Guitar Info

guitarz.blogspot.com:

B.C. Rich's NJ Series replaced the B.C. Rico brandname that originally appeared on their Japanese-made instruments and which had been the subject of a lawsuit from the Rico Reed Company. Although the initials NJ stood for "Nagoya, Japan" where the first NJ instruments were built, later Korean-made guitars also received the NJ Series designation.

This B.C. Rich NJ Series electro-acoustic jazzer, reminiscent in some ways of Gibson's Howard Roberts model, is a Japanese-made example which the seller claims was made by the Daion company. (Check here for other Daion guitars that we have looked at previously here on Guitarz). Daion guitars were manufactured from the lates 1970s through to 1984 by the Japanese company Yamaki, so I guess that it was this same company who built these B.C. Rich models rather than Daion specifically.

The guitar features a humbucker pickup at the neck plus a piezo in the bridge, controlled via volume and tone pots for each and a 3-way pickup selector switch all boldy mounted on top of the guitar. The soundhole is a suitably angular shape considering the brand, as is the sharp Florentine cutaway. The heel of the neck is comfort contoured so as to facilitate playing at the top of the neck.

This guitar is currently being offered for same on eBay UK (although the item is actually located in Sweden) with a starting price of £599.99 and a Buy It Now price of £999.99.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Indeed, you would be forgiven for thinking that this might be a somewhat colourful B.C. Rich Mockingbird - it even has the cloud-shaped fingerboard inlays. However, it is a Burny MG-145S HY, another signature guitar of the late X Japan guitarist hide.

The colourful design reflects hide's flamboyant dress sense;
X Japan were considered pioneers of the visual kei movement, although by the time hide joined the band the other members were beginning to drop visual kei aesthetics.

The Burny MG-145S HY is equipped with a Fernandes Sustainer (remember, Burny is a brandname of Fernandes, so this is essentially a Fernandes guitar), a feature that hide used on many of X Japan's songs.

This guitar is currently on sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,333 which, no doubt, some would think optimistic for a B.C. Rich "copy".

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Without wanting to offend B.C. Rich afficionados, I have to confess that I've never really been a fan. Whilst I readily give them credit for designs which were very original and exciting when they first appeared from 1969 and through the 1970s and beyond, for me they were often awkward looking, too pointy, or unnecessarily over-complicated being covered in far too many controls. I did have a secret semi-fondness for the B.C. Rich Bich 10-string, but that was mainly because Ric Ocasek of The Cars made it look so cool.

The 1975 B.C. Rich Seagull seen here comes from their classic early period - it was designed in 1972 by company founder Bernardo Chavez Rico - when their guitars were solely made in the USA and the designs were fresh. Somehow latterday B.C. Rich designs look like the company have lost the plot, like they are a parody of themselves. They now represent a heavy metal stereotype whereas before they weren't actively meant as "metal" guitars, just as bold new designs.

I'm in two minds about the Seagull. Part of me likes it for being delightfully different from other guitars from the mid-1970s (remember this was during a period in which both the major players, Gibson and Fender, although trying hard were each going through a low point in their companies' respective histories in terms of quality of output). But another part of me finds the design quite ugly... although I can't quite decide if it so ugly that it's attractive. If that makes sense.

Currently on sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1,850, I don't think that if I decide I do like it I'm going to be voting with my wallet any time soon.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I lose count of the number of times I've seen eBay sellers trying to shift what they insist on calling a "RARE Gibson Epiphone STRAT". They always emphasize the RARE and the fact that it is a Strat but Gibson-made (which it isn't, it was made in Korea). The words "rare" and "mint" have little currency on eBay these days as they are bandied about with wild abandon and without any basis in truth or the seller having done a little basic research.
This post originates at http://guitarz.blogspot.com - beware of those damned scraper blogs!
The Epiphone "Strats" and "Teles" were quite a common sight in music shops in the late 1980s. They offered a fairly decent S or T-type guitar for the price in those days (they were budget-line instruments). Personally I always felt that the Explorer-like banana headstock looked slightly incongruous on those body shapes, but I guess Epiphone wanted to reference their parent company somewhere in the design.
This post originates at http://guitarz.blogspot.com - beware of those damned scraper blogs!
Now this Epiphone copy of a B.C. Rich Bich (shown above) is a new one on me, but I'm guessing it would have come from the same period. It's probably rarer than the Fender-derived designs but I doubt it's particularly rare or of any great value. It's an interesting one, and certainly should be of consistent workmanship for an Epi of that period.
This post originates at http://guitarz.blogspot.com - beware of those damned scraper blogs!
But as ever, if you know differently then please leave a comment!

