B.C. Rich Guitars

Screaming tone and attitude to match

By Johnny Bach

Many guitarists are happy playing a traditional axe like a Les Paul or an SG. Not me. I've always searched for guitars that looked and sounded as extreme as my playing and performance, but only a few have delivered both the attitude-laden appearance and pure shredability that my music demands. Those lucky ones found their way into my arsenal, while the others have gathered dust on pawnshop shelves, doomed to a life of having "Stairway to Heaven" and "Iron Man" plucked on them by amateurs.

Knowing my preference for axes with attitude, Musician's Friend sent me three B.C. Rich guitars that are making huge waves in guitardom: the Platinum Pro Zombie, the Bich Archtop, and the Evil Edge Special Edition Mockingbird. With all I'd heard about these instruments, I was more than willing to see if they'd meet my strict standards of excellence.

 

Looks that kill

The first word that popped into my head as I looked at the unique shapes of these axes was "edgy." The Zombie's body is based on the B.C. Rich Beast, and it bears the headstock of B.C. Rich's Widow. It's a little more symmetrical than the Beast, yet it retains the edges that create the aggressive look I love. The Bich Archtop is shaped to emit tons of attitude, with its large double-cutaways allowing superb access to all 24 frets. Black hardware on both the Zombie and Bich Archtop add to the metal vibe these guitars possess.

The Evil Edge Mockingbird has a more rounded appearance than the jagged Zombie and Bich shapes. It's offset nicely by chrome hardware and the large brass pickguard that runs from the bottom point on the body over the tone controls and bridge with a cool hand-axe shape. The large arm contour on the top of the body makes it a very comfortable guitar to play as well.

 

Tonal treasures

Great looks on a guitar are important, but they don't mean squat without the tone to match. After taking in the killer shapes of these guitars, I was anxious to plug them in to see if their sounds would live up to their designs.

The Bich Archtop's basswood body makes it lightweight, yet it generates excellent low-end via dual humbuckers. It has loads of sustain and it was easy to get rich clean tones as well as straight-up metal crunch. The maple neck is topped with a lightning-fast rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets. The action was perfect out of the box--whether playing open chords, runs up the neck, or big bends, the guitar responded amazingly well. I've played guitars that cost much more that couldn't match the versatility the Bich provides. In fact, I soon learned that this is something that really united these guitars despite their radically different designs. They are all a pleasure to play.

 

BDSM badness

The Evil Edge Special Edition Mockingbird and Zombie match the great action and feel of the Bich with B.C. Rich's Broad Dynamic Sonically Matched (BDSM) pickups. These high-output humbuckers are hand-selected and matched by B.C. Rich engineers to deliver maximum output and durability. To put it simply, they are hotter than hell.

The Evil Edge Special Edition Mockingbird and Zombie both have agathis bodies, which gives them a warm tone similar to mahogany but without the high price tag. The Zombie comes with a trusty Floyd Rose locking trem. I love my whammy bars, but there's nothing worse than doing a killer dive only to find it's knocked the entire guitar out of tune. That's not a problem with the Zombie; it stayed true to pitch no matter what I threw at it.

 

The response

In my opinion, there's no better place to put a guitar to the test than a live show. While the studio or rehearsal can be forgiving of mistakes, broken strings, and the like, when you play live you're at the mercy of your gear and your talent.

The Bich served me well on a few of our straight-up, riff-driven rockers. I was able to pull both rhythm and lead tones out of it with ease, and the sustain was off the hook. The Mockingbird made a couple of appearances on songs where I really like my guitar parts to shine above the rest of the band. With those hot BDSM pickups, I was able to use the volume knob to achieve a number of nuances. I love the tone of the axe I normally play, but I often have the volume cranked to max to achieve the right sound, taking away the opportunity for such dynamics. I used the Zombie and its Floyd Rose trem for some of my more far-out numbers, including an instrumental I wrote that's basically a vehicle for shredding. The Zombie let me indulge my wildest dive bombs and didn't go a cent off pitch.

 

The price is right

After spending some time with these B.C. Rich guitars, I had to remind myself how affordable they are. Normally when I play a guitar that responds as well as these, I just assume it's priced somewhere in the $1,000 and up range. Not so with these. In fact, all three of these guitars come in at under $500--stellar values given their attributes.

If you're a guitarist who wants to stand out from the crowd, impress your fans with monster tone, and not have to struggle to play your chops, then any of these B.C. Rich guitars will serve you handsomely.

 

The Platinum Pro Zombie, Bich, and Evil Edge Special Edition Mockingbird guitars from B.C. Rich have the bold looks and tone that players on the edge want, as well as very friendly price tags.