BC Rich Basses

Fatalistic · #1 05-08-2011, 07:04 PM

I have heard several times that most BC Rich Basses have awful tone and are just in general bad Basses. Are they REALLY as awful as people say? And is the tone really that bad or is it just the grisly tone for metal?

bongomania · #2 05-08-2011, 07:12 PM

Don't believe idle chatter. BC Rich has made some high-end basses that play and sound as good as any other high-end bass. They have also made a $#$#-load of cheap, entry-level basses, exactly as not-so-good as most other basses aimed at the entry level market.

Also, a big part of how a bass sounds is how it is set up, and how it is played. Ask yourself if the people saying "BC Riches suck" are experts at setups, or if they just play it however it comes off the shelf at GC. Also ask yourself whether these are kids talking idle smack, or older vintage purists who think only a 60's Fender will have great tone, etc.

**WoodyG3** · #3 05-08-2011, 07:12 PM

Tee hee.

DeltaPhoenix · #4 05-08-2011, 07:13 PM

Just like a lot of brands, cheaps ones sound cheap and better quality sound great. I have a made in theU.S.A. Mockingbird and it kills. I am playing kind of garage rock right now but have played in Death Metal bands and will again. By turning back the tone, I can get nice tone that swells, by rolling it forward I get lots of definition. Granted I am using better EMG pickups than the stock. Mine has 2 P Pickups and I am thinking of routing the back one out into a MusicMan Humbucker and using a different preamp plus have the ability to use different coils on the humbucker(a splitter). Mine B.C.Rich sounds great and looks awesome.

GM60466 · #5 05-08-2011, 07:21 PM

Jack Casady played one during Hot Tuna's early electric days. Great Sound

cet1360 · #6 05-08-2011, 07:26 PM

i was playing a Kramer DM aluminum neck back in the 80"s and had the sound man from another band ask if i could use his B.C. Rich for a set so he could hear how it sounded. I was at first reluctant as the action was set a bit high but it played easily, good tone, nice axe! unsure of model

Fatalistic · #7 05-08-2011, 07:38 PM

I believe that some lower end Basses can be great. I saw a YouTube video where some guy was using a Warbeast Trace, playing Mudvayne's Happy? and it sounded okay to me.

Thrill-House · #8 05-08-2011, 08:46 PM

One big problem with alot of BC rich basses is neckdive and lack of balance because of the odd shapes they come in. Some models.. it almost seems like they just stuck the strap buttons in any old place and didnt even test to see if it works properly. Even with different placements, some of the body shapes are just not capable of being devoid of neck dive, and that basically turns me off completely from BC Rich.

pie_man_25 · #9 05-08-2011, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrill-House

One big problem with alot of BC rich basses is neckdive and lack of balance because of the odd shapes they come in. Some models.. it almost seems like they just stuck the strap buttons in any old place and didnt even test to see if it works properly. Even with different placements, some of the body shapes are just not capable of being devoid of neck dive, and that basically turns me off completely from BC Rich.

This. The last time I played one the neck was nice, the action was nice, and the sound was pretty good - it had some muscle. It was a nice bass especially for $300, the big problem though, I couldn't sit down with it very comfortably and the neck dive while both standing and sitting was bad, it wore my left hand out very quickly because I had to hold it.

DeltaPhoenix · #10 05-09-2011, 04:14 PM

I add a very light ankle weight on my strap to counter the neck dive..

Thrill-House · #11 05-09-2011, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaPhoenix

I add a very light ankle weight on my strap to counter the neck dive..

Or you can just buy a bass thats has no neckdive.

Westleigh · #12 05-09-2011, 04:47 PM

I used them exclusively though the 80's. Was more concerned about the look than the sound back then. Haveing said that I got some great sounds out of them. All mine had at least one p pickup and I have always played though ampeg amplifiers but the whole works rocked the metal years for me! Still miss my favorite warlock. They all had neck dive but I was use to it.

darkstorm · #13 05-09-2011, 04:50 PM

Most of the dissing of BC Rich basses is due to folks not liking their shapes. Too nonconservative for most peeps. BC Rich guitars and basses have been a top fave of mine for decades. I do like soapbar pups better then the P pups. And I do like slim necks. The newer BC Rich basses have little bit slimmer necks then their older ones. Voice wise, their excellent aggressive P pup voicing is a winner to me but still I prefer aggressive soapbar pup voicing more. Construction wise the nj series of old and the nt along with classic series basses have been excellent for the past few decades imo.

