BC Rich Custom Shop Stealth

this is an update to my review below. 5 years later and i read my prior review and it seemed a little over the top. same guitar (black stealth, neck through, 1 bridge humbucker). i changed the pickup to a dimarzio tone zone as my tastes have changed a bit over time and couldn't be happier. great bass response, especially considering the guitar is maple neck through with poplar sides. i now have the guitar set up in standard E with 11-52s and play through a Marshall TSL-100 head and valvestate cabinet, no effects. i absolutely love this guitar, i wouldn't trade it for the world. it's my favorite guitar i've ever played (i've owned and played a pretty good variety, and also own a gibson sg standard and bc rich usa warlock), although with only a bridge humbucker, it's not exactly versatile. but this is obvious looking at the thing. still, with the tone zone pickup rock, metal, punk and hardcore all sound fine, i would only reach for something else to play the blues or country. i play in a hardcore band (heartfelt discord) and this is my main guitar for recording and playing. it rules and i'll take it to my grave. they rarely make this model anymore so if you see one, buy it, you wont be disappointed. lastly, i also own a usa rich warlock witht he same pickup and bridge configuration and while i love that guitar as well, for me the stealth is a much mkore comfortable body to play. the warlock's wings get in the way, but that's just a personal preference.

This is a 1998 custom shop USA Stealth, alder body and maple neck(i think, on both accounts). it's a neck-through and the fretboard looks like rosewood, but i can't tell. not as soft as my standard SG but still wonderful. mother of pearl diamond fret markers which are gourgeous. the body is jet black, just how i like, and the headstock is like their typical 6 to a side, but all the strings go straight through the nut to their tuners, unlike any i have seen on a Rich (apparently this was ordered by the store to resemble chuck schildner from Death's guitar). the bridge is a quad and their is only a bridge pick-up- an emg-81. volume and no tone. the hardware is chrome. it gets an 8 because their is no tone knob (my only complaint) and their aren't really many features, but that's exactly as i wanted it- simple and to the point. BTW, if you aren't familiar with the stealth body, it's an extended star body with longer horns on the lower front and top back pieces- you don't see many of them around...

well, i play hardcore and metal and, to be honest, you're kidding youself if you don't use a BC Rich USA or a Jackson. i playt through a marshall valvestate halfstack with just a boss noisegate and a boss metalzone and i get completely crushing tone, but wait- i get amazing clarity, too! i didn't think itcoiuld get any better than my gibson sg standard with an emg81 at the bridge and 60 at the neck, but this kicks its ass- much cleaner and the palm muted parts of my songs are now super heavy- you can feel it in your stomach. a slight complaiunt is that open chords sound a bit weak, i think due to the wood. you need mahogany for that kind of fullness. but if you want to play metal, hardcore or punk, this is your guitar. a teensy bit bright and just crushing. and no noise (without the metal zone, otherwise you'd be a fool not to use a noise gate). wouldn't use it for country, but standard rock and blues would be doable, probably better off with a passive pick-up, though

this guitar came FLAWLESS and despite hitting it on a bunch of stuff, it has one tiny scratch where i hit it really hard. every time i bump into something, i look down in horror and there is never a scratch- it's super light weight (lighter than the sg), but built like a tank. the pickups were set up right from the factory, but i changed the strings to 10-52's right when i got it so had to set up for that. the neck is perfect- thin but not as thin as a jackson or ibanez. my fingers glide over effortlessly. i never thought about soloing until i got this- the neck through makes a huge difference. my biggest complaint is this- the guitar body is so light that the thing is really top heavy. it took mne about a month and a half to find a position where i was comfortable playing it- you kinda need to rest your strumming arm on the guitar to keep it from falling forward. other than that, she's perfect. could stay in tune better when i tune everything down a whole step, but not too bad- i have gigged it live before (and even outside) and it never went out of tune.

i don't buy a guitar i can't play live with- what kind of question is that? this thing will be here, in pristine condition, long after i am dead and rotting. despite its light weight, it is incredibly solid and the hardware, consisting of only the quad bridge (it's a tune-o-matic bridge with the tailpiece and bridge combined into one- much more comfortable to play than the standard tune-o-matic)and grover tuners, are going nowhere. the strap buttons are solid i've never had one come off while playing, and i move around quite a bit,and the finish is solid and thick. i wouldn't gig without a backup simply because i break strings at thr bridge and originally bought this as a backup for my gibson. i now use them both somewhat equally.

haven't used them, but there is a lifetime warranty since it was built by hand and signed by Bernie Rico Sr, founder of bc rich, on the back of the headstock. i did call once to find out what woods the guitar was made from and they were very nice to me.

i have been playing for six years and own a gibson sg standard, a hamer import satf (but not the sh*tty slammer series) and a crappy ibanez (my first guitar, piece of feces). this guitar puts the gibson to shame in terms of playing crushing death metal, but the gibson is a little more comfortable. still, this one is so badass looking and the neck is like a dream. i wouldn't change a hting. coincidentally, i bought it without playing it from drumcity guitarland in colorado off the internet and it more than surpassed my expectations. the sound is simply not to be believed. if lost or stolen, i would find the sumbitch that stole it and disembowel him and make him eat his guts. then i would cut his head off and make him see his headless body as his last sight before buying, so if you see me playing this beauty, don't steal it... i would just like to mention that i've dreamed of having a USA BC Rich for sometime and now that i have one, will definitely buy another, probably a mockingbird or warlock. and lastly, jason at drumcity guitarland was super patient and answered all my questions (there were many- i was comparing this to a rich junior vee and some jacksons) and was the bomb- everything promised was delivered- visit their web page and buy a damn guitar (www.drumcityguitarland.com)!

i think this is a 98 or 99 stealth, the wacky curvy shape.. solid neck through mahogany, thick thick AAAA (maybe a 5a) maple top dyed trans dark green, kahler trem, ebony fingerboard, jumbo abalonie diamond inlays, grover tuners, emgs ( i didnt order this guitar, i am the 2nd owner, or else it wouldnt have EMGS). the neck is beefy, which i like, i got a hard case with it. hand signed by bernie rico sr., a beautiful piece of art that plays, feels, sounds amazing, high high quality..

well.. heres the thing. emgs are sterile. they will sound the same in my neck through mahogany w/maple top stealth as they do in a plywood strat copy.. i mean, i love the sound, so i havent changed them, but they dont get the wood tone through at all, whatsoever. you cant hear what this guitar is made of, but its there if i decide to change. im positive however that with passive dimarzios or duncans, itd sound like god on steroids, its amazingly high quality wood. im gonna have to give it a 9 though, since the first guy that had it got emgs put in at the factory, after all it is a custom shop.

i got it used. the top is stunning, the finish is stunning. it had one flaw, which was a faulty toggle switch, wouldnt stay in a position, so i replaced it with a gibson 3 way... other then that, this guitar plays like a million bucks. its not a parker.. but here is my chart as far as playability goes.. the best is parker, no competition, then bc rich, then jackson. If you dont know what to get between a usa rich and usa jackson, get the bc rich, they play better... trust me. but i have to give this an 8 because the toggle was fucked, and its a custom shop instrument.,

this guitar would withstand anything.. its big, and heavy, and bad ass... i dont expect any problems. i only use parkers live, but i know this guitar would stand up to anything. id just be nervous, because the top is so friggin gorgeous, and i wouldnt want to mess it up.

this guitar plays better then any guitar ive ever played other then parkers, and parkers are a 10, i gave my korina jackson king V an 8, so this gets a 9.