Jackson Roswell Rhoads

I bought a '97 Jackson Roswell Rhoads import used from a local mega-conglomerate center for guitars. It was a steal at the time, but little did I know that they would be them stealing money from me. Like many, my first exposure to the radical shaped Roswell was in Silverchair's "Freak" video. At the time, I was just getting into the guitar, so spending real cash on one was out of the question. Then, several years later, this gloss black beauty with its "Mother of Pearl" crop circle inlays was hanging on a wall and it had my name written all over it.
I've already established that it is a sweet looking guitar, so I'll get down to the brass tacks. Overall, the guitar was a tad on the lightweight side due to the poplar body (not a beefy wood in any respect). It had an aftermarket EMG-81 installed as the lone pup which totally sucked. I cannot understand, for the life of me, what people hear in active pickups, but that's another review all together. A single volume knob was the extent of it's controls, which immediately and completely kept its tone on "crappy." Anyhow, it's a string through body with an awfully cheap T.O.M. ripoff bridge. The intonation would not stick for anything. The Jackson tuning machines weren't that great either. The 22 fret rosewood board on a mahogany (?) neck, surprisingly, was very easy to play...as long as I wasn't standing, but I'll get to that.

I thought, upon first playing, that it would be a legitimate shredding machine. I played, at the time, good hard rock music. I played it through an H&K Triamp half stack for my dirty and a Fender '65 twin for the clean. I have a myriad of effects that I would run through the loop and several rack mounted units. It was and still is the most tinny sounding guitar I have ever played. There was no depth, no character; just a single 81 with no tone control. There wasn't any hum, which of course would be obvious. I think a Duncan JB or DiMarzio Super Distortion would have been leaps and bounds better.

The action was a little high. It was a used guitar, so I don't know if it was tampered with after it left the factory. Like I mentioned before, no matter what I did, the intonation would not stay where I set it. I had the pickup set right where it should have been but it was no use. The frets were a little rough on the upper side of the neck.

I played one song in one show with it and the balance was awful. I was having to hold the neck up while trying to play, which was a huge hassle. I shouldn't be too surprised though, the regular Rhoads guitars have a similar feel. The bridge and tuning machines are trash. As with many pointy guitars, the risk of chipping or horn breaking is always present. Due to it's imbalance problems, I put strap locks on it, so that was a non issue. I would not depend on it as a main guitar and I would never play without at least one backup regardless.

I have been playing for 16 years now. I own 2 PRS Tremonti models (one older stop tail in platinum metallic and one new model with the tremolo in vintage yellow), a PRS Custom 22 soapbar in whale blue, an Epi LP (modded with DiMarzio Evolution and FRED pups and a Kahler trem in red sparkle), a '96 Charvel San Dimas III in sunburst, an '07 Charvel DiMartini crossed swords, and a Music Man Axis Super Sport in amber. I play H&K Triamp, Fender '65 twin reissue, a BadCat Hot Cat 100, a Mesa Heartbreaker combo and a Matchless Chieftan. I wish I would have played it for a lot longer before I paid money for this piece of scrap wood. I have another single pup guitar (the DiMartini) and it is incredible. I would not recommend this guitar except as decoration, because, although it is beautiful to look at, it is absolutely awful to play in every sense of the word.

I believe it was made in 97, it's Poplar which is a shame, this guitar would have been much improved by being made of Alder instead. Poplar does not sound like alder, at least none of the poplar Jackson uses.

Gloss black paint, looks nice. The crop circles on the neck are pretty sweet. Visually it's very nice.

I am a huge fan of Jackson guitars, and when I saw this in the music store my girlfriend worked at, i had to try it. I got a huge discount so i purchased the same day. I hate Duncan designed pickups, so the single DD humbucker is hardly a joy. Will replace it soon with and EMG 81. The tune-o-matic is crap, and the string ferrules keep popping out. The jack is lose, and I'll probably be replacing that with the pickup. I put strap locks on it. It has a funky balance.

Sounds like crap. It has a very light sound, when playing speed metal riffs, it's very bright but there's no growl to it. I expect this to be more the pickup's fault then the guitar. I don't think it has much in the sustain department either, I can't give it high marks as a production model. there's just too many things to replace on this guitar.

Beautiful looking guitar. The action was fine, i I don't get any buzz in the strings. the pickups suck, i've adjusted them several times trying to get any improvement.

huge control cavity, complete unnecessary But I?m sure when I put the EMG in it and have a battery to deal with I?ll be at least a little bit less critical of it.

