“Randy Rhoads was more than just a guitar player – he was a lion! He represented
Randy Rhoads: Tribute to a Timeless Talent
the hardworking musician whose dedication to his instrument brought him all the success that he deserved, without compromising his attitude and vision or his sound and tone. He also laid down the blueprint to show”us how to follow our own vision as well.
Kirk Hammett, Metallica
“From Randy's fierce playing to his dedication as a musician, he was and still is an inspiration to me”in all ways, not just as a guitarist.
Doug Aldrich, Whitesnake
Zakk Wylde
Black Label Society & Ozzy Osbourne
“I can’t say enough good things about Randy and the influence he had on me, especially when it came to orchestrating. The classical vibe he had was incredible.
I loved Randy’s brittle sound and his awesome ability to double his leads. There’s no telling what that cat would be busting off if he was still around. He was a monster player and his guitar work on “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman” was definitely one step above anything else going on at that time. To me, Eddie Van Halen”was heavy rock ‘n’ roll, but Randy was heavy metal.
“There are some people who are like a shooting star. They come, hit the planet and explode into a beautiful rainbow of colours. Then they shoot off somewhere else... that was the life of Randy Rhoads.”
The source of these touching, eloquent words? Believe it or not, they’re directly from the mouth of hard rock’s most beloved madman, Ozzy Osbourne – taken
from an interview he did withmagazine a few years ago. In truth, to anyone who knows more aboutGuitarOzzyWorldthan the often shocking image the popular tabloid press like to portray, this sort of lyrical waxing by the legendary heavy metal artist will come as no surprise, especially when it comes to Randy Rhoads. After all, the singer considered the late, great guitarist to have not only been his “best friend” but also “the greatest musician I have ever known.”
Ozzy is not alone in rightfully considering Randy to be one of the most extraordinary musical talents in the history of rock – only a handful of players are as beloved and revered as he is. In the space of a mere two studio albums
with Ozzy – 1980’sand 1981’s– the guitarist established himselfBlizzardasofoneOzzof the most innovativeDiary of aandMadmaninspirational rock guitarists to ever walk this planet. Furthermore, despite the heartbreaking fact that Randy was taken from us at the tender age of only 25, the timeless nature of his talent continues to inspire countless young players some 26 years later...
such is the size of the indelible shadow Randy cast and the colossal impact of his brief but brilliant career.
What makes Randy so very special? Well, like all timeless musicians it wasn’t only his incredible playing but also his profound skills in the areas of composition and arranging. Simply put, the songs he wrote with Ozzy are as fresh sounding and exciting today as they were when they were first penned. Add to that Randy’s brilliant rhythm work, his
Talking of omnipresent entities: to a great many folk, Randy’s beloved, large logo, white Marshall 100 Watt Super Lead head is as synonymous with the guitarist as is the unique white Jackson guitar he designed (aside for trivia fans
– this axe was originally named the “Concorde” by Randy and
Grover Jackson). As the engineer ofand the
producer/engineer ofBlizzardandoftheOzzposthumously released live albums, Max Norman,Diary of recentlya Madmantold us about Randy, “he insisted on no
compromisesTribute for his amplification. There's no doubt in my mind that his Marshall amps and cabinets not only accompanied but assisted Randy in his climb to greatness.” As a fitting tribute to Randy, the 1959RR head you’re now the proud owner of is not only visually identical to his legendary Marshall, it is also sonically identical as well.
As revealed elsewhere in this manual, when Randy ordered his now famous white head, he visited the factory to pick it up and had it modified for more gain while he was there. Thanks to the Rhoads family, one of our engineers was allowed to take a detailed peak inside Randy’s original head (wisely kept under lock and key in a vault in an undisclosed location along with his equally famous guitars) to ensure that the Tribute amp was electronically identical to it. As a further bonus we were also able to speak to the Marshall test manager who did the modification while “the small bloke with a white Les Paul” patiently stood by and waited! The mod in question? It simply cascades the two halves of the first ECC83 valve, giving you a lot more preamp distortion than in a standard 1959 Super Lead head. Channel I (a.k.a. the “High Treble” channel) remains “as is” but when you plug into Channel II (the
Randy was so happy with his visit to the Marshall factory and the amp he left with that he actually penned the following in a postcard to his friend and ex- band mate, Kevin DuBrow – the recently deceased singer for Quiet Riot. "I did something you'll appreciate – I went to the Marshall factory and ordered my own amps, I had them beefed up and modified there, I got them in white!” Randy entered this world as Randall William Rhoads in Santa Monica, California, on December 6th 1956. To say he was born into a musical family would be a gross understatement as his beloved mother, Delores, ran a Music School in North Hollywood named Musonia - a fine institution she still works in every day at nearly 90 years young! Randy started playing guitar at the tender age of 6½ after finding his Grandfather’s old Gibson acoustic in a closet. “He just picked it up and that was his life from then on.” Delores recalls with a grin. “Naturally I had him start taking lessons from one of my guitar teachers – he learned a few simple chords and they would play some of those songs that he especially liked.”
Even though one of his most magical musical moments is the short acoustic solo piece “Dee” (named after and dedicated to his mother, Delores) on Blizzard of Ozz, Randy didn’t stick with the acoustic long. “By the time he was seven he came to me and said, ‘you know Momma, I really want to play electric guitar.’” Delores laughs. “I had a very good teacher at that time so I said fine but the only instrument we had was an old
Armed with his behemoth instrument, Randy was a natural and developed as a player incredibly quickly. “He learned very fast, it was just amazing.” Delores confirmed. “The story about his teacher, Scott Shelley, saying to me, ‘I’ve taught him all I know I can’t teach him anything more’ has been written up in the magazines quite often. I said, ‘Come on Scott,’ because I thought he was teasing me but he told me that he really meant it. So then Randy had to take it upon his own self to do what he wanted to do, which he did.
“He just loved the guitar,” Delores continues. “That was his whole life. He wouldn’t go any place without his guitar - if we went on a vacation, we had to take it!” Alongside his love for the guitar came an affinity for rock music after his older brother, Kelle, took him to an Alice Cooper concert which, as Mrs. Rhoads recalls with a smile, “impressed Randy a great deal and influenced him to get really interested in rock.”
ENGLISH
Dimebag Darrell (RIP), Pantera, Damageplan
“I was 13 when I first heard Randy playing on the live 'Tribute' album which is still my favourite Ozzy release and always will be. The way Randy played rhythm and threw in those gnarly licks
He's definitely been a big influence on my playing... and how I like my guitars shaped! Each note he played
served the music which is what makes a great guitarist... | |
and that was Randy. ” | Alexi Laiho, Children of Bodom |
“Marshall’s meet up with Kelle Rhoads for a technical assessment of Randy’s Marshall gear
It was my pleasure to assist Randy in this very joyful occasion, at Musonia School of Music in California; it was just me and the Signature Series Development Engineer from Marshall Amplification, we were in the room where I teach my students, and one by one the amp and cabinets that belonged to Randy, were pulled from their road cases and thoroughly scrutinized.
Randy was so happy the day he got to go to Marshalls and pick this equipment. Well, here we are twenty five years later with the very same gear, except the black stenciled name on the boxes is not just a touring guitarist name anymore; it is the name of one of the world’s greatest Icons. I could feel his presence that day, laughing and smiling while the Marshall engineer worked over the circuit board and sweated to make sure everything was 100% accurate.
In the end standing on the porch of Musonia, as Randy and I so often did, smoking a cigarette (so appropriate if you knew Randy) the Marshall engineer and I said goodbye and off he went” back to England… and I was left with special memories of Randy and his amps once again.
Kelle Rhoads
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