Marshall Rocket Special

I got this Marshall Rock Kit (Rocket Special, the all black one with more modern headstock)for christmas of 2004. It was my first electric guitar and a step-up from my acoustic that i had been using for 7 months beforehand. It's your usual strat shape, black finish, black pickups and black hardware. The hardware includes a regular strat style bridge (which honestly isn't that great, if used lots it loses tuning, but i dont use it anyway), 2 single-coils in neck + middle position, 1 humbucker in the bridge position, (i.e. its HSS configuration), 5 way selector, 1 volume control and 2 tone controls. The 21 frets are jumbo size. The fretboard is rosewoood and the neck itself isn't painted (not sure what wood its made out of). The pickups are brandless + passive.

The guitar is comfortable to play as the neck isn't too fat or too thin, but expectedly the bolt-on neck does make it a little challenging when playing around the 18+ fret area. The neck also gradually gets wider from the 1st to the 21st fret, but itsn't really that noticeable or an issue.

The whole rock kit comes with the guitar, MG15CDR amplifier, gig bag, tuner, plectrums and a strap. The amp is 15 watts, has 2 channels (clean and overdrive), has 3 band EQ (bass, contour, treble, reverb control and a FDD switch, headphone out + CD in jacks.

The music i play never strays far from heavy metal and hard rock (e.g. metallica, ACDC, Black Sabbath, Trivium, Iron Maiden, Lostprophets, Muse, Nirvana, etc and also my own stuff which is heavy metal) and the Rocket Special + MG15CDR does a good job of providing a relatively good heavy metal sound. Obviously it's not high-end tube sound, lets be realistic here, but the combination of the humbucker and OD channel mean you can get a variety of useable metal tones. A Hard rock tone is pretty convincing and the single coil in the neck does a great job with soft cleans (i usually keep the OD channel on and turn down the guitar's volume knob, but its good on the clean channel also). However, use TOO much gain and the amp/pickups will generate a bit of noise, and sound a bit harsh, so if you're into extreme grindcore death metal or whatever, maybe get a pedal better suited for the job.

When i first got the guitar, i had no idea of what "action" or "intonation" meant as i had only played an acoustic for 7 months with no formal training on set-ups/playing, so ill be hoest and say i can't remember how good the factory set-up was, but i can't remember having any problems either. Same with the pickups. The guitar didn't contain any flaws, it was nicely built.

If you know how to properly re-string a guitar that doesn't have a locking nut, then playing live without going out of tune is definately possible. The hardware should last well for about 2 years, however i think that my humbucker's tone knob has been disconnected somehow, but that shuld be easily fixable. Also the input jack regularly comes loose which makes a small scratching sound of you move the guitar around, but is VERY easily fixable by unscrewing the jack cover and gently tighening the jack with your fingers. The finish seems fine and doesn't wear away thourgh just playing, however it does have some small chips in it but they're my fault for banging into things. The strap buttons are solid enough. I would depend on this guitar, i would even use it live without a backup providing i have the input jack recently tightened, properly re-strung, got the tone knob sorted out and didn't use the tremolo.

Can't really comment on this. Never dealt with marshall, or the shop where i brought it from.

I've been playing for 3 years and a few months now and i still use this beginner guitar pack, simply because it works, sounds good, is comfortable to play and isn't broken. If it were stolen or lost, i'm not sure if i would buy this again or get myself something a bit better, but that's only because im now a bit more experienced. But if we are talking about beginner guitars, then yes, definately, i would buy it again if lost of stolen. The thing i love about this guitar is that it's perfect to practise on (i.e. neck, pickups, looks, sound). The only thing i dislike is that is the little annoyance of the input jack and the tone knob, but they're only minor maintenance issues really. I didn't compare it to anything else, but when i see/hear about people with their squire strats with their horrid white pickguards and their SSS configuration, i'm immensely glad i got this. Plus the amp (MG15CDR) is probably better than any other starter amp, but don't hold me to that:-P

anything else i'd like to share?

i love this guitar and amp!!!

Dont know exactly when mine was made, bought it new around beginning of 2004. Its got 21 frets, 2 single coil pickups and a HUMBUCUKER (which rocks by the way!!). Volume control + 2 Tone w/ a 5way selector. Mines the Rocket Deluxe, which has the black body w/ a white, crushed pearl scratchplate. I bought it with a marshall C15 watt CDR amp, lead, gig-bag, strap, extra strings etc etc. Great deal for the money

The humbucker on this baby delivers a great sound. I almost always use it on the humbucker! Its got a rich tone clean and on distortion can really rock!! Used with the practice amp supplied, i can get a good range of sounds from it. Havent had the chance to play thru any effects pedals yet though...

