Perfect Connection/
Metaltronix GP-1000 all-tube rack preamp. And
speaking of, values have climbed. From the original MSRP of $599 to typical mid-‘90s rock-bottom prices hovering in the range of $100 or less,
GP-1000s have most recently commanded $600
and up on eBay. That is, if you can find one.
As a dedicated fan of the shred greats of the
day, it was only natural that I would develop
a corollary interest in the gear used to craft
these high-octane tones. And just as these
guitarists were blazing new trails with their
six-string aeronautics, so too would the
gear they wielded reflect this newly inspired
aggression and passion. No longer was it
enough to use mere pedals and stock amps.
Amps had to be modified. Even the name
Photo by Jessica Green
Metaltronix, no doubt thoughtfully selected
to reflect upon and appeal to this new and
specialized clientele, carried a certain excitement and cachet. Thus the GP-1000: a dedicated device that would incorporate the fruits
of Lee Jackson’s tube amp modifications into
one tidy, single-space rack unit. I spoke to
Jackson about the legacy of his invention,
and the prospects for its comeback.
What was the inspiration for the GP-1000?
PREMIER GUITAR MARCH 2010 133
Rack gear was just getting started with Bob
Bradshaw building these huge racks for pro
players, and I started getting asked if I could
design a preamp that could be used in his and
other guys’ systems. They were looking for
something that would go into the racks
