Jackson RR 24

Pro Series, Made in 2007, Japan
Frets: 24 Jumbo
Controls: 1 Volume (no tone control)
Pickups: 1 Humbucker (EMG 81 active (9v))
Body: Alder
Neck: Neck-Thru-Body Rock Maple with Scarf Joint Head Stock
Finish/Paint: Snow White, with Black Bevels
Body Style: Randy Rhoads
Bridge: Original Floyd Rose, Black
Tuners:Sealed Die Cast
Scale: 25.5"
Neck Dimensions: 3rd Fret: .790", 12th Fret: .850"
Fingerboard: Ebony with Compound 14??? to 16??? Radius, with MOTO Shark Fin inlays

I bought this guitar specifically because of the single EMG 81 Humbucker. I mainly play extreme metal and never use the neck pick-up (I removed the neck humbucker from my BC Rich when I swopped out the original bridge pickup for an EMG 81). The wiring of the pick-up is very good - especially when you hear so many stories of bad Jackson wiring. There is no pick-up noise/crackle etc at all, and although EMG say not to earth the bridge/strings, they have been earthed. The sound is very tight, and now that I have lowered the pick-up slightly it's even better. The volume control works well with no crackles and a smooth action. I play though Marshall Valvestate amps (at home and during rehearsal/live sessions), using a BOSS ME6 effects pedal board, a Jim Dunlap Crybaby (Wah). I have to use a Noise Gate to suppress the feedback, but this is mainly because I play very overdriven with high gain. Non-active pick-ups are much worse with my set-up. You don't buy this guitar expecting to get a variety of sounds from it. It does what it's supposed to do - play metal. I have no dislikes from the sound as it does what I wanted it to do when I bought the guitar. Nothing's perfect though, so I can't give it 10 :)

Factory set-up was a joke. The strings were way to high. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it wasn't set-up at all. I spent a long time setting up the bridge, height, intonation etc, then found that one of the studs set within the guitar could be pulled up if you lifted the bridge with your hand. I had to take the bridge off and fix the problem. Everything's ok now, but the action is still a little high. This seems to be a combination of the neck angle and the hugeness of the jumbo frets. It is very playable, but just a tad too high (any lower and I get fret buzz). Over all the finish, routing etc isn't brilliant. My early 90s Japanese BC rich Warlock is far superior in build quality (and there's a chance it might even be a Class Axe era model!). Having said that, even my Gibson V isn't as well built as my BC Rich. The RR24's build and over all quality is above average but it's not as good as I would have expected.

It's very pointy, so there's a good chance that a knock could do some serious damage. I don't use this as my main guitar, so don't worry too much. Plus I'm very careful with it. It didn't come with a case so I bought one straight away. Paint seems good and doesn't look as though it will wear. I don't want to risk dropping the Jackson so I also bought a locking strap (which you bolt on to the guitar, rather than using lock nuts) which takes away any worry. Hardware's all top quality, so no worries in that department. This is my back-up guitar, but if it was my main guitar I'd still use a back-up (it's quicker than changing strings).

Don't know.

I've been playing almost 26 years, so trust me. As mentioned before, I use Marshall Vavlestate Amps, Boss effects and a Jim Dunlop Crybaby Wah pedal with various different makes of cable. I also own a Tanglewood acoustic, an early 90s Japenese BC Warlock (bought new in '92/'93), a Gibson V and a late 80s BC Rich NJ Series Bich Bass. I feel I know enough not to have needed any advice prior to buying this guitar. My only criteria was - does it have a single EMG 81 humbucker and an Original Floyd Rose?! If it were stolen I'd probably get the same again as it's extremely comfortable to play and very well balanced. I'd probably just look a bit harder to find a better made example.

Loves and hates: I love the shape, the comfort, the sound, the weight, its gravitas! I don't particularly like the build quality, but I'm a perfectionist who can't afford a hand made guitar.

Originally I wasn't going to buy this guitar as I thought it was overpriced (Recommended retail in the UK is ??899). But I found it at ??599 and had to have it. My original list when buying this guitar varied, due to the fact it was so hard to find a guitar with a single humbucker. I considered LTD, Schecter, BC Rich and other Jackson's. The price is what won me over, basically because I knew I'd be getting a superior guitar at the same price as the others Id looked at.

