RR1 Rhoads Review

22 frets w/shark fin inlays. Neck binding. Quilted top, just a Rhaoad's V!

Features:	9.4
Sound:	9.8
Action:	9.4
Reliability:	9.8
Impression:	9.8
Overall rating:	9.6
Users rating:	9
Comments:	46

Featured review by: unregistered, on august 13, 2005

Purchased from: private seller

Features: 2004 American made Jackson RR1. 22 frets w/shark fin inlays. Neck binding. Quilted top, not sure what woods RR1s are made of, just a bad ass Rhaoad's V! With an original floyd rose trem, passive SD pickups that really scream! 3-way Switch 1 volume and 2 tone knobs. Double lock nut. // 10

Sound: I love my standard Gibson SG but this thing just blows that one away. Yeah they're completly different guitars but this baby was made for metal! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Since I bought it "used" (even though you'd swear it was straight from the factory) its craftsmanship is untouched! Such a beautiful guitar, really is. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Reliability & durability? It's a USA made Jackson! I'm not worried about a thing on this baby! The guys on the Jackson/Charvel forum with original RR1s from the early '80s that have with stood the test of time flawless, so I know shes good! // 10

Impression: I enjoy playing alot of '80s and '90s metal so this guitar is like the Epiphonie of shred guitars. Don't be fooled by generic copy cats. Jackson was there in the begining with Randy Rhoads and together they designed this bad boy there fore its a Rhoads V or nothing! Not knocking other brands but if you're wanting a Rhoads V, it's a Jackson or nothing! // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 22, 2009

Price paid: $ 4500

Purchased from: Guitar Asylum

Features: NAMM 2006 USA "Nuclear Rhoads" custom shop by Mike Learn, 1 of 10 produced (5 with EMG 81 + 85 actives, 5 with the seymour duncuns). Mine is the EMG model. It has 22 jumbo frets with the Shark fins, neck-thru-body quartersawn maple, ebony fretboard and black Floyd Rose original. // 10

Sound: I play metal and that is what this guitar has been designed for!!! the pickups give great low end for harsh riffs and the screaming solos I want. The sound is crisp with no background noise. it's perfect for anyone Who loves pulling squealing harmonics and whammy bar techniques. I play this through either a marshal stack or a Peavey bandit combo. I use a AKG wireless, BBR enhancer, Alesis compressor/gate, Behringer equaliser and LC electronic multi effects. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I got it I was amazed to find the guitar was set up perfectly; the intonation and action were perfect. Because it was custom made it has been cut with the utmost Precision and I couldnt find a flaw. The fretboard is quick and the pickups are well placed. the only real problem that may arise is if you a person Who sticks their fingers out on their picking hand where you may hit the volume control (as I tuck my fingers most of the time it doesnt't matter to me), so this maybe something you may want to look at before buying. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It will withstand Live playing, the only real problems I have had is one of the tone knobs is becoming tempermental and if I stop playing it for a couple of weeks the Floyd Rose gets a bit "rusty". I wouldn't use it at a gig without a backup because, well, that's just stupid because things that have nothing to do with the guitar itself can go wrong e.g. snapping a string. // 9

Impression: This guitar is perfect for the metal I play, which is mainly Children Of Bodom, Lamb Of God, Shadows Fall. I've been playing for just shy of 10 years now, my other guitars are a Dean razorback, Gibson SG Standard, Ibanez jem, bc rich mockingbird, Richwood les paul and they are nothing compared to the Jackson. If stolen I would get the same model straight away (once I get the insurance money because without that I couldnt afford it again!! ). I love the way it play mostly and the way it look. I already he only thing I hate that I can't play it 24/7. I already knew I wanted this model, but when I saw the nuclear graphic I knew it had to be this one // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 08, 2007

Purchased from: ??

