80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

[milohodges]

Hello all, I recently got a 1980s bc Rich Gunslinger from a small town guitar shop for a real deal -$300 total with an original hard shell case. The the headstock states it was made in the USA and I am fairly sure it's from the 1980s (said the salesman) but I would love to know the exact model, year color, value blah blah blah, but I can't seem to get any info on the thing. It has new looking matte black Sperzel tuners, obviously non original (to the guitar) dirty fingers pickups, which really sucks because it's a great pickup but since it has a trem it's spaced incorrectly (don't know whose idea that was! LOL!), and a USA made black Kahler Floyd Rose style "Steeler" trem that I understand was only produced for a short time under a license -and some considered it superior to the original? Lastly, the color reminds me of Gibson's "Pelham blue" or maybe a light slate blue I would personally call it. I'll toss some pics down below oh and by the way the serial number is CA0303 it's barely readable on the back of the headstock. Thanks for any help I'd really love to know!!!

 

[dystrust]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Additional info may be hard to come by for a variety of reasons. First of all, B.C. Rich was very inconsistent with their documentation and serial numbers in the late 80s and early 90s. These were referred to as the "Class Axe" years after the company that ran B.C. Rich while Bernie Rico was on a leave of absence. They closed the L.A. Custom Shop and moved USA production to New Jersey, and then Bernie resumed production in CA in 1993.

I suspect that this is a Class Axe example as I've never seen a Gunslinger or ST-3 with no neck plate or one factory routed for dual humbuckers. The Kahler Steeler and locking nut also point to late 80s or early 90s. The stock bridge pickup was probably a DiMarzio Super Distortion, and the neck a PAF, but that's about all I can say for sure. Either way $300 with case is a great deal for the guitar.

 

[milohodges]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Additional info may be hard to come by for a variety of reasons. First of all, B.C. Rich was very inconsistent with their documentation and serial numbers in the late 80s and early 90s. These were referred to as the "Class Axe" years after the company that ran B.C. Rich while Bernie Rico was on a leave of absence. They closed the L.A. Custom Shop and moved USA production to New Jersey, and then Bernie resumed production in CA in 1993.

I suspect that this is a Class Axe example as I've never seen a Gunslinger or ST-3 with no neck plate or one factory routed for dual humbuckers. The Kahler Steeler and locking nut also point to late 80s or early 90s. The stock bridge pickup was probably a DiMarzio Super Distortion, and the neck a PAF, but that's about all I can say for sure. Either way $300 with case is a great deal for the guitar.

Thanks so much!! I just read online that the "T.M" next to the B.C. Rich insignia on the headstock signifies it as a "Class Axe" era guitar and it is weird because I think I saw like 2 pics online out of hundreds that had one without a neckplate but no dual humbuckers, and no instance of one with a steeler either but I didn't look all that hard, I was thinking of replacing the pups with like an x2n or maybe a super dist F spaced cause the dirty fingers sound really weird due to the spacing issue. Once again thanks so much and I look foreward to finding out more info if possible, thanks!!

 

[Aceman]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Cool gee-tar!

Worth the $300 just for the Dirty Fingers IMO.

 

[Demanic]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

I like it!

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[milohodges]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Cool gee-tar!

Worth the $300 just for the Dirty Fingers IMO.

Ahaha thanks! Why do you say it's worth it for the pups? Aren't they like only $200 new?

 

[milohodges]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

I like it!

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

Thanks dude! Might be the best $300 of my life

 

[Demanic]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

It reminds me of my Jackson MGDX or something like that.

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[BloodRose]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

first of all, congrats on a cool axe!! Thats a great trem too! Im no BC Rich expert, but Im miffed about the no plate too.. But you got a cool deal! I will confirm what Ace said. If you arent fond of the pups, you can sell them and prolly recoup about half what you spent..

 

[The JEM Ghost]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

I agree with above posts, you got a nice guitar for 300$! Neat hardware on it, if it's in good shape (good frets etc.) you got a bargain deal imo! Congrats on your new guitar and have fun with it!

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Cool gee-tar!

Worth the $300 just for the Dirty Fingers IMO.

Agreed!

 

[Aceman]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Ahaha thanks! Why do you say it's worth it for the pups? Aren't they like only $200 new?

More like $250 for the set.

You got a pair of killer loud Gibson pickups for $200, and they came packaged in a BC Rich Gunslinger for an extra $100.

I say strip it and get some to airbrush a Nagel graphic on it!

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

The non-trem spacing on the Dirty Fingers isn't why you don't like the sound. Trem-spacing is primarily an aesthetic thing, and worst case, maybe the low E signal isn't as strong, but probably not.

 

[milohodges]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

I agree with above posts, you got a nice guitar for 300$! Neat hardware on it, if it's in good shape (good frets etc.) you got a bargain deal imo! Congrats on your new guitar and have fun with it!

Thanks man! It has really good frets and a fretboard the only thing that gets me is the trem because they way it's set up it leans back into the recess cavity but the saddles are even and when I tried to put it at the normal set height the saddles weren't a weird angle I'll give some more pics to show what I mean

As you can see here this is what it looks like from the store/previous owner set up, the trem baseplate is at the wrong angle (not even with the body) but the saddles are perfectly even with the body??

Now here I depressed the bar to where the trem baseplate to where it is level with the body but as you can see it's really high up off the body and the saddles aren't even with the body anymore?? It really stumps me, is it supposed to be at that weird angle or should I try and set it up?

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

The saddles are even with the body. The blocks that are operated by the fine tuners are not. That's fine.

 

[Aceman]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Set the term wherever it works for you. Some guys have the them set to bottom on the body so you can't pull up, but it is monster stable. Nothing wrong with that. They are not "supposed to be" anywhere.

They are supposed to be stable and where you need them to be. Floating is one option, level is one floating option.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Is the Kahler locking nut top or bottom mount? I have quite a few of those nuts and they can be mounted either way, but for BCRich generally 1988 and newer were top mount regardless whether it has an Ibanez Edge (1987-1988) or a Kahler (1988-1/2-up)
Also that is not a Gunslinger, it is an Assassin because of the dual humbuckers. The tips of the horns are also much more pointier than usual, but that could be the angle of the pics.

Edit-
Looks like you just need to lower the trem and loosen the spring claw and retune. That should get everything to where it needs to be.

Edit again-
I just saw it was top mount, so thats definitely a 1989-up

 

[dystrust]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Also that is not a Gunslinger, it is an Assassin because of the dual humbuckers.

I thought Assassins were all neck-thru construction. Did they make bolt-on Assassins? I suppose just about anything is possible with Class Axe.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Yes they sure did.
Gunslingers were generally 1humbucker or 1hum/1single, (but rare) Assassins had the dual humbuckers.

Edit-
Gunslingers also almost always had a single volume only, but not always.

 

[milohodges]

Re: 80s BC Rich Gunslinger deal identification help

Is the Kahler locking nut top or bottom mount? I have quite a few of those nuts and they can be mounted either way, but for BCRich generally 1988 and newer were top mount regardless whether it has an Ibanez Edge (1987-1988-1/2) or a Kahler (1988-up)
Also that is not a Gunslinger, it is an Assassin because of the dual humbuckers. The tips of the horns are also much more pointier than usual, but that could be the angle of the pics.

Edit-
Looks like you just need to lower the trem and loosen the spring claw and retune. That should get everything to where it needs to be.

Edit again-
I just saw it was top mount, so thats definitely a 1989-up

Yeah I was going to say what dystrust said and it doesn't have quite the same horn profile as the assasins seem to have but it is routed for double humbuckers sooo?