Jackson Stars Rhoads RR-j2

Jackson has a small high end factory in Japan for the Japanese market. These guitars are called Jackson stars. It is not hard to import these from Japan so more and more are popping up outside of Japan. This guitar is pretty much an RR1 with 24 frets. For the longest time a Jackson stars was the only way to get a 24 fret RR Jackson. The construction on these is top notch. It is hard to find any differences between this and the American versions. he guitar has a neck through body with a maple neck. The neck has a 24 fret ebony fretboard with Jacksons signature shark fin inlays. The neck and headstock are fully bound. It has a Floyd Rose double locking tremolo which is something the original didnt have. It has two Seymour Duncan humbuckers. It has an SH2 in the neck and a TB4 in the bridge with one volume and two tone knobs with a 3 way switch. The RR body is a classic shape nowadays and it provides good balance when playing.

UTILIZATION

These guitars are pretty light and balance well. Because of the 24 frets the upper fret access isnt that great but if you wanted a 24 fret RR you know what you are getting. The body is exactly the same as the 22 fret RR models so its obviously not going to have the same fret access with more frets. The fretboard has Jacksons famous compound radius. Towards the low end of the neck the radius is slightly more curved so it is more comfortable for playing chords and towards the high end of the neck the radius is flatter so you can get a nice low action for lead playing. The body shape lends itself to good balance. The maple neck is strong so it wont break if you tap it on anything like a mahogany neck in this style would. The Floyd Rose is an original Floyd Rose so the quality is good and it will stay in tune when properly setup.

SOUNDS

The sound is pretty typical of an RR with the Seymour Duncan setup. The JB is a well known and well used Seymour Duncan bridge pickup. The output is about 16k so this pickup will drive just about any amp. You see these pickups in a lot of Les Paul style guitars because they can add some crispness to the naturally dark sound of those guitars. Seymour Duncan even goes as far as to say mahogany guitars with rosewood fretboards. The JB has a lot of high end bite but you can still get good chug with it. The 59 is a classic neck position. It has a very smooth sound that you normally associate with Les Pauls but it also works in shred guitars like this. It works well if you like a nice smooth lead tone. With the 24 frets the neck pickup is placed slightly farther back so you get a bit more high end in your lead tone but it isnt much.

OVERALL OPINION

If you can find one of these they are a great alternative to the American made RR's. They have all the same features and 24 frets as what you get an a typical RR1 so for some people they are the superior guitar. Buying one of these new is not really worth it unless you absolutely need a 24 fret RR. If you find one of these used they can be a great deal.