Features: This guitar is absolutely phenominal. It has 22 jumbo frets, I'm pretty sure it's a maple neck. The neck is also quite thin, so it allows some pretty quick fretwork. It comes equipped with two passive Seymour Duncan pickups (JB in the bridge, '59 in the neck) and they really scream. It also has a Floyd Rose liscenced tremolo system, which I love. I think the tuners are locking, but I don't know for sure. I keep my guitar tuned in D Standard (DGCFAD), which sounds awesome with this guitar. The only drawback is the Floyd Rose can be a bitch to tune. An awesomely, incerdibly sick guitar. I would give it a 20, but hey. // 10

Sound: I play metal, mostly death metal and thrash/speed metal, and this guitar is absolutely perfect for this style of playing. I have my Marshall MG and I usually use reverb and chorus effects, which sound great. It is not noisy at all, ever. It has a nice bright sound to it as well. It makes incredibly awesome sounding pinch harmonics, especially when you make 'em squeal with the whammy bar. Awesome metal guitar. Again, I would give 20. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Well, what can I say? This guitar is an absolute blast to play. No flaws in the design (except the chip that I managed to put in it despite owning it for less than a year). I just wish the pickup toggle Switch was more loose, rather than kinda stiff. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have already played a few gigs with this guitar and it held up ridiculously well. I actually dropped it a few times and nothing broke. The strap buttons are great, I just had a really shitty strap. I definitely would use it without a backup. It's built like a tank. // 10

Impression: Like I said, I play metal and this guitar is perfect for metal. I have been playing for a couple of years now, and I've wanted one of these since I fist saw my freind with it. If it were stolen or damaged, I would probably find that person, slit them open, rip out thier entrails, eat them, spit them out on them and strangle them with thier intestines. OK, probably not, but I would beat the shit out of that person. I was actually looking at an Epiphone Explorer, but this guitar sounds much, much better. I would give this guitar a 50, but I can't, so I won't. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: weve, on march 28, 2007

Price paid: $ 2000

Purchased from: New Music

Features: // 10

Sound: Can you say metal, what a f--king guitar. I opened the case and I came in my pants. This thing play anything you want, just ask Trans Siberian Orchestra. It was made for metal, thank you Randy. My ablity is limited to squeals and harmonics, not a classical or jazz player. I beat up my lil Marshall MG amp and My Crate tube loves it. Clean, OD or full on distortion, I found my new gfriend. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I looked this guitar over and not a flaw in the paint, immaculate! The action already set up, neck straight, everything is where it is supposed be. No adjustments required, plug and play. I pulled it out of the case, tuned it up and played it. Comes with Duncans, seems to be set right, I don't need to change them. can't find anything wrong with this peice. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Jackson has been around since the early '80s so you know their rep. The paint is not a Maaco paint job, real Duncans and Floyd. This guitar is already a main stay for many professionals and long established players. This will be around for a while. The finish is most definitely durable. You know you can depend on this piece. // 10

Impression: This is my third Jackson and my first USA model, DK2 and DK2m plus one other that I sold. Metal, metal metal, need I say more. I've been playing Slayer, Scorpions, Dokken, Black Sabbath, Maiden blah blah etc. I would buy another in a minute, I'd buy more if I had the scratch. Now all I need is a Wall of Doom, hey Zakk can I get a hand? Dude, if play metal, get this guitar! // 10

overall: 8.6

Reviewed by: hate_me_666, on june 15, 2006

Features: My Jackson RR1 was made in Iowa. It was made in 2004 and I purchased it in December of 2005. It is a RR1 Rhoads Standerd. It has a regular scale fret sizes and about 24 frets. It has Standard Jackson humbucker pickups. It has a floating bridge; the strings go through the back of the body. It came in a Dark Metallic like red. The Body is a "V" like shape similar the Gibson "Flying V". The difference is that the lower wing of the guitar is shorter and the top is longer. Plus, it is more narrow then the Gibson V. It came with 2 knobs; one for the volume and one controlling the tones in the 2 pickups. The pickups are passive. The fret markers are the standard dots unlike the cut off triangles that the RR1 usually comes with. // 7

Sound: This guitar perfectly suits my music style. I play power/death metal stuff. I use a Marshall MG Half Stack with Marshall MG100HDFX head and a 1960 cabinet. I use a FAB Chorus petal (sounds amazing). Immediately when you plug it in, it delivers a powerful tone and volume. It sounds great on all settings. The guitar makes a variety of sounds. Wether you play Metallica or Led Zeppelin (or anything for that matter), This guitar can do it all! Alexi Lahio of Children Of Bodom uses one as his back-up guitar and Kirk Hammet of Metallica used one on the "Master Of Puppets" album. Kirk used a Jackson RR1 T Rhaods. If you turn the knobs and mess around with your amp's settings, you will get an amazing sound that you (and your fans) can be amazed with! // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was manufactured in a factory, which I could not believe! The pickups were properly installed to deliver mad sound. The bridge was properly installed and is fluent. Everything is top notch except the tone knob keeps falling off. You have to take a tiny screwdriver in order tighten it! So, If you are looking for great sound a value for cheap, this is the guitar to look out for. // 8

