Tom Curry Guitars

Archive for July, 2008

Tuners Sealed

July 30th, 2008

Tuners Sealed

i have a classic 20 sum year old guitar made of agathis w/bolt on maple neck, i want new pickups, worth it?

so i have a b.c. rich mockingbird bronze series from sum 20 years ago, its a VERY RARE guitar that they dont make the same anymore…my question is though, do u guys think these pickups (the 496R and the 500T bridge) would increase the sound quality ALOT? heres the link to the pickups-

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Search/Default.aspx?src=gibson+ceramic&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=Go

heres my guitar specs-

Body Material
Agathis
Neck
Bolt-on
Neck Material
Maple
Fingerboard
Rosewood
Fretwire
Jumbo
Fret Number
24
Scale
25.5″
Inlay
Dot
Headstock Style
Pointed
Hardware
Chrome
Tuners
Sealed Diecast BC Rich

Pickups
2 Humbuckers
Bridge Type
One Piece Adjustable

i only have $300 spare cash at the moment, ive looked into buying a new guitar, but i wanted to stick with my old one if i can REALLY crank out some superior tones

Good question. Couple of things to consider. It’s hard to say whether the sound quality will be GREATLY improved, as it’s all relative.

B.C. Rich’s are and always have been about looking awesome and playing passably. A B.C. Rich is never going to sound like a Les Paul or a PRS. The quality of materials and craftsmanship just doesn’t stack up.

That said, $300 is a pretty small upgrade in the guitar world and it might be worth trying the new pickups. If you love the guitar, the new pickups certainly won’t make it sound worse.

Also, considering the rarity of your particular guitar, make sure to hang on to the original pickups if you do decide to switch them out. That way, you can reinstall them down the line if you want to sell it to a serious Rich collector (they must exist).