History Of: Bc Rich Guitars

BC Rich are a company specialising in pointed and extreme electric guitar shapes best suited for rock, hard rock and heavy metal bands. Bernardo Chavez Rico was the unlikely character to create distinctive guitars. Bernardo Rico (aka “Bernie”) was an accomplished Flamenco acoustic musician. From the early to mid 60s Bernie Rico exclusively built Flamenco guitars in Bernardo’s Guitar Store in LA, California. Previous executive Vice President, Mal Stich, explains, “When you walked into Bernardo's the very first thing you noticed was wall to wall guitars hanging from the wall like birthday celebration balloons. There was a glass counter with picks, strings, guitar components and accessories. Behind the counter was a window and you could actually watch the guys constructing electric guitars. And, the coolest thing was there were usually Flamenco and Classical players pickin away. I remember the Flamenco musicians firing at each other with riff after riff. Bernie's dad, Bernardo Mason Rico, was always sitting in his chair next to the Coca Cola soda machine while friends and neighbors watched enthralled as they listened to the music.”

We are recognizing BC Rich Guitar’s 40th Anniversary marking 1969 as the time Bernie embarked on his first real try to manufacture electric guitars and basses. It has been recorded that ten basses inspired by the Gibson EB-3 bass in addition to 10 matching Les Paul inspired guitars were all hand-crafted. At present few of these guitars exist, and it’s rumored that fewer than the number listed above had been actually finished.

The time around 1972 was exceptionally propitious. The initial guitar design, the Seagull, was handcrafted in Bernardo’s shop. True to future shape, the Seagull guitar was visually distinctive as well as innovative. The guitar's neck-thru design (now an embarkment of BC Rich) featuring a heel-less design – very rare for that point in time.

Bernie soon hired several talented designers to compliment his incredibly talented craftsmen. Many of the distinctive shapes and styles that emerges from this expansion had grown to become iconic shapes associated with guitars. Approximately around 1976 came the Mockingbird, and then the further improvement of the Seagull, the Eagle emerged, and around 1978 arrived the Bich. Some of the most well-regarded axemen instantly took to the brand new trend of BC Rich.

With growing success, there was a necessity for a less expensive mass-produced BC Rich guitar. Approximately 1978 Bernie developed the BC Rico brand to designate guitars that would be imported from Japan. This first attempt was less than profitable when the Rico Reed Company filed a lawsuit over the usage of the name. Regardless of the consequence, the choice was already made to use the BC Rich name on imported guitars. Only a handful, possibly a hundred or so BC Rico instruments ever made it to the United States.

When the early 80s arrived, the Warlock was introduced. Almost instantly the hair metal culture of the era slaved to the Warlock’s edgy and distinctive contour. The Warlock, though nowhere close to the newest shape invented, rounds out the primary 5 legendary BC Rich shapes and styles.

The 90s and 2000s saw a new crop of nasty models even pointier than the 80s models. These included the Zombie, Draco, Ignitor, Beast (brainstormed by Brian Hoffman, guitarists of death metal band Deicide), Warbeast (a mixture of Beast and Warlock).

BC Rich guitars are also known for their endorsement deals with several essential and revered hard rock and metal players including Kerry King of Slayer (whose signature guitar is diabolic V-shape that has intensive tribal visual work over the guitar's body. He also has a signature guitar based mostly on the Warlock). The late Chuck Schuldiner of Death (when Schuldiner died of cancer in 2001 BC Rich Guitars released a tribute model based on his preferred guitar, the BC Rich Stealth). Paul Stanley of KISS, and Paolo Gregoletto (bassist in Trivium) are also endorsed BC Rich players. If you're like me, when you think of hard rock and metal... you think of iconic guitars like BC Rich. They helped form rock and roll.

By: toddmastersmd

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Steve is a passionate music lover and guitar player who has been playing guitar for over 25 years. One of his favorite websites he uses for his guitar related resources is Gear-Vault.com, the best guitar review websites on the entire internet. Resource to History of B.C. Rich Guitars