MXR has launched the latest iteration of Randy Rhoads’ signature distortion pedal, which this time takes its aesthetic cues from another of the late guitar god’s iconic electric guitars.
For its previous Rhoads-honoring stompbox – the eagerly awaited, limited-edition Randy Rhoads Distortion+ – MXR elected to give it an appropriate polka dot chassis in the style of the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist’s Polka Dot V.
That pedal, first teased in 2022, had been in the works for quite some time, eventually overcoming lengthy production delays that pushed the final release date back an entire year. A collaboration between MXR and Rhoads’ family, the pedal was produced after the latter unveiled Randy’s pedalboard for the firm’s design team to inspect.
The result was a Rhoads-honoring drive pedal, built with the exact replication of parts, which promised the distinct tone of the guitarist’s own MXR Distortion box. It launched to much fanfare, though swiftly sold out.
Now, the pedal is back, but with a new look, this time taking on the appearance of Rhoads’ iconic Jackson Concorde V – a sleek, angular, asymmetric build inspired by a shark fin design that was first produced as a custom model in 1980.
“I’m always working on something, though I don’t talk about it,” Rhoads’ sister, Kathy, had teased to Guitar World a few weeks back. “We’re about to release a second MXR pedal.
“I met with Jimmy Dunlop about two years ago, and we took Randy’s pedalboard out for the first time and did the first pedal with the polka dots. In September we’re releasing a second one designed after the Jackson Concorde.”
Rhoads’ Concorde is up there as one of the most iconic metal guitars ever made. As the story goes, it was designed in direct collaboration with Grover Jackson, after Rhoads paid him a visit at his workshop in Charvel HQ during some time off after the Blizzard of Ozz tour.
It launched the Jackson brand, ushered in a new era of pointy metal axes, and became Rhoads’ go-to guitar on the road, and would later receive a few tweaks following rigorous road-testing.
That guitar – and its master – has been honored with the new MXR Randy Rhoads Distortion+, which ups the ante with gold knurled control knobs for its Output and Distortion parameters.
As per Dunlop, it has been "painstakingly spec'd from Randy's own MXR Distortion+", and comes accompanied by an exclusive collector's booklet.
The Randy Rhoads MXR Special Edition Distortion+ is available now for $189. Pre-order from Guitar Center (US) and Thomann (UK/Europe).
For more, head over to Dunlop.
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