Reliability & Durability: When I step out onto the stage to perform with my band, my RR1 always comes through! The hardware looks expensive. The guitar is a standerd, but it looks like it is top quality and made for the best guitar players. The employees at Jackson Guitars make sure that each detail in the guitars is perfect. The strap buttons are solid; one is located under the lower bridge and one on the back. I don’t need strap locks and I can trough it around my shoulders without worry. I would definitely use it with out a backup! I do bring a backup in case I break a string because I don't want the crowd to get impatient. This guitar is my ultimate choise! // 10

Impression: This guitar, matches my style perfectly. I play power/death metal. I've been playing for 4 years. I own a Marshall MG Half Stack with Marshall MG100HDFX head and a 1960 cabinet. If I lost this guitar, I would hunt anotherone down. I love everything about this guitar! I wish it had a floyd-rose locking system and wammy. I also would like to get the Jackson neck with the cut-away fret markers! So anyone looking for a guitar, this is the one! // 9

Comments

[rristhemetalgod]

how the **** is hate_me_666's guitar an rr1. rr1's come with sharktooth fret markers and they're not cheap. they cost like $2000 new. they don't come with Jackson standard pickups. They come with Seymour Duncan's. He probably has a JS30RR Rhoads. How the **** is that string through body bridge floating? RR1's have three control pots; one volume, two tone(one for bridge, one for neck).rr1's don't come in dark metallic red either.rr1's also only have 22 frets. I'm pretty sure that rr1's are handmade and not in a factory. Do you think a goddamn factory made guitar would suit randy ****in' rhoads? I think not. You don't need to review a lesser quality guitar as an rr1. You're a disgrace to Randy Rhoads by reviewing a JS30RR Rhoads as an RR1. If you had any sense at all you would have put it under the RR1T because at least that doesn't have a Floyd. You would think that a person that's been playing for four years would know what kind of guitar he has. Goddamnit!

[Vman666]

It has a floating bridge; the strings go through the back of the body

...yeh...umm...bro...no...do u know wat a floating bridge is...

[Phade]

i hav 2 agree with the other comments,ive bin playing for 10 years an it dont sound like u hav a clue wot your on about, the RR1 is a great guitar an u got it mixed up with a lesser quality one,thats just sad

[Nocomment]

yeah i must agree you're ****ing retarded.

[Nocomment]

Oh yeah and by the way, Kirk had a RR1 not an RR1T cause he had a floyd on his... not a hardtail bridge...

[mr_j_o]

Actually... Kirk does have an RR1T he used during the "justice" tour. He might have another one with a floyd. http://www.metallicaworld.co.uk/images/justice/justice105.jpg
Check it out.
I bought an RR1T last tuesday and i'll just say two words: ****ing awesome. And as far as Mr. retard goes... SON YOU'RE A ****ING RETARD!!!!!

[Nocomment]

oh yeah sorry i forgot to specify; In MOP he must have had a RR1 with the floyd because he whammied the shit out of the solos on master of puppets and the thing that should not be. I've seen live performances from their early days (videos) and there's a floyd on it. You're probably right about justice though.

[metalhead_365]

wtf..how can u reveiw a cheap jackson and say its an rr1 i dont wanna copy everyone else but your a ****ing retard!! and come on would an american made randy rhoads guitar's tone nob fall off? obviously not !!!!

[Dr.Tomahawk]

Lol ^^ hate_me_666 That's a JS30RR you have my friend the Jackson standard pickups and dotted fretboard rather than a sharkfin inlay gave it away immediately.

[will22]

is this better than the js30rr?

[Danis1]

will22 wrote:

is this better than the js30rr?

ohhh, nah... people are just flaming the JS30RR for no reason, its a great guitar...much better than the RR1... YOU F**KING DICK OF COURSE THE RR1 is better!!!!!

[Falling fast 11]

hate-me-666 you f++king idiot why are you eaven registerd at this site if you cant even know the difference between a JS30RR and a RR1

[ascendancy2]

JS30RRs are usually made in india aswell.