Very pretty.
the finish was fine,

I've seen this guitar played live (not mine but the same model as mine) and it seemed to be ok. If you're going to be swinging it around and bouncing it on the ground a lot, it probably won't last. it's pretty thing.

The hardware as far as bridge and pickup are crap. they'll last forever in the junk pile. both are going to be replaced.

The finish on mine seems to be fine.

Strap buttons were replaced with locking strap buttons the minute I bought the guitar.

Nope, at the moment with the current pickup and bridge, I can't. once those are replced then yeah, I'll be able to depend on it.

I'm not sure I'd use this guitar on a gig at all. Not comfortable enough. Though with the string through the body it be easy to quick change a string so... yeah.. i guess. (very half hearted yeah..)

I've talked to Jackson people after I purchases my Tribute Rhoads in 1992. They seemed kind of put out to talk to me or answer my questions. I have a guitar tech to help out on most of my stuff if it's something I can't repair so, Jacksons just not in the loop.

I've been playing for 20 years. The majority of my gear is Jackson Rhoads models. I have several ESP's as well.


I bought the guitar for it's looks, I never really thought about how it sounded. Problem was, I figured I could change things for live shows and it would be passible and just never enjoyed the guitar enough to bother.

No, if this were stolen or lost, I'd order another Jackson custome shop, probably a death angel, that would be a nice replacement.

I love the looks, i hate it's sound. the neck is pretty cool.

I compared this guitar to Jackson Rhoad models, Jackson Tribute Rhoads models, Jackson Kellys, Kramers, ESP Horizons, ESP M2's, Carvin California, etc.

I wish it had Alder wood body, EMG's or at least a non Duncan Designed pickup, with it had a tune pro's bridge, an earvona nut, ebony fretboard instead of rosewood

this guitar is a wall hanger, if you buy it for anything else you'll be disapointed.

Japanese made, 22-fret, bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fretboard, carved top poplar body finished in gloss black, with Jackson tune-o-matic bridge, Duncan Designed HB-103 humbucker, one volume knob, and Jackson tuners. The frets are of the tall/thin Fender design, which surprised me for a Jackson. I own several Jacksons and Charvels, and they all have jumbos. This is a very straight forward guitar, with very few frills or options, prefering to grab you with raw, visual appeal. With its crop circle inlays and Star Trek body, this is a head turner. It spends most of its time hung on my wall in the TV room, where it never fails to attract attention.

The guitar came with a truss rod wrench that fits onto the truss rod head without scraping up the finish, and a form fitting (and very long) case with a large storage compart with its own door. The case, however, is not of the typical ABS plastic variety, so I really wouldn't trust it on the road too much; it isn't chip board, but it won't take a lot of pressure on it, either.

For a guitar so light, I couldn't believe how huge the guitar sounded the first time I plugged it in. It sits in between a Les Paul and a Strat--lots of chunk on the low end, but the highs have plenty of bite to stand out in the mix. The Duncan Designed pickup, based on the Duncan Distortion, has excellent harmonic response and plenty of output to overdrive any amp. It is a bit harsh clean, but rolling back the volume knob gives you a nice sparkle/jangle tone. Still, this really is a hard rock guitar, and coupled with the tune-o-matic bridge, you get thick mid-range and excellent sustain. The lack of multiple pickups and a tone knob keeps it from being more than a one trick pony, but it does that one trick very well.

The paint and inlay work on this guitar is typical of Jackson's high quality. The paint it so glossy that you can blind yourself when the light hits it, and not a sign of orangle peel, runs, or drip anywhere. The inlay work is top notch, with no gaps or glue spots to be seen, and shine with a prismatic quality that puts PRS and their fake abalone to shame. The neck pocket is tight, and the bolts use recessed washers to protect the body from damage and insure a tight fit. The fret end are smooth, and the frets are polished to a mirror sheen. The volume knob is smooth and crackle free, and the input jack is tight and works smoothly and accurately.

Unfortunately, this is where the good points end. The neck was bowed and required a truss rod adjustment. Once straightened, every fret started buzzing, and there wasn't enough range on the bridge to stop it. The neck needed to be shimmed, and now it plays great. However, the bridge is absolute garbage, made from cheap metal and plastic saddles that rattle and buzz with every low chord. I replaced it with a Schaller bridge almost immediately. The nut is plastic, forcing you to tune down past a note, and then back into it to prevent the strings hanging in the nut. The string ferrels on the front are pulling up from the back, and I am constantly pushing the back down with every string change. The tuners are the same garbage tuners Jackson has been using for years. The plastic control cavity cover is recessed, but only held on by three screws, so it warps easily in the temperature changes. The wiring is clean, but unshielded. It is also and absolutely mammoth cavity, considering that it needs to only hold one volume knob for a passive pickup. A lot of wood could have been kept on the guitar if they routed something other than their standard route.

