NJ Bich

Reviewer:  Guitarist Magazine

Up against a Washburn Paul Stanley PS100 and Jackson.

If one make personifies the ethos of spiky guitars, it has to be BC Rich. With such model names as warlock, ignitor, gunslinger and assasin the American company makes no bones about its guitars rock suitability. Even though arch top Rich’s do exist, the companies bread and butter certainly comes from sharp ended axes which sport hard assed names.

As with the majority of manufacturers these days, similar designs are available at a range of prices. In BC Rich’s case, models go from 4 figure Supremes and standards to the more affordable, no less angular platinum and bronze series.

Supremo Bernie Rico remains one of the industries most passionate movers and shakers, and he's the man who personally oversees the production of even low-end guitars like this NJ series Bich.

The Bich body shape is actually one of the smoother BC Rich body designs available, but the alder body still offers 5 distinctive spikes to frighten the children. There’s a very slight belly contour to compliment the rounded edges of both the top and the bottom of the body and, although such finishes as white, trans purple, and even trans red are available, black is the undoubted hue for real men of metal.

Surprisingly, considering its shape, the guitar is well balanced enough to be strummed comfortably sitting down, without having to compromise on your playing angles, while the positioning of a strap pin on the upper horn allows you to have this Bich strung way down low.

The 2 hum bucking pickups are also a product of the BC rich factory, controlled by a layout of pots. The 3-way selector is between the 2 volume knobs.

Several out and out metal Rich’s are available with a hard tail, but here a Floyd rose licensed double locker is the order of the day. Although he fine tuners were a little stiff, this particular version of the old favorite features a collared bar, thus allowing you to place it wherever you want and be sure of it staying put.

Unlike the other 2 guitars featured here, the Bich possesses a smoothed off heel which allows the most comfortable access to the highest frets of the attractively grained 2 piece maple neck. the frets are certainly big, but not quite the railway lines I was expecting, and have been finished well, while the diamond markers add an undeniable touch of class to the rosewood board.

A locking nut that’s slightly too small for the ledge cut for it is the only downer on a classic rock neck. it features a deep "c" shape that will add a certain something to the tone, while the headstock, shaped like a Mongolian sword, is typical BC Rich.

The Floyd works well enough, although it’s best to ensure that your strings are well and truly stretched in.

Because of the shape of the body, there’s not as much tone producing wood as there could be behind the floating bridge. By the sound of it, BC Rich have attempted to combat this by getting as high a signal as possible out of its pickups.

The upshot of that is that, with super high gains, the Bich is very harsh and although the tone pot counteracts this to a certain extent, the guitar can be a razor to your delicate head flaps if you don't roll off the high end on your amp. First, however, this could be described as a signature tone, and there's no doubt that it's perfectly suited to the extreme. why has slayers Kerry King been playing BC Rich’s for ages?.......exactly.

Actually, the Bich isn't a one trick pony by any means, as crunch tones and even.... dare I say it...clean options are impressive too. but lets not kid ourselves, this guitar simply screams "metal" in your face. If you are into the extreme side of things, then this guitar will do you nicely, thank you very much.

There's an even cheaper Bich than this, the platinum series baby goes for as little as £335, but don't expect the spec to be quite as good as here. Yup, for £420 you get the ultimate in metal machines.  Certainly as far as its looks go, and although you tear your hair out searching for a hard case that's neither to big nor too small, you’ll leave people in no doubt as to your musical persuasion, if you tote a machine like this.

This back to basics Bich is a far cry from the likes of the 10-string supreme and the double neck, but then so is the price. And if anyone is after a guitar on which to play the dirtiest of metal within a realistic budget, BC Rich will be one of the first names on your hit list. Its high gain tone can be extremely harsh, if you let it. Combating this, whether on the amp or guitar itself, removes both treble and bottom end.