Today I played one of the worst guitars ever built...

[Torment Leaves Scars]

...a B.C. Rich CUSTOM SHOP Warlock.  Yes, you read that correctly.  :sad1:

Before I go into that, let me just tell a little story...

Ever since I first saw a B.C. Rich Warlock at around 14 years old, I'd fallen in love with them.  While I'd never owned one, my longtime dream had been to own my very own B.C. Rich Custom Shop Warlock.  That dream came to an end last year when I priced one out.  At that time, I turned to Warmoth to fulfill my "dream guitar" dreams, and for the most part, I'm glad I did, because from what I experienced today, I certainly made the right decision.

I had never been so disappointed in anything in my entire life...seriously.  I had such high expectations for a B.C. Rich Custom Shop guitar, and in fact, held them at the top of the pedestal.  I nearly worshiped them....until about 1:30 pm today.

There it was, hanging on the wall; a black to brown burst (not my favorite combo...), neck-through, "Widow" headstock...everything but the wrong colors and the lack of a Floyd Rose.  The price, $2999.

My eyes fixated, and I frothed at the mouth with desire.  I was absolutely hungry to play it.  One of the employees clearly saw my eyes fixated on it, and he pulled it off the wall, placing the Holy Grail in my loving and caring arms.

I was directed to a nice Peavey tube amp with the wooden god, and plugged in, and sat down, hardly being able to contain myself with the riffs that were ready to explode from the fretboard....and then it happened.  I turned the tone knob and it slipped, as if it were stripped.  Then, it popped off into my hand.  I was devastated, but not nearly as devastated as when I saw the big gaping hole in the body, and saw the pot was mounted crooked.  :sad1:

I thought the nightmares were over, but they'd just begun.  The binding was absolutely sloppy, and the sound was reminiscent of a dead buzzard.  And then there were the frets.  The fretwork was absolutely POOR.  In fact, I am NOT exaggerating when I say that my $400 Jackson JS32 Warrior has a finer fret job.  These frets looked like cut up, rough coat hanger, and the install looked like someone had pounded the cut up coat hanger wire into cheap wood.  :sad1:

I just don't know what to say.  Within the matter of about 2 minutes, I went from being one of the biggest B.C. Rich fans on the planet to one of the biggest B.C. Rich haters on the planet.  I feel nothing short of betrayed, and just in a disappointing awe.  I've been pining about it to my wife all day about it.  I am seriously deeply saddened, and feel absolutely let down. 

I just thought I'd share that miserable experience with everyone.  I seriously left that music store, and wanted to cry.  :sad1:

 

[reluctant-builder]

Damn.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Damn.

Yeah, sadly, that's about all I could say, too.  :sad1:

 

[spauldingrules]

It was a message from God - "Thou shalt not covet pointy guitars."  Time to build a tele in repentance.

 

[elfro89]

It's a trend that's all too true with all guitar makers; you get some good and some bad in all price ranges. This just serves to demonstrate that you don't need to spend a fortune to get a good guitar. Personally I would rather spend £300-1000 on a guitar and have the extra £2000 to play about with.

 

[AGWAN]

Dont feel bad man. I love widow headstocked Warlocks so much I got one for my first guitar... Floyd and all...

absolutely horrid guitar.

though I will say my frets were actually quite smooth. not real fret issues for me. nice and smooth edged Jumbo's.

everything else on the guitar... slipping knobs included... absolutely hellish

 

[Cagey]

absolutely horrid guitar. everything else on the guitar... slipping knobs included... absolutely hellish

I've only seen a few B.C. Rich guitars in real life, and they've pretty much all been like that. Nobody can figure out why the prices are so high; there's nothing to justify it. The higher-end shops around here won't even stock them, and they'll stock Gibsons.

 

[hannaugh]

I've played a couple different BC Rich axes when I saw them in shops and friends' houses.  All of them were terrible.  Sorry for the disillusionment, man.  That totally sucks.  

I kind of feel like that when I play a new Gibson Les Paul sometimes, depending on how the QC (or lack thereof) was at the factory that day.  I used to think Gibsons were the best you could get.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

It was a message from God - "Thou shalt not covet pointy guitars."  Time to build a tele in repentance.

I have a Tele.    Quite a nice one, actually.  :kewlpics:

As addressing to everyone else, I guess I just expected much more out of a hand-crafted guitar; superior materials, workmanship, attention to detail, etc., especially at the price.

I've played a share of B.C. Rich guitars from the early 80s, and they all seemed okay...in fact, I really liked the B.C. Rich guitars I've played.

I have a 1980s Mockingbird NJ, and I don't have any issues with wobbly or slipping knobs, and it sounds alright.

IMO, B.C. Rich of today is not the same B.C. Rich of yesterday...very far from it, apparently.  The CS shops of the 70s and 80s were of the highest quality, but the same can clearly NOT be said of today's CS guitars from B.C. Rich.

 

[Cagey]

I used to think Gibsons were the best you could get.

They were, back 100 years ago when there were only 3 channels on TV, and 3 car manufacturers to choose from. If you wanted a professional electric, you bought a Gibson, Gretsch, or Fender, and the Gretsches were questionable. Other channels, cars, and guitars existed, but they were all junk. Then, some big companies bought the little ones and nearly destroyed them with cost-cutting and profit-taking, opening the door for all sorts of competition. In the span of a decade or so, the competition caught up and surpassed all the classics. Now, you can buy a Les Paul from Korea for $400 that beats the snot out of a $3,500 Gibson, and you can build better Fenders right on your dining room table that are better than Fender's Custom Shop stuff. Of course, Gretsch is still questionable <grin>

 

[AGWAN]

problem is I still think Warlocks are pretty

 

[Cagey]

problem is I still think Warlocks are pretty

That's not a problem. For what one costs, you could buy one helluva bandsaw and router, build one of your own, and still have money left over. Then you'd be able to build other stuff as well, like more guitars.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

I'm no expert on BC Rich guitars, they're not my cup of tea.  But I understand that the early American made ones were quite good.  My brother owned one briefly but sold it back to the original owner when he got his feet back on the ground.  That guitar was really well made.  Beyond that, I don't have any experience and can't comment further.

