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A mini review on my Stellar Mockingbird copy.
Being sold on ebay for $150 new on average.
Well, I'm normally not a fan of copies, nor am I given to consider guitars for under $300.00 new.
But... I saw this thing and took a plunge..
I gotta say, this thing screams BC Rich from 2 feet away, the shape is dead on, more like the older NJ body then the slightly less beveled Bronze series. The neck is bound rosewood with "cloud" inlays.. a classic BC Rich deal.
The headstock is pretty close as well, a little asymetrical at the top to skirt copyright I assume.
The Good:
Short scale..24 frets. Very easy on the hands with 10s
There are no short-scale Mockingbirds or Warlocks from BC Rich.
Real solid wood. No evidence of your typical laminate in the neck pocket, pickup cavities or electronic cavity. Supposed to be Maple but I c an't tell for sure, certainly not Plywood or BC Rich Agathis.
The finish is decent, no real flaws that I can see.
The hardware is cheap stuff, but works okay.. tuners seem to hold tune.
Neck has small thin frets, fender style.. but they are done well.. no real issues for me.
Strange back shape.. not Jackson flat, narrow but a very rounded back.. hard to describe.. in between a MM/EB and a Les Paul I like it, fits my small hands.
The Bad:
Very cheaply put together.. it's constructed like a $150.00 guitar. Neck pocket is rough, interior cavity has bare wood spots, gouged wood.. messy, some wiring was covered in masking tape. White Plastic Inlays are a little messy, certainly not up to Jackson standards. Binding is cheap plastic and some gaps compared to Jackson.
Throw out the pickups.. not even gonna comment.
The absolute worst setup on a guitar I have ever seen.. including MusicYo.. I spent over 3 hours on this thing.. I had to shim the neck pocket quite a bit to get the right angle for the TOM .Some serious truss rod tweaking, bridge posts were wobbly, solved with my teflon tape trick.
Not possible to get the action as low as the Jacksons/Charvels.. think Les Paul/Fender low.
Still some buzzing, probably needs some nut work.
Overall I like this guitar. It really looks great from 2 foot away..it's only under close examination that the flaws show up.
As far as everybody else is concerned, it looks like a high end BC Rich.
Playability, I had to do alot of work, but to be honest, it's almost as playable as a DXMG or DK2.
I find the neck shape pleasing, different than the Jackson but comfortable.
It sounds great with my JB in.
The way it is right now.. plays nicer than a Bronze or Platinum series BC Rich.. A better value than an NJ..
It's not a Jackson, but it has potential to be better than it is.
I'm glad I got it. It has the classic Mockingbird look, decent playbility and good tone for a great price.
[ October 29, 2003, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: 2Loud2Old ]
Being sold on ebay for $150 new on average.
Well, I'm normally not a fan of copies, nor am I given to consider guitars for under $300.00 new.
But... I saw this thing and took a plunge..
I gotta say, this thing screams BC Rich from 2 feet away, the shape is dead on, more like the older NJ body then the slightly less beveled Bronze series. The neck is bound rosewood with "cloud" inlays.. a classic BC Rich deal.
The headstock is pretty close as well, a little asymetrical at the top to skirt copyright I assume.
The Good:
Short scale..24 frets. Very easy on the hands with 10s
There are no short-scale Mockingbirds or Warlocks from BC Rich.
Real solid wood. No evidence of your typical laminate in the neck pocket, pickup cavities or electronic cavity. Supposed to be Maple but I c an't tell for sure, certainly not Plywood or BC Rich Agathis.
The finish is decent, no real flaws that I can see.
The hardware is cheap stuff, but works okay.. tuners seem to hold tune.
Neck has small thin frets, fender style.. but they are done well.. no real issues for me.
Strange back shape.. not Jackson flat, narrow but a very rounded back.. hard to describe.. in between a MM/EB and a Les Paul I like it, fits my small hands.
The Bad:
Very cheaply put together.. it's constructed like a $150.00 guitar. Neck pocket is rough, interior cavity has bare wood spots, gouged wood.. messy, some wiring was covered in masking tape. White Plastic Inlays are a little messy, certainly not up to Jackson standards. Binding is cheap plastic and some gaps compared to Jackson.
Throw out the pickups.. not even gonna comment.
The absolute worst setup on a guitar I have ever seen.. including MusicYo.. I spent over 3 hours on this thing.. I had to shim the neck pocket quite a bit to get the right angle for the TOM .Some serious truss rod tweaking, bridge posts were wobbly, solved with my teflon tape trick.
Not possible to get the action as low as the Jacksons/Charvels.. think Les Paul/Fender low.
Still some buzzing, probably needs some nut work.
Overall I like this guitar. It really looks great from 2 foot away..it's only under close examination that the flaws show up.
As far as everybody else is concerned, it looks like a high end BC Rich.
Playability, I had to do alot of work, but to be honest, it's almost as playable as a DXMG or DK2.
I find the neck shape pleasing, different than the Jackson but comfortable.
It sounds great with my JB in.
The way it is right now.. plays nicer than a Bronze or Platinum series BC Rich.. A better value than an NJ..
It's not a Jackson, but it has potential to be better than it is.
I'm glad I got it. It has the classic Mockingbird look, decent playbility and good tone for a great price.
[ October 29, 2003, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: 2Loud2Old ]
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