BC Rich exotic_classic_review

SOUNDC
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RICH AND FAMOUS
String-through
headstock allows for
four additional strings
B.C. Rich Exotic Classic Series 10-String Bich and
Mockingbird electric guitars
By ERIC KIRKLAND
T
HE GUNSLINGERS of metal
are again gravitating toward
radical guitar designs to complement their aggressive styles and
intense stage personas. This is great
news for B.C. Rich Guitars, which
currently produces more than 21 of
the world’s wildest guitar shapes. In
celebration of this recent trend, B.C.
Rich has added the timeless Mockingbird and 10-String Bich guitars to
its Exotic Classic Series, which also
includes the six-string Bich. (The
Exotic Classic Series offers all three
models in two versions: koa with
maple stringers and spalted maple
with ebony stringers.) In this platform, these two established designs
are recreated as modern works of art
whose striking looks are matched only
by their powerful sounds.
Both guitars feature neck-through
construction, attractive tone woods
and top-end hardware. Enthusiasts of
vintage B.C. Rich details will appreciate the old-school cloud inlays floating in the bound ebony fingerboards,
and modern players will be energized
by the muscular tone of the custom
Rockfield pickups.
ROCKFIELD PICKUPS
B.C. RICH COULD have loaded these
exotic beauties with any pickup on
the market. So it’s especially curious
that the company chose humbuckers from Todd Rockfield, a relative
newcomer to the pickup manufacturing world. Once you hear the pickups,
you’ll understand the choice: think
souped-up brown sound, with accelerated harmonics, thick lows, hot
midrange crunch and a clear bite. The
Mafia model pickups in these Exotic
Classic guitars are ceramic-based
versions of Rockfield’s Turbo pickups.
The ceramic magnets give the pickups
more power, extended lows and the
154
B.C. RICH EXOTIC
CLASSIC SERIES
MOCKINGBIRD AND
10-STRING BICH
LIST PRICES: 10-String
Exotic Classic Bich,
$1,140.00; Exotic
Classic Mockingbird,
$1,075.00;
MANUFACTURER:
B.C Rich Guitars,
bcrich.com
BODY: Nato mahogany; available in
spalted maple veneer
with ebony stringers
or koa veneer with
maple stringers
NECK: Maple, neckthrough construction
FINGERBOARD: Ebony
FRETS: 24 jumbo
SCALE: 25 5/8 inches
HARDWARE: Chrome
CONTROLS: 2 Volume,
1 Master Tone, toggle
switch
BRIDGE: (Bich) Quad
10-string bridge;
(Mockingbird) TuneO-Matic two-piece
bridge
PICKUPS: 2 Rockfield
Mafia
murderous attack that inspired the
model name. Controls for the guitars
include a three-way toggle, master
volume and dedicated tone pots.
EXOTIC CLASSIC 10-STRING BICH
FOR OBVIOUS reasons, the B.C. Rich
Bich has one of the most memorable names ever tagged to a guitar.
Though the Exotic Classic Bich
is a sizable instrument, my test
model—in spalted maple with ebony
stringers—weighed in at about eight
trim and very resonant pounds. Its
veneer cap is a stunning slice of
burled tiger maple, which doesn’t affect the tone insomuch as its adds to
the instrument’s appearance. Ebony
strips—i.e., the “stringers”—separate
the maple center of the guitar from
the Nato mahogany body pieces.
If you haven’t heard much about
10-string guitars, it’s because
they are uncommon and somewhat misunderstood. Many
players love the natural chorus
effect produced by 12 strings,
but 12-string guitars sound
odd when combined with
high gain and distortion. Young
rockers discovered a solution
in the mid Seventies when, in an
effort to improve the clarity of their
electrified 12-strings, they removed
the octave strings on the low E and
A. The gain-induced dissonance
disappeared, and the 10-string
guitar was born.
The cool thing about this guitar is that the standard gauge
strings are spaced exactly as
on a normal six-string, and
the neck is no wider than
you’ll find on any other
Bich. Should you want
to use the guitar as a
six-string, just remove
the four octave strings
and you’ll have a stanTuners for
additional four
dard six-string Bich.
Pearl cloud inlays
High-output
Rockfield Mafia
pickups
(available on all
Exotic Classic
Series guitars)
Spalted maple
veneer
Ebony stringers
strings strung from
the headstock
GU I TA R WOR L D
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DCHECK
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PERFORMANCE
THE LOW WEIGHT of my test guitar
Ebony fingerboard
with 25 jumbo frets
helped to create exceptional acoustic
resonance with particularly long-ringing bass notes. Plus, the extra mass of
the 10-string compatible bridge added
to its bass presence and
sustain. Combined with my
Marshall JCM 800’s lead
tone, the fiery Rockfield
pickups brought out pyrotechnic brilliance in the mids and an
abundance of sparkle in the highs. The
neck was terrifically comfortable and
the harmonious chorus of the octave
strings was absolutely addictive. Nothing but gloriously lush tones emanated
from this high-end 10-string, producing some extremely fun and memorable playing experiences.
EXOTIC CLASSIC MOCKINGBIRD
PLAYERS ARE DRAWN to the Mocking-
Maple stringers
Koa veneer
THESE EXOTIC
CLASSICS,
WITH THEIR
SWEET TONE
WOODS
AND HOT
PICKUPS,
ARE UNLIKE
ANY B.C.
RICH GUITARS
FROM THE
PAST.
bird’s shape because it is simultaneously
undomesticated and artistically balanced.
Because this is a true neck-through guitar, the body’s center is actually an extension of the three-piece maple neck. My
test guitar was made of Hawaiian koa,
with maple stringers that contrast the
body’s darker woods. They not only look
beautiful but also add strength
to the overall construction.
The koa is used for the top and
matching headstock veneer. This
rare tone wood is now in very short
supply, and it’s a special treat to see it
even as an accent.
PERFORMANCE
THE MOCKINGBIRD’S TONE was
warm and clear, with a powerful bass
signature and punchy high notes. The
Rockfield Mafia pickups harnessed
this essence and delivered it to my
modified Marshall with surprising
finesse. Low-gain settings with
the Mockingbird’s neck pickup
yielded mesquite-charred Texas
blues–style mids that were
imbued with a velvety treble
snap. Upping the distortion and switching to the
high-powered bridge ’bucker
made my Marshall sound as if it
had been hit by a lightning bolt of
metallic tone. The Mockingbird was
tonally transformed into a screaming
raptor, with chunky lows, razor-sharp
treble attack and ripping mids.
THE BOTTOM LINE
THE B.C. RICH 10-String Bich and
Mockingbird have been around a long
time. But these beautifully built Exotic
Classic versions, with their sweet tone
woods and hot pickups, are unlike any
B.C. Rich guitars from the past. Their
tones blend vintage depth with contemporary attitude, and the exquisite feel of
their three-piece necks represents more
than 35 years of design evolution. ■
PRO
CON
MAGNIFICENT LOOKS,
BLAZING PICKUPS, FAST
PLAYABILITY
FRET EDGES COULD
BE A LITTLE CLEANER
GUITAR WORLD
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