Brutally Honest Gear Reviews! #1: B.C. Rich Mockingbird Legacy ST
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2021
- Hope you enjoy the first of many Brutally Honest Gear Reviews. :)
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I purchased a Mockingbird in 1978. Loved it. I met Rick Derringer and he played my guitar. Awesome experience.
With the guitar buddy of mine from school we saw Rick Derringer play a old movie theater in Woodland Hills he did about eight encores then after the show we're just sitting there he walks out he chats up anybody and everybody for about a half hour just whatever you want to talk to him about he has guitar with him My buddy was estatic I loved it I had a great time and the dude just ripped. (Teenage Love Affair Johnny Winter And⚡)
I saw Paul Cook playing one of these mockingbirds In Anthrax
just a stellar guitar player these guitars are a lot of bang for the buck! 👍
Do you remember the price? I seem to recall they were over 1K USD even back then (?)
Theory, Mike is actually a lizard which is why his eyes change color and why he has such technical ability.
Ever see V? Yeah that's my family. haha
Like mark zuckerberg
@@lonestarriffing4135 Gross, I hope not. haha I can actually drink water without looking like an alien. ;)
@@TheArtofGuitar 😂 hey man great content by the way you are my favorite youtuber 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Interesting…
I mention not being able to pull the trem bar up on this guitar. With the original trem I was able to do that but because I swapped it out with a Floyd Rose Pro the dimensions were off and the side of the bridge is now hitting the body so until I get it router'd out I will only be able to dip down on the trem.
Questions : How was the tuning stability in the original 1000 series trem if you can remember ?
How was the glossed neck?
Interested in this axe but I’m bummed the saddle just didn’t hold up .
@@wizzfizz6800 it was very stable. I probably should have left it on there but I get paranoid from past experiences. Haha. Loving the neck but haven’t given it the true test yet which is the 95 degree outdoor gig. I’ll do an update on that when it happens. :)
@@TheArtofGuitar thanks so much :D
If I remember correctly, you can buy genuine OFR parts (Made in Germany, by Schaller) like saddles etc. for both 1000-series ("Korean OFR") and Floyd Rose Special. Including the whammy bar, in case yours wiggles annoyingly, no matter what you do.
OFR parts just have less colors available (Chrome, Black, Gold). On the other hand, you might get some personalization + more durable bridge. Just in case: 100-series, 200-series and 300-series all refer to same Bridge, just in different colours (1, 2 or 3). Just like 1000-series and 2000-series.
At least the Whammy Bar + its "counterpart" fit for many other bridges too. For example, Ibanez's very cheapest floating bridge (Std DL). Of course, you can't update a super-cheap "Tin Floyd" to be a good bridge, no matter what you do. Since the base is wayyy too soft metal, posts are wayyy too soft metal etc.
As most here surely know, EVH used Dive-only setup almost exclusively. If I remember correctly, he used floating bridge only in two songs (Get Up, Summer Nights) and fixed bridge in several others. Yet it never sounds like he was "50 % limited" due to his Dive-only setup. And when he played fixed bridge, lacking the whammy bar wasn't something everybody always noticed right away. Since it still sounded just like EVH.
Dive-only is very stable setup, even with cheap bridges, as long as the springs are tight enough. After that point, it's a compromise between your bends (does the bridge rise up) and lightness of use.
Freely floating bridge can be relatively stable too, but especially on a lon run, only if it's a good one (= expensive). Like OFR aka 100-series Foyd Rose or very similar Schaller etc. Or ones with slightly different post width, like Gotoh 1996T and Ibanez Edge. Both OFR and Edge have low-profile versions (PRO, Lo-pro Edge).
Besides the post width, there's another (potentially) important difference with Gotoh and Edge: their fine tuners are tilted further away from your palm. For example, current Ibanez JEM Jr., with Ibanez Std. DL, has fine tuners in Floyd Rose -style. Dispate having real JEMs contours and bridge location --> fine tuners might be bit too close for some.
Some guitarists use stabilizer with floating bridge. Unless they need to get absolute maximum "flutters". Steve Vai, for example, uses Ibanez Backstop. Which is adjustable and resists only in case you pull the bar up, i.e. away from the pickups.
That way those additional springs resist more seldomly (for most people I guess) + give extra stability to (overly) agressive palm muting. But Ibanez Backstop isn't available anymore, as far as I know.
@@wizzfizz6800 have an FR1000 in a harley benton and it holds tune great.
I love the Mockingbird.