The guitar has everything I require. Basically - minimal. I don't need three pick-ups, three volumes, three tones and coil taps. If I choose to play in another style eventually, I'll buy a guitar to suit.

This guitar was manufactured in 2007 in Japan
24 XJUMBO fret
neck through construction
1 volume knob
Active EMG-81 in the bridge
Snow White Finish
Original Floyd Rose Double Locking Trem System (NOT LICENSED!)
Jackson Tuners
NO EFFING CASE!!!! WHY THE HELL WASN'T A CASE INCLUDED?!?!
L Wrenches and Truss Rod tools
No Certs and NO MANUALS (not like I need it, but it would be nice to have something that said something along the lines of "Congrats on buying your new Jackson...here's a brief overview of what your guitar can do...blah blah)

This the first Jackson that I have owned in almost 15 years. My very first guitar was a Charvel C4, and my second guitar was a Jackson Killer Kelly. Then I ditched the trem systems to actually learn how to play the guitar. So coming back to Jackson is like earning the right to become an official shredder and in many ways its pretty nostaligic.

After I became aquainted with the guitar, I was able to shred with complete and utter ease. There is only one pickup (bridge EMG81) so the sound is very crisp and bright. It's good for one type of music...METAL! I play through a Triaxis/2:90 through Celestians and I feel that I was able to shred more freely and hear the notes more clearly than with my Les Paul Custom or even my Fenders. I absolutely love the neck, but I hate the way the guitar tends to sag forward. The guitar itself is light and a breeze to tote around, but The trem system is an original and I was able to pull of some pretty wicked squeals, dime bombs, and the vibrato effects. So, I like the sheer shredding brutality one is able to achieve, but this is a one trick pony. If you are a rhythm guitar player that doesn't do a whole lot of shredding then find another guitar. This puppy is built for shredding and nothing else.

The factory action was unplayable. In my opinion, no guitar is playable out of the box or off of the shelf, but I doubt any really skilled guitar player would put up with action space the height of a two story house. I spent the better part of two hours tweeking the truss rod and the FR Trem to my specs. The action still isn't perfect (like my Gibson Les Paul Custom), and the intonation is still a little iffy, but I can deal with it for now. The pickup needed some adjusting and the bridge could be re-routed a bit deeper as well. I had to isolate and shield the EMG from picking up extra noise made from the FR trem springs. The top is perfect. It looks like a Ferrari and plays like a Vette.

Yes and no. It seems sturdy, but I have my concerns about the neck. It's pretty thin and the Randy Rhodes guitar has a reputation for not taking a whole lot of abuse to the neck area. The hardware seems like it will last if you respect it...I don't know how much abuse it can take. The finish looks like it will last a while. I banged up the corners and I thought I was going to have this big gash...but it actually took it without a scratch. That was pretty impressive. I would never gig with a guitar like this without a backup. I threw on some Schaller Strap Locks and I think it will last a while...but you never know...

1 YEAR WARRENTY for any repair....

I have been playing for about 15 years now and I own a lot of guitars (Gibson, Fender, Dean USA Customs, ESP Customs, etc.). The reason I purchased this guitar is because I would like to expand my shredding skills and I wanted to start off using a guitar that I know wouldn't hold me back or get in the way of learning new techniques and skills. I registered my guitar with an RFID so if someone steals it or it gets lost, I probably won't have a hard time finding it, but if it broke or was destroyed I would definitely purchase another Jackson...but probably a King V or a higher quality RR Custom. Again, I love the playability but I hate the extra work that goes into keeping a guitar like this in tip top shape.

MOST PREVIOUS REVIEWERS HAVE THIS COVERED...I'LL ADD THIS. MY MODEL IS ONE OF THE "MISTAKE" MODEL RR24'S WITH FULL NECK AND HEADSTOCK BINDING LIKE A USA MODEL, WITH UPSIDE DOWN SHARK FIN INLAYS...VERY COOL MISTAKE IF YOU ASK ME...LESS THAN 200,I WAS TOLD,GOT OUT LIKE THIS. THEY WERE ALL YELLOW BEVELED AND BLACK COLORED. NO CASE. JUST ADJUSTMENT TOOLS.I GOT A GOOD DEAL AND SPRUNG FOR A CASE AT THE TIME OF SALE.

