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We love the Ironbird, Warlock, Bich and Warbeast. But can BC Rich do tasteful? Let's find out.

This isn't your typical BC Rich. It's all a bit, well, pretty, isn't it? Fear not, hairy brethren. Beneath that glossy exterior lurks a slavering metal monster that has every right to wear the BC Rich logo on its headstock.

You know that expression 'less is more'? Well, BC Rich doesn't. Understatement just isn't its bag, but we can't help feeling that the company went a bit too far with the Assassin FX6.

The overblown cosmetics of this six-string Christmas tree left us feeling a little queasy. And that's a shame because we think the Assassin is a great guitar in just about every other department.

The chunky neck with its full compliment of 24 jumbo frets is a shredder's dream while the Mafia humbuckers are as fat as Tony Soprano.

Sounds

The range of tones available is staggering: each pickup has a coil tap (to transform it to a singlecoil) and there's a reverse phase switch that produces a nasal tone, which sounds better than that description suggests.

Cosmetics aside, the only other thing we don't like is the tiny headstock. This is a BC Rich - it should have a big, daft headstock! Ditch the tinsel and fatten up the head and this Assassin would blow our heads off. Are you listening, BC Rich?