Does your electric guitar lack a certain something, say, a tone that could level an entire city? Are you discontent with your metal guitar’s tuning stability? Is that double-cut just too “Granddad’s Stratocaster” for your technical death metal project?
Jackson, with a little help from Gojira’s Christian Andreu might have just the thing.
Yes, it’s new signature guitar time again, and a refresh for Andreu sees his 24-fret Rhoads retooled with an EverTune F6 bridge – set it up, tune it up and it stays in tune – and painted in Black with White bevels, plus inverted pearloid Ghost Fin inlays on a super-shreddable ebony fingerboard that has the 12” to 16” compound radius as per the Pro Plus Series house style.
Article continues belowThis is a big moment for the Rhoads; it is the first to leave the Jackson factory fitted with an EverTune.
That six-in-line headstock… Magnificent. Then there is the simplicity of the single humbucker pickup, and yet the complexity of this Fishman Fluence Modern Open Core multi-voiced platform – three distinct voicings from one 3-way pickup selector switch. A single volume knob completes your electronics. It’s a simple drive.
In part, we have Kirk Hammett of Metallica to thank for Andreu's long-standing signature Jackson collab. He says he has been besotted with the Rhoads every since he saw Hammett play one.
“It started as love at first sight when I was 15, seeing the legendary Kirk Hammett wield this iconic shape. It was the most metal thing I’d ever seen, and I was hooked,” he says. “Twenty years later, holding my first Jackson RR signature model turned that teenage dream into reality. And now, I’m even more excited to introduce my brand-new RR signature guitar.
“This instrument isn’t just something I play live; it’s an extension of who I am. It’s also an honour to represent the first‑ever RR model equipped with an EverTune bridge! With an unbelievably smooth neck, perfect balance and effortless playability, this guitar feels like it was built for me. I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out.”
And what you have left when you take all this into consideration is a mid-priced pro-quality shred machine, built for a player who specialises in progressive yet monstrous neo-death metal – pick scrapes and harmonic squeals a-go-go – but similarly weaponised for any of the dark arts.
Necro black metal nastiness, Stockholmer Swedeath with a dimed Boss Metal Zone, hard-rock, trad heavy metal, NWOBHM… You name it. Hey, if you get a gig at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, why not give this a whirl?
Elsewhere, it’s a Pro Plus Jackson Rhoads RR24. That means alder body, with a neck-through build, maple neck, Speed profile, a 25.5” scale length, 24 big fat stainless steel frets on that ebony ‘board and Jackson-branded die-cast locking tuners.
And if you are reading all this, looking at the pictures and thinking that you have seen this somewhere before, then that is because you have. This has been hiding in plain sight, with Andreu road-testing it in Gojira’s live show.
Now, don’t @ us, but we would argue that this Pro Plus signature Rhoads looks cooler than the Jackson USA model that retails for £3,489/$4,399; the Gojira graphic and 12th fret inlay is probably overkill for casual fans or those just looking for a high-end electric guitar for high-gain thrills.
This will set you back £1,849/$2,429. For more details, head over to Jackson.
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