Thank You!

Are you BandHappy?

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:46:03 GMT

Hey fellow guitar players, home studio guys, songwriters, etc... I'm offering lessons on a variety of topics via BandHappy. If you become a member of BandHappy community, you can request a lesson from me (or you can choose from a TON of insanely talented musicians). The lessons are all one-on-one, streamed live via webcam. It's a new, and very innovative way to learn! Definitely check it out.

Here's a link to my profile-

The rate is $25usd per 30 minute session, or $40usd per hour.

Studio Acoustic Treatment- October 2011

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:09:14 GMT

I recently installed a custom acoustic treatment package in my home studio. Aside from the obvious benefits to the listening space, I wanted to tell you about the great experience I had working with Joel DuBay, owner of ReadyAcoustics.

A while back, I began working with Joel and his team of acousticians to determine what I would need to acoustically treat my home studio. The room I mix in was very boomy, and I had problems with early reflections of the high frequencies. This made it hard to get my mixes exactly how I wanted them because the stereo image wasn’t accurate. I found that even if I got my mixes to sound okay in the listening space, they wouldn’t translate well outside of the listening space (car, iPod, other systems, etc.). It was easy to over compensate and take out too much low end, or lose that “sparkle” in the high end by cutting out too much.

I sent ReadyAcoustics my room dimensions and pictures of my listening space. Within a day, they rendered a 3D image of my room, which displayed the exact location and amount of bass traps and diffusers I needed.

Once we decided the optimum setup, they began to custom build the package. I got to choose the color scheme of each bass trap and diffuser. ReadyAcoustics has a wide variety of options, giving the customer many different varieties of frame and fabric colors to enhance the look of your room. They work extremely fast! They completed assembly of the panels and they were delivered within two weeks.

Installation was easy. I installed all nine panels in about an hour. The flat-mounted wall panels were especially easy using the included mounting hardware. The corner-mounted panels were a little trickier, but if you’re fairly handy, it’s no big deal at all. I highly recommend having an extra pair of hands to help you, though.

After the install was complete, I could notice a difference in the way the room sounded, even before I started playing any music. The room was significantly more “silent”, and there was virtually no echo of any kind in the room. Upon playing music at my listening space, the difference was massive. Right away, I could hear things in my mixes that I couldn’t hear before; the stereo image was bigger, tighter, and more focused. All of that “boominess” that was so prevalent in the room was no longer an issue. I could hear the low end. The highs are improved, dramatically. Before, it sounded as if the high frequencies were coming at me from behind (and they probably were!). But now, they are right up front. Everything is so much easier to listen to. On top of it all, the panels are aesthetically pleasing to look at. It gave my space a cool and comfortable vibe. They say red is the “creative color. I do find the look and feel of the room more inspiring to work in.

The whole experience has been great. The customer service at ReadyAcoustics is just fantastic. Their products are legit, and they are a welcomed improvement in my home studio. If you’re looking for professional room treatment for your studio, definitely consider going with ReadyAcoustics.

Demisery Update!

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:15:00 GMT

Gord and I are getting closer to completing the Demisery album! We have tracked guitars, bass, drums, and solos/fillers. We're working on getting the vocals tracked. We still don't have a set release date, but it's coming soon, and it'll smash your face disrespectfully hard!

The album will be titled "Hive of Mutation". It's 11 songs, and 45 minutes of pounding Death Metal.

NEW TAB!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:58:37 GMT

Here's a new tab for Heart of the Sea Nymph! Enjoy!

Demisery!

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:35:00 GMT

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on an album with a very talented guitarist buddy, Gord Olson. This collaboration is extremely fun, and the music is in the traditional Death Metal vein. It's a bit different than my personal music, but I suspect that a lot of those who follow my music will enjoy it. I grew up playing this style of music, and it feels very comfortable and natural (did I mention, fun?). The project is called "Demisery", and it's pretty much a blatant tribute to old (and some newer) Death Metal tunes. Fans of bands like Grave, Death, Obituary, Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, Monstrosity, etc... will find a familiar sound and traditional DM feel. We're in pre-production at the moment, and already have over an hour of music written. It’s packed full of blast beats, trem picking, guitar solos and guttural vocals. There’s no core, no prog, no “djent”, this is a 100% Death Metal album. Stay tuned!

