BC Rich Warlock History

The Warlock was officially introduced in 1981. According to Bernie Rico, “This was the only guitar I ever designed at a drafting table, using straight-edges and French curves. It was lots of curves going into straight lines. At first I thought it was the ugliest guitar I’d ever designed. Spenser Sercomb, who was playing in a group called Shark Island, came to my office and saw the design hanging on my wall and said, ‘When are you going to make that guitar? When you do, I’ll buy it.” Soon top artists like Lita Ford and Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue adopted the Warlock, and the Warlock was well on its way to becoming a hallmark of guitar design.

What many may not know is that the Warlock was actually a spin-off of the Bich design. At first take, the two have visually very little in common, but upon closer inspection, the family bloodlines can be seen. Since it was born in the 80s, some of the classic B.C. Rich visual aesthetics gave way to the trends of the times. While some Warlocks featured exotic woods and classic features, many reflected their generation with neon colors, zebra stripes and unique paint treatments.

The list of Warlock players is as long as B.C. Rich’s history. It’s almost easier to list who hasn’t played a Warlock than it is to list who has. Just to name a few:

• Craig Goldy

  Dio

• Max Cavalera

  Sepultura

• Bobby Dahl

  Poison

• Mick Mars

  Motley Crue

• Nikki Sixx

  Motley Crue

• Mick Thomson

  Slipknot

• Kerry King

  Slayer

• Jeff Hanneman

  Slayer