PRODUCT REVIEW
During the 1950s in southern California,
a young man and his father were working
side by side, continuing the time-honored
human tradition of passing down skills
from father to son. In this particular case, it
wasn’t about how to rebuild the carburetor
of a ’ 56 Buick or crafting model rockets,
but building ukuleles and banjos. Little
did Bernardo Chavez Rico, the young man
in this case, know how much of an effect
these moments in his life would ultimately
have on us, the guitarists of the world. He
quickly caught the bug and by the time
he was of age, had opened his own repair
shop and luthier business.
B.C. RICH
40th Anniversary Eagle
BY JORDAN WAGNER
has been producing electric guitars. They
all feature beautiful, lightweight koa wood
bodies, exclusive electronics, and the neck-through construction techniques that Rico
pioneered decades ago.
It was a modest startup, with Rico spend-
ing most of his time working on acoustic
and Spanish guitars, and building his own
designs (these were originally branded “ BC
Rico” and the 300 or so that have survived
are some of the most highly sought-after
guitars out there). Eventually, after
repairing a neck for legendary
axeman Bo Diddley, Rico decided
it was time to chase his dream.
B.C. Rich was christened in 1967,
specializing in acoustic guitars. By
the time 1969 rolled around, he set
his sights on electric guitars, produc-
ing some of the most unique, iconic
shapes the guitar community had
ever seen.
How Does That Eagle Fly?
Compared to some of the designs that B.C.
Rich has given us, the Eagle is relatively
modest. The concept was originally taken
from the Seagull, which has the same lower
bout as the Eagle, but without the Eagle’s
sharp upper cutaway (the Seagull has a
rounded upper bout with a point that is
affectionately referred to as a “sternum
horn”). Removing it from the case, the first
thing that surprised me about this Eagle
was how amazingly light it is. I got the
same reaction from several people, making
them guess the weight before picking it
up—all of them in amazement. The body’s
lower edge fits comfortably on the thigh,
and is very well balanced, due to the neck-through construction.
To celebrate the 40th
anniversary of Rico’s
influence, B.C. Rich’s
handcrafted division has
decided to release the four
instruments featured in
Rico’s earliest catalogs from
the ‘70s: the Bich, Eagle,
Mockingbird, and the elusive
Seagull. Each instrument is
limited to 40 pieces, in a tribute
to the number of years the company
The grain matching is impeccable. At first
glance, the Eagle looks like one solid piece
of wood, on all sides. Closer examination
reveals that it is actually three pieces, but I
really had to look hard for it. Grain matching is difficult enough on two-piece tops,
but can be exceedingly hard to do when
the middle piece is part of the neck itself. I
like the fact that they kept the finish simple
and understated, which really shows off the
craftsmanship of the guitar.
Before I delve into the tonal aspects of the
40th Anniversary Eagle, I also have to mention the neck. This is flat-out one of the
best feeling necks I’ve ever played, period.
I’m normally a fan of fatter necks, such as a
’ 58 Les Paul profile, but B.C. Rich got the
thin profile perfect with this one. There was
no drag when running through fast, single
note licks that covered several frets, and it