I OWN SEVERAL RR1 AXES BOTH PRE AND POST FENDER...THIS AXE IS AS GOOD!! I'LL BET THIS RUN WILL GET CUT OFF QUICKLY. THE ONLY DIFFERENCES ARE MINOR AESTHETICS...IE: MOTO INLAY NOT REAL SHELL...WHO CARES THE QUALITY OF FAKE MOTO THESE DAYS IS GREAT AND A LITTLE RUB WITH FINE STEEL WOOL KNOCKS OFF THE SHINE MAKING IT HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE ANYWAY...THE WOOD TONES ARE THERE SHOULD YOU WISH TO CHANGE TO A DUNCAN AND REMOVE THE EMG....I LIKE EMG SO SINCE I HAVE DUNCANS IN ANOTHER RR MODEL THIS ONE STAYS IN.THE AXE IS PERFECT FOR ME...VERY GOOD SOUND AND SUSTAIN. MINE IS SET UP WITH 10 GAUGE TUNED TO E FLAT...IT ROCKS!!!!

LIKE ALL RR MODELS YOU GOTTA BE MINDFUL OF THE TIPS OF THE V POINTS...BUT ITS EVERY BIT A STAGE WORTHY ROCKER...EXCELLENT WORKMANSHIP...HELLO ITS MADE IN JAPAN...EQUAL TO USA QUALITY WITH KOREA HOT ON OUR HEELS TOO...SO ITS A GOOD TRUST WORTHY ROAD AXE...OF COURSE I NEEDED TO DO SOME TWEEKING BUT, WE ALL HAVE PLAYING SET UP PREFERENCES...THE FACTORY SETUP WAS GOOD I JUST LIKE TO GET EVEN CLOSER TO THE FRET BOARD...I COULDN'T FIND ANY FLAWS ON MINE.

THE HARDWARE IS TOP NOTCH...REAL FLOYD ETC...NO REAL SHREDDER GIGS WITHOUT A BACKUP...BUT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE WOULD DO NICELY...MAYBE THE WHITE ONE...HMMM?

FENDER SUPPORTS THEIR PRODUCTS...NO PROBLEMS HERE....UNLESS YOUR A REAL ABUSER...THIS GUITAR WILL NEVER NEED REPAIR...JUST REGULAR IN HOME MAINTENANCE.

NO REASON TO GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL....I PLAY THIS THROUGH A MESA TRIPLE REC...AND IT IS KILLER!!! I HAVE BEEN PLAYING LONGER THAN MOST READERS OF THIS REVIEW HAVE BEEN ALIVE.

My RR24 was in the first shipment of these to DCGL. I believe it was made in 2006 but these didn't really hit the market until early 2007.
Notable features are as follows:
24 frets on an ebony fretboard, with some kind of synthetic inlay. Black binding around the fretboard. Large, wide frets. 25 1/2 scale.
Maple through-neck with alder wings. Snow-white finish with black bevels. Body-color headstock with black binding. Randy Rhoads body.
Original floyd rose bridge and locking nut.
Single humbucker in bridge position, with single volume knob. Guitar came with an active EMG 81 (complete with convenient battery cavity).
Tuners are standard sealed Jackson, which have always felt ok to me.
I'd been waiting for Jackson to release a Randy Rhoads guitar with 24 frets for quite some time, so I was very excited when these came out. I would have liked a neck pickup, but my only other option for a neck through 24 fret Rhoads is the custom shop which is prohibitively expensive for me.
This guitar is a stripped down, straight-ahead machine, but the hardware is of good quality.
The folks at DCGL included a hardcase, some picks, a strap, and a Jackson t-shirt.
I gave it a 7 because it only has one pickup, and because the tuners do not match the overall build quality of the guitar.