It's coil splitting, rather than coil tapping. Coil tapping is were you switch between using the whole coil around a single coil and using only part of the wire. Coil splitting is where you use only one coil of a humbucker, as in this case.
Glad someone pointed that out.
It’s a big difference!!!
Thank you, drives me everytime someone makes that mistake.
This is what UA-cam needs lol... brutal honesty
Seriously, every “gear review” says how awesome the gear is it’s never negative
Man, this guitar is sweet, a friend of mine got one for 100$, and as a repair guy I should say this is is a solid piece of gear, build quality is fantastic. Absolutely love the shape! Wiring is crazy tho.
Now this will be a cool series
I have the same guitar. I dug Slash’s Mockingbird in the You Could Be Mine video. Got it in mint condition for $450. I first replaced the bridge pickup with a SD Slash humbucker. Then I installed a Sustainiac in the neck. I used the three mini toggles to control it…#1 turns it on, #2 is a 3 way switch to switch between the three modes and #3 is a kill switch for the guitar. Lastly I wired the filter chicken knob switch to remain on the brightest setting. It is an amazing sounding guitar now.
Great to hear about this guitar in more detail. It looks awesome, such a nice red colour, it's a cool shape/design, it sounds killer too. Looking forward to the future reviews.
That switch is coil split, not coil tap
This is fact.
A coil split eliminates one of the two humbucking coils, while a coil tap eliminates some of the WINDS of one or both coils, to produce a lower output sound with less impedance. True coil taps require the pickup coils to be wound with two separate circuits running to the controls...
WTF I started with guitar half a year ago and watched your video since. I found this guitar yesterday and was like "hmm, I should watch some reviews before I buy it" and today you release this video. I see this as a sign.
Brutally honest is the way to go, Mike. I’m looking forward to the next ones!
So, is it called mockingbird because it's supposed to be able to produce the sounds of most other types of guitar?
I don’t know. Probably. Haha
I'm thinking it's just a happy coincidence.
B.C. Rich has always had some crazy electronics in many models.
Always wanted a Warlock. Looks That Kill vid.
@@friedrudibega6384 that video is also the reason I want a warlock. Sick looking guitar
The earliest BC Rich guitars were named after birds. Seagull, Eagle, Mockingbird.
Yes.
I’ve had a Mockingbird for since I was 15. 1984, early NJ line. Still a neck through. Without all the extra electronics. It has been with me most my life. You’re right about how it hangs when standing. It levels out, but comfortable while sitting.
I have one of the earlier ST's with the Rockfield Mafia pickups. I absolutely love it.
Great stuff Mike, as usual. I got a be rich as a teen in the eighties, and looking back that guitar was high quality even in my high school perspective. Glad to see they are still producing guitars
Love bc riches especially the stealth,bich and mockingbird
I’ll be honest, I usually am not fond of typical “metal head” guitars but this guitar seems pretty freaking awesome and shocked by how versatile it is. Great review man!
Thanks! I was always curious about Mockingbirds, i think Joe Perry played one live on some songs back in the 70s. The guitar looked so cool and sounded great! Looking forward to hearing about your other guitars!
I have two NJ Mockingbirds, simpler electronics and a hard tail. I love them to death. I have switched to P90s and added a push/pull for out of phase because I just adore that sound. It's like one giant 8" wide humbucker with the single coils both active. To each their own.
Great review!! I personally owned a BC Rich mockingbird St from 2012 absolutely love that guitar!! What B.C. rich is putting out these days far surpasses what they've done in the past the quality and craftsmanship is second to none only wish that when you spend 15 to $1,600 on a guitar bass from them or any other company that it comes with a hard shell case.
A wee trick I was taught is that a rubber o ring between the knob and the pot nut stiffens up the feel so they don't move unless you physically turn them. if though your knobs are a bit high, an extra nut in the cavity takes up the slack and drops them down a bit.
i love the Mockingbird shape, and i LOVE that red and the Floyd Rose. one day i'm going to get one, looks so great and i'd love experimenting with all those sounds it can create!
Just bought one... had to watch this video again...thanks for posting for reference.... appreciate it.
Very cool collection, Mike. That Mockingbird looks awesome.
I got an ST about 8 years ago for a metal band, but I hadn't used it much for a while. Recently, I was trying to get a Steve Miller sound, which is an Ibanez Iceman with a unique triple coil pickup. Randomly broke out my ST and used the coil taps, and wow- sounded really close! Nice and bright
Nice! Always wanted a Mockingbird (hard tail) because of images of Joe Perry playing them back in the early days! IMHO, import guitars made in Korea (World Music) are the standard of which other imports (China, Indonesia) are judged. World Music produces excellent guitars!
