B.C. Rich is a brand known for its many unconventional guitar models, featuring distinctive shapes like the Mockingbird and Warlock. Today, it's one of the guitar brands favored by artists who use deep distortion and heavy overdrive.
Personally, I also had the image of B.C. Rich as "guitars meant to be distorted" or "guitars used by metal guitarists."
When I first encountered a Seagull model from the 1970s, I was amazed by how comfortable it felt to hold and how effortless it was to play—qualities I never would have guessed from its appearance. Its smooth, crystalline sound and the precise control that allowed me to add such rich, varied nuances to that tone. The more I played it, the more I marveled, "Was this guitar really this meticulously thought out?" My previous image of B.C. Rich as "all about distortion" or "metal-oriented" shifted. I came to see it as an exceptionally practical "tool," forming a new impression of it as a true " high-end guitar."
With the desire to introduce B.C. Rich to more people, I decided to create this column.
So, let's trace the history ofB.C. Rich from here.
B.C. Rich is Bernardo Ricco . Rico was born in Los Angeles in 1941. His father ran a musical instrument shop called "The Rico Shop," which made instruments used in flamenco, such as the vihuelaand the reguinto.Rico himself played flamenco and classical music as a guitarist, but in the 1950s he began working at his father's shop, where he performed a variety of tasks , including making ukuleles and guitars and modifying Martin guitars to 12 strings.
In the 1960s, when country music became popular, Rico worked on Martin guitars around 1966-67. B.C. Rich . B.C. Rich is simply an anglicized version of Bernardo Rico, but there is also a theory that Rico copied the name from a friend of his at the time who used a Latin-style name.
Starting in 1968, Rico began crafting solid-body guitar bodies, producing distinctive instruments like a copy model of the EB-3 with its archtop and luxurious inlays, and a Les Paul copy model with a matching headstock. Simultaneously, Rico handled repairs and refinishes, crafting bodies to fit Fender necks and performing avant-garde refinishes. This avant-garde approach reportedly began when shop employees, noticing Rico riding a motorcycle with flashy paint, suggested he try bold refinishes. Thus embarking on the solid-body guitar path, Rico finally developing original models .
And in1972, Riko designed the first Seagull and Bass. The Seagull features adopted a heel-less neck joint and with a single-cutaway design with a single-cutaway design. However, the body was thin like an SG, with the 1st string side cutaway protruding outward and the 6th string side near the toggle switch featuring a pointed shape, giving it an unconventional silhouette.
While heel-less neck joints are now adopted by many brands, Seagull was one of the earliest models to incorporate this design in the history of electric guitars. Regarding the through-neck construction, at the time Allen & Martin's Rick and Turner . The through-neck construction and heel-less joint became synonymous with B.C. Rich and were carried over to subsequent models.
The Seagull is distinctive not only in appearance but also in its electronics. While controls vary by individual guitar, the basic setup features active circuitry with diverse options: master volume, master tone, pickup selector, dual-sound switches for each pickup, a phase switch for blending, a booster on/off switch with booster volume, and a 6-position Varitone switch. This versatile control system was developed by Neil Moser, the designer who later created guitars like the Bich.
The earliest B.C. Rich guitars featured Gibson pickups. This was possible because L.D. Heater, the company distributing B.C. Rich guitars, was under the Norlin umbrella, Gibson's parent company. However, installing the aforementioned diverse controls required disassembling the pickups to create a 4-conductor structure, a laborious process. Later, Guild pickups were used, but these also required disassembly. Around 1974-75, when they stopped selling through L.D. Heater and began direct sales, Rico started selling replacement pickups at that time. Larry DiMarzio and requested a 4-conductor humbucker. From this point until around 1986, when they began developing their own pickups, they primarily used DiMarzio pickups.
Guild Pickup Equipped
Around 1975, there were complaints that the protrusions on the upper body of the Seagull could dig into the player's body. To address this, the protrusion near the toggle switch on the 6-string side was removed, resulting in a double cutaway design. Seagull II was released.