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Tyler writes:

I recently acquired another pointy 80s Japanese Monster. (Sounds a bit like something from Godzilla, eh?)

This is a model you've not yet covered: A 1983 B.C. Rich Ironbird, made in Japan in '83-'84. This isn't apparently the most popular shape (though used by the likes of Tony Iommi and Paul Stanley), but sure beats that ugly Widow! Mine's not really in the best shape (not by my hands), but plays great and sounds fantastic as well. I know B.C. Rich isn't known for necessarily ergonomic designs, and although this doesn't look it, it is very comfortable. Played in the classical seated position (which is the only way I do), it rests comfortably on your leg, being cut-out in a manner that it balances in the perfect position. Standing, it's a bit neck heavy but the long lower horn acts as a rather decent balance/armrest.

I was drawn to this by its Kahler trem (far superior to the Floyd Rose, in my opinion), which has proved a great asset to both my playing and alternate tuning purposes. The pickups are probably the stock B.C. Rich units, they are unmarked. I'll admit the pickups also attracted me on looks alone. I can't resist rails or hex-screw pole pieces. It joins my Electra Futura in the "outragoeus pointy guitar with a metallic finish" group of instruments.

I've got not much else to say, it's a great guitar and it comes in a simple yet attractive package.

~Tyler

Keep those stories and photos of your guitars coming in, folks! And as Bertram has already commented, lets see some more photos of you guys playing your guitars.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Rather than re-invent the wheel, let me just unashamedly copy some text from the eBay listing for this guitar:

This is an original B.C. Rich Stealth [...] one of the very few USA handcrafted Stealths that were produced at the BC Rich Custom Shop in Los Angeles California from '83-'84. Only 174 originals built and the black fixed bridge models are the rarest. Designed by the great rock guitarist Rick Derringer and made even more famous by Chuck Schuldiner of "Death" who adored his Stealths.

Originally Rick took his design to Gibson. As usual, Gibson set about a way they could make it cheaper and ruin the mojo. Gibson wanted to make it a set neck guitar and not a neck thru. Rick then took it to Bernie Rico and the rest is Rock n' Roll history. The Stealth is probably the nicest of all the B.C. Rich Guitars. It balances the best and has a very comfortable feel sitting or standing.

SPECS: Mahogany neck-thru and body with a beautiful Brazilian rosewood fretboard. DiMarzio Dual Sound humbuckers. 4 toggle switches - Dual-sound neck and bridge switch, phase switch and kill switch, Quadmatic bridge. 24 fret, 24 5/8 scale, Dunlop strap locks and Schaller tuners that really keep this axe in tune. This guitar plays extremely well and sounds absolutely beautiful whether you play blues, rock or death metal. Strike a chord and your hands will feel how alive this axe is with beautiful resonance.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Bertram

Edit: this post called controversy, since - though I made a research about vintage Mockingbirds - several comments confirm it as an original BC Rich (maybe a short lived Mockingbird II trying to invest the strat market) and not a modified one - but I still need a concrete proof... Check the comments for more information.

Second edit: it's confirmed, it's an original from 1983 - check the comments for more (you will note that the info doesn't come from the Internet, but from an old paper magazine!). Thanks to the contributors to this post and shame on me!