Vik Guitars

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:30:00 GMT

I’m happy to announce that I’ve teamed up with ViK guitars! My first custom guitar from Vik will be a fanned fret 7 string, hand crafted from some of the finest materials I’ve ever seen on any guitar. The shop is currently located in the city of Minsk, Belarus, Europe and operated by master-luthier, Vyacheslav Kuletski (ViK). He’s been fantastic to work with, and he’s a very talented artist! Check out the mockup! More info to come soon-

http://www.vikguitars.com/index.html

Toontrack

Tue, 17 May 2011 05:32:55 GMT

I'm very excited to say that I've joined the Toontrack family of endorsed artists! I will be using their software for upcoming releases and I have no doubt that it's going to sound great! So many new sample sets to try out! I'm very excited about it. -Keith

http://www.toontrack.com

New interview

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:07:44 GMT

Here's an interview I did with Music and Noise Magazine. It's on page 18, check it out HERE

New interview if you want to check it out-

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:32:02 GMT

READ IT HERE

Review of "Awaken the Stone King" at Number of the Blog

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:29:29 GMT

It seems appropriate that my first album review for the new year happens to be of an album that was released on the first day of the new year. (OK, Keith actually made it available on New Year’s Eve, but the official release date is 1-1-11.) It’s also one of the albums I have been eagerly awaiting ever since I became familiar with Keith’s music some time last year. My excitement spiked heavily when I interviewed Keith, as he was not only a great, under-appreciated artist, but a nice guy to boot, and so I’ve kept in contact with him since. I was starting to worry that I might be over-hyping this album to myself, building up some unreal expectations.

As it turned out, I had no reason to worry. Mr. Merrow put his skills to good use once again, creating some of his strongest, most epic material to date with Awaken The Stone King, thus kicking off 2011 with a bang. The new album heavily features Keith’s two new Bernie Rico Jr. custom guitars, which sound great, and Keith gives them a solid workout with his technically proficient riffing and epic solos. There is more of an emphasis on soloing on Awaken The Stone King, too, although by no means does it indicate a huge shift in sound. Instead, it’s simply an expansion of the Merrow sound, which really goes hand in hand with the improved production present; everything sounds weightier, with more overall depth.

Make no mistake, this is a Keith Merrow album, and as such it is filled with heavy, technical riffs and shifting tempos. Keith is definitely at the top of his game, mixing mid-paced riffs (as seen on ‘Heart Of The Sea Nymph’) with much faster riffing (such as on ‘People Of The Bog’). He sprinkles in a lot of melodic flourishes, which helps keep things interesting and memorable, and as I mentioned above, there are more solos on Awaken The Stone King than on Keith’s previous releases. There are even a couple of guest solos, one from newcomer Gord Olson (on ‘Beheading The Manticore’), and one from Nevermore’s Jeff Loomis (on ‘Heart Of The Sea Nymph’), and both solos are killer, but Keith certainly holds his own.

Like any great instrumental album, Awaken The Stone King stays fresh because it has moments where the listener has a chance to catch their breath, rather than simply being bombarded by riff after riff. The aforementioned ‘Heart Of The Sea Nymph’ features a lull with a wonderfully jazzy solo that then leads into Loomis’ blazing licks, and there’s a great bluesy solo in ‘Spirit Of The Ancient Siren’ that strongly reminds me of Pink Floyd. ‘Many A Fortnight’ is actually an interlude track featuring the use of an e-bow and some chopped and manipulated acoustic guitar. And ‘People Of The Bog’ has a quiet part that has some vaguely Middle-Eastern percussion. The album’s final track, ‘Stone King (The Awakening Pt. 2)’, has a quiet intro that leads into slower, epic riffing, picks up the pace considerably before slowing and finally fading into an ambient outro that is actually taken from ‘The Ritual’ by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech, which brings the album to a close.

Perhaps the biggest change here is that Keith is charging for this album, where before he released the music for free and encouraged donations. (His previous work is still available for free at his website.) Considering how much work he put into this album, I really can’t blame him; Awaken The Stone King is clearly a labor of love, and definitely worth the money. The album definitely lives up to my own hype, and has started 2011 on a great note.

My score: 5 out of 6

Awaken the Stone King on iTunes

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:15:00 GMT

Thanks for all the support! As per request- here is the album on iTunes

New Album- "Awaken the Stone King" available now!