JS30RR are not that bad a guitar for the price your paying - a great beginners guitar

obiously the RR1 is king of all - my dream guitar come to think of it

[Steveo041]

I used to own the JS30RR and I sold it because it sucked. Since then I stayed as far away from Jacksons as I could. I played a Gibson Les Paul and Flying V for years and never likes any other guitars. Last time I was at the store I picked up the RR1 and after playing it for an hour I bought it. One of the best guitars I have played and absolutely nothing like the JS30RR....Also Kirk has played both the RR1 and the RR1T throughout his career

[ascendancy2]

i still have my JS30RR - and i still play it. Its brilliant if you change to a set of EMG 81/85 - the only thing i hate about it is where the bloody input jack is.

but RR1s are just the best ever i rekon. im saving up for one....still a bloody long way to go though.

i never really liked gibson les pauls to be honest- i remember the first time i tried one i was let down. it never cut the mustard for me.

ive also considered the alexi laiho signature ESP - im not sure what to save up for since i cant find a review for the Alexi.

[Steveo041]

Be careful with the Alexi guitar because it only has one bridge pickup. If you play more than one style of music its not a very flexable guitar. But if thats all you want go for it. I agree les pauls play terrible when compared to a "shredding guitar" but they have a good all around tone that works with every type of music

[DeathByStereo23]

how a player can make a big as this mistake?
HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT A SHITTY JS30RR IS A RR1?
You're right Danis1,this guy is a dick

[Korzack]

...um.... Calm down?
So what, the guy made a mistake. Okay, a pretty big and silly one, but still. It's not like he's trying to lead a Communist coup in New York or anything.
Anyways, back to the Guitar... Not bad at all!

[odb56]

AM I THE ONLY PERSON HERE THAT THINKS SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICKUPS SUCK ASS? YOU KNOW.... I TRIED MANY JACKSONS ,DEANS,WASHBURNS AND THAT KIND OF SHIT WITH JB/59 OR SD DISTORTION/59 SETS ON A ENGL FIREBALL AMP(that amp is f***** stunnin´) AND IT SOUNDED JUST WEIRD....AND IF YOU DO SOME HARMONIC TONES YOU HAVE TO LIKE TRY 10 TIMES UNTIL THAT SHIT WORKS..AFTER I GET ANGRY WITH THOSE DAMN PICKUPS I ALWAYS TAKE AN ESP FOR EXAPLE WITH ACTIVE EMGS AND IT JUST SOUNDS GREAT!RICH HARMONICS AND STUFF.....SO CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY DO SO MANY DUDES PLAY DUNCAN?

[weve]

The tonal response, its all about the tone. Duncan has it EMG's dont. You have to process the shit outta EMG's to get them to sound anything close to a Duncan. Im not alone in this opinion.

[bfmvdisturbed92]

matt tuck from bullet for my valentine uses this guitar =)

[[B]C [R]ich]

fuk i want this guitar
but i dont like the price haha
i know theres other jacksons like this
but is there one that has neck thru, floyd rose and shark fin inlays that isnt an RR1?

[weve]

Jackson Pro series RR5 but made in Japan or RR24, half the price 'bout $1000

[mosherbintbob]

im not too sure but don't rr1s have a scratchboard and js30s don't. don't get how you could make that mistake.

[Little Angus]

I just bought the RR1 2 days ago in colbalt blue and i can't wait for it to come. This guitar is sick!!!

[will-loves-zep]

i wanna get a non floyd rose guitar at the moment cos i already have 1 and want to change tuning a lot, this is 1 for the future. Any suggestions for a non floyd rose shredding axe?

[Little Angus]

well the rr3 is not what you want. This guitar is unbeliveable and you should consider this guitar again. anayway which would you rather do tune your strings more often or rock out with a truely amazing guitar?

