Any BC Rich info would be great

[SRD86]

I just picked this up last night off of craigslist



the guy said it was early 80's and I'm wondering how early because I've owned a couple of STIII's over the years, but this one isn't cut at an angle at the heal joint like the others



It has a factory installed Dimarzio Super Distortion and unlike the plastic backplates on the others, the back plates are metal, like on my '86 Eagle deluxe. The other odd thing is that this has an Ibanez Edge style tremolo



from what the guy told me, when he bought it, that guy said early STIIIs had this style trem factory installed... does that sound like BS?

Any idea on the date, I know BCR really got lazy on dating as the years went on, so it's never really gonna be accurate.
this has a serial # BC12735.

(plus I'm gonna pretend it the same guitar used in this ad)


(I know 80's KISS is gay, I'm prepares to get sh*t for it)

[SRD86]

**PREPARED to get sh*t for it)

oh yeah, it's not routed out under the the trem either.

[Burn]

I don't think it is the original trem there, but what is the serial? On second thought, this might be one of those lost Class Axe guitars. All the paperwork was burnt to the ground IIRC.

[SRD86]

Bc12735

[charvelguy]

Thats the original trem. I have the same one in ice blue. Wanna trade?
I've been jonesing for a yellow one for quite some time.
Thats not a really early one..the very early ones had more of a tophat knob. My guess is that is likely from class axe era.. late 80's.

None of my ST3's have recessed trem routes, but the later ones have Dimarzio SD's in the bridge which have the adjustable hex pole pieces. Earlier versions had more of a duncan styled Distortion (one side of bobbin adjustable w/a flat head screwdriver and the other non adj).. they're probaby gotoh but they still spec out to a Dimarzio Super Distortion rating. I prefer the Gotoh styled pups on the whole actually.

[SRD86]

Thanks for the trade offer, but I haven't even really sunk my teeth into this one yet, but I'll keep you in mind if I get tired of it.

Thanks for the info.

[charvelguy]

Also.. most of my ST3's are not AANJ. I have one body that is.
I have them on all the others except for a Mockingbird USA bolt on I have.

Some later USA headstocks of the Class Axe era had a tm logo after made in the USA as well.

There's 'possibly' still a thread in the archives about dating by serial, we tried it once. Not sure where that ended up at its been a few years. That was back when Greg Crowe used to be an admin or shortly after he stepped down.. probably 2003 era.

[SRD86]

ok, thanks, this one does not have the TM on it.

[j2379]

THATS either a parts mutt, or a real oddball.
its a double whammy not a super distortion
the ibanez edge is original on all 1st & 2nd Gen ST-3's
the body routes tell me its a 88. earlier ones had recessed covers, later ones had a larger trem spring route. it also has knurled knobs not top hats. if it has the plastic inserts in the knobs its even later. TM logo is not always a good way of telling class axe from not. hardware is a much better way of telling.
what does the back of the neck headstock area look like, if the lock nut bolts go thru the contour line its early if the contour goes around the bolt holes its 89ish or later.
GROVERS?????
now i said parts mutt because a BCxxxxx plates is NOT correct for a body with those routes or that bridge or electronics. BC plates usually had schaller pups, larger trem route, larger neck - headstock transition, & BCR lic trem.

ALSO when BCR was bought out the left over BC plates were given to class axe, either they didnt use them all or someone made a whole bunch because there was a time when it was fairly easy buy BC prefixed BCR neck plates. I do believe ECMM had a shit load of them back in the day. also the first ST-3 didnt say made in usa on the headstocks. & the logo was larger. over those early years of the script logo it got smaller. & they added made in usa, there was a time when if it was a BCRich & it didnt say a series name it was MADE in USA.....oh i miss those early days.
& yeah i miss mine, ive had probably a dozen or so early st-3's B5000 & under is usually what i try to stick with. find one & compare it to a BC plated its amaizing they may look the same but they aint.
Paging CHRIS OLSON......lol, he had a bunch of these guitars

[SRD86]

Here is the back of the headstock

[charvelguy]

yeah, there was a black one early one with tophats and 'no made in USA' that I wish I would have snagged off eBay about a year ago. It went cheap too under 300.00. I got the one after it tho. Maybe it was closer to about two years. I forget.

I have a BC plated one very similar to this tho. I post pics to compare.
It may be as you say.. you were more in the know on these than I was years ago.

[charvelguy]

Here's an older one. Note the tophat knobs, the bridge pickup, the recessed covers, the back of the headstock, the body shape/contours etc.
plate. B0893, very early IMO.
pickup, trem, knobs.. (tad dusty under the glare)

Headstock:
covers:

[SRD86]

Just for the hell of it, I email Neal Moser. Great guy (at least over email LOL), this is the second time he's got back to me about a BCR.

By the same photos I posted here, this is what he wrote about the pics:

"I worked on the first ST III's", "This guitar looks like an 85 ST III to me. We DID use the EDGE on some, and a few of the first ones had the un-slanted heel as well." "The neck plates came in boxes and were used indiscriminately."

He talked about a couple of other BCR things, but I don't feel I should post them on a public board, so I just took the specific info on the guitar.

[charvelguy]

well.. I was aiming to say an '87.
They used an edge on alot of guitars as far as I can tell.
Interesting what he said about the neck plates but not far off from what Charvel says about the MIJ models too. There is some rhyme and reason to a degree IMO.
What about the plate routes, the bridge pickups and the knobs?
Certainly, I know I have seen tophots on low # plated ST3's as well as no Made in USA on the headstock.

Here's the blue one btw: note the non recessed covers.
Personally, I think the floyd screws vs contour on the back of the headstock thing possibly may not be a good indicator, but I guess I may have to go through some of my other BCR's to say with more certainty.
This also has an edge style Gotoh, fairly sure it says BCRich on one side. Plate is in the BC10XXX range

plate:
pickup/knobs:
body/covers:
headstock:
Yeah, quick pics.. no photo awards.

[charvelguy]

hmm.. actually, the contours do look like they go around the floyd nut mount holes more on that blue one don't they?