B.C.Rich Guitar History

BC Rich are an organization specialising in pointed and extreme guitar shapes and styles best suited for rock, hard rock and heavy metal bands. Bernardo Chavez Rico was a doubtful person to create distinctive electric 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 Store in Los Angeles, Cal. Ex- executive Vice President, Mal Stich, said, “When you walked into Bernardo's the first thing you noticed was wall to wall electric guitars hanging from the ceiling 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 making guitars. And, the coolest thing was that there were usually Classical and Flamenco musicians pickin away. I recall Flamenco musicians firing at one another with riff-after-riff. Bernie's father, Bernardo Mason Rico, was usually sitting in his chair next to the Coca-Cola machine while friends and neighbors watched spellbound as they listened to the music.”

We are recognizing BC Rich Guitar’s Fortieth Anniversary marking 1969 as the year Bernie set out on his first try to manufacture electric guitars and basses. It was recorded that ten basses inspired by the Gibson EB-3 electric bass as well as 10 matching Les Paul inspired electric guitars were all hand-crafted. At present few of those musical instruments exist, and it’s said that less than the number above were actually finished.

The period around 1972 was exceptionally propitious. The initial electric guitar design, the Seagull, was hand-crafted in Bernardo’s shop. True to future shape, the Seagull was visually distinctive along with revolutionary. The guitar's neck-thru design (now a memento of BC Rich Guitars) featuring a heel-less design – extremely uncommon for that era.

Bernie soon employed several talented designers to compliment his very proficient builders. Many of the distinctive shapes and styles that emerges from this expansion had grown to become iconic shapes associated with guitars. Around 1976 arrived the Mockingbird, and then the further improvement of the Seagull, the Eagle was born, and around 1978 came the Bich. Some of the most well-regarded musicians instantly took to the new direction of BC Rich Guitars.

With growing success, there was a need for a inexpensive mass-produced BC Rich guitar. Around 1978 Bernie set up the BC Rico trademark to devise electric guitars to be imported from Japan. The first attempt was less than successful when the Rico Reed Company sued over the use of the brand. Despite the final result, the decision was already made to implement the BC Rich mark on imported electric guitars. Barely a small portion, perhaps 100 or so BC Rico guitars ever made it to the US.

When the early 80s came, the Warlock was introduced. Almost immediately the hair metal culture of the era took to the Warlock’s edgy and matchless shape. The Warlock, though nowhere close to the latest shape created, rounds out the first 5 legendary BC Rich shapes.

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

BC Rich guitars are also known for their endorsement deals with a number of essential and revered hard rock and metal musicians including Kerry King of Slayer (whose signature guitar is diabolic V-shape that has extensive tribal visual work over the body. King also has a signature model based mostly on the Warlock). The deceased guitarists, Chuck Schuldiner of Death (when Schuldiner died of cancer in 2001 BC Rich introduced a tribute guitar 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 legendary guitars such as BC Rich. They helped form rock and roll.

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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

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