I play in various styles, but I bought this guitar for hard rock and metal.
My setup is usually guitar > Crybaby 535q > Boss stage tuner > Engl 530 preamp > Boss Digital Reverb > VHT 2502 > VHT Fatbottom 2x12 cabinet.
I don't like the way EMG's sound with my rig, so I replaced the pickup with a DiMarzio super distortion like I have in my other guitars.
Prior to changing pickups, it was a bit noisy, but I attribute this to poor wiring.
In my opinion, EMGs sound very consistent regardless of what guitar they're mounted in. So I won't comment on how the guitar sounded with them.
With the super distortion, the sound is rich and ballsy. The low end is articulated but not boomy, the mids are complex and detailed, and the highs come through aggressively. The high end on this ENGL preamp is a bit tricky so I was pleased that it was not overbearing with this guitar.
The guitar had very simple controls and therefore is not as versatile as other guitars, but it responds well to picking dynamics.
I wouldn't say that it sounds amazing but it's probably the best sounding guitar I own for what it does.
The alder lends itself pretty well to this kind of guitar but I would be interested in playing one of these that had maple wings on a maple neck.
I gave it a 9 because it does exactly what I want it to do, but isn't some awe-inspiring holy relic of a guitar.

This is probably where I'll be the most critical.
I advised DCGL to leave the stock action, as it's normally pretty good on these Japanese models.
Right out of the box, the action and intonation were great. The bridge was level, and the nut was the proper height. During transit, the neck moved a little and I had to adjust the truss rod to take out some relief.
This isn't a big deal to me and should be expected from a guitar that had to ship from one state to another.
I ended up lowering the action on the treble side very slightly, but it was a very minute adjustment.
The pickup seemed to be adjusted properly, but it isn't rocket science with an EMG.
One thing that bothered me a little about the guitar was the enormous electronics cavity. There is only one knob, and the output jack is on the top fin, so there really isn't any need to scoop so much damned wood out of the body. It's as though they took blanks from the other models that had switches and tone knobs and whatnot. Probably doesn't make a huge difference in sound or durability, but I'd like some of that wood back.
The pickup routing is adequate, but I was limited in my pickup choice because of its shallowness. I would probably not be able to install a DiMarzio x2n. I was not able to install a Mastertone SPA-1 that I had lying around.
Having purchased other guitars from this factory, I expected a few finish flaws.
There were some masking/overspray issues with the bevels, and also with the shielding paint (although I am very grateful that they did use shielding paint). I suspect that the hardware was hastily installed before the paint had fully dried, which has led to ridges where the pickup rings sit and whatnot. These aren't really visible normally, so no big deal. But there are some spots in the finish where I can see the neck portion join to the wings underneath.
But again, I expected this. And truly, nobody can see those flaws from offstage.
The binding turned out pretty well as far as that goes, and so did the inlay. Not very much filler, it seems.
The fretwork was exceptional. Some of the edges aren't the prettiest but none of them are sharp or loose. The frets are nice and level and facilitate low action.
My main criticism of the guitar is the state of the wiring when I received it. For some reason, Jackson star-grounds their controls (at least from this factory). This is a benefit for me, since it cuts back on RF noise which is important in a passive setup. I have found that it's not as important in active pickups, so I'm grateful that they included this.
But that's where my praise ends.
Jackson wired the bridge to ground, which is a no-no in an active setup. I believe this caused unwanted noise.
The volume pot was also defective. It had a spot near full volume where the signal would cut out. I sprayed contact cleaner into the pot which helped, but the problem eventually came back.
I of course changed all this when I switched to a passive pickup, but it was very annoying for the several months I left the EMG there. The noise lessened when I clipped the ground to the bridge.
But enough whining about problems easily fixed.
This guitar balances exceptionally well, and makes me feel powerful while I'm playing it. The ergonomics are wonderful and free-feeling. The neck lends itself to fast lead playing and is exceptional in its comfort. I think my KV2 had a thinner neck but this one feels better to me. I'm not sure if it's a soloist profile or some new profile but it sure is nice.
I haven't had any problems whatsoever with the bridge going out of tune, but I rarely do crazy divebombs.
The bottom line is that this guitar only cost $1200, and it plays just as well or better than USA Jacksons I've played.
I happen to believe that this guitar is a fantastic deal at $1200, flaws and all. For this reason, I am not letting the quirks I described get to me.
I give it a 9 because of the immense bang for the

