This week, Fender and the brands under its umbrella pulled the covers off a host of new products. One of the FMIC branches with new wares to show is Jackson, who has brought the still-futuristic Randy Rhoads signature electric guitar to its mid-price Pro Plus series.
Jackson says that the Pro Plus Series Rhoads RR24 is “engineered for blazing guitar work,” and with the legacy of its namesake and that easy upper-fret access, we don't doubt it.
Price-wise, the Pro Plus models fall in between the MJ Rhoads and Pro Series Rhoads six-strings, with a handful of similarities – and differences – to the latter.
Both Pro Plus models are built with okoume bodies and three-piece maple/walnut/maple necks – as opposed to the Pro Series' mahogany bodies and simple maple necks – though the Pro Plus models do retain the latter's ebony fingerboard (with an upgrade to stainless steel frets, mind.)
Like its Pro Series siblings, the Pro Plus RR24s feature a Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6N humbucker in the neck, but they swap out the former's Duncan Distortion SH-6 bridge 'bucker for a Duncan Distortion TB-6. These can be adjusted by individual volume and tone knobs, and a three-way pickup switch.
The Pro Plus RR24's other fixings are also fairly similar to those found on the standard Pro models – dome-style Jackson Sealed Die-Cast tuners, a Floyd Rose 1000 Series double-locking tremolo, and those unmistakable sharkfin inlays.
It's the finishes, though, that really make the Pro Plus Rhoads RR24s worth a look. Option one is an arena-ready Mirror finish, with a Firestorm-finished guitar (which comes with a pomelle sapele top) also available, at a slightly lower price.
Speaking of, the Mirror-finished Pro Plus Series Rhoads RR24 rings up at $1,699, with its Firestorm-finished counterpart coming in at $1,599 – a few hundred dollars north of the Pro Series Rhoads models, but almost a thousand south of those found in the more upscale MJ Series.
In our book, the affordable X Series Rhoads is one of the best metal guitars out there today, so we can't wait to get our hands on the Pro Plus variation of the model.
For more on these, and Jackson's other new releases, visit Jackson Guitars.