One word: GREAT! I bought this guitar as an intro into playing electric. After playing a cheap steel-string acoustic for a good while, the action on this is a dream! It also compares well with other electrics that I've played. The finish and build quality are superb too--no major rattles or buzzing. There is sometimes a little bit of crackilng due to a loose connection with the lead, but this is the only problem Ive had with it after playing it for a year.

Personally, Id use this at a gig w/out a backup (maybe thats because I havent got 1, but there we go...) Its a solid guitar, reliable in tuning and solid in pretty much everything! The only problem Ive had has already been mentioned, the occasional loose connection on the lead jack, but apart from that, this baby should last forever!

Have used em!

I love this guitar! Right now, Im probably more into doing acoustic work, but when i pick this one up again, i always enjoy playing it! Ive been playing for about 2 years, and although Im nowhere near great, this has been a superb guitar 4 me! I would strongly reccomend it for anyone trying to get into playing more seriously. And for the price, well, you cant go wrong!!

I guess you already know all the features of this guitar. I've been playin acoustic or about a year now and bought this to start electric coz its good value for the money you pay. Seeing the amp alone is like $300 the guitar is only an extra 200 plus all the extra features on top of that.

At the store, (Billy Hyde's) I tried this guitar and the squier strat pack. The two guitars sounded pretty much the same clean but when the distortion was on you could tell the Rocket was way better. The humbucker gives a less "tinny" sound and gives it more balls. The amp is also a great practice amp and if I wasnt gonna buy a pack i'd still buy this amp coz its got to be one of the best practice amps out there. Overall the sound aint no PRS but hey i still think you get a lot more than you pay for.

When I got it I pretty much straight away changed the scratch-plate to white coz i think the all black looks too plain. It wasnt set up all that great but the action and that arent too hard to fix. Anyway... everyone likes their guitar set up different so you can do it yourself.

I've only had this guitar a few days now but it seems like it will last a fair while. My friend has had his for 2 years and it still works so i guess if you take care of it it will last. I would gig without backup. That is until I buy another guiar and this becomes backup.

Hmm... If I lost this guitar I would be sad. Mainly because I wouldnt be able to just go out and buy another one but if $500 appeared I wouldnt hesitate. For the money this pack is the best on the market. If you're a bginner or want to start electric this is your guitar.

I really don't know where it was made, but i bought it new for a really good price at Sam's Club 2 years ago, along with it's Marshall Rock kit. It gets a 10 in this category because of the tons of things you get for only 150 bucks. It's got 21 frets, 2 tone controls, one volume knob, and 3 pickups(1 Humbucker, two singles) and a 5-way selector . The body style is the one of a Fat strat, which, i love. It's got a black and white appearance, so it's pretty "versatile". With this looks, this guitar could go from Punk, metal, o anything onstage.

I've been playing Punk, Post.hardcore and Emo and the little bastard just keeps delivering. nothing has broken yet and i've had it since 2002. I've taken it onstage and it's held well. it's got through some abuse and it's still standing. I'm running it through a 50 watt(i think) marshall and the humbucker gives this sparkly sound on clean tones. Sound like it's made just for Power Chords. Sounds Crunchy, but not too fuzzy.

The action's great. There's not one problem i've found on this baby since i got it out of the box, and unlike the other reviews, nothing has broken yet.

Like i said, this guitar can stand some bloodshed. And to prove how "physical" they are: I wasn't aware on how different string gauges could affect a guitar's neck, so i'd been buying my guitar D'addario Electroacoustic strings, on a 12-54" for a year!!! Well, i toom my guitar to this tech and he said i was damn lucky i didn't fuck up the neck. So yes, this guitar can really take some physucal action.

