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BC Rich Marc Rizzo 7 String Stealth Review - Made in Korea + NGD

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  • BC Rich Marc Rizzo 7 String Stealth Review - Made in Korea + NGD

    Update 10/14: Changed to 9-54 set, neck issues resolved

    B.C. Rich Marc Rizzo Stealth

    MSRP: $1400
    Street Price $899
    Price Paid: $670 shipped NIB

    tl;dr? Just go get one. You'll thank me. Really.

    I remember when I first played a USA Stealth. It was the mid-90's, a friend in a black metal band called Legion Victorious out of the Santa Cruz area had one. A REAL one. A mid to late 80's one hum, black USA BC Rich hardtail... a bit different than Chuck's, but every bit as amazing. It was kinda beat but it still played. Of course, I tried to offer money for it, but I could have thrown pockets full and the guy wouldn't sell, so I didn't try very hard. I have no idea what happened to the guy or where the guitar might be. I suspect he still has it and I would still offer silly money for it. Fast forward to about a week ago.

    There's been a lot of discussion about Jackson and the fact that they've been moving production away from Japan. (the Chushin Gakki factory that has produced Jacksons and Charvels since 1986 closed down early this spring because Fender moved production of their guitars to other factories. My Charvel DX1 is a perfect example. It was made in China in December of 2011, before the Japanese factory was shut down due to lack of orders). During this discussion, World Guitars in Korea came up as offering a level of quality similar to those old MIJ Charvels and Jacksons that we prize so dearly. So, after having relegated MIK guitars as junk, I decided to see if the talk was true, so I found the cheapest new Stealth that I could find on ebay.

    I'm a self admitted Custom Shop snob. I like nice guitars. I love handmade, quality craftsmanship. I've always wanted a Stealth. Ever since I first heard Death and saw Chuck Schuldiner play one in pictures I looked at as a child in my favorite guitar mags. If I were to place an order for a Stealth, I would have ordered it almost exactly like this. The only real difference would be that it would have been a 1 hum. So I decided to get this instead of wait 2 years for a Custom version. I'm glad I bought it. Here it is:



    Of course, you notice... the body style is very similar to the Jackson Warrior, but a bit smaller. It sits in the classical position almost identically. It's a very comfortable guitar to play sitting, unless you have it plugged in. I didn't take a picture of it with a cord, but I should have. Whoever designed this should be shot. Sitting down plugged in is easily doable, but it's uncomfortable and in the way. It should have had an angled jack or a different location. Overall, the guitar is so nice that I can look past this issue.



    It's a beautiful guitar and very well crafted. It reminds me of MIJ/USA Jackson. Wow, what the fuck? When you pick up a neck-thru USA Jackson, it has this feel. It's like picking up a piece of glass with your fret hand. Cold, smooth, consistent. This guitar nails that feel. As well as any Jackson either. How can this be? A sub $1000 guitar that has that USA Jackson feel? Really? Am I making this up?

    Looking over it closely... I mean super nit-picky closely, I can't really find anything wrong. Wait, what? I recently bought a Charvel DX1 String Through that I reviewed... it was a couple hundred bucks cheaper, but still in a similar price range as this one for $670 shipped. The Charvel was $479 out the door. The comparable DX1 with Floyd would have been $11 cheaper than this on ebay. The Charvel had great components, a really well designed body and the neck played really well, but overall it was cheap and felt like an overpriced beginner's guitar. This? OMG. For all intents and purposes, if you told me this guitar was made at Chushin Gakki, the old MIJ Charvel/Jackson factory... or even if you told me this was built by USA Jackson, I would believe it. Really? I must be delusional.

    I've always loved the B.C. Rich pointy. I don't know which came first, but in the early 80's it was just as droolworthy as any Jackson or any Charvel. It's an epic design that is as beautiful today as the day it was created. Just like my beloved Jackson pointy headstock, I love the design in reverse and black with white binding? That's just 80's metal staple. Food for shredding.



    Looking closely, the binding is perfection. At least the equal of the old Model 6/650XL if not better. You can't see seams at the binding. At all. What the hell? My Charvel DX1 had sloppy binding and you could see every joint, but this? I'm shocked. The quality is on par with MIJ Jackson at it's finest hour. It's even better than many USA Jacksons? How could this be?

    The neck heel is smooth and the cutout on the lower horn makes high register fret access a breeze. The paint is beautiful and consistent. The paint lines on the neck by the binding? It reminds me of a Jackson. It nails that look and feel better than Jackson does at times.