One of these days, Jackson will design a bolt-on Rhoads that doesn't do a neck-dive to the floor whenever you strap it on. This is not that day, and this one is no where close to balanced when strapped on--I have to hold it up with my left hand while playing, which makes it difficult to play smoothly. Since it is almost impossible to play sitting down, this guitar spends more time being seen than heard.

I have yet to see a non-roadworthy Jackson, but this one scares me. The guitar is just so light and thin, that it feels like it almost isn't there. The horns appear especially fragile, thinning out at the tips. Rhoads guitars usually take a lot of punishments on the tips, but the bodies are of a uniform thickness--this guitar has a carved top, and the edges taper down to less than 3/4" at the tips. As aforementioned, the case just isn't of the durable variety, and it most be aligned perfectly to close it. This guitar just strikes me as something special the Jackson built to pay tribute to Randy, and the limited production run makes it more of a collectors piece than a road warrior.

I've never had to deal with Jackson's customer support, since I've never had any problems out of one of their products. As a general rule, they build their instruments like tanks.

I really had a hard time with an overall rating. As a piece of artwork, it is definately a ten. It is a unique design with flowing curves, sharp creased edges, mirror finish, and intricate inlays. As an instrument meant to be played, it doesn't balance well, suffers from cheap hardware, and has a limited tonal palette. If you don't own many guitars, and are looking for something versitile to use every day, the Roswell would be a bad fit. However, if you have a larger collection, and want a unique piece to pull out every so often for the awe factor, or the shape strikes you as something you "just gotta have," then it will not disappoint. However, the point is probably moot, since production halted in 1998, and there are not many owners out there willing to part with one.

The above mentionned seems to describe it better than i could. I got it in "metallic blue sparkle" with OHSC included. I think these were made in 1997/98 in Japan.

Sounds pretty good as far as natural tonal qualities go, and is most likely due to the string through design that gives it a nice, clear resonnance. In my opinion, this guitar would be able to suit most styles of music if it weren't for the lack of a neck pickup. I would have liked to have a different pickup configuration(maybe another hummer at the neck,maybe 2 singles?) since i like this guitar mostly for playing "clean"(this due to the tuneomatic), althought it does sound good with distortion. I might get it modified because this is a big reason that this guitar does not get played much, i need more variety out of my pickups when playing clean, heck, even with distortion i really enjoy having a neck pickup. I don't know why they did not include a neck pickup?, even if it would have brought the price of the guitar up a bit, it would have been well worth it. Also the fact that it only has 22 frets really bugs me. I thought i could get over it before i bought it, but i'm just too accustomed to 24 frets. The tuneomatic is also a huge contributing factor of it not getting played much, i just can't palm mute with these damn things, they sound great, but just don't work for me, so i'm stuck mostly strumming chords or playing leads. Since i bought it used, it came with an EMG 81 active pickup which i don't perticularly like, but it does sound very aggressive. Not a bad pick up, just not for me, i've never been impressed with active pickups, and always needing a batterie is kind of a pain. I'm eventually gonna try another pickup in this guitar. Since i really don't like the EMG, i can't really comment on how it sounds when plugged in, because my opinion would be based more on the pickup than the actual guitar. All this to say it sound good, but could sound much better once i find a pickup that suit the guitar, as well as myself, a bit better, so i will judge it mostly on it's "natural" resonnance.

Well, besides a bit of fret buzz(12th fret high E string) when i got it, the rest was pretty good.(i think my tech did a small trust rod adjustement and had to re-glue one of the frets, plus a grind and polish,came out real cheap, and it fixed that problem at the time)I recently noticed that i'm getting very minor fret buzz again, except this time it's around the 1st and 2nd frets, and i don't remember which strings do it, but most likely another trust rod adjustement will fix this problem. The finish on this axe looks awesome, and really looks nice in direct sunlight. Looks almost black when there's not much light on it, but when it's in direct light, ta-da, blue sparkle. I also like the crop circle inlays, very cool, and were very well applied to the fret board. This guitar just looks too cool!!!!!!