I just purchased a Korean made Mockingbird, and it's better made than Japanese or USA made guitars I have owned.
Mockingbird underrated shape
I have a Mockingbird ST, and it's like playing warm butter, so smooth and nice to play.
I kinda like the sound with all the coil taps and middle pick up selected, i think it sounds unique
You gotta love that BC Rich...I just can't justify getting one but every single time I look at it.....I drool
11:55, I always call that the "Slash attack", because he always has that exact quality in his tone. I always look for that in neck pickups too
"I have bigger problems in my life" best line of the video
I wired the pickups wrong in my strat when replacing them and ended up getting one of the settings to that inverted phase sound. I've actually come to like it. There's some very specific situations where the thinness is the best choice, but now that I have it I try to seek those situations more.
I just installed phase switches to one of my guitar and i love it. When there is a lot going on in the arrangement it helps a lot to to cut with funky twang through the mix without covering the organ voice or lead guitar.
Alone it sounds crappy of course.
I cant wait for the review of your explorer. If its the one i think it is, ive got the same one and love it. Loved this review!
That 5 way dial really shines when you start splitting the coils. I have the Mockingbird STQ.
8:22 Someone must have messed up then because mine came with strap locks. They should be in the same bag with the whammy bar & extra spring.
I need that T-shirt… Not your specifically, but a shirt like that one. I bought my first turntable at RadioShack in 1983! Def Leppard Pyromania… 🤘
I have been looking at buying this very model for a few months now. Good timing :)
I get all my guitars to have the tone pot only on the neck pickup. The phase flip is a mod i had done to one guitar recently and i think you maybe undersold its usefulness. A thinned out tone can be great for just sitting back in the mix a little and then flip one switch and you're back to full beefy tones for a lead bit or where you need more guitar. I reckon a lot of players could do what they do with a boost pedal by learning when to use he out of phase tone. Also you can still use all your distortion and it'll give you a great A/B option for a second half of a solo. Brian May is the master of the call and response with an in phase call and out of phase answer in a solo.
One of my all time favorite guitarists John Christ from Danzig 1-4 albums plays B.C Rich kind of like this. He's teaching guitar to kids these days. Can't believe no other bands picked him up
I put 3-way switches on my HSH guitar for the humbuckers. They switch between Series/Split/Parallel. I also added a pull/push tone knob for making the single coil pickup out of phase
In 2006 I went to a guitar center in San Diego and tried a BC Rich Bitch and it amazed me how great it played and how light well balanced the body was. It was only $650 too.
Did you get it
And yesterday when i was watching another video of yours, I was thinking how many guitars this guy have and today new video series about your gear. It's must be universe!
I got to play one of these at a Guitar Center in Reno about a decade ago. It was between this and an alpine white Gibson Les Paul Studio. I went with the LP and it's been my main guitar ever since. but I do get a huge case of FOMO every time I see a Mockingbird haha
You made the right choice. I has an St and the Neck feels terrible, too wide maybe, at least to me. The neck dive was bad, and the electronics were about useless. I love my Les Paul more than any other guitar. Hell I like playing an explorer more than that ST I had.
Alpine white LP Studio eh? You can't fool me Buckethead, I know it's you.
Work the volume knobs with the phase switch on!
That's where you really need to experiment.
The original Peavey T-60 had a phase switch, and people really used it.
I love Mockingbirds, always wondered why they didn't use push pulls and get rid of the mini switches though
I have that exact guitar, albeit a few years older.
I ripped the coil splits, phase, and varitone out. It’s perfect as it is now
That is a gorgeous looking guitar! Sounds great too.
I have an ST and from my experience, none of the switches get in the way except for the bridge volume, when I had the new wire loom made, I actually had them switch the volume knobs.
Neal Moser's circuit is brilliant.
I have a Korean made Mockingbird too, they are really fun guitars. I was initially scared to, because growing up learning guitar in the 90s Korean guitars were pretty bad. However, since 2010 or so I think Korean Guitars are the best value for your money. Especially if you are a bedroom guitar player, or play local gigs, and not a pro touring musician.
Agree, I just got a Korean made mockingbird. I am stunned at the quality. So we’ll made. And plays great.
Why do I understand “cuppyness”😭 That guitar looks and sounds so badass though.
I don't! What does he mean by that?!?