Never called 'em

Over all, i rate this guitar: 9. Why? it's not a Les Paul!! But aside from that, it's great for starters, just rocking out through a Marshall and an A/B Switch. It's built really strong and it's got great and lots of things for such a small price. Of course there's things better out there, but for it's price, it's great.

i bought this from musiciansfriend with picks, strings, tuner, strap, gig bag, whammy bar, and mini amp strap for just 100 bucks, which i found out was actually an UNBELIEVABLE price. this guitar has a great sound even in comparison with bc riches, however the parts are pretty frickin cheap and the volume nob is loose, the whammy bar bent, the inside parts cracking from the whammy bar, a tuner has fallen off and broken into two pieces, the body is pretty scratched, and of course the button fell off but still sounds good

marshall rockets are actually pretty good for their price, i mean really for less than a hundred bucks this is the best deal i have ever seen.
as far as other cheap electrics go:
squire strats: wimpier sounding (obviously the rocket's humbucker outdoes them)
johnsons: pure crap. do not buy unless ure the wimpiest guitarist alive
bc riches: sweet bodies, less impressive sounds. i tried my friends warlock and ironbird through my amp and surprisingly the rocket delivers more (i think)
berignher: lol
nice guitar
the sound is a lot crunchier through distortion than the others i mentioned, but clean it has a much less warm and clean sound, oh well. humbucker is great for cheap rock. this guitar is very versatile for it's price

however, i will save 9s and 10s for stuff like ltds and stuff.
sounds great through effects pedals.

i think it was set up poorly in the factory, obviously that's why it's so cheap, but this actually had little effect on the sound of playability.

i've played live twice and got by alright, it's a little scratched but nothing noticeable,

Awsome guitar. if you're just a kid who wants to rock this is an awsome guitar. by far the best thing u could get for its price. because of it's price and sound i give it an 8

It was new when I bought it, in 2002. Made in China
It has 21 frets, rosewood fretboard, black finish and white pickguard
Pretty much all the standard controls you would find on a Strat-model copy. (two tone, one volume)

One HB, two SC. Couldn't find a brand or somethin' like it. As I sad it looks pretty much like a standard FatStrat, not very special.

It was included in the Marshall Rock-Kit, with a little 15-watt amp and some basic stuff you will need to rock your ass of.

I play mostly funkmetal/hardrock music(RATM, RHCP, Soundgarden that kinda stuff). The little 15-watt amp (G15RCD) is my only amp, but it is loud enough to annoy my neighbours and my sisters :). I play it through a BOSS ME50 multiFX board.

To be honest, this guitar is NOT good. In fact, I would smash it to pieces when I would have enough money to buy myself a Fender Tele.

- The humbucker sounds really fake to me, to metallic. Now I've got an SG, I have developed a better hearing for guitar sounds.
- The middle pickup makes a rumbling sound if you play to heavy
- Same goes for the neck PU.

The first few weeks it played nice, but the f*ckin' thin E kept on breaking. So I went on and off to the local music shop just to buy that little thing.

I started out playing Nirvana and punk shit, so I didn't really needed that thin string.

But now, after almost 2 years, the action is so low that you almost can hang your laundry on in, no matter how much you adjust it.

Some months ago, one of the tuners had died, but I didn't have enough money to replace them all.

I use this thing to fuck around with alternate tunings and all. But you can't play one fuckin' song because it detunes all the time.

Like I said before, those tuners are worse than crap. And I am not sure if I will take it with me as a back-up guitar.
It will be suitable for smashing it on stage on the end of the evening.

I've been playing for just two and a half years, but I already know that I won't buy it ever again.
I also own an SG which I play most of the time. In a few months I will be able to buy a new amp (probably a H&K Tour Reverb) and later I want to have a Tele, an original one.

i dont know what year it was made becouse i got it used.21 frets, black finish,black scrachboard,bridge humbucker,2 singlecoils,1 volume and 2 tone controls and the neck is nice and thin.i think it was made in china but the person who had it before me scrached it off

i play punk and only use the humbucker, but it can make a good variety of sound.i run it through a 50 watt park amp thats made by marshall.

i dont know what it was like at the factory but it was very good when i got it.i lowered the humbucker when i got it though.

it can withstand live playing becouse ive done 3 gigs with it without a backup.

dunno

ive been playing for 2 years and i own a 10watt kustum amp,a park 50 watt amp and a harly benton jazz bass.my dad bought the guitar back for me after a year of begging.the only thing dont like about it is all the black

The features are excellent for the price! 3 tones, 1 volume, 4 pickups, 22 frets, black finish, tremelo, it's all great. the only reason it gets a 5 and not a 7 is because the parts are so cheap. My button broke off, the volume switch is broken and the tremolo is actually making a crack in the string holding part. The guitar probably won't last forever but it's great for the price.