It does suck when something blows away an image that you've had in your head for so long.  Sorry it had to happen to you.

But...there are plenty of fish in the sea.  Go find a new favorite icon!

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I'm no expert on BC Rich guitars, they're not my cup of tea.  But I understand that the early American made ones were quite good.  My brother owned one briefly but sold it back to the original owner when he got his feet back on the ground.  That guitar was really well made.  Beyond that, I don't have any experience and can't comment further.

It does suck when something blows away an image that you've had in your head for so long.  Sorry it had to happen to you.

But...there are plenty of fish in the sea.  Go find a new favorite icon!

Yes, indeed they were well-built at one time (70s and 80s).  I'd defend "original" B.C. Rich guitars til the day I die, but only because I have personal experiences with Neal Moser, who was behind the B.C. Rich CS builds in the 70s and 80s.  He assembled and set up my Warmoth Star, and lemme tell you, there was NOTHING lacking about the build.  I question why I even want another guitar, considering my Warmoth Star is undoubtedly the best playing guitar I've ever played.  No, I'm not being partial just because it's my personal guitar, it's the honest truth.

I could sit here all day and blab about how great my guitar plays, blah blah blah.  In fact, it should be my "icon," and in a way it is, but as we all know, we can't own just one guitar, we own "collections."  ccasion14:

I've found a new "icon" in either a Jackson Custom Shop Star or Jackson Custom Shop Warrior.  I love the designs of these guitars, and IMO, they just scream, "METAL."

It's just really disappointing to finally "meet" my "icon," and it turned out to be a really poor experience.  It's the same feeling as finally meeting your guitar idol, and all you wanted to do was ask a few questions or get some tips on improving your playing, and you're answered with, "Dude, why bother?  You suck, and you'll never be as good as me."

 

[spauldingrules]

That color is sweet.  What is it?  Is it semi-transparent?

It was a message from God - "Thou shalt not covet pointy guitars."  Time to build a tele in repentance.

I have a Tele.    Quite a nice one, actually.  :kewlpics:

As addressing to everyone else, I guess I just expected much more out of a hand-crafted guitar; superior materials, workmanship, attention to detail, etc., especially at the price.

I've played a share of B.C. Rich guitars from the early 80s, and they all seemed okay...in fact, I really liked the B.C. Rich guitars I've played.

I have a 1980s Mockingbird NJ, and I don't have any issues with wobbly or slipping knobs, and it sounds alright.

IMO, B.C. Rich of today is not the same B.C. Rich of yesterday...very far from it, apparently.  The CS shops of the 70s and 80s were of the highest quality, but the same can clearly NOT be said of today's CS guitars from B.C. Rich.

 

[kboman]

I rather like that - is it an original Tele Plus like Jonny Greenwood uses or has it been modded to the same specs? Hard to see the fine print on the headstock

 

[rapfohl09]

My very first electric guitar was a B.C. Rich Bronze series warlock. I, just like you, had loved them since I had first seen them when I was a 12 year old metal obsessed boy. I'll be perfectly honest I'm just rambling because I don't remember anything about it other than that I barely played it for about 6 months, then the solder joint at the jack broke so I sold it to buy a LP-100.

It sucks to be so dissapointed, but it could have been a lemon. But it's not like you come across them all the time, so who knows if you will ever know.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

  It's the same feeling as finally meeting your guitar idol, and all you wanted to do was ask a few questions or get some tips on improving your playing, and you're answered with, "Dude, why bother?  You suck, and you'll never be as good as me."

I know what you mean.  Sometimes you meet a musician you really admire and they can be such a**holes, but other times you meet one and they are the nicest person in the world.  You never know.  But it is really disappointing when you meet one who is just a jerk.  It sort of changes your whole outlook on their music.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

That color is sweet.  What is it?  Is it semi-transparent?

It was a message from God - "Thou shalt not covet pointy guitars."  Time to build a tele in repentance.

I have a Tele.    Quite a nice one, actually.  :kewlpics:

As addressing to everyone else, I guess I just expected much more out of a hand-crafted guitar; superior materials, workmanship, attention to detail, etc., especially at the price.

I've played a share of B.C. Rich guitars from the early 80s, and they all seemed okay...in fact, I really liked the B.C. Rich guitars I've played.

I have a 1980s Mockingbird NJ, and I don't have any issues with wobbly or slipping knobs, and it sounds alright.

IMO, B.C. Rich of today is not the same B.C. Rich of yesterday...very far from it, apparently.  The CS shops of the 70s and 80s were of the highest quality, but the same can clearly NOT be said of today's CS guitars from B.C. Rich.

Thanks!  I'm not sure what the color is, but it is a transparent.  The photo really doesn't do the guitar justice.  It's sort of a "burst" from a rich blue into sort of a "aqua" color.  I'll try to get a better photo of it. 

It's a 1994 or 1995 Tele Plus.  I have no idea how to tell which year it is, but if someone can identify the Serial#s, I'll be happy to post them.  ccasion14:

Thank you very much for the compliment!  ccasion14:

 

[pabloman]

Looks like a 94. I'm on my phone so I can't tell for sure but it looks like it starts with an N4*****.