BC Rich vari-tone circuit

[max cooper]

Anyone remember the details of the vari-tone? I'm thinking of buying an old Mockingbird from a close friend and it's got a vari-tone. He knows nothing about how it works as he never learned to play (just a lawyer with a couple of nice guitars)

edit: I found this.

http://www.nealmoser.com/images/Full...0Corrected.jpg

I forgot they were active. The one he's got has Bill Lawrence pickups in it. Anyone use these? I might want to wire the guitar as passive, but I'm curious if anyone likes the existing circuit.

[George Necola]

I don't know what your goal is (I can't remember vari-tone), but BC Rich players always wanna have that extra smack, and output.

Can I recommend this humbucker to you with the chance you press the ignore and kill poor George

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/ZH-warpig.html

what is this vari-tone? more optinos in sound?

[thenoiseflower]

Black Ice pre and/or/definetly smoke and mirrors.

thats what i hear anyway, never seen one, heard one

[Farview]

I didn't mind the vari-tone circuit. The big problem with it was that once you found the tone, you would accidently bump one of the 300 switches and have to figure out which one. I had to write down the settings, just in case. Those old BC Rich's were really cool, I would get it just because.

[Bastian]

i love old bc rich guitars. in my opinion one of the best guitars ever.
but honestly, one thing i never liked that much is the varitone. it's basicly just a preset tone-control. the onboard booster is quite useable. the phase switch also comes in handy.

for the bill lawrence pickup, they're great. they sound something like a xn2 but with a bit more bite(not a lot more gain though). the stock pickups on that guitar should be dimarzios.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by Bastian

for the bill lawrence pickup, they're great. they sound something like a xn2 but with a bit more bite(not a lot more gain though). the stock pickups on that guitar should be dimarzios.

Wasn't the X2N a black or white thing with solid bars in the middle? If so, I liked 'em. Also liked the SD II. Wasn't much aftermarket choice back then though.

I would assume the reason for Bill Lawrence P/U's in a Mockingbird would be to make a Joe Perry guitar.

I had a Gibson Marauder back in the day that had some Bill Lawrance designed pickups. I bought the thing for $100 in '79 because Ronnie Wood was using an S-1. A little o/t there. Damn, I've been around for a while.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by George Necola

what is this vari-tone? more optinos in sound?

Here's the infamous vari-tone mission control layout:

(The mockingbird actually has an abbreviated vari-tone. Only the Bich had room for the whole shebang.)

[max cooper]

There ya go. The full vari-tone. Too bad it's not a ten-string.

I love these things. They're so "rock and roll a**hole" looking. Gimme some mirrored shades and a feathered haircut and I'm good.

[Bob Ross]

I always presumed the BC Rich varitone worked exactly the same way as the Gibson varitone: the rotary switch is just selecting a different value of capacitor between the tone control & ground.

Of course, I could be wrong about the Gibson too...

[Lorne]

Sorry Max Cooper,you're worng about the Mockingbird having an "abbreviated vari-tone"

There is nothing abbreviated about the varitone,the Bich has an Extra Booster/pre-amp and assosiated Volume pot,which have nothing at all to do with the Varitone

Did you buy the Mockingbird though?

Here's mine:-



Please ignor the White Mockingbird and the yellow Hagstrom,those have been sold:-)

[wineredno1]

For what it's worth on the two main mocking birds that slash uses have all the controls bypassed except for the volume control because he thinks there just "too complicated".