I think this guitar would do just fine for live playing, but to do a couple of big tours with it, i can't see it lasting as long as it probably should. The finish seems to be a bit weak, where my picking hand touches the guitar's body(a bit to the top right of the pickup) it has already started to fade, kinda like it lost it's shine at that spot. I tried applying some buffing compound to buff it out, made it better, but still apparent. This is considering i did not play it that much, maybe 40 hours tops since i've had it, and although i got it used, it was pretty mint, and this was not there when i got it. This is really not that noticeable unless you look at it in the right angle and only then you can see it's a bit dull. Dissapointing, but no biggy. Hardware also seems to be a bit cheap for the original price tag of these guitars. The black is already wearing off of the tuneomatic bridge. I'd say yes, you could depend on this guitar for a gig with no backup, but i'd never gig without a backup anyways, it's just asking for trouble:)It Would also, by far, never become my main guitar. Although it is not a bad guitar, it is not a great guitar. Actually plays pretty good considering it comes with a tuneomatic. If you are used to tuneomatics and can live with the fact it only comes with one humbucker pickup at the brigde+22 frets, then i'm sure you would probably like this guitar, just not my bag, baby!!!

N/A

Well, i've been playing for about 13 years, and i must admit, if it were stolen, i would miss it, but wouldn't bother buying another one unless i had lots of money lying around. For the price i paid i could have found a better playing used USA Jackson, which is probably what i'd do if it were stolen and wanted to go with another Jackson. And i must add, the feel is nothing like a real USA Jackon. I must admit though, i do really like the neck on this guitar, unlike any other neck i've ever felt. Very, very fast, the thing is tiny, which allows me to shred on it with ease. I also enjoy the fact that this guitar is very light. I do wish this guitar had a "normal" or "floyd rose" trem, 24 frets, and at least a neck pickup with maybe a few tone/volume knobs. If it had these features, i'm sure i'd love this guitar. I bought it because i thought it looked very original, and just looked too cool, which is why i give it an 8 overall. Since i bought it mostly for looks, i can't say i'm too dissapointed, but since it still looks pretty new, it will probably end up hanging on one of my walls or get sold.
trust no one lol

Japanese made, 22 frets with Crop Circle inlays, one volume control for one KILLER Duncan Design pickup! Sparkle green/blue finish, stings-thru body bridge, non-locking gotoh tuners, Roswood fingerboard.

I play mostly metal, when i got it, they put .9s on it, so i trstrung it to .10s which made a hell of a difference! Playing it through a Crate amp with various BOSS pedals.

bought it brand new and was in awesome condition. No finish flaws, no electronics problems, just change the stings and its ready to kill!

Havent used it live yet, but im pretty sure it can take the punishment i gave my PS3T seeing as they were made in the same factory by the same people.

Never had to deal with them and i dont think i ever will have to

Been playing for 6 years now and this is my axe of choice. Ill still use my PS3T (Rhoads Preformer) but the Roswell gets more attention! If it was stolen, id probably kill the thief with it and then get a new one! Well worth the price paid!

Jap made bolt on neck. 1 humbucker, Duncan designed. gotoh tuners, all the good stuff. 22 frets, black finish, and nice SMALL hardshell case. (Not the normal HUGE ASS jackson case)

I play in a metal band, and have tried many guitars. The only one I could find that sounded, as well as it looks was the Jackson King V, and it only sounded good after I got Breed Dimarzio pickups installed. That is until I found the Roswell. This guitar kicks ass!!! I am running it through a 5150 full stack, and the sound is killer. Very rich sound, LONG sustaine, very tight!!

Pickups were adjusted perfectly, action is perfect, everything is perfect on this guitar. Not a single flaw.

Havent played it long enough yet, but I will put it to the test. A metal band that plays about 100 shows per year, 75% on the road, well, you get the idea.

Havent dealt with Jackson yet

I love this guitar so much, I bought another one right away. These are getting harder and harder to find by the day, so if you find one,... SNATCH IT UP! If you are like me, a rhythm guitarists, this is the guitar for you. One pick-up, no damn floyd rose to fuck with, and one single volume knob. I will never go back to playing anything else after playing this guitar. Except for maybe the US made, but if you have $3500 laying around, give me a loan, so I can get one of them to. By far the best guitar I have ever played. period

Ok, fucking great made in Jap. 22 fret guitar, having only one Duncan design Humbucker and a volume knob. As it has been said, you need to see it to believe it's shape. Guess mine is just the same as the others', so I won't repeat all the features... But mine didn't come with a case.

URGH!! Great for Heavy , Doom, Trash, even Power (wich usually is played over a strat or so) Metal, EXTREMELY fast neck, great for muting, fast riffs and solos, and very easy to reach the last frets. It is a guitar with just one humbucker, then you can't have many tone variations with it alone (I can get a lot of it just changing my right hand attack), but then again, it sounds great! No floyd rose or tremolo, wich I personally think is great, since this f**king floyd rose stuff is terrible for palm muting. Very bright sound, great neck for tapping also...

