B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

[Syris]

I'm getting a B.C. Rich SE Virgo in a couple of months, it's an $800 guitar so I'm figuring it has some pretty good pickups, but not good enough. I'm going to replace them with an EMG 85 in the bridge and a Duncan Hot Rails in the neck.

Im thinking about replacing the bridge position pickup of my Ibanez. It currently has a DiMarzio X2N.

My question is this; should I put the pickup that i'm going to take out of my B.C Rich, into my Ibanez?

 

[James Rock]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Is the BC RICH pickup high gain like the X2N cos if it is lower gain it seems like the only reason you would because I thought the X2N would be a better high gain p/up then the BC RICH stock but i dont really know because i have never tried either of them.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

B.C Rich BDSM Humbuckers are the biggest crap i can think of. Super hot but also super muddy and sometimes shrill at the same time. No character, weak harmonics and a crapload of overall suckage.

 

[MikeS]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

I seriously think the BSDM pickups are made by pressing cow turds into the bobbins. The things are downright awful unless you like ultra hot, grainy, muddy, no definition, top heavy pickups. I can't speak for any other BC Rich pick up design.

 

[Bob Zombie]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Syris look on the bright side...after switching the pickups you'll have 2 really nice BC Rich paperweights.

 

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Please recycle.

 

[Mephis]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

B.C Rich BDSM Humbuckers are the biggest crap i can think of. Super hot but also super muddy and sometimes shrill at the same time. No character, weak harmonics and a crapload of overall suckage.

Yep, they're also stupidly dark if I remember right too.

 

[suislidE03]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

I'm going to replace them with an EMG 85 in the bridge and a Duncan Hot Rails in the neck.

so how are you going to manage that exactly?

 

[Syris]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

The things are downright awful unless you like ultra hot, grainy, muddy, no definition, top heavy pickups..

Well, that is the basis of death metal after all. And that type of music is the majority of what is played with B.C. Rich. I'm not so much for metal really, hard rock being my thing. So, definitely a good idea to take these things and try to sell them to metal heads around my school. If not, I do indeed have some fancy paper weights. Hmm, one of them is a rail style. Think that makes a difference? Anything has got to be better than the cheap single coils that came in my Ibanez Gio (starter pack version.)

To SuislidE:

I read that you can do it in the Duncan FAQ, just makes the wiring more complicated. Also, I talked to a Guitar Center Rep and he said it can be done but the EMG's will seem hotter.

 

[AmirH]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Everything said here is 100% correct, which is hard to fathom if you think about it. The pickups in my bros warlock were the WORST sounding pieces o' crap I've ever heard.

 

[Syris]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

The pickups in my bros warlock were the WORST sounding pieces o' crap I've ever heard.

Ya, I've heard a Bronze Version Warlock before, which is considered to be near the top of the crap heap. Not so good, but then my friend put a Duncan Detonator in the bridge and that guitar went up about 400% in tonal quality. I also noticed that the thing was actually really solid feeling and had great action.

Which gets me wondering...

How is the B.C. Rich brand in general? Are they well made, good quality parts and wood, etc...? Are they good guitars but for some reason have astonishingly bad pickups?

 

[Zerberus]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

IMHO the BC RIch Imports suck while the USA models are stellar.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

I'm going to replace them with an EMG 85 in the bridge and a Duncan Hot Rails in the neck.

so how are you going to manage that exactly?

The Hot Rails are a single-coil sized pickup. If you want something hot like that for the neck pickup, then try an Invader in the neck. Alternatively, you could try the EMG 81. A lot of people match the 81 neck with the 85 bridge.

 

[Mephis]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Ya, I've heard a Bronze Version Warlock before, which is considered to be near the top of the crap heap. Not so good, but then my friend put a Duncan Detonator in the bridge and that guitar went up about 400% in tonal quality. I also noticed that the thing was actually really solid feeling and had great action.

Which gets me wondering...

How is the B.C. Rich brand in general? Are they well made, good quality parts and wood, etc...? Are they good guitars but for some reason have astonishingly bad pickups?

My bronze warlock not only sounded better than my platinum pro series, it had way better fret work and great action, and the neck pocket is so tight you can't get a piece of paper in there.

Funny that a $100 guitar demolished a $500 guitar from the same company.


That's why I still own the bronze and I traded the platinum.

I think the stock pickups in the bronze actually even sounded better than the BSDMs in the platinum. Those things are piss horrible. (I've got an EMG-81 in my single pickup/tech-tronic bridge bronze now.)

 

[Syris]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

The Hot Rails are a single-coil sized pickup. If you want something hot like that for the neck pickup, then try an Invader in the neck. Alternatively, you could try the EMG 81. A lot of people match the 81 neck with the 85 bridge.

I would do something like that but I can't. The configuration is HS so I needed to get a strat style humbucker.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

I would do something like that but I can't. The configuration is HS so I needed to get a strat style humbucker.

Oh, I see. Go for the Hot Rails then dude. I apologise.

 

[Syris]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Haha, it's cool man, thanks for the advice. Did my research on the Hot Rails, seem to be the best choice for a mini humbucker.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

They'd be the ones most suited to the EMG in the bridge. People complain on them being a little too muddy, and don't play cleans too well. I assume you won't be too bothered by this though, if you wanted cleans, you wouldn't be buying a BC Rich and putting an EMG in it

Good luck

 

[castiron]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

yeah i agree. i got a nj warlock. pups lack major personality.:lame:

 

[Syris]

Re: B.C. Rich stock pickups. Good or crap?

Well, are you going to replace them Castiron?

Might as well make your guitar live up to it's price tag.

To RobbiedBee;
Ya, I have a few guitars. One good for blues, one for all my rock needs, and acoustic. I figured I would get another one that could handle distortion better. Anyway, I listened to audio file for the hot rails on the duncan site. Wow, I've been searching for a sound like that for a while. For me it's got the perfect amount of distortion for lead work.