Jackson #1 - 'Randy Rhoads EX Professional'

Another iconic shape, I've wanted one of these ever since I saw Dave Mustaine playing one.

This is one of the early 90s 'Professional' Japanese made Jacksons which have a reputation for being fantastic quality instruments. So much so that they ate into sales of their premium models.

It's only one of the more basic models but it's nonetheless lovely to play. You can tell this is from the same factory as my Washburn KC90, the neck feels identical and it has the same fret markers with the double one at the 12th fret slightly closer together than usual.

The control layout is slightly unusual, most RRs are 'front loaded' with a scratchplate, Gibson style toggle and volume/tone controls. This is 'rear loaded' with no scratchplate, a Fender style switch and a single volume control. I deliberately picked this model because I like this minimal look. If I could have got a single pickup model without shelling out for an RR24 or LTD Alexi I would.

It's had a hard life. The points are badly chipped and it's been refinished in satin black with a spray can. When I got it the electrics were crummy as hell and the pickups rusty. So I rewired it and stuck in some Seymour Duncan blackouts.

It is now very very metal, even more metal than it was before.

It is a right pain in the arse to play sat down though. Unlike a conventional V I find it almost impossible to balance and the jack plug sticks in your leg.

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