Randy Rhoads's guitar strings: the Quiet Riot + Ozzy rig, sourced

Documented string gauges and tunings Randy Rhoads used with Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne's solo band on his Jackson Concorde and Karl Sandoval polka-dot Flying V instruments. With citations.

Ozzy Osbourne / Quiet Riot · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-30

Randy Rhoads used GHS Boomers in standard light gauges (documented .009-.042 territory across his Ozzy-era recordings). His primary instruments were the white Jackson Rhoads Concorde (a sharkfin-shaped V designed in collaboration with Grover Jackson in 1980) and the Karl Sandoval polka-dot Flying V he played in the early Quiet Riot era. Rhoads died in a small-plane crash in March 1982 at age 25; his three studio records (one with Quiet Riot, two with Ozzy) are foundational to the early-1980s neoclassical-metal lineage.

At a glance

Role

Guitarist (historical)

Active

1972–1982

Based

Burbank, California

Genres

Affiliations

Notable credits

Quiet Riot, Quiet Riot (1977)
Quiet Riot II (1978)
Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz (1980)
Diary of a Madman (1981)
Tribute (live, posthumous, 1987)

Official media

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-04-30· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Randy Rhoads was

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads (December 6, 1956, Santa Monica, California, March 19, 1982, Leesburg, Florida, plane accident) was the founding lead guitarist of Quiet Riot (1973-1979) and Ozzy Osbourne's solo band (1979-1982). His two studio records with Ozzy, Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981), are foundational to the early-1980s neoclassical-metal lineage and remain among the most-cited metal-lead-guitar records of the era.

The Jackson Rhoads Concorde V, designed in collaboration with Grover Jackson in 1980 and continuously produced by Jackson Guitars as a signature line, is one of the most-recognizable metal-guitar shapes in popular music. Rhoads was studying classical guitar formally at the time of his death; the integration of classical study into hard-rock-and-metal lead vocabulary is the foundational stylistic contribution that puts him in the lineage that produced Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman, and Jason Becker.

What he played

GHS Boomers light-gauge strings, .009-.042 territory, on his two primary instruments: the Karl Sandoval polka-dot Flying V (1979, white with black polka dots, played the Blizzard of Ozz sessions and 1980 tour) and the white Jackson Rhoads Concorde (1980, custom-built by Grover Jackson in collaboration with Rhoads, played the Diary of a Madman sessions and 1981 tour). A second Jackson Concorde (the black Rhoads V) was completed shortly before his death.

His signal chain into Marshall tube amps (vintage 100-watt Plexi-era heads) at high saturation drove the lead tone. He used MXR Distortion + and an MXR 10-band EQ as his primary boost-and-shape pedals; the boost-into-Marshall combination is the canonical Rhoads-era lead-tone formula.

Standard E tuning on most material; selected songs in Eb standard.

Why this fits the rig

The light .009 set into Marshall tube saturation produces a vocal-quality lead tone with low picking effort, suiting the fluid arpeggio-and-scale-sequence vocabulary that characterizes the Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman leads. The asymmetric Jackson V shape sat more comfortably on his strapped or seated playing posture than a standard Gibson V, which is part of why he commissioned the Concorde design with Grover Jackson in the first place.

His classical study influences the lead vocabulary directly: the harmonic-minor and Phrygian-dominant scales, the arpeggio sequences on 'Mr. Crowley' and the 'Diary of a Madman' middle section, the formal three-section structure of the title track from Diary of a Madman. These are choices that come out of classical training, applied through a Marshall-saturated metal signal chain.

If you want this rig

A Jackson Rhoads V production model (in continuous production since the early 1980s) and a light-gauge nickel set in standard E or Eb tuning, into a Marshall-style tube amp with a clean boost in front, gets you in the territory.

Frequently asked questions

What strings did Randy Rhoads use?

GHS Boomers in light gauges, .009-.042 territory across the Ozzy-era recordings. Specific gauge documented variably across interview sources. Standard E or Eb tuning depending on the song.

What guitars did Rhoads play?

Two primary instruments. The Karl Sandoval polka-dot Flying V (1979, white with black polka dots, custom-built by Karl Sandoval in Burbank, California) on the *Blizzard of Ozz* sessions and the 1980 tour. The white Jackson Rhoads Concorde (1980, custom-built by Grover Jackson in collaboration with Rhoads on the design) on the *Diary of a Madman* sessions and the 1981 tour. The Jackson Concorde design has been continuously produced by Jackson Guitars as the Rhoads V signature production line.

Why is the Jackson Rhoads V shape asymmetric?

Rhoads and Grover Jackson designed the Concorde V in 1980 to create a more comfortable Flying V shape. The standard Gibson Flying V's symmetric body sits awkwardly on the leg and rotates forward when seated, the asymmetric sharkfin design (with one wing longer than the other) sits more securely and balances differently. The visual design also distinguished it from the standard Gibson V, which is part of why it became one of the most-recognizable signature shapes of the era.

What's Rhoads's neoclassical-metal influence?

Rhoads's lead vocabulary on *Blizzard of Ozz* (1980) and *Diary of a Madman* (1981) integrates classical-music study (arpeggios, scales drawn from harmonic minor and Phrygian-dominant modes, formal classical structure on tracks like 'Mr. Crowley' and 'Diary of a Madman') with hard-rock and metal contexts. He's credited as one of the foundational influences on neoclassical metal as a sub-genre, alongside Yngwie Malmsteen, who emerged shortly after Rhoads's death. Rhoads was studying classical guitar formally at the time of his death.

How did Rhoads die?

March 19, 1982, in a small-plane accident outside Leesburg, Florida, during the *Diary of a Madman* tour. The plane was being flown low for a stunt by the tour's bus driver (who had a private pilot's license but was not authorized to fly that aircraft); the plane clipped the tour bus and crashed into a house. Rhoads, makeup artist Rachel Youngblood, and pilot Andrew Aycock were killed. He was 25 years old.