The Story Behind B.C. Rich Guitars

BC Rich are an organization specialising in angular and extreme electric guitar shapes and styles best suited for rock, hard rock and heavy metal music. Bernardo Chavez Rico was the unlikely person to create distinct guitars. Bernardo Rico (aka “Bernie”) was an accomplished Flamenco acoustic musician. From the early-to-mid 60s Bernie Rico exclusively made Flamenco guitars in Bernardo’s Guitar Shop in Los Angeles, California. Ex- executive Vice President, Mal Stich, comments, “When you walked into Bernardo's shop the very first thing you noticed was wall to wall electric guitars hanging from the ceiling like birthday party 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 building guitars. But, the best thing was that there were usually Classical and Flamenco musicians pickin away. I recall Flamenco players firing at one another with riff after riff. Bernie's father, Bernardo Mason Rico, was always sitting in his chair next to the Coca Cola soda machine while buddies and neighbors, even the postman, stood enthralled as they listened to the music.”

We are recognizing BC Rich’s Fortieth Anniversary marking 1969 as the year Bernie set out on his first real try to manufacture guitars and basses. It was recorded that 10 basses influenced by the Gibson EB-3 electric bass in addition to ten matching Les Paul influenced guitars were hand-crafted. Today few of those instruments exist, and it’s rumored that fewer than the number listed above were actually completed.

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

Bernie soon employed a number of proficient designers to compliment his incredibly proficient craftsmen. Most of the unique shapes that emerges from this expansion had grown to become legendary shapes associated with electric guitars. Around 1976 arrived the Mockingbird, and then the further development of the Seagull, the Eagle guitar emerged, and around 1978 came the Bich was introduced. A few of the most respected guitarists immediately took to the new direction of BC Rich.

With growing accomplishment, there was a desire for a inexpensive mass-produced BC Rich guitar. Nearly around 1978 Bernie set up the BC Rico mark to devise electric guitars to be imported from Japan. The first attempt was not profitable when the Rico Reed Company filed a lawsuit over using the name. Regardless of the outcome, the choice had already been made to use the BC Rich mark on imported electric guitars. Barely a small portion, possibly a hundred or so BC Rico guitars ever made it to the United States.

When the early 80s arrived, the Warlock was introduced. Almost immediately the hair metal culture of the time slaved to the Warlock’s edgy and matchless shape. The Warlock, though nowhere close to the latest style innovated, rounds out the primary 5 legendary BC Rich shapes.

The 1990s and 2000s witnessed a new crop of threateningly-named models even pointier than the 80s designs. These included the Draco, Zombie, Ignitor, Beast (master-minded by Brian Hoffman, guitarists of death metal band Deicide), Warbeast (a mixture of Beast and Warlock).

BC Rich are also known for their endorsement deals with a number of essential and respected hard rock and metal guitarists including Kerry King of Slayer (whose signature model is diabolic V-shape and has intensive tribal visual work over the guitar's body. King also has a signature guitar based mostly on the Warlock). The deceased guitarists, Chuck Schuldiner of Death (when Schuldiner died of cancer in 2001 BC Rich Guitars launched 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 are like me, when you think of rock and metal... you think of iconic guitars like BC Rich Guitars. They helped form rock and roll.

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Steve is a passionate music lover and guitarist for over 25 years. One of his favorite guitar websites he uses for his guitar related research and resources is Gear-Vault.com, noted as the best guitar review website on the entire internet. Read the resource to History of B.C. Rich Guitars article.

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