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:13:41 GMT

Hey everyone, I went ahead and released the album a little early while I have some down-time (I will be out of town off and on). Official release date is 1/1/11. Better a day early than never, I guess! Hope you enjoy it, and thank you for all the support! You can get it on the "downloads" page.

-Keith

October Update

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:52:25 GMT

It's been a while since I last updated this blog. Things have been rather busy lately with college and music, but I thought I'd tell you guys about the recent happenings.

The new album is coming along well. I have most of the material written, I just need to get around to tracking it. So far, the album is a bit darker and more organic than the last two releases. It's different, but I believe it still sounds like "me". As of right now, I have a rough 10-song track list I'm working on for it. There may be a couple more songs that I add to it if I feel that they fit well with the theme of the album.

The album artwork is being worked on by the very talented Christer Wibert. He's a concept artist for Massive Entertainment, the Swedish division of Ubisoft. In addition to being an amazing graphic artist, he's also a very talented musician. I will incorporate a bit of his music on the album to show my appreciation for his work. If time (and money) permits, this album will be available as a physical CD, featuring said artwork.

Bare Knuckle Pickups have hooked me up with an artist deal. I'm really excited about it and I will be swapping out the pickups in my current guitars with Bare Knuckle. I had a set of Painkiller pickups sent to the Bernie Rico Jr. custom shop to go in one of my new guitars.

Which leads me to...
Bernie Rico Jr. is finishing up an amazing new guitar for me. I should have it sometime next week, and I can't wait. The specs on this one are exactly what I'm looking for in a guitar and I have no doubts that it's going to blow my mind. I will be sure to post specifics when it arrives!

My Studio got a cool little upgrade this week. I swapped out my two PC monitors for a single 37" LCD screen. It's massive, and it works really well for it's intended purpose. Editing audio on a screen this size is very comfortable, and I'm really happy I went with it!

Chris Adler from Lamb of God emailed me expressing his interest in working on a collaboration with me. As you can imagine, I'm very excited about the idea and would love to make it happen. It may be a while before something becomes of it, considering LoG is touring quite a bit at the moment, but he mentioned working together when he gets a little down time.

Century Media Records has me working on songs for a project they have in the works. Unfortunately, I can't give too many details as this project is in it's infancy, but it's been fun so far. The music is pretty straight-forward metal and it's been refreshing to change things up a bit from what I normally write. The music is being written for a specific purpose, and it will have no ties to my solo project. It's just good old fashioned songwriting work.

Thanks for the support, everyone!

-Keith

New Tab- Awaken the Stone King

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:50:00 GMT

lobee over at Sevenstring.org has created a complete tab for Awaken the Stone King. A lot of people have requested this tab, so here it is!

Keith-Merrow-Awaken-the-Stone-King2.gp5

Might as well give an update while I'm here

I'm still working on songs for the next album, but it's slow going at the moment because I have a hectic college schedule this summer. School will slow down a bit in the fall and songwriting will pick back up again. The new material will be worth the wait!

Keith

Interview with Number of the Blog

Sat, 22 May 2010 01:14:17 GMT

"If you don’t know who Keith Merrow is, let me take the opportunity to welcome you to The Number Of The Blog. (I’m assuming that you’re new here, because I talk about Keith’s music ALL THE TIME.) In seriousness, Keith is an extremely talented guitarist who has released an EP and an album for free. He also recently gained sponsorship from luthier extraordinaire Bernie Rico Jr., son of the legendary B.C. Rich. As a big fan, I was pretty excited to get this interview with Keith, in which we discuss his influences, what he’s got coming up, and sausage."

State your name, rank, and serial number.

Keith Edward Merrow. Rank- Officer. Serial Number- TK-421

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a 30 year old husband and father from Portland, Oregon. I’m a pretty average Joe, despite the fact that I’m extremely introverted and anti-social. I’m one of those guys who just works and sleeps. In my “rare” free time (weekends), I write music in my home studio as a break from the daily grind. I’ve been playing music for about 17 years. I enjoy playing pretty much any musical instrument, but have always been drawn to guitar as my primary focus. I began recording and producing my own music around 2001, and have grown to enjoy that aspect almost as much as songwriting/playing.

What are some of your major musical influences?

