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Hatsubai « Classic RR guitar »
Published on 04/27/11 at 17:47The Jackson RR V was a guitar originally made for the famous Randy Rhoads. It has since evolved to become one of the most iconic guitars in the metal industry, especially in thrash metal. The guitar features an alder body, maple neck with ebony fretboard and shark fin inlays, 22 jumbo frets, and original floyd rose, one volume knob, two tone knobs, HH configuration and a 3 way switch.
UTILIZATION
I'm not normally a fan of V guitars due to ergonomics, but the RR isn't quite as bad as some other Vs. The shorter lower horn allows it to sit in your lap a bit easier, but I still find myself having to sit in classical style and support the neck. The coolest feature about this guitar is the compound radius neck. At the lower register, the guitar has a smaller radius. This allows you to chord very easily without straining your wrist. At the higher frets, the radius is flatter. This allows you to do extreme bends without fretting out. The fretwork on this guitar is also very nice.
SOUNDS
The RR1 is a very versatile guitar thanks in part to its pickup selection and tone knobs. The JB in the bridge is probably one of the most well known and well rounded pickups in the guitar industry. It has leant itself to nearly every style from jazz to death metal. The Jazz in the neck is actually deceiving as it can work for nearly any style you can think of as well. It's a little brighter and clearer than the '59, so fast shred lines come out cleaner. The additional tone pots also allow you to shape the tone a lot more than other models.
OVERALL OPINION
The RR1 is probably my favorite V out of the entire Jackson line. Part of that is because I'm a big fan of Randy Rhoads, but the other part is because it's a well put together and sleek guitar. The fretwork is nice, the pickups are great, the guitar sounds wonderful and it does metal tones in spades. Considering their price, you might want to look for one on the used market instead of buying new.
UTILIZATION
I'm not normally a fan of V guitars due to ergonomics, but the RR isn't quite as bad as some other Vs. The shorter lower horn allows it to sit in your lap a bit easier, but I still find myself having to sit in classical style and support the neck. The coolest feature about this guitar is the compound radius neck. At the lower register, the guitar has a smaller radius. This allows you to chord very easily without straining your wrist. At the higher frets, the radius is flatter. This allows you to do extreme bends without fretting out. The fretwork on this guitar is also very nice.
SOUNDS
The RR1 is a very versatile guitar thanks in part to its pickup selection and tone knobs. The JB in the bridge is probably one of the most well known and well rounded pickups in the guitar industry. It has leant itself to nearly every style from jazz to death metal. The Jazz in the neck is actually deceiving as it can work for nearly any style you can think of as well. It's a little brighter and clearer than the '59, so fast shred lines come out cleaner. The additional tone pots also allow you to shape the tone a lot more than other models.
OVERALL OPINION
The RR1 is probably my favorite V out of the entire Jackson line. Part of that is because I'm a big fan of Randy Rhoads, but the other part is because it's a well put together and sleek guitar. The fretwork is nice, the pickups are great, the guitar sounds wonderful and it does metal tones in spades. Considering their price, you might want to look for one on the used market instead of buying new.