Well, this guitar has some pretty pointy fins on it, which is enough to worry anyone about its durability. After almost a year of practices and live performances, it still looks and plays amazing.
The hardware (besides the tuners and the output jack) is all top quality and feels very durable. The finish seems to be very resistant to scratching, but it probably chips more easily because of this.
I replaced the strap buttons with Dunlop straplocks, but the ones that came with it were ok.
Aside from trivial nonsense like strings breaking, I would absolutely depend on this guitar now that I've rewired the whole thing. It was a bit iffy back when the volume knob would cut out.
I always have more than one guitar handy at a gig, but that's not to say I don't trust this one. The floyd rose is great for staying in tune, but I'd rather just switch guitars that try to restring in the middle of a gig.

I have no idea how good Jackson is. DCGL is phenomenal, though. I can't recommend them enough.

I've been playing for about 8 years. I'm down to this guitar and a Jackson SLSMG, which gets me by fairly well.
I almost wish I would have asked DCGL to install the pickup for me, so I would not have my experience tainted with Jackson's poor wiring. But I hate paying to have work done that I can easily do myself.
If this guitar were stolen or lost, I would either buy another one just like it or a used USA KV2.
I've always favored flying V guitars. I love this one because it makes an impression on stage. The ergonomics, as I explained above, are great. I love the fretwork and the compound radius. I love how simple it is and how well it performs its task.
At the same time, I do wish it had a neck pickup.
I mostly compared this guitar to USA Jacksons, and I decided that it plays on par with them. I would rather have this brand new guitar for this price than a used guitar that plays equally well for this price.
Get ready for people to assume it's an Alexi Laiho model, though. Nothing against him, but his signature model just doesn't do it for me.
I would probably give this guitar a 10 if the electronics had all worked properly out of the box. That's saying a lot. I hate almost everything that's marketed to me.

check out the pics on my myspace page. copy and paste the link

www.myspace.com/slayerdeth666

24 frets
original floyd
emg-81
neck thru body
ebony fretboard
black w/ red bevels

i gave this category an 8 because it only has one pickup

the sound is great, really crunchy. emg screams. pinch harmonics are a cinch to pull off. emg's are wierd because with my m-400, the emg's sound horrible, but with the rr24, it sounds awesome.although i did have to adjust some technique to get my sweeping to sound right.

this guitar is flawless. the action is perfect. ebony fretboard is silky smooth and easy to shred like alexi. fret access is good too. i wish it had an 85 in the neck but i havent missed the neck pickup as much as i thought i would.

i've divebombed numerous times with the floyd and it never stays in tune. but i'll definitely always keep my trusty bc rich ironbird as a backup.

havent dealt with them.

i've played every kind of les paul(including ones in excess of $4,000), ibanez, bc rich, schecter, and every brand you can think of, and this one beats all of them. if you are considering this in the least bit, i would definitely buy it, you wont be dissapointed.

Mine is also black with yellow bevels. You can read the other specs above or at the Jackson website. I'll give it a nine, because there is only one pickup.

I like to play a lot of different styles, but mostly metal and rock. And this when this baby shines ! The distortion is the KILLER ! It tends to get a bit noisy, but you know what to do with that problem, don't ya ?
The soundworld is not so versatile since the guitar only has a single pickup, but it suits me fine. I really dig the sound thru my ENGL Fireball, it slays !

For this one I give an eight, because my guitar's truss rod had to be adjusted a bit and the intonation wasn't perfect. (You'd expect that from a brand new guitar yourself, as well, wouldn't you ?)
The action was amazingly low , which I like, and the pickup was properly adjusted. Overall it was OK.

No comment about this one, it's still a new guitar, so...
I could depend on it, but then again, I never gig without a backup . It's just a precausion really, you can never know what could happen..

No need for repairs yet, but it has got a 1-year warranty.

