got around to taking some good pics of my My Bernie Rico CS 7 string

[kmanick]

Well when I finally got around to being ready to order a CS 7 from GMW he decided he wasn't going to make ny more , so I got in touch with Bernie and spec'd out a 7.
I used to have an 88 CS jackson soloist that I foolishly sold that I dearly miss, so I
decided to spec this one based on that one.
All mahogany (neck and body)
Quilted maple top
Ebony board
abalone diamond inlays
6100 SS frets
Bound neck and HS
20 " fret board radius
Bernies 'shred" neck profile
OFR trem
Crunchlab/Liquifire pickups
Push Pull volume pot that only splits the neck PUP.
I love this thing, I've had it since November and all of my other guitars have become case queens since I got it..
I don't love the Crunchlab (not a great lead pickup but super tight for rhythm) so I a
have BK HolyDiver on order for it. the Liquifire is pretty cool so I'm good with leaving that in there.
Pics

[BallooTheBear]

Very nice!

[Hellbat]

Love it. It's too classy looking for plastic control cover plates though, you should get some black anodized aluminum ones!

[kmanick]

Love it. It's too classy looking for plastic control cover plates though, you should get some black anodized aluminum ones!

didn't really even think about that but now that you mention it, it would be add a nice touch.

[Trem]

Nice, like the headstock on it too, did you draw that one up?

[kmanick]

Nice, like the headstock on it too, did you draw that one up?

No, when I approached Bernie I told him I wanted something more traditional looking.
We took the Hesperian body and trimmed the horns a little bit.
This is a new HS he came up with called the "retro". On mine it's reversed and in a 2+5.
He showed it to me unfinished and reversed and I liked it so we went with it.
this is the 6 string version and is available as one of his new production headstocks.

[guitarzan_josh]

I have just soiled myself.

[BenoA]

Very nice guitar! Congratz!

I've checked Bernie Rico's web site a few times and he has some awesome guitars over there.

[gtrbuyer]

great looking axe nick...the headstock shape is totally cool

[GuerillaPete]

Bad-ass! Makes me want to do a CS with Bern. Will have to wait.

[mastrxplodr]

Great looking guitar, the headstock reminds me of a Caparison.

[guitarzan_josh]

Is it possible to describe the neck, maybe compare it to something else?

[kmanick]

Is it possible to describe the neck, maybe compare it to something else?

Sure, I played a bunch of Ricos before I ordered this and the neck was what made me really want one.
Bernies' "shredder "profile is very similar in feel to a Jackson soloist. The back shape is very similar to how a soloist feels.
The front is a different story. A 20" radius is very flat and at first it threw me but now that I'm used to it I absolutely love it.
(6100 Stainless steel frets also contributes to the effortless feel of this guitar).
Bernie also makes his floyded necks a touch wider to compensate for the floyd string spacing. If you look closely at the neck shots
you'll see that the low B and the High E strings are not right on the edge of the fret board. There is some room there and it
makes a huge difference. You can get really aggressive and not worry about string pull off (which is a lot more common with 7's than it should be). take a look at a Petrucci 7 string some time and look how close the high E is to the edge of the board (yuck)
Bernie has a couple of different neck profiles but his "shredder" feels the closest to a Jackson.
He has a slimmer one that will appeal to the Ibby heads and a thicker one as well.

[guitarzan_josh]

Cool.. thanks for the description! I always wished my guitars had extra real estate on the edges.. I have been playing with 9's and will often knock the strings off the edge. It can make for some interesting sounds!

[shredmonster]

Rico guitars are top notch in every way. I have a custom from him nothing short of the best guitar I have ever picked up.