Any BC Rich info would be great

[j2379]

the B prefix was prior to the BC prefix, there are only 9999 B prefixed plates. then they went to BC, left over BC plates given to class axe, leftovers from class axe bought by ed roman after that.

the plastic plates white W/black cap were first. Chris the 87 NAMM's were plastic, or at least the blue one is/was. they later switched to metal plates.
BCRichs during that era were really odd. they had always had guitars were they would substitute oddball parts but its much more common during this era. even on neckthru's which they made VERY few of once the bolton craze took over. & i still dont believe serial were as random as BCR ppl remember. IIRC those 87 NAMM guitars werent too far off serial# wise. some of us BCR guys think Bernie Sr. & Jr. info is well... SHIT. & unfortunately that were alot of the mis-info started from.....well that & Ed. they didnt build them, they knew far less than they claim about what was made & when things happened.

[charvelguy]

You seem to have very good detailed knowledge .. its Jaime right? Did you and Ken work together at BCRich?

I'm curious about the plate thing. Did BCRich use blank plates and then stamped the number into them? or were they pre stamped when assembled? Or did they have the partial prefix like a B, and then the number was stamped into them afterwords?

Also.. I have a gunslinger/assassin neck/body. There's a 333 stamped into the wood of the trem cavity. The numbers are about an inch tall where the claw screws in and this looks done at the factory as it is painted.
The trem is recessed but he neck plate is B9268. The guy said he got it handed to him by Bernie Rico himself back in 1988. The guitar is unfinished. The body looks to be almost like a MB-1. AAnj, but no recessed cav covers.
I have never seen a number stamped into the wood of the trem cav before. Any idea what that may be about. I can post pics if you have the need to see what I'm referring too.

[Lorne]

You seem to have very good detailed knowledge .. its Jaime right? Did you and Ken work together at BCRich?

I'm curious about the plate thing. Did BCRich use blank plates and then stamped the number into them? or where they pre stamped when assembled? Or did they have the partial prefix like a B, and then the number was stamped into them afterwords?

Also.. I have a gunslinger/assassin neck/body. There's a 333 stamped into the wood of the trem cavity. The numbers are about an inch tall where the claw screws in and this looks done at the factory as it is painted.
The trem is recessed but he neck plate is B9268. The guy said he got it handed to him by Bernie Rico himself back in 1988. The guitar is unfinished. The body looks to be almost like a MB-1. AAnj, but no recessed cav covers.
I have never seen a number stamped into the wood of the trem cav before. Any idea what that may be about. I can post pics if you have the need to see what I'm referring too.

I have seen 333 stamped into a pick up cavity cover,but I can't remember what guitar it was in

Post pics of your guitar-pics are always good

[charvelguy]

About scale I'd say..

[charvelguy]

the front obviously:


undrilled floyd, has shelf thou for a topmount. Partially finished guitar, no hardware was ever installed at factory or outside of for that matter as well.

[SRD86]

Nice guitar. Any pics of your '86 Eagle Deluxe?

Actually, I've been waiting for you to post, I thought you'd be one of the first on this subject.


I friggin love this guitar

[Lorne]

the front obviously:


undrilled floyd, has shelf thou for a topmount. Partially finished guitar, no hardware was ever installed at factory or outside of for that matter as well.

Nice guitar,and yep-it's an assassin,I assume it has a white script logo?

[charvelguy]

yep

[Lorne]

Cool-now get a trem and some electrics in it and start shredding

[charvelguy]

Thanks, no idea of the 333 deal tho? I've never seen a cavity like that.
I've got another project for a USA mockingbird going on too. It also currently has no additonal routes or hardware outside of the trem cav.

I think I may stick with a traditional edge. It may get a floyd, but typically, I'm of the opinion its to clunky for that guitar. Maybe a Wilk, but single or no lock there.

[j2379]

Jamie yep thats me. no i never worked at BCRich, ive just been a BCRich freak since like 87ish. ive had probably a dozen or so "production" boltons.
the plates were pre-stamped with the #'s. & i dont think they started using them till 86. the 85 ST-3 i had still used the neckthru serial system stamped into the headstock. bigdaddyD here now owns that guitar. that guitar is actually one of the missing link ST-3's. it played & was made much nicer than any of the ST-3s ive owned .
ive seen those #s stamped into higher B plates & lower BC plates. i dont know if you remember the Black/white/grey qubert looking graphic'd ST-3 that was floating around here. that was originally mine & it had the same #'s stamped into them. i believe that was 450's range #. IMHO opinion those were either the last guitars out of the cali factory or the first Class axe assembled guitars. the SAME #'s were stamped into the bodys & necks same # like a C/J work order. which contradicts the just slapped together theory. But given the hardware used im guessing pre class axe. Class Axe was given 3 pallets full of Bodys & necks in various states of finish. Class Axe did NOT have any wood shop for the first 2 years, yet they produced guitars. These were all left overs from the cali days. you can also see on you assasin the bass side of the neck pocket is thicker than your early ST-3. also another change in BCR templates. The ST-3/gunslinger was an evolving guitar, as far as contours & slight changes like that. just like the EARLY neck with the thin neck-headstock transition, they were so prone to cracking. I for one have cracked 3 of them, 2 of them the headstock is cracked completely off the neck. i had a 907xx neckthru ST-3 & it als used the wider thicker transition. im assuming thats 88/early 89...i believe 9101X is a class axe made guitar. having seen the paper work its dated after the bernie era & tracii guns blue firebird so you can research it if youde like, but im fairly sure the work order was dated 1990.
There are alot of unfinished BCR parts like that floating around. or at least there was here in NY after the class axe era. when Bernie came back in 94 he didnt want any of the class axe stuff back. so Ed bought a shit load of it the rest was left floating around w old employees & local stores. IMHO the early ones with edge trems, dimarzio's, grovers & top hat knobs are the ones to have. they are more consistent, better fret work, nicer hardware but more fragile in alot of areas. ive sold off all them now but heres some ive had recently.
OLD style neck/headstock

87 NAMM show matchin headstock double logo, no made in usa.

qubert B9xxx had the 3#'s stamped into the body & neck.
red B41xx,the black one was a 22fret neckthru 907xx.

heres the missing link, if you look close its so close but so different

[Sanctuary]

Actually, I've been waiting for you to post, I thought you'd be one of the first on this subject.


I friggin love this guitar

Absolute beauty mate!

[Lorne]

907xx = 1987

9101x = July 1989

[charvelguy]

Thanks for the info Jamie and Lorne. I remember the q-bert ST3.
It would stand to reason that the plates being prestamped would be manufactured with consecutive numbers. Therefore, they would be also be packed and marked in boxes in sequential order of B000X-B0500, next box, another 500 and so on till they were running out of B plates.

So.. granted they may have grabbed them out of a box of 500 or so in handful stacks, they were still likely kept in order by carton 1,2,3, etc and were in order within the box. Pure speculation, but thats typically how other manufacturing environment would handle such a thing.

[Lorne]

Charvelguy,you must remember that B.C.Rich's factory at the time was little more than 3 garages side by side,so "Normal manufacturing processes" probably don't apply

I do know that Neal Moser said the box the neckplates were in,was a large one in the middle of the assembly table,I have also seen a few guitars with the SAME serial number,so there must have been some stamping errors at the neckplate factory

There will also never be a B.C.Rich guitar with the serial number B 0002 as Neal owns that neckplate