@@lManwel I'm also curious, but I guess he'll never tell us.
I have one too but it’s the old version without the 50th logo and yeah it’s a surprisingly good guitar, better suited to rhythm playing as it can be a bit hard to work around the upper frets. But very good for Thrash/death metal rhythms
You should modify the switches to be Series/Parallel. Thinner and cleaner than full Humbucker but no buzz like coil split.
5:16 this switch is actually called the "To Live is to Die clean interlude section" switch
Great review!
damn that coil tapped bridge sounds so nice
this is hands down the coolest guitar i have ever seen! great choice!
Thanks- I was completely sold until the guitar hanging bit - which was exactly the information I was here for! Guitars that don’t hang well on the strap drive me nuts and is a deal breaker for me - and I know that sounds overly dramatic! Having to keep pulling them up is so annoying.
I still have my '91 BC Rich gunslinger with DiMarzio HSS configuration. I'll tell ya, it still stays in perfect tune and is one of my favorite guitars.
pretty sweet reminds me of the Jackson Kelly type body or explorer which are my favorites, I really like it and all the features
Love that guitar WOW 😲 that's so beautiful such a versatile selection of different sound settings that's really nice 👍
Oh great. Now I want that guitar because of all the options
Glad you talked about the playing position standing up. I prefer a high headstock playing position so that could put me off this guitar. But having a 3-way toggle while still having the option to split coils is a plus for me. I don't like 5-way selectors because my preference is to switch between humbuckers. I rarely experimented with tone knobs so all the different tone options are window dressing or throw pillows. Good review.
I have different BC Rich Mockingbird ST. Playing it standing up kinda forces you into the Power Stance to get the balance just right. Legs spread, the horn kinda resting on your left thigh.
As played by Parris Mayhew from the Cro-Mags.
I have many Riches. I wire them all to have from left to right: Master Tone - Bridge - Toggle - Neck. I also wire my toggles to where the switch is up for the bridge and down for the neck. On My Mockingbirld ST, I removed all the extra switches. I hate those things. I also had to install a retainer behind the nut. Also, I moved that front strap pin to the very top of the horn... It helps with the balance a bit
I have a Mockingbird ST in dark transparent blue with Seymour Duncan blackout pickups in it. I removed the coil switches on mine as well. Very decent guitar. My pride and joy is my 1979 American made Mockingbird in high gloss maple with koa stripes. I also have a 1981 Rich Bich which is also a very nice guitar. Was lucky enough to buy them both back in the mid 80ies before the prices on them skyrocketed.
I got a Korean Mockingbird. Yes, it does have the weight also. I put a Dimebucker in the bridge. Chunky monkey. Love it.
It’s kinda like a supercharged firebird I love it
Looking to buy one of these. my fav style of guitar
I had a mid-00s Mockingbird with the Moser circuit and a Floyd, and it was great when I was playing shorter gigs and couldn't really justify bringing a second guitar, because I could get some really good Strat sounds out of it.
But oh Dio do I hate the Imperial tuning keys...
Great video! Would you review your Chapman guitar at some point? Thanks.
I first saw one of these on the video (and then live) of Alice Cooper's Trash Tour, his big comeback in the 90s (Poison, Bed of Nails etc etc). One of his guitarists was called Pete Freezin', and he played a Mockingbird, and it was cool as fuck.
Him playing the Moch in Wayne’s World made me want one. Now I’ve had three haha
🤘
Hi Mike, great video! I just wanted to point out to anyone else reading that coil tap and coil split are two different things, and those switches are actually coil split switches. You might very well know this already but I just wanted to point it out to anyone else reading as those are very commonly mistakenly interchanged terms.
I have a vintage BC Rich Stealth bass from the late eighties that has the same configuration, minus the five way toggle switch and an active/passive switch. Honestly, the idea of removing or rewiring this is pretty short-sighted, having tonal options is really useful and it's a large part of what makes BC Rich's distinct. If that's the path you're committed to, then I'd just sell it or trade it for a basic-configuration NJ Series Mockingbird, which is a traditional V-V-T and two humbuckers with a three way selector. There's a secondary market for these and I'm very certain that you could sell this, and an NJ series would do a lot of what you need, without the complex electronics...
On the one hand it is your guitar and you definitely can do anything with it.
On the other hand it is a B.C. Rich Mockingbird which is somewhat iconic.
I see several mods that can preserve all or most if this iconic-ness and add some extra.