Been playing for six years now, and my other guitars are LTD M-302 and MH-50. I wish this guitar would have an EMG 60 in the neck position, but guess that is what my dream custom will have. If it were stolen or lost, would I buy it again or get something else? My god, hope that will never happen. (Knock on wood...). I absolutely adore this guitar. The sound is close to eargasmic. A Jackson RR with 24 frets has always been my dream since I played the RR-LL for the first time. But RR24 beats it every single way possible. It is a very good bang for the buck .

It's a Randy Rhoads Jackson, black with yellow bevels and equipped with an original Floyd Rose tremolo system. It's got an alder body and construction method is neck-through. Tuners are standart sealed die-cast, it says "Jackson" on top of each so I don't think it's anything special, but they do the job.
Other than the regular Rhoads Guitars, this one has 24 jumbo frets with inverted shark inlays. The wood used for the neck is rock maple with ebony fingerboard (radius: 14" to 16"). It came without case, only included equipment are the necessary tools you need for restringing.
The only knob is for regulating the volume of the active EMG81 pickup, which is located at the bridge position.
The guitar is part of the new Pro Series models, so it was built in Japan. I'm not sure about the year, but can't be older than 2006 because the shop assistent told me the shop got three weeks ago.

I play old school heavy metal, influenced by Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. I played the guitar through a Peavey 6505 on a Behringer box and I was really amazed: I was told that this guitar would sound rather "thin" but THAT IS NOT TRUE! Playing it through the undistorted amp, the guitar delivers a rather warm, round sound which I like much more than the one of my LTD MH 250 which is equipped with EMH Hz's. When being played through a distorted amp, the RR 24 really shows what it was made for: METAL! The EMG81 delivers a lot of power, no need for any overdrive pedals to make a tube amp scream. When playing single-note riffs, every note comes out very strong, when strumming chords, nothing gets washed up, the notes are well defined.
As far as the variety of sounds is concernded, the absence of a second pickup and a tone knob narrows it down to none. But this guitar wasn't built to experiment with sound.
I was really surprised by the warm clean sound I really like the power the EMG delivers, only problem is that the pickup is quite noisy when the amp is cranked up and you aren't playing.

The guitar was set-up perfectly when I took it out of it's case, the action is quite low and I didn't even have to tune any of the strings except the highest two. I can't see any flaws on the guitar, pickup is adjusted all right. The Floyd Rose is well in place, when playing I used it excessively and no problems with the tuning occured.
The higher frets are a little hard to reach because usually RR's have only 22 frets and it seems that Jackson just added another two frets at the cost of a second pickup, but I believe that with a little practice I'll be able to play the highest notes just fine and in this case I'm happy to accept the challenge.
Furthermore, the instrument is well balanced, when I picked it up it hung in front of me without lowering the head.

Can't say, I bought it today and played it for five hours, but it looks like it's built quite well. I had the shop assistend replace strap buttons for Schaller security locks, but I still have the original ones and they seem solid enough.
Overall I expect the axe to be absolutely realiable, as it was built in Japan. I'm looking forward to take it out on stage and I can't imagine it to let me down.

Didn't have to talk to them yet so I can't say anything good or bad.

Borat might ask: "Does this guitar have a pussy magnet?" Hell yeah, it does!!! There is absolutely no way not to look cool playing this instrument.
But killer looks aside, this guitar is it if you're looking for a good metal guitar. Sure, it doesn't grant you the opportunity to explore every possible sound, but I don't think anyone who feels attracted to this kind of design wants to do that.
I've been playing for five years now and I own a Epiphone Les Paul and a LTD MH 250, the Jackson RR24 and a Peavey 6505. What I like most about this guitar is that it's so puristic. No Bullshit, just play. I never played much with different set-ups, all I need is a guitar with a high-output bridge pu, a wah pedal and a high gain amp. Best feature of this instrument is definitely the neck-through construction and the extreme shape and killer finish. I think the pickup produces a little too much noise when left alone but that's nothing a noisegate can't fix. If this one was stolen, I would by a new one if I could afford it but most of all I'd track down the guy who took it and kill him for inflicting so much pain on my soul ;)