Randy Rhoads’ Iconic Guitar Gets a Bass Makeover With Limited Edition Jackson RR-B IV
The late guitar legend Randy Rhoads had one of the most recognizable guitars with his V-shaped Jackson signature. Now, the company has unveiled a limited edition bass version of the axe called the X Series RR-B IV, which has the Rhoads body shape in a four-string model.
Jackson builds the bass with neck-through construction featuring a poplar body, graphite-reinforced maple neck, and amaranth fingerboard. The fingerboard holds 21 frets and has a compound radius for playing comfort up the neck. It has a single active EMG 35DC humbucker situated near the bridge for clarity and definition. Other features include a gloss black finish with white pinstripes, a hardtail bridge, and Pearloid sharkfin inlays.
The Jackson Rhoads model was designed by the guitarist himself as a spinoff of the Flying V. Luthier Grover Jackson brought his sketches to life with two prototypes in 1980 and 1981. The third and fourth prototypes were not finished when Rhoads tragically died in a plane crash in 1982. However, the revised prototypes would be the first guitars sold under the Jackson Guitars brand name. The RR guitar has gone through many variations, but until now, the Rhoads Bass has only been a rare custom shop option.
The Jackson X Series RR-B IV Limited-Edition Electric Bass Guitar is open to pre-order for $899.99. We’ve reached out to Jackson for further details on a shipping date and will update this story when they become available.
Jackson X Series RR-B IV Limited-Edition Electric Bass Photo Gallery
Jackson X Series RR-B IV Limited-Edition Electric Bass Guitar Specs:
| Construction: | Neck-Thru |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Poplar |
| Neck: | Maple with Graphite Reinforcement |
| Fingerboard: | Amaranth |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 12″–16″ compound |
| Frets: | 21 |
| Inlays: | Pearloid Sharkfin |
| Pickups: | EMG 35DC Humbucker |
| Controls: | Master Volume, Master Tone |
| Bridge: | Jackson Hardtail |
| Tuners: | Jackson Sealed Die-Cast |
| Finish: | Gloss Black with White Pinstripes |
| Orientation: | Right-Handed Only |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
Make it in a lefty im in
Only 22 frets, only 4 strings, only 1 pup. Need 24 frets, 4 and 6 string models at least, and 2 humbucker or other pup configurations.
Wonder how bad the neck dive is gonna be
😍 love it
Dang! Make one in a 5 string and I’ll be the first to pre-order!
Ordered one and was told that they will be shipped out in January, possibly a little before.
Awesome, thanks for the update!
GC has them in stock as of October, but I have a couple of concerns.
First, I do not see any mention of this model on the Jackson website, so I am inclined to believe that it is exclusive to GC/MF (Sweetwater also has no mention of it).
Second, the GC website makes no mention of a case or gig bag being included (which they always mention, when that is the case – no pun intended). Finding something to carry this in is going to be difficult. The Gator Extreme probably will not do, as an Ibanez Destroyer bass doesn’t fit and that is not as long as this one.