Description

B. C. Rich B-38 Brazilian Rosewood Dreadnought

Serial #502538

This is a hand built  clone of a Martin dread built by Bernardo Rico in his California workshop in the late 60’s or early 70’s. The general wisdom is that the initial 5 in the serial # denotes a 1975 build, but that is inconclusive. It’s hard to know as there are no

records of the amount of guitars he produced or the exact dates he produced them. His workshop was never a big factory outlet like Gibson, in fact when his father started he was a violin repair man. He left his son all the stock of wood: premium woods, aged Brazilian Rosewood, now illegal to even buy, German Spruce, old Ebony and Mahogany slabs.

So this guitar is a copy of a mid-sixties Martin-It has a solid Brazilian Rosewood back (4 piece) and sides, Ebony fretboard, solid spruce top, bound neck, back and sides. The braces are hand rubbed and scalloped. Note the aged patina on the spruce, closing in on around 50 years; money can't buy that, only time. Please note this guitar is made in the Los Angeles, USA ... it is not made in Japan. As one owner remarked, it would have a J-45 for breakfast. The only thing that is in the same league is a Martin of the same vintage (not a 70’s one with Indian Rosewood-you only have to look at the grain to see the difference).

When I acquired this instrument, it had the typical fretboard crack caused by the one-piece mahogany neck with Spanish heel. It also had a nameplate attached in order to cover some fairly deep indentations in the spruce that seem to have been lacquered over at some point. This plate and other stickers were removed.

Solid German spruce top Quarter sawn solid Brazilian Rosewood sides and back 25 1/2' scale length 1 5/8" nut width Solid ebony fingerboard and bridge Diamond inlays Pearl inlay Grover tuners Tortoise pick guard 3 /32" string height at the 12 fret 20 frets Abalone dots on bridge pins Herringbone purfling