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Submitted by: Todd Masters
BC Rich are a company specialising in angular and extreme guitar shapes best suited for rock, hard rock and heavy metal music. Bernardo Chavez Rico was a doubtful person to create distinctive guitars. Bernardo Rico (aka Bernie ) was an successful Flamenco acoustic player. From the early to mid 60s Bernie Rico exclusively constructed Flamenco guitars in Bernardo s Guitar Shop in Los Angeles, Cal. Ex- Vice President, Mal Stich, comments, When you walked into Bernardo’s the first thing you saw was wall to wall electric 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 watch the guys constructing guitars. But, the coolest thing was there were usually Classical and Flamenco musicians pickin away. I remember the Flamenco players firing at each other with riff after riff. Bernie’s father, Bernardo Mason Rico, was usually sitting in his chair next to the Coca Cola soda machine while buddies and neighbors, even the postman, watched spellbound as they listened to the music.
We’re recognizing BC Rich s Fortieth Anniversary stamping 1969 as the year Bernie embarked on his first real try to manufacture guitars and basses. It was recorded that ten basses influenced by the Gibson EB-3 electric bass as well as 10 matching Les Paul inspired guitars were all handcrafted. Right now few of these musical instruments exist, and it s said that less than the number above had been actually completed.
The time around 1972 was exceptionally propitious. The first original guitar design, the Seagull, was handcrafted in Bernardo s shop. True to future shape, the Seagull guitar was visually unique along with innovative. Its neck-thru design (now a hallmark of BC Rich) featuring a heel-less construction very rare for that time.
Bernie quickly hired a number of talented designers to compliment his very proficient craftsmen. Many of the unique shapes that emerges from this expansion had grown to become iconic shapes associated with electric guitars. Around 1976 came the Mockingbird, and then the additional improvement of the Seagull, the Eagle guitar emerged, and around 1978 arrived the Bich. Some of the most respected axemen immediately took to the revolutionary direction of BC Rich Guitars.
With growing success, there was a desire for a less expensive mass-produced BC Rich guitar. Approximately 1978 Bernie developed the BC Rico brand name to devise electric guitars to be imported from Japan. This first attempt was not profitable when the Rico Reed Company filed a lawsuit over the use of the brand. Despite the end result, the choice was already made to use the BC Rich mark on imported guitars. Merely a small portion, maybe a hundred or so BC Rico instruments ever made it to the US.
When the early 1980s arrived, the Warlock was introduced. Almost instantly the hair metal culture of the time slaved to the Warlock s edgy and matchless contour. The Warlock, though nowhere close to the newest shape innovated, rounds out the primary 5 legendary BC Rich shapes and styles.
The 90s and 2000s witnessed a new crop of nasty models even pointier than the 1980s models. These included the Draco, Zombie, Ignitor, Beast (designed by Brian Hoffman, guitarists of death metal band Deicide), Warbeast (a combination of Beast and Warlock).
BC Rich are also recognized for their endorsement deals with a number of celebrated and respected hard rock and metal artists including Kerry King of Slayer (whose signature guitar is diabolic V-shaped axe that has intensive tribal visual work over the guitar’s body. He also has a signature guitar based on the Warlock). The late Chuck Schuldiner of Death (when Schuldiner died of cancer in 2001 BC Rich launched a tribute guitar based on his number one guitar, the BC Rich Stealth). Paul Stanley of KISS, and Paolo Gregoletto (bassist in Trivium) are also endorsed BC Rich players. If you are like me, when you think of rock and metal… you think of recognizable guitars like BC Rich Guitars. They helped shape rock and roll.
About the Author: 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
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