    Ok, so the binding is MIJ Jackson quality or better... the paint is on par with it. There's gotta be something seriously flawed about this guitar. Looking over the neck, the frets are nice and smooth. Nicer than that DX1 I bought, and really close to USA quality. The inlays... no visible filler? Really? My DX1 has visible filler around the inlay... so do most of the USA Jacksons I've owned.



    This guitar is too perfect. There has to be flaws. I looked all over in direct sunlight, in super-nitpicky mode. I didn't even go into super-nitpicky mode with the Charvel. It barely withstood a normal inspection. Ah ha! I found it... but I needed to use a 100mm macro lens with a flash to capture it. In normal daylight, it's a non-issue. Also note, you can clearly see the shims I needed to use on the nut to remove open-string buzz. The shim is made from the cardboard of a pack of American Spirit cigarettes. That's how thick it is and that's how small the flaw is. It's not really visible unless you look really closely. Almost nobody looks at a guitar THIS close:



    It comes with Grover tuners that feel kinda cheap, but the pickups are EMG's, which I'm not really all that happy with. As you can see I swapped neck and bridge pickups as I always do with EMGs, but I'm not getting the tone I want out of it. For like the first time, I like the silver logo better at the bridge position. There's the 7 string Floyd Rose. I don't think it's an OFR made in Germany, but overall quality is fairly decent. The fine tuners are the pancake style you'd get with a German OFR, but they're a little thicker. They work fine though they're probably not as smooth.



    Ebony fretboard... a really nice one, and very clean inlays... I tried to get a macro shot of the binding at the fretboard end past the 24th, but there is no visible seam to capture. Just wonderful craftsmanship. Excellent fret work. Very nice quality. Binding work is better than MIJ Jackson and in a lot of cases, better than USA/CS Jackson. Really? It's not that cheap binding either, it feels really similar to Jackson. It's far better work and binding than my USA Bernie Sr Custom Shop WHS Warlock that I owned... Yes, you read that right.



    I couldn't even get a picture of binding seams. I tried. I took maybe a dozen pictures from different angles, different light settings, etc. They don't show in real life and they don't show in pictures. Wow.



    So now I have a new 7-string. My first. I'm amazed every time I pick it up. It's no Custom Shop guitar, and that is pretty obvious when you pick it up. It's just another cookie-cutter, mass produced guitar, no different than many others. But it is different. The quality is remarkable. No. The quality is mind-blowing. This guitar cost $670 shipped when USA Jacksons cost $3k and the quality is really comparable.

    Pros:

    Relatively Cheap.
    MIJ/USA Jackson level quality.
    Wonderful 'glassy' feel.
    Beautiful, high quality binding work.
    Ebony fretboard with inlays with no real visible filler.
    Floyd Rose is nice and tuning stability is great.
    I could go on, I'll just shut up about the Pros.


    Cons:


    Grover tuners feel a little cheap.
    Input jack location just plain sucks. It should have an angled jack.
    Most people would say this neck dives. If they're not used to taming neck dive, then it's a big issue.
    My neck was finicky, it required much trial/error and over 3 hours of time.
    Required 1 full length shim and one half length shim under the bass side of the nut to get rid of open string buzz.


    How does it play and sound?

    I had a hell of a time setting this thing up. Mine was not for a beginner and it proved to be quite a challenge. After 3 hours of various truss settings and action height settings, my low B string is just under 3mm @ 24th, which compared to every 7 string I've ever played with factory setups, noticeably lower. From what I've read, I probably got a rare one that is difficult. Most reports are that they're smooth as butter, so I can't comment on this. I will say that after a good setup, I'm very happy with the action. While not as low as a 6 string Jackson that can go as low as you want, this one plays easily and none of the issues I had affects play while amplified.

    The neck, feels like USA Jackson. It's glassy, it has that cool binding feel, it plays great. Does it have a 6-string super low action? No. I couldn't set it up super low and bring up to the action height I like, I needed to work the truss and the action to find a sweet spot. In the end, this is very acceptable to me. I may still take it to a luthier to level and crown the B and E string high registers, there is a little buzz past 12, just so I won't have to do this at a later date.

    The EMGs are not satisfactory in my ears. It sounds decent with the 707 in the bridge position, but I think I'll try a blackout to see if I like it any better. It did plug into both of my practice amps, a Line 6 Spider 15 and Orange Dark Terror with MX-10 band EQ, and sounded very nice without having to tweak them. It plugged in and sounded just fine.