_Coil splits._
I'd put Seymour Duncan Triple Shot pickup rings. They have two small switches per ring that can choose either one humbucker coil or the other one, or both in series or both parallel. Thus you can eliminate two of those three switches.
The other way is not to install Triple Shots and keep the switches, but make them choose series/parallel coil connection inside each humbuker. You'll get the single-ish sound with no hum.
_In phase/out of phase._
This switch is so far back you will never hit it. Just relax and forget.
_Chicken knob._
This switch is the "most B.C. Rich Mockingbird" of all of them. If you afraid to accidentally hit it just swap the knob-put a round one. No matter how hard you hit it you won't switch it, it doesn't have levers like the chicken knob.
_Volumes._
This is a really fun quirk of the B.C. Rich Mockingbird, I would definitely preserve it. However, looking how you use volumes on this guitar in this vid I understand that they are fremd for you. You turned the bridge pickup volume several times when demonstrating neck pickup during the video. So the two volumes option should go. Just leave one master volume and choose which knob of remaining two will be your master tone. (Maybe make two tones.)
Excuse me for interfering in your business, please.
Super cool guitar. Sounds really good.
Korea had been making great guitars for a decade. Very good QC at least as far as wood, construction, and paint. I have a Dean V from there and it's my favorite HH guitar I've ever owned.
I love an out-of-phase middle position sound, you're a madman. Maybe using the 5-way tone control with the phase inverter would be a little fuller sounding.
Nah? That varitone know is about useless, even after switching to a higher quality version. It just cuts varying degrees of treble. It's a muddy mess with that thing engaged.
@@TheRustedShackleford its far from useless. I use it a lot in my death doom band
Literally my favourite guitar of all time I wanna own more Mockingbirds 🖤
I agree...it's even cooler than the V or the SG.
Have you seen a Mockingbird with a beast headstock? I don't know if that's your thing or not but they look so badass to my eyes.
I never liked pointy guitars until I bought my jp mockingbird it’s been my go to for 6 years
which model? did you have neck dive issues?
play spoonman with the humbuckers and phase reversed. sounds great
Thanks awesome review
Aside from the buzz I actually really like the way the coil tap sounds!
9:45 Yeah, those appear to be the Grover Imperial machine tuners… my Mockingbird Pro-X Shadow was supposed to have come with those particular tuners, but I opted for more traditional style machine head look.
Great video. Need to get a low friction pot for your Jem. What year is it? I had a 1992 777DY and the knobs were VERY low friction. Easy to play Cathedral.
Really looking forward to these series!!!
I had a B.C. Rich Bich Perfect 10 in the same color as that . I loved they way it looked , and sounded . My problem was the scale . I had to put my pick hand too close towards the neck for it to be comfortable for me . It was a killer neck thru guitar though.
a year late but... The phase switch could be handy for where you end up with a signal chain affecting your phase and sucking the strength out of the signal. Flipping that switch could fix that without needing to change the signal chain. Steve Albini has a great UA-cam video explaining phase alignment and how to handle it.
try the phase-switch and play with the volumes of the two pickups. It IS a great tool to get very different tones out of a guitar
Funny, I once had a Hagstrom guitar that had so-called Jimmy d'Aguisto tuners, that resemble these ones. When I checked it I see those had three layers/steps, these have two (and called Imperial).But clearly art deco style (prominently use by d'Angelico).
Played a couple of these in my time,a very well made solid guitar! I love to own one,maybe one of these days….
Hey Mike, do you find the main difference between Korean guitars and the higher end models to be mainly small hardware changes (pickup rings, nut, bridge hardware etc..)? For some reason this has been my experience.
Wonderful guitar !
I used to have a hardtail version of this guitar. After seeing this I just might get a new one when I have the money
If you play with the volume knobs while the phase referral and coil taps are activated you can mimic some unique strat sounds
I think with enough amplifier gain, the lower ‘split and phased’ output doesn’t matter to the overall cool tonality… I believe our friend is discounting the wonderful possibilities of these sounds just a little bit!
Informative video and very nice guitar. Do you know the weight of this guitar. I seen one at my local music store. It seemed heavy when I picked it up. The neck profile was fantastic. Thanks
Thinking about buying one of these. Love the creamy neck pickup. Of course the one I'm looking at has Seymour's in it so it may sound a little different. Korean stuff is still mostly crappy but there are exceptions. I have a Korean made Spector PJ bass and PRS Korea Les Paul - each in the $400 range and both well worth the money. Your demo convinces me that I wouldn't regret buying one of these...