Review, Heath "H-Bomb" Smith

Its been forever, but finally i managed to get around to doing this review, in between recording, rehearsing and trying to find shows. This has been on the backburner for far too long and now i must tell the entire world about my gun metal grey Bernie Rico Jr. Hybrid Vixen V. Firstly... i knew these guitars we're going to be something MORE than extraordinary, due to the fact that Bernie's father, Rico Sr. was the innovator behind the legendary B.C. Rich guitars, so therefore it's literally 'in the blood', for Rico Jr. to construct only the finest instruments and i must say what a pre-ordained destiny to have, hey?.

I, myself own and have played many B.C. Rich guitars and have loved every single one of them and still do, HOWEVER as die-hard B.C. Rich as i am, the Rico Jr. series of guitars has definitely taken building, quality, playability, looks and design to astronomical new levels. Now onto my gun metal grey vixen hybrid, well what can i say but, WOW!!!... such a fine instrument at such an accommodating price, this guitar looks, sounds and plays better than some of the custom shop guitars i have played over the years and with the active loaded EMG 81 and 85 pickups the tones, whether it be rhythm, solo or harmonics are undeniable, unstoppable and just second to none. Boasting thick and heavy rhythm tone and searing solo tone, this monster of musical instrument genius literally cuts through anything else i have ever heard. It has pristine action on the fingerboard and a great size neck for 'getting around' on and yet is solid enough for ultimate chord resonance.

Also on this weapon is a Floyd Rose double locking tremolo, great for dives and squeals in conjunction with the EMG's, a three-way selector switch, a volume and tone knob, which absolutely makes for nothing but simple 'user friendly' operation and gorgeous diamond inlays on the fingerboard. I, myself actually purchased a black Rico Jr. Vixen through a guitar store in the United States on E-bay, before i had purchased this Hybrid and even though neither guitar is better than the other, i have noticed a lot of differences between the two and that is also definitely one the most incredible talents that Bernie has forged into his instruments and that is each one is unique and there is no-other like it. Bernie could build two of his fine guitars, all to the exact same specs and i GUARANTEE that they wouldn't be the same, they would have a ton of different characteristics, yet the same things always remain, quality, playability, looks and overall tone and yet still be an individual and stand-alone instrument as it's own entity.

So pretty much all i can say for my gun metal grey vixen is that it truly is one the finest guitars i have ever played, hands down and it's an honor and a privilege to say that I own it as well as my other black Vixen, but also the quality doesn't stop there, my Vixens are used for metal playing, but the tones these things produce could be applied in ANY genre of music, irrespective of it's killer and deadly looks.

The same could be said for ALL of Bernie's guitars and not just the Vixens, an entire universe of instruments covering the entire musical spectrum, play metal, mainstream or even Mozart, Bernie Rico Jr. guitars are the one guitar that will cover all of it without compromise. And for those in Australia wishing to purchase one of these perfect instruments, definitely look no further than Epic Guitars, Jamie's service is second to none and his drive for these guitars is thicker than family, in fact to him... it IS family and i can only be proud to be a part of that family and part of the new revolution of quality guitars. And lastly... in my opinion, if it's not Rico Jr., then you're wasting your time. HAIL RICO JR. AND EPIC GUITARS!!! THRASH TIL DEATH!!!... H Bomb.