I always have to give props to Tony Iommi for this question. When I was growing up, my Dad used to play old Sabbath records all the time. I loved it so much and still do. The first time I heard the Master Of Reality album, I knew I wanted to play guitar. The distorted, down-tuned guitars just had me hooked from the first time I heard it. There is no denying that it was the main reason I decided to pick up a guitar. I was about 13 at the time.

I went from there to the typical metal bands that were popular back then- Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Sepultura, Exodus, Pantera, Crowbar… bands like that. I went through a long period of time where I listened to nothing but Death Metal (all through high school). I was really into bands like Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation, Obituary, Deicide, Suffocation, Death, etc. Bands like that pretty much honed me, musically. So I’d have to say they were my main influence.

These days, I listen to pretty much anything, but can’t say I’m directly influenced by it. I’m really digging on bands like Mastodon, Gojira, BTBAM, Necrophagist, VoM, The Faceless, Job for a Cowboy (newer), Opeth, NEVERMORE… then of course, my “Djenty” brethren- Chimp Spanner (Paul is amazing), Periphery, Cloudkicker and the like. Also- Dick Dale kicks ass. His music is brilliant and I really admire his outlook on the music industry. Big props to that dude.

What made you decide to release your music for free?

Well, while it is technically free, I have accepted donations for the albums from the start. So far, that’s proven to be a really good idea. It lets the listener put their own value on the music and It also shows me that people still have enough integrity to pay for music that they enjoy. Not only that, a great majority of the gear, website, etc. is paid for by people who have donated and allows me to continue to do this without making my family suffer financially. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for that!

Is there anything on your iPod/other non-Apple mp3 player that might surprise people?

Not unless you’re surprised by the fact that my player is full to the brim with metal.

You recently got an endorsement deal with Bernie Rico Jr., including a custom guitar. Here’s your chance to really earn that endorsement! How is that working out for you?

Oh man, I could write a book here. The whole experience so far has been completely mind blowing. Bernie is the last of a dying breed. There aren’t many luthiers out there anymore who craft hand-built custom guitars with that level of detail. I am SO STOKED to be a part of that team. The guitars are absolutely amazing, honestly. Not to mention, Bernie is literally one of the funniest dudes I’ve ever met. He’s great to work with and he’s someone I consider to be a good friend. I don’t think anyone has been more supportive than he has. If you’ve ever considered having a custom guitar built, you wouldn’t regret going BRJ.. just for the experience of dealing with that crazy-ass beaner! LOL. (Yeah Bernie, that’s for all the times you’ve called me a fag!). Nothing but love B!

So, now that you are starting to make a name for yourself, what are your plans for the future? Do you plan to maybe make the Merrow Project a touring band? Do you have any other bands/projects that you’re working on?

I’m pretty much still doing what I’ve done for years- writing and recording music that I enjoy playing. I’d love to make a full touring project out of it, if I could only find the right musicians and have enough time to dedicate myself to it on that level. As for side projects… nothing solid at the moment. Paul Ortiz and I have been talking for a long time (and even started writing), but it seems that we are both way too busy to be able to make it work at this time. One of these days, Blimp Stabber… one of these days!

One of our readers, the cleverly-named Euraphag, wants to know if you’d ever try out for Nevermore, who apparently are in need of another guitarist.

Well, without giving out too many details… I have been contacted by Century Media with mention of this, and a few other really cool possibilities. But I can’t really say at this point. That would be amazing for sure! I frickin’ LOVE NEVERMORE! Pray for meh!

What steps have you taken to prepare for the coming zombie apocalypse?

What do you mean? When the horde of bloodthirsty zombies attack, I’ll be standing in the middle of the street waiting to have my innards ripped out. I’d rather be “turned” so I can play for the winning team. BRAINS.

So… do you have any new music coming up soon? We’d love to hear the new guitar in action, needless to say…

Oh yes, I have some stuff in the works. Very soon!

Do you do the artwork for your album covers? They have a distinctly sci-fi look to them, which is a nice touch.

I only wish I could generate art like that! The album cover was done by the awesome Christian Hecker at Tigaer Design. I love his work so much and he was cool enough to let me use some of it to represent my album.

Who, in your opinion, is the greatest movie villain of all time?

Predator! (I guess he’s a villain… I mean, he collects skulls as trophies.) How metal is that?!

Better sci-fi: Star Trek or Star Wars?