[mr. ...]

great guitar thank you randy

[the_addict]

odb56 wrote:

AM I THE ONLY PERSON HERE THAT THINKS SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICKUPS SUCK ASS? YOU KNOW.... I TRIED MANY JACKSONS ,DEANS,WASHBURNS AND THAT KIND OF SHIT WITH JB/59 OR SD DISTORTION/59 SETS ON A ENGL FIREBALL AMP(that amp is f***** stunnin´) AND IT SOUNDED JUST WEIRD....AND IF YOU DO SOME HARMONIC TONES YOU HAVE TO LIKE TRY 10 TIMES UNTIL THAT SHIT WORKS..AFTER I GET ANGRY WITH THOSE DAMN PICKUPS I ALWAYS TAKE AN ESP FOR EXAPLE WITH ACTIVE EMGS AND IT JUST SOUNDS GREAT!RICH HARMONICS AND STUFF.....SO CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY DO SO MANY DUDES PLAY DUNCAN?

your not the only one...I tried to mess with duncans and they werent the pickups for me. EMGs are awesome too especially in jacksons and gibsons, but they too expensive for me atm. I prefer Dimarzio super 2s. they bring out the tone of the wood without distorting it and they're not overly bright either.

[HELLSHREDD]

Yeah , EMG (FUCKING RULES FUCK), lmao , its true , i had SDinvaders in a strat & it dont even come close to EMGs , so all you seymour dunkelberries can kiss the blade you fuks!

odb56 wrote:

AM I THE ONLY PERSON HERE THAT THINKS SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICKUPS SUCK ASS? YOU KNOW.... I TRIED MANY JACKSONS ,DEANS,WASHBURNS AND THAT KIND OF SHIT WITH JB/59 OR SD DISTORTION/59 SETS ON A ENGL FIREBALL AMP(that amp is f***** stunnin´) AND IT SOUNDED JUST WEIRD....AND IF YOU DO SOME HARMONIC TONES YOU HAVE TO LIKE TRY 10 TIMES UNTIL THAT SHIT WORKS..AFTER I GET ANGRY WITH THOSE DAMN PICKUPS I ALWAYS TAKE AN ESP FOR EXAPLE WITH ACTIVE EMGS AND IT JUST SOUNDS GREAT!RICH HARMONICS AND STUFF.....SO CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY DO SO MANY DUDES PLAY DUNCAN?

[breakstuff]

My dream guitar. No competition.

[awsomeguitarguy]

Man I want this F***ing guitar so F***ing bad, BUT I DONT HAVE THE F***ING MONEY!!!! DAMMIT!!!!

[MorgMetal_666]

I put Dimarzio D Activators in my RR1 and they're awesome. High output and have a unique sound that I like. I stuck my old Duncans in a JS30 as a decent back up guitar.

[ThrashMetal19]

Duncans kick ass man

[DeLongeFan182]

I'm saving up for one of these

[Tervisa]

about kirk RR1T... (which is custom made specifically for him). Only song that he recorded while using jackson is "Sad But True".
He did use Gibson Flying V from 1974 mainly on four first album that metallica recorded.

[metallica_102]

one day i'll have this guitar hopefully

[twistudriffer]

does anyone else see something terribly wrong with those reviews or am I the only one?!?!?! Why I ask would you buy a $2000 guitar and play it through a marshall mg? why? thats like buying a lambo and then putting walmart tires on it. retarded

[xGeeTaR4LiFEx]

twistudriffer wrote:

does anyone else see something terribly wrong with those reviews or am I the only one?!?!?! Why I ask would you buy a $2000 guitar and play it through a marshall mg? why? thats like buying a lambo and then putting walmart tires on it. retarded

dude i have to agree with you.. ive never payed an rr1 but im sure its sick since its made in the USA but my friend just got an mg and i think my little peavy express 112 kicks its ass all day long

[xGeeTaR4LiFEx]

might i add my amp is over 10 years old.. =P

[Kur† Cobain]

This guy hate_me_666 is retarded!
But he says it all- hate_me!:P

[2mins2midnite]

i wish i could afford one, rr1 cost loads man

[weve]

Hey the Zakk MG Mini stack is a great lil setup. Zakk uses it as a practice amp and Kerry King has one right in his office.

[minchew]

ok, if you can afford an RR1, why would you buy a marshall MG. You could find a good 5150 for the same price, if not cheaper. MG's blow...hard.

[kirisutegomen1]

this is a truly amazing guitar I used to play only deans... ya I know.... lol. Anyways I sold My Vmnt Angel of Deth (amazing guitar BTW) and Dean MKh( ok guitar) and bought my friends rr3 for 250 and fell in love with it. then went out and got one of these..... ummmm I dont want to play anything else but these holy shit.

[weve]

The ZW mini stack is a great practice amp and sounds good for what it is.