Jim | soldguitars

c.1989 B.C.Rich Gunslinger

"Jim"

If you've read around the site, you might know that I had a beautiful USA Gunslinger ("Clint") for many years ... in a cool (but tatty) "Copper Snakeskin" finish. It felt awesome. It played awesome. It sounded awesome. It WAS awesome.

I loved that guitar ... a lot ... but sold it as a penance to demonstrate that I was sorry (I was ... really) when I received a big fine from the rozzers for being naughty. I packed it off (after selling for almost twice the purchase price ...) and never saw it again. I don't suppose that my big-boy's brave face could hide the fact that I was gutted about it. I’m pretty sure that my bottom lip actually quivered for a while. Still, shit happens, and it normally happens for a good reason.

I managed to stifle my Gunslinger-GAS for a few years, helped by the fact that USA versions quite rarely hit the used market. Then this popped up on a forum ... with the seller "just asking" if anyone knew the likely used value. That's my territory of course ... like a turkey asking the farmer what they should have for Christmas lunch! One thing led to another, and here we are. The seller was very pleasant and compliant, and was happy to take a modest amount of money ... BOOM. So, meet "Jim" also known as "The Waco Kid" ... those of you of a certain vintage will work that out.

This has the requisite reverse headstock with "Made in USA" where it should be ... just like Clint used to have, but has a "B" serial, as opposed to a "BC" serial. Although that made me itch a little initially, I'm reliably informed by a Gunslinger-collector-buddy of mine that it's all absolutely fine ... he has more Gunslingers than I have guitars, so I'm confident that he knows his shit. So, she’s original.

The body is made of ... wood … of some description (!?) and is the traditional Gunslinger shape with unforgiving angular edges and an inclined-plane at the heel. Lovely. It is finished in a ... well ... not-very-masculine shimmery metallic white, which has taken a few knocks over the decades. Now, I like beaten guitars, and I LOVE relic guitars, but I was in two minds as to whether this works well as a "relic" (even though the wear is natural). I thought about touching up the dings with matching nail varnish (... shimmery white tarts nail-polish can't be THAT hard to find, can it?). However, to my palate, this looks AWESOME in the flesh just as it is, wear and all. So I guess it will stay just as it is, for now at least.

The necks on these things are what it all about. They're beautiful maple, seemingly unfinished (although obviously oiled) in a great full-C profile with really comfortable shoulders. The old adverts for there referred to them as "The fastest necks in the West". They're fast necks - agreed. Very nice. The side dot markers are huge compared to those on most guitars ... but that just adds to the overwhelming "occasion" of wigging out on a Gunslinger. The frets have obviously been stoned a few times, which gives it a very smooth, easy-going feel, precisely as was the case with Clint. Whereas Clint was near to refret-time, I think that there is plenty of life left in these frets.

The Takeuchi Floyd had a few issues, so a few "field repairs" we're done to keep the guitar playing ... those repairs held up just fine until I did my usual strip-down and rebuild, at which point I bit the bullet and replaced the original saddle-blocks. With the new blocks in place, it is as solid as a rock ... great stuff. The original blocks and stuff have been thrown in the case, just in case a future owner gets pouty about originality. As those of you who are familiar with Takeuchi trems will know, they're pretty solid units, and hold tune nicely.

So there you have it. A few simple fixes and we're golden. It's good ... actually it's VERY good ... to have a Gunslinger on the racks again.