Editing B.C. Rich (section)

== History ==
'''Bernardo Chavez Rico''' (born October 13, 1941 &ndash; December 3, 1999),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461?c=search&first=Bernardo&last=Rico|title=Free Family Tree, Genealogy and Family History - MyHeritage|website=www.familytreelegends.com|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref> known as Bernie Rico Sr., or simply B.C., was born in East [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]] and began his career helping his father build classical guitars, [[banjo]]s, and [[ukulele]]s in the 1950s.  Rico's original instruments were [[Steel-string acoustic guitar|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 music|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, the official B.C. Rich Facebook page announced a change in ownership. The new management reintroduced BC legacy models such as the IronBird and Stealth.<ref>{{cite web | url-access=limited  |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/107882511013/10157063129206014 |archive-date = 2022-04-27| url = https://www.facebook.com/BCRichGuitars/posts/10157063129206014 |title = B.C. Rich on Facebook  |website=[[Facebook]]}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref>