B.C.Rich USA Custom Shop

[Axewielder]

waiting 1-2 years and paying 3-5k is not my idea of playing guitar. I buy bonds with terms like that.

I'd be quite interested in these "bonds" where you pay 15% up front and then the balance after the 3 year maturity period.

[AdRock]

Huge thread over at Sevenstring.org about it. Get your popcorn because there's a lot to read.

I just spent too much time reading through that thread. I can't believe that piece of shit hasn't been put back into the hospital by someone.

[j2379]

the BC Rich custom shop isn't a shop its basically some guys garage. the handmade blanks are done by Ron Estrada of mammoth guitars, the electronics are outsourced to Neal Moser & the paint by Dan Lawrence supposedly. I would avoid anything Rico Jr has to do with. honestly BCRich hasn't had a real custom shop since the 90's. It would be nice if they actually got the shapes of the USAs correct, again i don't think they have been the same shapes as the originals since the late 80's.

[AAEA]

I'd be quite interested in these "bonds" where you pay 15% up front and then the balance after the 3 year maturity period.

lol I know, but you get my point. the wait time is my issue not the guitar or the price really.

[AAEA]

the BC Rich custom shop isn't a shop its basically some guys garage. the handmade blanks are done by Ron Estrada of mammoth guitars, the electronics are outsourced to Neal Moser & the paint by Dan Lawrence supposedly. I would avoid anything Rico Jr has to do with. honestly BCRich hasn't had a real custom shop since the 90's. It would be nice if they actually got the shapes of the USAs correct, again i don't think they have been the same shapes as the originals since the late 80's.

I feel you too, I steer clear of the class axe era, so pretty much only Dan Lawrence graphics. Dan is about as cool as it gets and he confirmed that a few of mine were his.

[AAEA]

holy shit...

Bernie Rico JR fucked it all up. Guy bit off way more than he could chew.

BC SR is the guy who produced the cool stuff. his son made some cool stuff sometimes, ripped people off sometimes, quality controlled sometimes.

I saw a post where his wife said he was in the nut house in 2012 during the black friday fiasco period where guitars never got made/delivered. also, I might add not refunded either.

[xenophobe]

Huge thread over at Sevenstring.org about it. Get your popcorn because there's a lot to read.

OK I remember now... a lot of ex-JCF in that thread. Last time I read, guitars were slowly shipping and it was nearly a year later. I didn't know that most of the people ended up getting fucked though. I figured everyone eventually got their guitars. Nope.

[vector]

Yeah, I got all excited a while back when I heard that BC Rich was making "customs" again. I had them price me several ideas: a snakeskin Gunslinger- alder body, all maple neck, but 24 frets, 2 HB (yeah, I know it then becomes an Assassin) and some nifty 80's-inspired paint. Fuhghettabouttit! $3,600 for a bolty? No fucking way. Especially considering the shady nature of their enterprise.
The neck-thru Ironbird $3400 + shipping and Mockingbird $3300 + shipping and case

No thanks.

[Venomboy]

Shady.

Good word to describe BCR over the past decade or so.

They would outright lie about who was building the guitars one day, then sorta come clean the next day.

I met Jorge Pasaye and he confirmed he built for them. Also met Chris Meade of Voodoo Guitars in Ohio, and he confirmed he built for them. There might have been other builders too.

I think what happened is they focused on the imports and found whoever they could to create the customs and didn't pay much attention.

Like I said, the 2 brand new ones I played were flawless. I have 2 vintage ones and 3 from the early 2000's. All good but all different.

All the marketing behind the new custom shop is super cheesy. Really bad videos, really bad design, really bad messaging. Feels like a fan tribute rather than a company.

The imports are being handled by Praxis in southern California. They are trying to get the body shapes right and keep the quality high. The customs are other people. Seems like the name has been licensed to people who are trying to do the right thing but it still comes across as super ghetto.

[markD]

All of this baloney is why I have always steered clear of BCR. I would LOVE to have a Warlock II with a v-trem, but I don't want to fork the money or do mega hours of research

[Venomboy]

Exactly. Too much drama.

[j2379]

Lots of those II BCRichs were horrible. They didn't build enough neck angle into them, so the action is horrible. I had custom saddles made for mine.

All of this baloney is why I have always steered clear of BCR. I would LOVE to have a Warlock II with a v-trem, but I don't want to fork the money or do mega hours of research

[Axewielder]

There were all kinds of little f-ups on my 2004 Warlock, but the bones of the guitar are good. I have no clue where the damn thing was actually made. There are too many transitions from one era to another with that company, and it shows in the used resale value.

[Venomboy]

2004: if it was sold as a handmade, I'm 99.99999% certain it was started in Mexico and finished in Southern California.

I had Neal Moser check out 2 of my handmade BCRs from the early 2000's and right away he could tell they were Mexican-built because of certain things with the necks (not bad things). Nothing wrong with Mexican built. Solid guitars. But again, BCR usually chose to hide that fact even though the shop was working on the body cores since the 1980's.

[markD]

Lots of those II BCRichs were horrible. They didn't build enough neck angle into them, so the action is horrible. I had custom saddles made for mine.

That's good to know. I just have always loved the flat top body and the reverse head. To me that has always been the quintessential BCR ROCK guitar. I'll just avoid them even more now, lol!!!