Pfft, seriously? I like Star Trek… but really now… I am a HUGE Star Wars dork. Have you seen pics of my studio? My Vader guitar, perhaps?

Do you prefer sausage links or sausage patties?

I’m all about the links. BBQ’d, even.

More adorable: kittens or puppies?

I can’t stand cats. Had dogs all my life! My dog is the best.

Any unknown artists/friends that you think we should know about? This is your chance to pimp your friends!

Well most of my musical buddies are pretty well known. If you’ve listened to my music, you’ve surely heard of Paul Ortiz (Chimp Spanner), Nolly (Red Seas Fire), Misha (Periphery)… Great guys, exceptional guitar players! I’d also love to note that my brother, Chris, is an insane drummer. I wish him and I could jam again, but he’s got a lot going on with non-musical things. I’ve been trying to get him to let me put his drumming on YouTube, because he’s just a nasty player!

What’s the strangest experience you’ve had in the last year?

Hmnn, nothing strikes me as strange these days. But I got a totally random text message from someone that just said “I just got laid by a chick with 3 nipples, life is good”. I don’t know who sent it or why, but it made me think of that bartender in Total Recall with 3 tits.

If you could sucker punch any one figure in history, who would it be?

Nicholas Cage. I dunno why, he just pisses me off THAT much. He’s one of those guys you can just look at and instantly want to punch in the face.

Any final thoughts, words of advice, or random gibberish?

Thanks for the interview and support, it means a lot to me. If anyone reading is on Facebook, look me up. I’m always down to BS with people. I also serve cookies there. You know your fat ass likes cookies.

Words of advice- Never be afraid to put your music on the internet. Even if you think it sucks!

Many thanks to Keith for putting up with my weird-ass questions!

From Number Of The Blog

Update

Sat, 15 May 2010 10:05:09 GMT

Hey everyone,
I finally got my new guitar and I absolutely LOVE it! I've been writing and recording quite a bit with it and it sounds amazing through the new AxeFx unit. I posted a couple video clips so be sure to check them out. One of them is a preview of a new song "Awaken the Stone King" which will be on my next album.

KM

Bernie Rico Jr. Limited Edition Spalted Jekyll 6 and 7 String

Sat, 15 May 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone,
I’m posting this on behalf of Bernie Rico Jr. – This is a run of sweet Jekyll bolt-on guitars that he’s just put into production. I recently got the 1st prototype with nearly identical specs. It’s an amazing sounding and playing instrument. He has now fine tuned the specs even further. The guitar is available in 6 and 7 string (sorry, no 8s in this run). Check out the specs below.

Jekyll Limited Edition

Construction Specs-
Bolt on neck with new, rounded heel design
“Shredder” neck profile (thin)
Fretboard Radius- 20”
Frets- Dunlop stainless 6100 jumbo
Fret inlay- None. White side markers on edge of fretboard
Number of frets- 24
Scale- 25.5”
Finish- Clearcoat top, hand oiled back, neck and sides

Wood-
Body- Choice Mahogany
Cap- ¼” High Quality Spalted Maple (matching headstock cap)
Neck- Maple
Fretboard- Unstained Ebony

Hardware-
Tuners- Grover Locking Minis
Nut- Authentic, hand filed Bone- In the Rico Family tradition
Bridge- Hipshot Low Profile
Strap Pins- Dunlop Locking Reciever Pins (Locking system sold seperately)

Electronics-
Pickups- Dual Humbucker, DiMarzio (Crunchlab neck, Liquifire bridge) direct mounted without pickup rings
Selector- 3 way toggle
Controls- Single volume with push/pull coil tap
Input- High quality Lipstick input jack

All orders include-
Unique serial number, hand signed by Bernie Rico Jr.
Certificate of authenticity specific to this limited run
Top quality form fitted case
Strap Pins - Dunlop Pin / Lock
NOTE - Locking system not included.
T-shirt
Velvet tool bag with stitched "B" logo
Free shipping within the USA

6-string version- $1675
7-string version- $1775

ORDER A GUITAR LIKE THIS TODAY! CALL THE LIMITED PRODUCTION LINE AT 760-956-3419 (note- this telephone number is for production runs only, all other inquiries should be directed to the custom shop number.)
If you want to purchase this guitar and it is being shipped OUTSIDE OF THE THE U.S. mainland please email info@ricojrguitars.com with your shipping location and contact information so we can give you a final price including shipping.

