Manufacturer Jackson Guitars Body type Solid Body Different, often alder | Period 1981 - present Neck joint Neck-thru and bolt-on Neck Different, often maple | |
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The Jackson Rhoads is a model of electric guitar, originally commissioned by guitarist Randy Rhoads and produced by Jackson Guitars.
Contents
The Concorde
Randy Rhoads' first Jackson prototype was the white, pinstriped, asymmetrical Flying V built by Grover Jackson, Tim Wilson, and Mike Shannon of Charvel Guitars.
The guitar featured a maple neck and body (neck through body), ebony fretboard, medium frets, Stratocaster style tremolo, and Seymour Duncan pickups. The prototype was the first from the Charvel works to be labeled with Jackson's name.
The guitar was originally slated to be called The Original SIN, but Randy nicknamed it Concorde after the sleek, white supersonic aircraft.
The second Rhoads prototype
Randy re-designed the next prototype because he felt the shape of the 'Concorde' was not distinctive enough from the traditional Flying V. His solution was to elongate the top 'horn' of the instrument such that the body bore more resemblance to a shark's fin.
The second prototype featured the revised body shape, was black with a gold pickguard, and fixed tailpiece with strings anchored in the body. This guitar featured Grover locking tuners and Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups (TB-4 bridge and a SH-2 neck).
Further prototypes
Two more prototypes were commissioned (which makes them four in total), another string through body example (later accidentally sold at NAMM) and another black and brass tremolo model with reversed shark fin inlays. Rhoads died in a plane crash in March 1982, before these two guitars were completed, and before he could give Grover any feedback. These revised prototypes would become the first guitars sold to the public under the Jackson Guitars brand name.
The ensuing popularity of Randy Rhoads and the Rhoads model helped put Jackson's name on the map.
Notable users
Vinnie Vincent, formerly of Kiss, was the first professional guitarist to be offered an early Rhoads guitar by Jackson after Rhoads' death, which Vincent used on the Kiss Creatures of the Night and Lick It Up tours from 1982 until 1984. Following Vincent's departure from Kiss, he modified the Rhoads V design by adding a second V at a slight rotation to the first such that it mimics a shadow. Jackson made at least 3 of these Vincent modified Rhoads Vs from 1985 to 1988 for Vincent, and about 25 others were custom ordered and sold. The design would later be copied by Carvin, Ibanez, Washburn Guitars, as well as to numerous boutique brands, all with Vinnie Vincent's cooperation.
In 2001, guitarists Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala (of Children of Bodom and Sinergy) had their own custom Rhoads, which featured alder bodies, neck-thru construction, 24 frets, ebony fretboard, white binding, and gold hardware including an original Floyd Rose tremolo bridge. The electronics were the Jackson J-50BC pickup with JE-1000 preamp. The model was called the Jackson Rhoads L/L (L/L for Latvala/Laiho). There were several different finishes, notably Laiho's which was black w/yellow bevels and gold hardware, and Latvala's main Rhoads was black with inverted cross inlays. Jackson released a limited number of the RR24 in the popular black finish with yellow highlights.
Models
Jackson currently has 12 different Rhoads models in production. Previous models included the aluminum bodied 'Roswell Rhoads' with crop circle inlays.
USA Select Series
The basic model in the USA Select Series is the RR1. The RR1 is made of alder with a maple neck-thru design neck. The ebony fretboard has 22 jumbo frets. The RR1 is equipped with two Seymour Duncan humbuckers and a Floyd Rose original 2 point double locking tremolo at the bridge. The RR1 has four variations:
Pro Series
The Pro series is the mid-market Rhoads series. RR3, RR5, RR5FR, RR24, and RR24M were made in Japan. Newer models are made in Indonesia.
Pro Series Artist Signature
X Series
The X series RX10D has an alder body with a maple bolt-on neck. The Rosewood fingerboard has 22 frets, and pickups are both Seymour Duncan Designed humbuckers. The bridge is a Jackson double locking tremolo unit.
The Jackson X Series also offers the Jackson RRXT. It has a basswood body with a Through-Body Maple Speed Neck with Tilt-Back Scarf. Pickups: Duncan Designed™ HB-102B Humbucking Bridge Pickup and Duncan Designed™ HB-102N Humbucking Neck Pickup .
Recently (2012) Jackson released a new type of Rhoads. The RRXMG. This guitar held the original Rhoads shape and was rumoured that it was a replacement for the RR24. It has 2 colour choices. Black or white with black pinstripes. The guitar is built from basswood, maple and with 24 XJ (jumbo)frets on a Rosewood fingerboard. It has 2 EMG pickups: An EMG 81 and an EMG 85.
JS Series
The JS30RR is from the entry level group that is made in India. The body is Indian cedro, and has a bolt-on maple neck. It is fitted with two Jackson pickups and an adjustable string-through-body bridge, and the rosewood fretboard has 24 frets. This model was available with a Floyd Rose tremolo as the JS35RR, but was discontinued in 2000. The current JS series offering is the JS32T Rhoads. It's similar to the original JS30RR, with the addition of shark fin inlays on the fretboard. it also had the JS35RR which was an upgraded version of the standard JS30RR