SOUNDCHECK
SOUNDCHECK
the gear in review
GOD OF WAR
B.C. Rich WMD Warbeast electric guitar
BY ERIC KIRKLAND
H
ARDCORE GUITARISTS PLAY
wild-looking, and sometimes
weapon-shaped, guitars to
complement their dark personas, pow-
erful statements and aggressive styles.
Unfortunately, so many of these guitars
look and play more like satirical stage
props than serious instruments. B.C.
Rich intends to change this unfortunate
trend with the innovative Warbeast.
The new ax derives its name from
the 1981 Warlock and 1999 Beast gui-
tars that inspired its shape. It also has
all that a metal player might want, in-
cluding high-output pickups, a 24-fret
board and a double-locking Original
Floyd Rose bridge. These features,
combined with the guitar’s refined ap-
pearance and flawless playability, posi-
tion the Warbeast as the archetype for
future serious metal guitar designs.
FEATURES
TO CREATE THE
Warbeast’s special
mahogany body, B.C. Rich fused the
lower bout of their Warlock with the
upper horns of their Beast. This clever
union suggests the symmetry of a poi-
sonous arachnid, which is further en-
hanced by the blood red pinstripes that
trace the body’s beveled edges.
The Warbeast’s maple neck runs
through the body’s center, a true neck-
through design that provides excellent
stability for tremolo bridges and results
in superior sustain characteristics. The
neck is wide and fairly thick, with a
rolling profile that lies well in the hand
and favors modern sweep techniques
and complex chord shapes.
Superb fretwork is another of the
Warbeast’s attributes. All 24 frets were
nicely leveled across the flat ebony
board. I experienced no buzzing or
dead areas, even in the upper 10 frets.
Side-filled fret slots gave the neck a
slick feel down its edge. To maintain
the guitar’s dark aesthetic, B,C, Rich
kept the fretboard free of any markers.
Instead, small side dots provide incon-
spicuous but easy-to-follow reference
points. B.C. Rich fans will certainly be
familiar with the S.O.B. (Son of Beast)
headstock, which artistically aligns
with the body’s pitched angles.
If you own any guitars from the
Eighties, then you should also rec-
ognize the Warbeast’s purpose-built
hardware package. An original double-
locking Floyd Rose tremolo is recessed
into the body and back-routed. This
means that the guitar’s action can be
dropped very low and you can dive
or pull up on the bar. Mini Grover
Rotomatic tuners tie down the strings
without adding a lot of weight to the
already large headstock.
Rockfield pickups have become
standard fare on many of B.C. Rich’s
finest guitars. The Warbeast features
a powerful Rockfield Fat Ass in the
bridge position and a razor-sharp
Rockfield Mafia in the neck slot. Stan-
dard controls include a master volume
and tone with a three-way switch. This
pair of pickups is perhaps one of the
best-matched sets for metal guitar ap-
plications and is also available as an
aftermarket replacement set.
PERFORMANCE
THE WARBEAST’S MAPLE CORE
and
ebony fretboard naturally produce
a bright and round tone, and notes
responded from this solid founda-
tion quickly and with sharp clarity.
Rockfield’s Fat Ass pickup defined and
enhanced these qualities with tight
lows, thick crunch and sizzling highs.
The Fat Ass’ harmonic enhancement is
focused on the guitar’s upper midrange
and deep treble tones, creating rich
musicality that does not interfere with
clarity. This big humbucker also pumps
out tons of output, which is unusual for
such a clear pickup. It easily pushed
my “Plexi” Marshall into distortion and
sustained well throughout the guitar’s
range. Neck position sounds were simi-
larly surprising. The Warbeast’s Mafia
humbucker sliced right through my
Rectifier’s dense distortion. Its tone was
full, crisp and devoid of any nasal quali-
ty. Both pickups cleaned up well when I
rolled the guitar’s volume down, making
it possible to leave my distortion maxed
and still get a fantastic rhythm sound.
THE BOTTOM LINE
THE WARBEAST’S BLENDED
body
shape is a stroke of genius, but this
guitar is also a joy to play, with low
action, a shredder’s fretboard and
a recessed double-locking original
Floyd Rose tremolo system. The icing
on the cake is the Rockfield pickup
set, which perfectly flatters the War-
beast’s design.
✺
PRO
CON
NECK MAY BE
LARGE FOR
SOME HANDS
INSPIRING BODY SHAPE,
FAST PLAYABILITY,
HIGH-OUTPUT
ROCKFIELD PICKUPS
186
GU ITA R WOR L D
B.C. RICH WMD
WARBEAST
LIST PRICE:
$1,020.00
MANUFACTURER:
B.C. Rich, a Fivision of
Hanser Music Group,
bcrich.com
BODY:
Nato mahogany
NECK:
Maple, neck-
through
FINGERBOARD:
Ebony
SCALE LENGTH:
25 1/2
inches
FRETS:
24
HARDWARE:
Original
Floyd Rose double-lock-
ing tremolo, Grover
Rotomatic tuners
CONTROLS:
Volume,
Tone, three-way switch
PICKUPS:
Rockfield Fat
Ass (bridge), Rockfield
Mafia (neck)
ON
DISC
ON
DISC
Rockfield
pickups deliver
power with
clarity.
The Original Floyd
Rose double-locking
tremolo is recessed
and back-routed.
The distinct body
shape is a mar-
riage of the Beast’s
upper horns and
the Warlock’s
lower half.
Soundchecks.indd 186
7/25/07 5:47:43 PM
