Lola | guitars

2005 Bernie Rico Jr USA Custom Shop 'Hellion'

"Lola"

It is 1989, I'm (what ...) 17, and I'm spending FAR too much time playing guitar instead of studying science and maths, like I should have been. One band that took up A LOT of my time was W.A.S.P... the "Live in the RAW" album was high on my play list. Back then, I was playing it over and over, start to finish, and (pretty much) keeping up with Chris Holmes and Balckie Lawless's guitar noodling. I know NOW that this album was one of the most overdubbed live albums ever, but back then, it was pretty much the coolect thing that I've ever heard. Blackie Lawless had a penchant for crazy-looking black pointy guitars (he also had a penchant for exploding cod-pieces, which tells you a lot about his taste ...) and was an endorsee of B.C.Rich guitars.

B.C.Rich was originally owned and run by Bernie Rico Snr, a master luthier who, in his later days, was the boss of their Custom Shop. His son, Bernie Rico Jr, was his apprentice, and turned out ALSO to be an astonishingly good luthier. As a result, he took over the B.C.Rich Custom Shop when Dad threw in the towel. And he did a great job, churning out some sublimely good stuff. Changes in the company led him to leave and set up his own company ... imaginatively entitled "Bernie Rico Jr Guitars".

And hers's one of them. These things were made, one at a time, by Bernie in his USA Custom Shop for a few years. This is one of the early guitars. Then things got complicated. I read that he offered a bargain deal to whoever wanted it ... a handmade guitar to your specs for a bargain price ... probably in order to get his order book full. It has been referred to as Bernie's "Black Friday Sale". The response was apparently overwhelming, as you might reasonably expect when a master luthier says that he'll buld you what the hell you want at a crazy knock-down price. I read that the pressure of the resulting build schedule (with a CRAZY number of orders to fulfill) led to Bernie gradually loosing control of the order book, so gradually loosing the plot altogether. I read that his wife posted on an internet forum that Bernie had burned out, and was in an institution somewhere. That's very sad. I also read that LOTS of folks apparently lost lots of money, and were (are?) VERY cross at Mr Rico. Maybe I should feel gulty for having this ... but I don't.

Whatever. Lets get down to it. THIS guitar is a frigging MASTERPIECE. Yes, yes, it looks a little odd, and you probably look a bit of a twat when you play it, but this thing plays SO well that it isn't remotely important what it looks like. It balances well, is really comfortable to play standing or sitting, and is very, VERY solid. Fretwork and detailing are absolutely top class, with Bernie's signature on the back of the headstock (under the clear-coat). The body is alder, the neck maple, and the board is a thick chunk of ebony, which is as black as coal. It came with a pair of Seymour Duncans; a SH2N and an SH6, so it covers high-output tones (its home territory) very well, and can stratch to more bluesy stuff quite easily. Like you'd EVER play blues on something that looks like this!

What a guitar. It looks crazy, but I'm ok with that, and I'm very pleased that it's here. Excellent.