Up for sale, a 1987 B.C. Rich Warlock Custom from the NJ Series (short for Nagoya, Japan) in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. A rare Japanese domestic market bolt-on neck iteration of the Warlock platform with streamlined controls, this B.C. Rich features a White gloss finish framed by black body binding, a six-on-a-side headstock, Floyd Rose-licensed tremolo, and stock pair of high-output humbuckers. Engineered for high gain, the pickups are modeled after the Dimarzio Super Distortion with a ceramic magnet design engineered to provide a range of roaring tonalities with ample output and midrange push, each metering at 11k ohms. This Warlock Custom weighs 7lbs 15oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, slinky action, and spot-on intonation.
The rock maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with generous shoulders in every register, verging on D-shaped, measuring .820” deep at the 1st fret and .910” at the 12th. The thick slab rosewood fretboard has a 12” radius, and the stock jumbo fretwire is practically perfect, with plenty of meat and well-rounded crowns, only exhibiting a hint of wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2. This guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the bone nut measures 1.650” (42mm) in width, just forward of the locking nut for the Floyd Rose. On the six-on-a-side headstock, the set of R-embossed tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch.
All of the electronics function as intended; the pickups are wired to the stock harness with untouched solder joints and full-size Japanese pots that date to January, 1987, and the pickups are governed by a three-way selector switch, Master Tone, and independent Volume controls. The hardware is all notably clean, including the black dome-topped knurled knobs and the chrome-plated Floyd Rose licensed tremolo.
The gloss White finish is framed on top by black binding, with a gentle yellowing of the clear coat, particularly on top of the instrument. Cosmetic wear is limited to a handful of minor chips at the body points and along the perimeter, a limited area of buckle rash on the back central to the waist, and a handful of faint marks and finish scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth satin finish on the neck profile is clean and smooth.
A padded gigbag is included.