MusicRadar Verdict
Get this 'bird in your hand
Pros
- +
Inventive design. Rocks hard.
Cons
- -
Pricier than it should be. Not really a shredders guitar.
MusicRadar's got your back

BC Rich Mockingbird ST

BC Rich Mockingbird ST

BC Rich Mockingbird ST
On the odd occasion when Slash is removed from his Les Paul, he grabs a BC Rich Mockingbird with more dials and switches than a recording desk.
The guitar
Let's get this out of the way first the Mockingbird isn't exactly a conventionally pretty guitar. But love it or hate it, BC Rich reckons the ST pays you back with its smart-arse features.
There's certainly plenty to take in on the spec, with the website proclaiming the through-neck, twin Rockfield Mafia pickups and genuine Floyd Rose, all built on the foundations of a nato body with a maple top.
All good stuff then, but we're more interested in the buttons. Alongside two volumes and a tone, you've got a varitone (with five preset tones), plus switches that tap the Mafias and bring in the reverse phase mode.
In use
Despite the 24 frets and Floyd Rose, the ST feels more like a rock guitar than a shred machine - and that doubtless has much to do with the beefcake body and chunky neck. To our fingers, it didn't play quite as fast as its rivals, but if you want to be Slash instead of Vai, that should suit you perfectly.
Plug in and the right kind of guitarist will find plenty to froth over here, with the thick roar of those Mafias hitting you like a knuckle-duster, hours of fun to be had from the switches and the looks prompting some ambiguous 'where did you get that?' looks.
Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.
Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.
Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar
“We tried to capture the heart of what a Gibson Custom guitar is, and I think we really have done it”: Epiphone expands and upgrades its flagship Gibson Custom collab with eight stunning vintage-inspired electrics
“It's probably my Behringer Model D monosynth. So simple and obviously cheap, but it’s just so versatile. I’ve used it on basically every track that I’ve created”: 10 producers share the tech they can’t live without
“No one noticed that half the playlist was AI-created, and a few even preferred the AI tracks”: Should today’s music-makers and producers fear AI - or embrace its inevitability?