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Posted this to BCR Players and Moser as well. Pretty damn sweet guitar, thought some people here might like to see it, and I am loving showing it off.
I had mentioned in another post that I was looking for a reverse pointy headstock Mockingbird. Lorne came to the rescue(owe you a pint or two mate!) And put me in touch with Larry(owner of Beat street Music), who had a line on this beauty from the BCR Custom Shop. So after some phone and e-mail conversations, I had Larry get it from BCR to check it out. After some haggling (I beat Larry up pretty good on it) we agreed on a sale price and I pulled the trigger. Now that you have the history, here is the review:
Sales Experience:
The best. Larry is a good guy, honest to the "T", and good people in general. I would not hesitate to do business with him again. The bass shipped when he said it would, arrived when he said it would, and was packed extremely well and securely.
Grade: A+
The Guitar:
2007 Custom Shop Mockingbird Supreme, Mahogony wings and neck with Walnut stringers, Maple top (they say quilt, but I swear it looks like it is spalted under the stain), Dimarzio dual "P"'s , ebony board with Abalone diamonds, bound neck and headstock(reversed). Black hardware with Grover Tuners, individual string saddle bridge, volume, volume, tone and 3 way selector. Finished in stain black, with white neck and headstck binding, it is a very striking guitar. The body is bevelled very similar to my Nagoya, and is very comfortable play, both standing and sitting.
Neck is very thin at the nut, more like a Jackson or "J" bass than any BCR I have ever played. The dual Dimarzios sound good, though I am contemplating either a switch to EMG's and a booster, or installing a MOSER mock circuit. Overall I am very pleased with it, only point's I am unhappy with are: 1) Script Logo (script is for imports) 2) Lack of partial active circuit and 3) Lack of a Bad Ass bridge.
Grade: A-/B+
Fit and Finish:
The stain black over Maple top is quite attractive. Finsh appears to be evenly applied, and fairly robust. However, it is not perfect. There is a dimple under the A string tuner, not glaring, but not what I would expect from a Bass that lists for almost $4800.
Likewise there is a line right by the controls, it's not by the stringer itself, but about an inch towards the lower horn side. Although it does not affect the playability of the guitar, nor is it particularly glaring, it bothers me that the QC is such that they would let this beautiful guitar go out with less than perfect paint.
Electronics work fine, though that is as much from Larry as anyone. One of the pot's was sticking, and the 3 way slector switch would not stay locked in the neck position. Both of these issues were handled before I had the guitar, but they do deserve being mentioned.
Grade: B-
Playability:
Plays like a dream. Although I tend to prefer the more classic BCR neck profile, kind of a medium C shape, the action is very low, no dead spots, stays in tune very well and in general is very pleasant to play. The frets are a nice jumbo size, and allow for excellent and easy tap harmonics. It is a medium weight bass, and very comfortable to play standing up. Once you learn how to hold a mock, you can play them sitting down pretty well, though it is still not as easy to play overall as my Rico.
Grade:A
Case:
Very nice TKL fitted case, black tolex, with BC Rich logo. Solid wood construction, every bit as nice as my G&G.
Grade:A+
Overall Impressions:
Although it is not perfect, it is a very sweet playing and looking bass. The flaws I pointed out show that BCR is still not where they should be if they are asking almost 5k for a Custom Shop instrument. Don't get me wrong, I really do like this bass, it is a quality instrument, BUT they still have a way to go to justify normal retail pricing. Let's hope that they can make that push to get to the 95th + percentile for quality. As of right now, I have to give it a B+. Very good, but not great.
Now for some pics:
I had mentioned in another post that I was looking for a reverse pointy headstock Mockingbird. Lorne came to the rescue(owe you a pint or two mate!) And put me in touch with Larry(owner of Beat street Music), who had a line on this beauty from the BCR Custom Shop. So after some phone and e-mail conversations, I had Larry get it from BCR to check it out. After some haggling (I beat Larry up pretty good on it) we agreed on a sale price and I pulled the trigger. Now that you have the history, here is the review:
Sales Experience:
The best. Larry is a good guy, honest to the "T", and good people in general. I would not hesitate to do business with him again. The bass shipped when he said it would, arrived when he said it would, and was packed extremely well and securely.
Grade: A+
The Guitar:
2007 Custom Shop Mockingbird Supreme, Mahogony wings and neck with Walnut stringers, Maple top (they say quilt, but I swear it looks like it is spalted under the stain), Dimarzio dual "P"'s , ebony board with Abalone diamonds, bound neck and headstock(reversed). Black hardware with Grover Tuners, individual string saddle bridge, volume, volume, tone and 3 way selector. Finished in stain black, with white neck and headstck binding, it is a very striking guitar. The body is bevelled very similar to my Nagoya, and is very comfortable play, both standing and sitting.
Neck is very thin at the nut, more like a Jackson or "J" bass than any BCR I have ever played. The dual Dimarzios sound good, though I am contemplating either a switch to EMG's and a booster, or installing a MOSER mock circuit. Overall I am very pleased with it, only point's I am unhappy with are: 1) Script Logo (script is for imports) 2) Lack of partial active circuit and 3) Lack of a Bad Ass bridge.
Grade: A-/B+
Fit and Finish:
The stain black over Maple top is quite attractive. Finsh appears to be evenly applied, and fairly robust. However, it is not perfect. There is a dimple under the A string tuner, not glaring, but not what I would expect from a Bass that lists for almost $4800.
Likewise there is a line right by the controls, it's not by the stringer itself, but about an inch towards the lower horn side. Although it does not affect the playability of the guitar, nor is it particularly glaring, it bothers me that the QC is such that they would let this beautiful guitar go out with less than perfect paint.
Electronics work fine, though that is as much from Larry as anyone. One of the pot's was sticking, and the 3 way slector switch would not stay locked in the neck position. Both of these issues were handled before I had the guitar, but they do deserve being mentioned.
Grade: B-
Playability:
Plays like a dream. Although I tend to prefer the more classic BCR neck profile, kind of a medium C shape, the action is very low, no dead spots, stays in tune very well and in general is very pleasant to play. The frets are a nice jumbo size, and allow for excellent and easy tap harmonics. It is a medium weight bass, and very comfortable to play standing up. Once you learn how to hold a mock, you can play them sitting down pretty well, though it is still not as easy to play overall as my Rico.
Grade:A
Case:
Very nice TKL fitted case, black tolex, with BC Rich logo. Solid wood construction, every bit as nice as my G&G.
Grade:A+
Overall Impressions:
Although it is not perfect, it is a very sweet playing and looking bass. The flaws I pointed out show that BCR is still not where they should be if they are asking almost 5k for a Custom Shop instrument. Don't get me wrong, I really do like this bass, it is a quality instrument, BUT they still have a way to go to justify normal retail pricing. Let's hope that they can make that push to get to the 95th + percentile for quality. As of right now, I have to give it a B+. Very good, but not great.
Now for some pics:
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