    The acoustic tone of the guitar is very nice with great sustain. Even though there is the possibility that cheap woods hide underneath a great paint job... I don't think that's the case. It plays well and has a nice voice. It's fairly consistent across the strings and registers. I'm very happy with it. Sounds great and once I find the right pickup, I should be in heaven.


    Conclusion:

    Overall? This is an amazing guitar for the price. I'm a CS snob and this guitar has me completely satisfied, and I can't really say that very often, even with other CS pieces. Did I have an intense personal moment or did I uncontrollably cackle like a school girl like I did when I first played my Ibanez M8M? Not at all. But, when I swap back and forth between that $6k 8 string behemoth and the Stealth? I'm more than satisfied with either guitar and they actually compliment each other very well. The M8M is a guitar handcrafted at one of Japan's finest Custom Shops. All of Steve Vai's personal Jems are built there as are any Jems that sell for over $5k. It's truly a phenomenal instrument any way you look at it, except superficially. It does look kind of bland. The $670 B.C. Rich 7-string Marc Rizzo Stealth feels right at home next to that $6k Ibanez monster. That has me kind of scared, but in a happy way.

    Can I recommend this guitar? If you read my DX1 review, I could not unconditionally recommend it. There were just too many quality issues and the price is too high. This Stealth? I won't just recommend it, I'll tell you that you're a freaking worthless loser poser if you don't immediately go out and buy either the Chuck Schuldiner model or this Marc Rizzo version. The only reason I can say why you shouldn't get one is if you can't live with the color or configuration. But I'll retort, man the fuck up and get one because they're fresh off the assembly line and they're fucking awesome.

    Update: 10/14
    So, after not being happy with the finicky neck, I bought a few sets of 9-54 D'Addario XL's 7-string Super Light pack, reset the truss to where it was when I got it, with no real tension and now it's playing like a charm. There's a little low E buzzing that's consistent and that doesn't bother me at all as you can't hear it amplified, the low B is buzzing consistently more, which isn't really audible through an amp, but is enough to bug me. So I'm gonna take it to my luthier to see if he can either shave some off the low B frets or add a shim under the bridge saddle. But in any event, it's playing as nice as ever with the first 5 strings ringing true, with an action just under 2mm @ 24th at the high E and 2.5-ish @ 24th on the low B. So while it's not playing as I would expect a USA Jackson to, it's 1/3 the price of a new one. Still love the hell out of this thing. I expect my luthier to give me a stupid face and telling me I'm being too nitpicky.


    Just for shits and giggles, here's three of my main players, for size comparison. 2012 Ibanez 8-string Meshuggah Sig M8M Made in Japan, the 2012 B.C. Rich 7-string Marc Rizzo Sig Stealth Made in Korea and my baby, the 1989 Jackson Custom Strathead Dinky.



    Seriously, if you want a 7-string or if you want a Stealth, the Marc Rizzo and Chuck Schuldiner guitars are both made in the World Guitars factory in Korea. If you haven't looked at a MIK B.C. Rich, shame on you. You should. You would probably be very, very impressed. I know I am.
    Last edited by xenophobe; 10-15-2012, 01:49 AM.
    The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

  • #2
    Nice

    Comment


    • #3
      i know that i have a big boner for the mockingbird with all the switches and knobs. it is made in korea too. i am just too cheap to buy ANY guitars right now....

      glad to hear you like the stealth!!
      GEAR:

      some guitars...WITH STRINGS!!!! most of them have those sticks like on guitar hero....AWESOME!!!!

      some amps...they have some glowing bottle like things in them...i think my amps do that modelling thing....COOL, huh?!?!?!

      and finally....

      i have those little plastic "chips" used to hit the strings...WHOA!!!!

      Comment


      • #4


        Sweet. I'd love to have one of those.

        MOSHON
        DAVE
        "It's because the speed of light is superior to the speed of sound that so many people look shiny before they actually sound stupid"

        "All pleasure comes at someone Else's expense"

        The internet is where, The men are men, the women are men, and the children are FBI agents.

        Comment


        • #5
          very nice, I may have to check out a Chuck stealth.
          just as a warning handmade BCRs even ones from back in the day have flaws. the binding and paint on my warlock are not great, the amount of unscraped or oversprayed binding would not be acceptable by todays standards. and if you close enough they all have an odd little flaw or imperfection being that they were hand carved, those bevels weren't done with router or a machine.