In 1976, the body was given a waistline and the horn on the 6-string side was extended. Eagle . Its basic specs were the same as the Seagull, with only the shape changed, making it an evolved model.
In 1976, the Mockingbird —now considered B.C. Rich's flagship model —was created. Mockingbird was released. Like the two models released earlier, it features a through-neck heel-less joint construction with versatile controls, but the 1st string cutaway extends longer outward, and the 6th string contour is steep and deeply carved. Furthermore, the body end is asymmetrical, making it a model with even more unique eccentricity.
The Mockingbird was actually sketched by Rico on a napkin at Denny's at 11 PM (commonly known as the " Napkin Design ") and was designed by Johnny (GoGo) Kessel. Moreover, the very first Mockingbird built was a short-scale Bass, another uniquely distinctive specification.
Around the same time Bich model was also developed. The Bich featured an even more unconventional shape than previously released models, and its design was overseen by Neil by . The most eye-catching part of the Bich is undoubtedly the body end section, which features a large cutaway design. Why such an unconventional design? The reason lies in the to mount auxiliary strings 4 strings 10 strings . It is cut precisely to allow pegs for the auxiliary strings to be installed directly beneath the bridge, with the wood thinned in that area to accommodate the pegs.
Guitars that use auxiliary strings, such as 12-string guitars, naturally position the pegs on the headstock. However, this structural placement makes turning the pegs difficult. Bich eliminates this inconvenience by placing the pegs on the body. Furthermore, since the weight isn't overly concentrated on the headstock, the body balance is better than it appears. Despite its unconventional design, it still plays well. playable ." Some models feature two preamp boosters based on Seagull's control system.
Approximately five years after the birth of the Bich, in 1981, the Warlock model was released. This was the first model Rico designed on a drafting table , featuring a sharply defined, angular design that contrasted with the smooth curves of previous models. Furthermore, while B.C. Rich had previously used 3:3 tuners, the Warlock introduced single-sided tuners . Although Bernardo himself reportedly wasn't particularly fond of the Warlock design initially, Spencer Tharcom, guitarist for the band Shark Island, loved the design and pushed forward with its production. Subsequently, renowned artists like Rita Ford and Nikki Sixx used it, leading to its explosive popularity.
Bich was used by Joe Perry, but I personally think that the Warlock's use by HR/HM artists has likely had a major impact on B.C. Rich's current image.
Later, in 1982, the lightning-bolt-patterned Ironbird . In '83, they released the Wave and Stealth . True to its name, the Wave features a body shape that undulates like waves, making it another distinctive model. The Stealth model features a body shape resembling a slimmer version of Gibson's Explorer with a reverse headstock, and is said to have been designed by Rick Derringer.
Quoted from the B.C. Rich homepage
In 1984, they began selling the NJ Series, which was manufactured in Nagoya. However, due to the strong yen, the factory was relocated to Korea, and production of more affordable series began. By 1995, they were selling acoustic guitars and exploring various approaches, but in 1999, Rico sadly passed away from a heart attack. In 2001, the company was acquired by the Hanser Music Group, leading to its current status.
While B.C. Rich still releases affordable series today, the Custom Shop line and certain models featuring 70s-era controls capture allowing you to feel the spirit of that era. .
As a side note, when I previously compiled a column about the Aria Pro II, I learned that there was a history of creating copy models of B.C. Rich guitars, which then served as the basis for developing original models. Aria Pro II's Mockingbird copy models, like the MK, began shipping in the late 70s. The fact they started releasing copies immediately after the Mockingbird's 1976 launch shows Japan's underlying strength, along with its admiration and passion for artists. Furthermore ,B.C. Rich copy models also appeared under Fernandes' sub-brand,Burny. The influence B.C. Rich brought to Japan is immeasurable.
As mentioned at the outset, few guitars change your impression so profoundly before and after playing them.