Awsome sound! nice with power chords and stuff. I played punk on it for a while and it sounds beautiful.

Poorly made. bad parts but not that bad.

I've never played this one live. I had a gig but it was cancelled the day before. It won't last forever, but I've had for a year and a half and it's still rocking.

I never called

For as cheap as it is, there's no better. It has a sweet sound for hard rock and punk. if you're looking at a serious guitar that'll last forever I don't recommend it but if you're cheap and you're just starting there';s no better choice

Well I actually have the Rocket-Deluxe. But it is of the same spec as the special so that doesnt bother me.
Its made in China, got 21 frets, standard double cutaway like a Fender Strat (same body throughout). 5 way tone selector. S-S-H pickups which arent noisy i must say. The humbucker is custom wound and has quite high output (it aint a SD JB but it is still loud.). It got 1 volume, 2 tone. Which are quite solidy. The pickup selector is a bit fragile.
The bridge has a tremolo of a little bit higher spec than a standard Squier Strat. Tuners are no-name and are obviously crap. More on that later.
The neck is not very wide and sweet thin. Plays nicely. Much better than an standard Squier neck.
It came with the Marshall Rockit. A G15RCD amp, Korg tuner (quite good!), strap, cable (very good indeed! noise reduction!), picks, string pack and a complete piece of trash what they call a gig bag. I fucked it up after used three times (with 2 broken parts). Buy another bag instead!

I play almost everything and with the amp provided i can get very much what i want. I recently discovered (i play the guitar for almost a year now) that the humbucker doesnt cut through enough for my pleasure.
The humbucker is great for metal and punk rock etc. The single coils are decent and do their work without worries. Easily adjustable as well! And almost no noise! The cable sure helps here! It is a noise reduction thing and even a p90 can me silenced with it!
The guitars humbucker has a bright sound and is quite crunchy. A bit too fast feedback when using REALLY much distortion. It can handle a LOT of high volume. But high gain wont work. It easily feedbacks then.
I like the overall sound however it feedbacks too fast when standing close to an amp. Overall a decent sound.

Was it even setup at the factory? I cant imagine actually. A luthier had to replace the whole nut; it just couldnt be tuned correctly (the 12th fret harmonic thing).
And the second day after i bought the thing i had to go back to the store because it came out of a box (ie i didnt play it, i played a store model) and everything till the 5th fret didnt work at all!
Also the action becomes crap after little use. I use 010 strings and after some time if you reset the action it begins to fuck up again.
Really, my guitar isnt correctly adjustable. It is, until after a few weeks. At this moment i cant play an A on the high E correctly. Theres a lot of fret buzz there because the nut did move a bit i guess.
This really sucks on this guitar. Buy a Squier Strat instead for this part!
The tuners are a piece of crapmetal as well. A 180 degrees turn on the thing helps to raise almost an octave i guess... And sometimes it doesnt do anything until something "crack"

Not very durable. As i said, the action fucks up.
The hardware will last, no corrosion yet.
The strap buttons are ok but the finish easily catches up scratches.
I will gig with it without backup, as long as i have a pair of extra strings.

Not yet.
Only went back to the store about 3 times. And have to reset the action to often imho.

im playing not very long yet but i practise a lot. So that makes up for it. I use a JCM 900 when playing with my band.
I wished i didnt the thing although im not completely unhappy about!
I love the humbucker, especially when playing with someone who hasnt one. I can cut trhough the mix quite easily then.

I would say, this guitar is ok but make sure you play the guitar before u use it. And let a luthier look at it first. He can tell if this is a good one or a piece of crapmetal. Wood actually.

Made in china, nothing to worry about!
With 21 frets, 2 tone controls and one volume (this guitar is based on a strat)but has 2 singlecoil pickups and one humbucker which is great for metal. This guitar i basically a squier but better made.

This guitar is gerat all round, it has a great rock sound and for me it is perfect for my needs (metal/rock), but my dad plays it and he likes swing and he thinks it's great.

Nothing to say really, well set-up nicely finished.

I have had no problems yet and I have had it for 4 months and have gigged it three time with no problems.

A great guitar for starters and advancing players, I have been playing a year and a half and this suits my needs and more, a great buy. It came with a Marshall amp which is great and a tuner which is quite good, gig bag, strap, plectrums + more, all you need to play.