The setup was almost perfect, just minor adjustments needed (if only I could do only minor adjustments in every guitar I buy...).

Played live several times with it, no problem at all. I've given it some hard times on transportation and gigs, and it is holding great. The finish is probably gonna last, the ink wears off on both tips of the guitar, but that's expected.
I can depend on it completely, and have used it on a gig without a backup several times, haven't had a problem and probably won't

No need of warranty, this thing is very well built!

Have it for three years from now, and will buy another one if I can get a fair price... If it's stolen, I'd definately buy another one. I was gonna buy a custom Gibson SG, but I tested it and fell in love with it. It could have 24 frets, but 22 do fine. F**KING GREAT STUFF!

i play death metal and used my ESP Eclipse w/ EMGs in every concert untill i bought this beauty.

Its mean, agressive, has a FAST FAST neck (feels like butter) and with EMGs it completely slays the audience's ears. excellent guitar

not a single flaw. everything was at 100% when i picked it up.

oh yeah. i've used it in 5 concerts and it sounds great.
the hardware isn't supreme quality stuff, but it's exellent anyway
the finish isn't very stable. the paint is coming off in some places. but i really don't care.
the strap buttons are great.
you can really depend on this baby.
no i wouldnt use it without any backup just because i might break a string. there is no other reason you should take another guitar

never had it repaired or anything like that

playing for about 6 years. i own a esp eclipse 22 frets w/ emgs and floyd, a hammer explorer and the roswell.
if it were stolen, i would buy another one if i had the money :)
well... i think it would be exactly the same as the eclipse if it had a floyd.

Made in Japan but I don't know the year. It is a solid poplar body guitar with a 25.5" scale bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. You have to see the body shape and the angled headstock... it's beautiful. Comes in black and midnight blue sparkle. I bought the blue and it's a killer with its matching headstock. The fretboard has mother of pearl crop circles inlays that are awesome. It has one Duncan designed humbucker near the bridge, black tune-o-matic bridge and strings through body with black string ferrules and a volume pot. The headstock is angled with 3x3 non-locking tuners. The nut is black plastic... bummer. You have to see its picture on the Jackson site... www.jacksonguitars.com. They show the black but believe me the blue looks soo much better. Wait, wait it comes with its custom case. Now you can't beat that.

Well.. I don't exactly play heavy metal but I play hardcore punk and industrial which call for this type of guitar. Now, I've found it so versatile I use it for everything. I'm a distortion, power chord, palm muting freak and this guitar delivers. The neck is very smooth and fast. I use a Peavey ultra 112 combo and an Ultra head. They like this guitar. It sounds very balanced. Palm muting has chunk and solos just sing with very good highs. I really like it.

Wow!!! The set-up was almost perfect. This should be a lesson for all the guitar manufacturers. The intonation was a bit off on two strings, but I've bought other guitars where the intonation is not even close on any if the strings. The pickup was a bit low for my taste. The frets were very nicely finished, even and well crowned, the neck was perfectly straight and the action was excellent. The finish has no flaws and even the polishing compound was not caked in the cavities.

It feels a bit light which really doesn't bother me because my back has found out that it is counterproductive to jump around for 2 hours with a heavy guitar. As all the guitars that have one of the strap buttons, which, by the way, are the standard type, behind the neck joint, is a bit unbalanced and tends to tip toward the headstock. Nothing different than a flying V, other Rhoads models and the King V. Some friends have complained of this but it doesn't bother me. I never gig without backup so I guess I wouldn;t go with this guitar alone, but it looks and feel like it will withstand some abuse.

Never dealt with them. They offer a 1 year limited warranty.

I've been playing Fenders and Les Pauls. I got hooked on this guitar when I was in NYC this year and played a black one. I saw the add a few years ago for the USA one which is crafted out of aluminum and has other appointments which have no bearing at this time. All I know is that they are being sold and auctioned for thousands of dollars which i am not willing to pay. My guitar is a reasonalbe investment and best of all I like it. Hey, and the case is a nice detail. If it was stolen I'd definitely buy another one and try to find the SOB who stole it and kick his head in. Check it out at your local Jackson dealer but beware... try it with a strap on. You'll see what I mean by unbalanced. By the way, sorry for the typos, run-on sentences and the occasional sentence that doesn't make sense but I am in the middle of an allergy attack and took a Benadryl capsule about one hour ago and it is starting to kick in. WOOHOOOO!!!!!!