Rhoads Guitars

Rhoads guitars are electric guitars with an asymmetric V shape, featuring one longer wing and one shorter wing. Jackson created this shape for Randy Rhoads, Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist, and it has since become a familiar guitar shape in hard rock and metal. Almost every model in this category comes from Jackson, from the JS Series through to the American Series and USA RR1, joined by the ESP LTD Alexi 200. You can choose between a Floyd Rose tremolo and a fixed bridge, 22 and 24 frets, and passive and active pickups. If you play left-handed, you'll find the JS32L Rhoads here.

Which Jackson Rhoads series should you choose?

• JS Series (JS32, JS32T) – a bolt-on neck, 24 frets and passive Jackson High-Output pickups. The JS32 has a double-locking tremolo, while the JS32T has a fixed bridge with strings routed through the body. The JS1X Rhoads Minion is a scaled-down guitar with a scale length of 572 mm and a fixed bridge.
• X Series (RRX24, RRX24M) – a neck-through construction, 24 frets, active Seymour Duncan Blackouts pickups and a recessed Floyd Rose Special tremolo. The RRX24M has a maple fingerboard.
• Pro Series (RR3, RRT-3, RRT-5) – a neck-through construction, 22 frets and Seymour Duncan Distortion pickups. The RR3 has a Floyd Rose 1000 tremolo, while the RRT models have a fixed bridge.
• MJ Series (RR24MG) – guitars made in Japan with a neck-through construction, active EMG pickups and a recessed Gotoh tremolo.
• American Series and USA (RR24, RR1) – guitars made in the USA with a Seymour Duncan JB pickup. The RR24 has a Floyd Rose 1500 tremolo, while the RR24 HT version has a fixed Hipshot bridge.

Floyd Rose tremolo or fixed bridge?

A double-locking tremolo keeps the guitar in tune even during deep dives with the tremolo arm and sharp string bends. You'll find it on the JS32, RRX24, RR3, RR24 and RR1, ranging from the licensed Jackson version to the Floyd Rose 1500. The fixed bridge on the JS32T, RRT and RR24 HT makes tuning easier and string changes quicker, and it also suits lower tunings. If you don't need a tremolo and want stable tuning without the hassle, choose a fixed bridge.

Which Rhoads signature models can you find here?

The USA RR1 Randy Rhoads is based on the guitar Jackson built for Randy Rhoads: it has 22 frets, a Floyd Rose tremolo and a Seymour Duncan JB pickup. Christian Andreu from Gojira has the Pro Plus Rhoads RR24 model with an EverTune F6 bridge that maintains tuning and active Fishman Fluence pickups. The ESP LTD Alexi 200 is the model of Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho, with a bolt-on neck and a Floyd Rose Special tremolo. You'll find more guitars for hard rock and metal in the Hard & Heavy category. Seven-string Rhoads models are listed under 7-string Guitars.