          Comment


          • #6
            Oh, yeah, I know. One of the ways you could tell it was genuine BC Rich was that you could always find a few glaring flaws. These Korean BC Riches are almost sterile. But the quality and workmanship is there, even though it is a cookie cutter guitar. Not many brand new guitars in the sub $1000 range feel so complete though. The overall build quality and the feel that they have... they really feel like expensive guitars.
            The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

            Comment


            • #7
              Nice one, Mike! I've been wondering about those 7-string Stealths.
              I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

              Comment


              • #8
                The only thing i don't understand is why you keeep calling it a cookie cutter guitar? lol. It's in a league of it's own in style and it's quality is top notch. Nothin cookie cutter about it.

                Oh yeah the input jack i forgot about that. That was a fail spot for it.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by toejam View Post
                  Nice one, Mike! I've been wondering about those 7-string Stealths.
                  They're really nice. If someone wants to try a Chuck Schuldiner and doesn't like it, I'll buy it off them for the same price. As long as you get it from one of the bargain buy places.


                  Originally posted by Trem View Post
                  The only thing i don't understand is why you keeep calling it a cookie cutter guitar? lol. It's in a league of it's own in style and it's quality is top notch. Nothin cookie cutter about it.

                  Oh yeah the input jack i forgot about that. That was a fail spot for it.
                  I keep calling it a cookie cutter guitar because I seriously doubt there's much difference between this one and the first one that rolled off the line. It's a standard production model made in a factory that has made many guitars using the same formula for many different brands, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if some other branded 7 string made in the same factory feels really similar and uses the same build quality, the same build techniques and same materials.

                  I agree though, it really is in a league of it's own and the quality is superb.

                  Also, you have to remember, I've been a Jackson loyalist since I was a kid. I've owned one non-Jackson guitar between 1986 and 2012. Not talking about basses at all, just guitars. I've owned a bunch of different basses trying to find 'mine', which I did a while back. I'm not totally in the dark or sheltered... I must have tried 30-40 of those E-Series Squiers when everyone was raving about them, I've played at least that many American Standard and American Deluxe Strats and a whole slew of other guitars during this time period, just nothing said "buy me" except for a late 60's/early 70's Carvin koa SG that was hanging at the consignment shop one day that I didn't buy that I came back for the next day and was gone.

                  So, ordering a guitar online, never having played it, only going by recommendation, I get one I really love... it's not a new concept, but seeing how my track record on guitars before this year was like one keeper out of 10-15 guitars, I'm still surprised at how many nice guitars I've found this time around that I want to keep.
                  Last edited by xenophobe; 10-09-2012, 09:19 PM.
                  The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by xenophobe View Post
                    They're really nice. If someone wants to try a Chuck Schuldiner and doesn't like it, I'll buy it off them for the same price. As long as you get it from one of the bargain buy places.
                    LOL I ordered my LTD Alex Wade 7-string from www.gearhounds.com for cheaper than normal. They do have the Schuldiner models, too. Put it in the shopping cart and then checkout to see the discount they give you.
                    I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Nice review and congrats. The last 5 years or so have been World Guitars(World Musical Instruments Co. Ltd.) peak of quality with great pickups and hardware. These guitars are quickly disappearing and most by now have been moved to Indonesia and China(LTD, Schecter, Dean). I've said it before and I'll say it again. A good 05-12 EMG'd & OFR'd Korean World Guitars model is the equivelent to the 87-93 Japanese Charvels and Jacksons. They will have their place in history and will be sought after in 20 years just like the C/J's.

                      So just what guitars are high quality Korean World Guitars models ? Here's a partial list:

                      Schecter Hellraiser/C-1 neck-thru Soloist style guitars
                      Older LTD neck-thru Soloist style guitars (same guitar as the Schecter basically) now made in Indonesia and China
                      Dean neck-thru Vendetta/Custom Soloist style guitars (same basic guitar as the Schecter and LTD)
                      Some of the Dean 79-Series set-necks
                      PRS SE's
                      All of the BC Rich neck-thru guitars over the past 10 years or so. The later ones being better with better pickups and hardware
                      DBZ neck-thru guitars(look closely, the first ones were made in China but production quickly moved to World Guitars Korea after having too many problems with Chinese production)

                      When in doubt look at the serial number. World Guitars models will say "Made in Korea" or "Hand Crafted in South Korea" with an E or W serial number.

