B.C. Rich

Bernardo Chavez Rico (born October 13, 1941 – December 3, 1999), known as Bernie Rico Sr., or simply B.C., was born in East Los Angeles, California and began his career helping his father build classical guitars, banjos, and ukuleles in the 1950s. Rico's original instruments were acoustic guitars made under the names "Bernardo Rico" or "B.C. Rico." In the 1970s, he began using the name "B.C. Rich" when he founded a company to manufacture electric guitars.

In the following decade, B.C. Rich gained a broad exposure with the popularity of heavy metal and has often been linked to that music scene. High-end B.C. Rich instruments were custom-made in the US by Ron Estrada whereas the mid- and low-end models were produced in different countries in Asia. In 1987, Bernie Rico entered into a marketing agreement with Randy Waltuch’s company Class Axe, allowing them to market and distribute Rave, Platinum, and NJ Series guitars. A year later, Class Axe took over importing, marketing, and distribution of the foreign-made lines and soon after that, took complete control. B.C. Rich’s custom shop was disbanded and the name B.C. Rich was licensed in 1989. Guitars thereafter were made in Korea.

During this period, quality control nosedived and the B.C. Rich name suffered. Bernie went on to produce his own guitars under the brand Mason Bernard, these being handmade acoustic-electrics and Strat-shaped electrics. In 1993, Bernie regained ownership of B.C. Rich and made a concerted effort to restore the company's name until his death on December 3, 1999. The company was acquired in the 2000s by Hanser Music Group, a distribution company based in Hebron, Kentucky. B.C Rich was later licensed to Praxis Musical based in Orange, California until 2018.

On July 21, 2019, B.C. Rich was acquired by a new management team led by Bill Xavier. The new management reintroduced BC legacy models such as the IronBird and Stealth.