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 memo-
rable 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 af-
fect 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 some-
what 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 gui-
tar 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 stan-
dard six-string Bich.
By ERIC KIRKLAND
THE GUNSLINGERS of metal
are again gravitating toward
radical guitar designs to com-
plement 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 Mock-
ingbird 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 plat-
form, 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 appreci-
ate the old-school cloud inlays float-
ing 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 humbuck-
ers from Todd Rockfield, a relative
newcomer to the pickup manufactur-
ing world. Once you hear the pickups,
you’ll understand the choice: think
souped-up brown sound, with ac-
celerated 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
SOUNDCHECKSOUNDCHECK