                      Also just like the Charvels and Jackson of 87-83, people will be clueless of their quality for a number of years and their prices will plummet in the used market making bargains available for quite a few years as people havn't figured out the difference between the Korean ones and the crappier Indonesian and Chinese ones. I've been buying up some insane bargains on these guitars over the past couple years. While I have plenty of USA guitars, these Korean ones have become my main players lately. They are that good.
                      Last edited by lepard; 10-09-2012, 11:32 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        How's the balance? Based on the strap position of the upper horn, it looks like it would be neck heavy...especially on a 7

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          They are fairly neck heavy. I used like a 3 inch leather strap but it didn't really matter, it just pulls your shirt down. Might be a little different for people built a different way but i doubt it.

                          For all practical purpose it needs a rear weighted strap or button relocation. That aside i played mine standing up for 4 hours at a time at practice, not counting breaks. I tended to keep my foot rested up on the pa wedge. Free standing i wrapped the strap around the face of the top rear point, which also helped pull the guitar towards my body more and gave my picking forearm some relief.

                          Had i kept mine i though about getting some square weights and making a little pouch on the rear of my strap or duct taping one on, something like that. I also would have relocated the top strap button to the point of the top horn like a strat and used a longer strap button screw with a few small washers as spacers between the body and button to push the strap button and balance point out more. Plus i just like them there better. I figured that in combination with a strap lock - which already pushes the point where the strap connects out a tad bit would have pushed the balance point out about an inch and a half or so... just enough to not look too odd, and that's like a coupe of frets worth more towards the 12 fret which should help it a lot.

                          Originally posted by toejam View Post
                          LOL I ordered my LTD Alex Wade 7-string from www.gearhounds.com for cheaper than normal.
                          Yeah man, and were still waiting on that review You get it yet??
                          Last edited by Trem; 10-10-2012, 12:10 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by MetalDaze View Post
                            How's the balance? Based on the strap position of the upper horn, it looks like it would be neck heavy...especially on a 7
                            It is neck heavy. So is my custom Warwick. It has a small body and a 34" scale neck. I use 1" leather strap and am used to handling it, so it's really a non-issue. The stealth isn't really that much different. You can't leave both hands off the instrument, except sometimes. If you've had neck-heavy instruments, you kinda learn to live with them. I don't have a problem always having a wrist against the body or a hand holding the neck it's second nature, kinda like Jackson's volume knob.
                            The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by toejam View Post
                              LOL I ordered my LTD Alex Wade 7-string from www.gearhounds.com for cheaper than normal. They do have the Schuldiner models, too. Put it in the shopping cart and then checkout to see the discount they give you.
                              Yeah, I decided against getting one. I already have enough 6's and I don't need another hardtail. This completely satisfies the custom Stealth craving I've had since forever, adds a 7-string to the mix, and the quality is really that great. Sure the inlays are moto and malleable so they can be fitted better than real MOP... and sure, it feels kinda sterile, but it does have a nice tone to it and it plays really well. It nails a couple of the things that make a high end Jackson, a Jackson. And it only cost $670 to my door.

                              And I think this ends my current GAS spree too. I have a few guitars I know I'm keeping, a few that I might not, so I'll weed a few out, but I've got great options now. The only thing left is possibly getting a gigging amp that compliments 8 strings, as I really want to start some sort of project now. Maybe I'll just get the extra 1x12 for my Dark Terror and just use that... I dunno.

                              You should review that LTD. I like to read reviews and that guitar looks bad-ass. I'd like to hear/see more about it. lol


                              Originally posted by lepard View Post
                              They will have their place in history and will be sought after in 20 years just like the C/J's.
                              The quality of these Koreans are higher than the old C/Js. The only thing that those C/J's had over these are the hand shaped necks. That's it. That doesn't really make them any more playable, it just gives them a feeling of character that these Koreans don't seem to have. That's not necessarily a bad thing either, just one of personal preference. Like I said, I paid $670 for a guitar I would have been comfortable paying $1500-$2000 for... it easily feels like a thousand bucks. It makes me extra happy knowing that I didn't need to spend that.

                              BTW, if I had to pick one guitar at last minutes notice to go play a tour... I would actually pick the Stealth. The quality and price make it the perfect gigging/touring guitar. It's pretty, classy and has all the great features... and if it get's battle damage, I'm not freaking out that a $4-$6K custom guitar is being abused for the first time. If you're taking a guitar to rehearsal and playing shows, damage is inevitable.
                              Last edited by xenophobe; 10-10-2012, 05:23 AM.
                              The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

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