Marshall Unveils The Limited Edition Randy Rhoads Signature Head

Jan 22, 2008

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Marshall Amplification, in conjunction with the estate of the late, great Randy Rhoads, is pleased to introduce the new Limited Edition Randy Rhoads Tribute 100-watt head. Crafted to harness the now-legendary tones which continue to inspire generations of guitar players, the signature 1959RR is a fitting tribute to Rhoads' unique musical persona which has rocked the music world for over 25 years.

The 1959RR boasts the exact circuitry and Marshall factory "mod" that Rhoads' original, iconic white Marshall 1959 houses. When he first joined Ozzy Osbourne's band, Rhoads had Marshall custom-build his white head and also had it modified at the factory for more gain - which involved cascading the two halves of the first ECC83 valve in the preamp section. With the blessing and help of the Rhoads family, a Marshall design engineer traveled to California and opened up Randy's original amp head (kept under lock and key) to confirm the modification and circuitry to ensure it was duplicated exactly in the tribute model.

This all-valve head (3 x ECC83 in the preamp, 4 x EL34s in the power amp) features two channels, I and II, each with two inputs - high sensitivity and low sensitivity. Both channels share passive tone-shaping controls for Bass, Middle, Treble and Presence. Its white vinyl covering, black corners and large black script logo make it instantly recognizable as "Randy's head" to all hard rock fans. The back panel features the signatures of Dr. Jim Marshall OBE and Randy Rhoads.

The 1959RR owner's manual features a handwritten introduction from Ozzy's current guitarist and fellow-signature-Marshall user, Zakk Wylde. In it, Wylde says, "Without Randy I wouldn't be the player I am today - the chops, the writing and that amazing, father Marshall tone. There can only be one father Marshall and Randy Rhoads."

When Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Rockwalk of Fame in 2004, Dr. Jim Marshall OBE, founder and CEO of Marshall Amplification, wrote the following in a letter to Rhoads' mother Delores: "I was and still am delighted that Randy played through Marshalls and consider him to be one of the finest ambassadors of my amplifiers to this very day - the fact that he is still rightfully held in such high regard by so many musicians speaks volumes regarding the tremendous impact he had on the world of rock guitar."

The new Marshall Limited Edition Randy Rhoads Tribute Head will be available in spring '08. U.S. MSRP TBD.

For more information, visit their web site at www.marshallamps.com.