Poseidon! - 1996 Jackson Rhoads RR3 Professional MIJ in Transparent Blue

Meet Poseidon

Some guitars make waves. Poseidon appears to have brought the entire ocean with him.

Poseidon is an older Japanese-built Jackson Rhoads RR3 Professional, combining a spectacular Transparent Blue finish with period Japanese hardware, a pair of genuine Bare Knuckle humbuckers and his original Jackson hard case.

When he arrived at The Stray Chord, however, we wanted to know exactly what was hiding beneath the surface.

Beneath the Surface

During Poseidon’s restoration, we dismantled the guitar sufficiently to inspect and document the factory markings hidden beneath the neck.

The neck heel carries an RR-3 marking, accompanied by corresponding production markings within the neck pocket, providing physical evidence from inside the instrument supporting his identification as a Japanese Jackson Rhoads RR3 Professional.

Removing the bridge revealed another piece of his history: a period Takeuchi double-locking tremolo stamped MADE IN JAPAN.

In other words, we haven’t simply looked at an old Jackson logo, made an educated guess and called it a day.

We’ve been inside Poseidon.

Which sounds considerably more invasive when written down.

Something Dangerous Was Lurking Beneath the Surface

Poseidon’s original pickups are long gone. In their place sits a pair of genuine Bare Knuckle humbuckers, handwound in the UK.

Both pickups were removed during his restoration and their Bare Knuckle-marked baseplates photographed.

Neither carries a surviving model designation, and we’re not going to invent one to make an advert sound more exciting.

They’re Bare Knuckles.

That’s exciting enough.

There’s plenty of power and aggression when the gain comes up, but with the definition and clarity needed to stop individual notes disappearing when things get heavy. Frankly, putting polite pickups into a Japanese Rhoads would have been a terrible waste.

Made in Japan. Built for Considerably Less Sensible Behaviour.

The Rhoads shape needs very little introduction.

Offset V body. Sharkfin inlays. Reverse pointed headstock. Huge upper-fret access. Enough sharp extremities to make walking through a doorway an occupational hazard.

This is Jackson doing exactly what Jackson does best.

Poseidon has a bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 24 frets and that wonderfully quick, slim Jackson feel. His Japanese Takeuchi double-locking tremolo provides all the dive-bombing nonsense you could reasonably require, while the twin-humbucker layout keeps things refreshingly straightforward.

Two humbuckers. Three-way selector. Volume. Tone. Whammy bar.

No committee meeting required.

The Stray Chord Treatment

Here’s the other thing that makes Poseidon rather special.

For a Japanese Jackson of his age, he is in genuinely impressive condition.

There are naturally small marks and signs of use accumulated over the years, but nothing approaching the sort of abuse these pointy old Jacksons so often suffered.

His Transparent Blue finish remains beautifully vibrant, his overall presentation is excellent and, perhaps most miraculously of all, those numerous Jackson extremities have survived remarkably well.

Because every point on a Rhoads is essentially an invitation to accidentally introduce it to a door frame.

Poseidon has clearly been played, but he has equally clearly been looked after.

We haven’t attempted to erase that history. Instead, we’ve concentrated on preserving what was already a particularly well-kept example while making sure everything underneath is exactly as it should be.

Poseidon was stripped down and thoroughly inspected. His hardware was removed and serviced, his electronics checked, his Bare Knuckle pickups removed and verified, and the neck removed so we could inspect and document the original factory markings hidden underneath.

His Japanese Takeuchi tremolo was removed, identified and serviced, his fingerboard and fretwork attended to where required, and everything carefully rebuilt before receiving a complete professional setup.

He has been restrung and adjusted so his next person gets to enjoy him rather than immediately reaching for an Allen key.

Any remaining signs of age and use are represented honestly in our photographs.

Importantly, particularly when you’re adopting something with quite this many pointy bits, Poseidon also comes with his original Jackson hard case, included in his adoption fee.

Specifications

Model: Jackson Rhoads RR3 Professional
Country of Manufacture: Japan
Finish: Transparent Blue
Construction: Bolt-on
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Frets: 24
Inlays: Jackson Sharkfin
Pickups: 2 x genuine Bare Knuckle humbuckers, exact models unidentified
Controls: Master volume, master tone and 3-way pickup selector
Bridge: Takeuchi double-locking tremolo, Made in Japan
Included: Tremolo arm and original Jackson hard case
Condition: Used, remarkably well preserved for its age
Workshop: Inspected, serviced, restored where required and professionally set up

The God of the Sea Resurfaces

Poseidon isn’t a museum piece, and his Bare Knuckles mean he isn’t completely factory-original.

What he is, however, is a remarkably well-preserved older Japanese Jackson with sympathetic high-end pickup upgrades, period Japanese Takeuchi hardware, his original Jackson hard case and hidden factory markings still present to help document exactly what he is.

These older Japanese Jackson Professionals have earned an enthusiastic following for good reason. Finding one this well preserved is lovely.

Finding one this well preserved with Bare Knuckle pickups, its original Jackson hard case, period Japanese Takeuchi hardware and surviving internal factory markings makes Poseidon considerably more interesting.

He has history and provenance.

He has been upgraded enough to be dangerous.

And after several decades, one complete workshop rehabilitation and a fairly invasive archaeological expedition into his hidden factory markings, the God of the Sea has resurfaced.

Poseidon is ready to make waves again.

THE STRAY CHORD
RESCUE • RESTORE • REHOME