1983 BC Rich USA Mockingbird Vintage Neck Through Guitar Koa, Collector-Grade w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1983 B.C. Rich USA Mockingbird in collector-grade, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and user manual. This stunningly clean vintage Mockingbird has all the hallmarks of this early boutique builder, known for pioneering neck-through-body construction with evocative body shapes, heelless neck joints, and complex, versatile control arrays. This Mockingbird was produced in Rich's golden age, when the company's principal architects were all on-board, including luthier Neal Moser, VP Mal Stich, and of course company founder Bernie Rico Sr. With solid koa neck through construction and premium features throughout, this Mockingbird has a warm, resonant acoustic response with a complex midrange character and exquisite sustain, qualities faithfully captured by the stock pair of DiMarzio humbuckers. Pickups are the classic B.C. Rich pairing of a Super Distortion (bridge) and a PAF (neck). The Super Distortion is big and bold, with a midrange bump that translates to huge chords and a liquid, singing quality for lead work, taking gain notably well. The PAF is throaty and sweet, with a clear midrange and an ideal balance of warmth and articulation. The versatile control array includes a Master Volume, three-way pickup selector, Preamp Volume, Preamp On/Off switch, 6-position Varitone, Phase switch, Dual Sound neck pickup switch, Dual sound bridge pickup switch, and a Master Tone control to round things out. From thick churning high gain to spanky, sparkling cleans, this Mockingbird covers significant tonal ground. This Mockingbird weighs 7lbs 3oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, slinky action, and accurate intonation. The one-piece koa neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with generous shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, gaining a hair more heft and fullness in the upper registers, measuring .845” deep at the 1st fret and .965” at the 12th. The thick slab 24 fret rosewood fretboard features diamond inlay, and the medium jumbo fretwire exhibits no wear with good meat and well-rounded crowns. This guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the nut measures 1.650” in width. The headstock has a rosewood veneer and “R” inlay, and the Grover Rotomatic tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with imperial buttons. On the back of the headstock, the stamped serial dates this guitar to ‘83. On the body, the electronics all work as they should, and all of the stock knobs and switches are intact. The chrome-plated Leo Quan Badass wraparound tune-o-matic bridge shines like new. The gloss Natural finish highlights subtle figuring in the koa, and cosmetic wear is limited to one finish chip on the tip of the treble-side point (just south of the rear control cavity cover). The smooth gloss on the neck profile is immaculate. The original black tolex hardshell case is included, along with the user manual; the case smells slightly of smoke.