B.C. Rich Guitar Serial Number Lookup/Decoder

Founded in 1968 by Bernardo Chavez Rico, B.C. Rich is an iconic American guitar manufacturer synonymous with radical, non-standard body shapes and high-performance, metal-oriented instruments. Known for models like the Warlock, Mockingbird, and Bich, the brand pioneered 24-fret, neck-through-body designs, blending boutique quality with aggressive aesthetics and electronics.

B.C. Rich Serial Number Lookup/Decoder FAQs

Where can I find the B.C. Rich serial number?

Most B.C. Rich guitars place the serial number on the back of the headstock. Some older instruments use a neck plate or the end of the fretboard, and some acoustics may use a paper label inside the soundhole. Start with the headstock back and neck joint.

What can this B.C. Rich serial number lookup/decoder tell me?

It typically identifies the production year, and sometimes the factory or country of origin. Some serial formats also indicate the production sequence, but that varies by era and series.

Why won't my B.C. Rich serial number decode?

B.C. Rich serial formats changed multiple times, and some eras do not encode a year. Try removing spaces or hyphens, and if it still fails, contact us so we can review it and improve the decoder.

Decoder Note

Note: If you try a serial number and the decoder is not able to decode it, please contact us and let us know so we can check the number and fix the decoder. Thank you!

How to decode a B.C. Rich serial number

B.C. Rich serial number formats vary by era and factory. Most numbers are found on the back of the headstock, but some older instruments use a neck plate or the end of the fretboard. Use the format below that best matches your serial.

Common B.C. Rich Formats

USA Neck-Through (1974+): Usually a 5-digit number in YYXXX format, where the first two digits are the year and the last three are the production sequence. Early/mid-1980s numbers can be out of sequence, so treat the year as an estimate. Some apparent year codes in this era read a few years ahead of actual production (for example, a 36xxx serial can date closer to 1982-1983 than 1986).
Class Axe Era (1989–1993): Numbers like B0XXX, BXXXXX, or BCXXXXX. These typically do not encode a clear year.
Import (1997–2000): Formats like F7XXXXX, F8XXXXX, F9XXXXX, or F0XXXXX. The second digit indicates the year (7=1997, 8=1998, 9=1999, 0=2000).
Short I-Prefix Import (estimate-only): Some imports appear as I + 5 digits (e.g., I50311). A practical read is I + year digit + month digits + sequence (example: 2005, March), but this is not factory-verified and should be treated as a best-effort estimate.
Numeric Date Stamp (late 2000–2009): 8-digit numbers like 121XXXXX. The first digit is the year (1=2001, 2=2002, etc.), the third digit indicates the quarter, and the last five digits are the production sequence.
Month/Factory Code (2007+): A letter + 8 digits, such as A08140023. The letter is the month, the next two digits are the factory number, the next two digits are the year, and the last four are the production sequence.

Japan NJ Series (1980s)

R/P Prefix: Some NJ Series guitars use R or P followed by 6 digits. The first two digits typically indicate the year (e.g., R83XXXX = 1983). These are often Japan-made.

Month Code Key (Modern)

Month Letters: A=Jan, C=Feb, E=Mar, F=Apr, G=May, H=Jun, J=Jul, K=Aug, L=Sep, M=Oct, N=Nov, P=Dec.