Only neckdivey BC Rich Ive owned was mockingbirds. The warlocks, eagles, beasts, that Ive owned did not neck dive past just above horizontal and some less then that.

A lot of people will allways rag on nonconservative looking basses and guitars irregardless of how they actually sound or how playable they are.

BC Rich also voices its pups for more agressive crunchy voice char rather then smooth. Thats a real plus to me but unliked by a lot of people.

Overall the hatred for bc rich comes first and formost imo from people disliking their orientation to nonconservative music. Their being a very long time well respected mfg since the late 1970's also has resulted in their import guitars prices for the mid and up line being a bit higher then comprable electronics package Ibanez & Esp ltd, etc basses to. Causeing them to be not as much bang for the buck in the $350-$699 price range as some other popular brands.

BC Rich like Monson and Moser are more for people who like aggressive music and going beyond mainstream thinking and attitudes. Of course they look a bit odd within pop rock, country and jazz music settings for most of the shapes. But they fit well in heavy metal, electronica, experimental, goth, hard rock, and perhaps fusion jazz music genres for looks.

They are also the formost pioneer in useing P pup stype for neck and bridge pups. So besides the shapes the pups configuration is unusual and rare. Something a lot of folks dont like, not common enough.

The same complaints would be made about a lot of boutique basses body designs if they had originated among import bass makers instruments in the $500 and under price range imo.

darkstorm · #14 05-09-2011, 04:57 PM

Heres link to the "official" fanclub for bc rich here at talkbass. Its hard to find due to letter minimum requirements for searches. Lol

Offical B.C. Rich Club!

BlueTalon · #15 05-09-2011, 05:12 PM

Honestly, I can't say I care too much for the newer low-end Riches. But a couple months ago I scored a BC Rich Mockingbird bass on Craigs List for $200, and this is a bass I have wanted since high school over 30 years ago. It's every bit as good as I thought it would be, no problems with tone or playability at all.
(No neck dive, either.)

Thrill-House · #16 05-09-2011, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkstorm

BC Rich also voices its pups for more agressive crunchy voice char rather then smooth. Thats a real plus to me but unliked by a lot of people. ....

Overall the hatred for bc rich comes first and formost imo from people disliking their orientation to nonconservative music. ....

BC Rich like Monson and Moser are more for people who like aggressive music and going beyond mainstream thinking and attitudes. Of course they look a bit odd within pop rock, country and jazz music settings for most of the shapes. But they fit well in heavy metal, electronica, experimental, goth, hard rock, and perhaps fusion jazz music genres for looks.

This i think is another problem that plagues BC Rich instruments. Most of their designs as well as marketing is heavily focused to the various metal genres, and because of that arent really suitable for anything else. I mean i know its not about the looks, it about sound. But lets face it, a blues band with a bassist using a BC Rich warlock is going to look pretty silly. At the same time, there are basses out there that can pull off the same tones as any BC Rich, but also look ambiguous enough to be used with many different genres. I just dont see the point of getting a BC Rich, unless i was very fixated on the body shape.

I honestly think if BC Rich broadened their focus on other genres and other body shapes, they would probably be more successful and respected. They can make some good instruments, but most of them either look rediculous, or are a bitch to play ergonomics wise.

BlueTalon · #17 05-09-2011, 05:22 PM

The Eagle and Mockingbird are conservative enough looking that they could fit in in most circumstances. The one in my picture above is understated enough to fit quite nicely in a blues or C&W setting.

msmucr · #18 05-09-2011, 05:36 PM

Hi,

i don't have personal experience with those basses, but recalled one link to one clip,
B.C.Rich instruments are usually associated with rock and metal music for its shape, but this is prove, that in right hands, it could be serious funk machine :-)

Great Jerry Preston with Maceo Parker and some vintage bass..

YouTube - Maceo Parker - Shake everything you've got

Michal

darkstorm · #19 05-09-2011, 05:42 PM

Thats jerry preston playing his BC Rich Wave bass. Wave and Bich are two shapes I wish theyd reintroduce to the import line.

NKBassman · #20 05-09-2011, 05:48 PM

A low-end Warlock was my first real gigging bass, and it is still to this day the worst bass I've ever played. The tone was actually pretty good, but it was the utter definition of "neck dive".

I would LOVE a vintage Mockingbird though. They're sexy looking basses for sure.