Jackson Randy Rhoads

The Jackson Randy Rhoads is an iconic model of electric guitar, originally commissioned by guitarist Randy Rhoads and produced by Jackson Guitars. Rhoads' first Jackson prototype was the now immortalized white, pinstriped, asymmetrical Flying V built by Grover Jackson, Tim Wilson, and Mike Shannon of Charvel Guitars. The guitar featured a maple neck and body (neck through body), ebony fretboard, medium frets, Stratocaster style tremolo, and Seymour Duncan pickups. The prototype was the first from the Charvel works to be labeled with Jackson's name.

The guitar was originally slated to be called The Original SIN, but Randy nicknamed it Concorde. after the sleek, white supersonic aircraft Randy re-designed the next prototype because he felt the shape of the 'Concorde' was not distinctive enough from the traditional Flying V. His solution was to elongate the top 'horn' of the instrument such that the body bore more resemblance to a shark's fin. The second prototype featured the revised body shape, was black with a gold pickguard, and fixed tailpiece with strings anchored in the body.

The guitar featured Grover locking tuners and Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups (TB-4 bridge and a SH-2 neck). Two more prototypes were commissioned (four in total), another string through body example (later accidentally sold at NAMM) and another black and brass tremolo model with reversed shark fin inlays. Rhoads was killed in a plane crash before the second two guitars were completed, and before he could give Grover any feedback. These revised prototypes would become the first guitars sold to the public under the Jackson Guitars brand name. The ensuing popularity of the Randy Rhoads model put Jackson's name on the map.