It was heavily popularized in the early to mid 1990s due to its use by the guitarist Marty Friedman of Megadeth.

It was designed by and named after Bradford Kelly, guitarist for Australian heavy metal band Heaven in the early '80s.

These factors grant the Kelly a very high level of play-ability, especially in genres such as heavy metal.

The neck generally features shark fin inlays and has a Rosewood or Ebony fingerboard.

The first model of the Jackson Kelly to feature active pickups is the 'Jackson KEXMG', of the 'Jackson X Series' range.