For the 40th collection, we chose to recreate the first four original electric guitar designs out of the innovative minds of Bernie Rico and his staff of designers. Each feature specifications that closely mimic those appearing in the earliest B.C. Rich catalogs from the 70s; neck-through construction, solid Koa bodies and exclusive electronics. It’s your turn to own a piece of history, B.C. Richistory.
The Seagull, Bernie Rico’s first original electric guitar design is very special for many reasons - it’s visually distinctive, neck-through and has the same partially active electronics just like it did in the 70s.
Production is limited to 40.
B.C. Rich is known as one of the pioneers in Neck Through construction. They utilize it on many of their guitars, because it provides the best possible sustain, resonance, comfort and access to higher frets. Neck-through has long been considered the premium construction method for high end guitars. This construction starts with a long piece (or pieces) of premium North American maple. That piece runs from the tip of the headstock to the strap button on the opposite end of the guitar. This means that the headstock, fingerboard, pickups and bridge all are mounted to this single sound foundation. Sonically it is a difference you can hear. The neck-through construction also allows us to cut away more of the body and neck at the neck joint which provides comfort that no bolt-on or set-neck could offer. You will find the neck through feature on all of our top of the line B.C. Rich models.
Take a Super Distortion®, include a push-pull pot for series-parallel or single-coil operation and you have the Dual Sound®. The extra flexibility puts cleaner, crisp tone choices at your control. Lighten up on the lead tone in parallel operation, then roar back in with the standard series position. Use the single-coil mode along with your neck or middle pickup for chopping rhythm tones. If you need brighter, more transparent sounds from your bridge or neck pickup without sacrificing wide, singing crunch, the Dual Sound® nicely fills the bill.
Recommended For: Bridge position on solid body guitars.
Tech Talk: The Dual Sound® is the original four-conductor version of the Super Distortion®. Originally, the main purpose of four-conductor wiring was to switch from series to parallel modes. It is now popular in bridge position H-S-H pickup arrangements, where it can split to single-coil in combination with a middle position pickup like the Blue Velvet™. This combination creates very Strat-like sounds, because the warm tone and high output of the Dual Sound® allow single-coil mode to balance with most single-coils.
Most of B.C. Rich body styles employ a beveled edge around the shape. In many ways bevels on a top are similar to facets on a cut stone. They catch the light and reflect at different angles giving the instrument more of a three dimensional look. Some of the B.C. Rich top bevels are extreme and wide while others are subtle and narrow. Occasionally the shape of the instrument is accented by painting the bevels a contrasting color.
Construction: neck through
Body wood: koa
Top style: bevel
Tuners: Grover® Super Rotomatic™
Fretboard: rosewood
Frets: 24 jumbo
Scale: 24 5/8"
Bridge: B.C. Rich® Quad
Pickups: Dimazio® Dual Sound™
Controls: partial active
Colors: koa