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

After Fender's Tele and Strat and Gibson's Les Paul and Flying V, the BC Rich Mockingbird must surely be one of the most instantly recognizable guitar shapes out there. Over the years, the Mockingbird - like the other guitars I just mentioned - has appeared in a whole variety of guises from handmade boutique instruments to mass-prodcued entry-level guitars, and with a few bizarre variations along the way including bass and acoustic models.

The above-pictured Mockingbird is custom order from 1999. It was built by Bernie Rico for a well known industry insider (I guess someone with the initials "GP" judging by the 12h fret inlay). The customer wanted "Les Paul" specs on a Mockingbird and so the guitar features a stunning bound flame Maple top with a Mahogany neck-through, koa wings, ebony fretboard, and a scale length of 24.75.

The BC Rich Mockingbird in our second picture couldn't be more different. Never mind the locking trem and the bolt-on neck, the main feature here is that this is a metal-bodied Mockingbird. The aluminium body features a green burst over metal flake with scales and added graphics by Nicolas, the master chopper painter of Vicious Cycles in Orlando, FL.

Just imagine! This BC Rich Acoustic/Electric Mockingbird could be just the guitar you need for that Glam Rock/Folk Duo that you've been meaning to start!

(Is it just me or do acoustic guitars built to electric guitar designs look just wrong?)

I might well be risking a ton of hate mail when I say that I've never liked BC Rich guitars, but this BC Rich Widow bass really takes the biscuit!

It's a particularly horrific design even by their standards. It has a real homemade, designed by someone who has no idea look to it. Those straight edges make it look like some kid has been sawing chunks out of a piece of wood.

I wouldn't have thought it was possible to take a BC Rich design as inspiration and make it look any worse! Mercy!

Imagine trying to find a case to fit that monstrosity. I really can't imagine anyone having the patience to put up with such a stupid and unwieldy design. (eBay link).

Zombie joins the BC Rich family of unique body styles: Guess what? It's pointy!!!

BC Rich introduces Platinum Series Eagle Bass

There's loads of new gear stories over at Harmony Central, including:

• Left-Handed Ibanez Artcore Guitars Announced
  
• New Generation USA Custom Added to Peavey's Guitar Lineup
  
• Schecter Debuts Twin Tribal Double Neck at Summer NAMM
  
• Schecter Adds 007 BlackJack to Diamond Series
  
• Third Model Joins Schecter's Aviation Family
  
• New USA Exotic Hardtails from Dean Guitars
  
• Vox Unveils Their Next Generation Hybrid Amps
  
• Five New DigiTech Overdrive/Distortion Pedals
  
• Dean Goes Upright with New Pace Basses
  
• Dean Zen Acoustic Guitar
  
• PM-10 and PM-20 from Parker Offer New Body Styles
  
• S.O.B. Offers Looks of BC Rich Beast Model in Smaller Size
  
• Burns Shows New Guitars and Basses for Summer NAMM
  
• The Gretsch Duo Jet Special Guitar Returns
  
• Gretsch Introduces G6122SP Country Classic Special at NAMM
  
• New Resonator Guitars from Hohner

...and loads more stuff - check out the Summer NAMM 2004 Complete Coverage.

Ever since I posted that entry here about the Aria Legend plexiglass guitar that I was selling, this website has been getting lots of hits from people searching for plexiglass guitars.

Here are some more perspex-bodied guitars:

• Crystal Guitars - custom made acrylic electric guitars
  
• Gremlin Guitars - a much cheaper option and in pretty colours too! Also includes travel guitars and bass guitars
  
• Pignose acrylic travel guitars in anti-freeze green, pop-cycle red or windex blue, and with built-in Pignose amp!
  
• BC Rich acrylic series - Warlock and Mockingbird

Of course the original perspex guitars were the now legendary Ampeg Dan Armstrong instruments from the 1960s. These had been re-issued in relatively recent years, although I can't find a link to any official webpage for them. However, there are some nice pics of the Dan Armstrong see-thru bass over at bunnybass.com.