The History of BC Rich Guitar

The BC Rich Guitar has its roots in a classical and Spanish style guitar repair shop owned and operated by Bernardo Chavez Rico. He later expanded to guitar making and his early models were inspired by the Les-Paul guitars. Some of these early styles include the Mockingbird and the Eagle.

Over time, B.C. Rich, then called B.C. Rico, desired to make more mass produced and inexpensive guitars. The name was eventually changed to B.C. rich after a lawsuit. The guitars manufactured were known to have exceptional quality and they developed a following of devoted players.

But, Rico made a business move in the 1990’s that nearly damaged this reputation. He gave a manufacturer named Class Axe the rights to make guitars under the B.C. Rich brand name. These guitars were a disaster because they were of poor quality. Once Rico learned of this, he stopped the production of these guitars and went into hiding until the issue was sorted out. Because of this, B.C. Rich lost a lot of their loyal following.

Despite this brief disaster, B.C. Rich will always be known for the many innovations they contributed to guitar manufacturing. They became one of the first companies to construct using a neck through body setup and they included pickups and other hardware inside the guitar to enhance the sound and tone. They also have a guitar that is made of acrylic and is completely see through.

Today, the Class Axe disaster is in the past. And though they hardly make the neck through construction guitars any more in favor of the bolt construction (to appeal to a different audience) they are once again a more respected company.

Some of the BC Rich guitars you can find now include the Assassin/ASM, Dagger, Mockingbird and Mockingbird II, Zombie, Widow, Wrath, Seagull, Jazzbox, Nighthawk, and the Gunslinger. For a complete listing of all the guitars check with your local dealer or look online.

Over the years, BC Rich guitars have made quite an impression on professional artists. These include Kerry King, Steve Smyth, Tracii Guns, Craig Ross, Dearborn, Acey Slade, Christy Kane, and Terrence Hobbs. For a complete list of artists check out www.bcrich.com

For More Information