FAQ-
Lead time? 10-12 weeks
Does the guitar have binding? No
Do the pickups have rings, or are they direct mount? They are direct mount with no rings
Can I add any custom options? No, any changes would require a custom order. This is a production run. The only options are string gauge, tuning, and shirt size.

760-956-3419 or ricojrguitars@rocketmail.com to reserve your sick new Jekyll.

Note- These pictures are of the prototype guitar. The finished product will not have Diamond inlay, pickup rings, or the preamp switch shown in the pictures. Spalted tops wood figuring may vary.

If you have any questions about this guitar, you can PM me or email me directly keith.merrow@gmail.com (I own the prototype, I’d be happy to tell you about it if you need more detail and thoughts from a player’s prospective).

My first BRJ Guitar- Progress pics

Wed, 05 May 2010 11:18:47 GMT

So here is my Jeckyll, almost complete! I should have it in my hands any day now. I can't wait!

Bernie Rico Jr. Limited Production Run!

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:35:00 GMT

***UPDATED 5/4/2010, Final Specs***

Hello everyone,
I’m posting this on behalf of Bernie Rico Jr. - He asked me to help make people aware of a really sweet limited production run he’s working on. He’s currently taking minimal deposits to hold them ($600), so be sure to get in on one if you’re interested. They are a new series of "SlantTop" Hesparian guitars that are available in 6, 7 and 8 string.

Specs-

6 String Hesparian Limited "SlantTop"
Finish- Oil finish, the Rico way
Headstock- New Jekyll straight headstock.
Top & headstock- High quality Flame Maple Cap 3/4"
Neck- Maple
Neck profile- Shredder Profile
Body wings- Mahogany
Fixed bridge- 6 string Hipshot
Pickup - Single Bridge Pickup (Seymour- JB, Custom, Distortion)
Electonics- Single Volume Knob (push-pull type with coil tap)
Note, "Volume will be recessed into body for a low profile"
Fretboard- Ebony
Radius- 20"
Frets- 26
Fretwire- Stainless Steel 6100 Dunlop Jumbo
Scale- 25 1/5
Inlay - Side fretboard blocks. Glow in the dark Lexan. Includes black side marker dots.
$2200.00

7 String Hesparian 727 Limited "SlantTop"
Finish- Oil finish, The Rico way
Headstock- New reversed headstock.
Top & headstock- High quality Flame Maple Cap 3/4", New reverse headstock
Neck- Maple
Neck profile- Shredder Profile
Body wings- Mahogany
Fixed bridge- 7 String Hipshot
Pickup - Single Bridge Pickup (Dimarzio- Blaze, Crunch Lab, D Sonic)
Electronics- Single Volume Knob (push-pull type with coil tap)
Note, "Volume will be recessed in to body, for a low profile"
Fretboard- Ebony
Frets- 27
Fretwire- Stainless Steel 6100 Dunlop Jumbo
Scale- 26 3/16
Inlay - Side fretboard blocks. Glow in the dark Lexan. Includes black side marker dots.
$2200.00

8 String Hesparian Limited "SlantTop"
Finish- Oil finish, The Rico way
Headstock 2 + 6.
Top & headstock- High quality Flame Maple Cap 3/4"
Neck- Maple
Neck Profile- Shredder Profile
Truss Rod- 2 truss rods
Body wings- Mahogany
Fixed bridge - 8 string Hipshot
Pickup - Single Bridge Pickup (Bareknuckle or EMG 808. Note- EMG 808 will not split )
Electronics- Single Volume Knob (push-pull type with coil tap)
Note, "Volume will be recessed in to body, for a low profile"
Fretboard- Ebony
Radius- 20"
Frets- 28
Fretwire- Stainless Steel 6100 Dunlop Jumbo
Scale- 27 1/2
Inlay - Side fretboard blocks. Glow in the dark Lexan. Includes black side marker dots.
$2500.00

All orders include-
Unique serial number, hand signed by Bernie Rico Jr.
Certificate of authenticity specific to this limited run
Top quality form fitted case
Strap Pins - Dunlop Pin / Lock
NOTE - Locking system not included.
T-shirt
Velvet tool bag with stitched "B" logo
Free shipping within the USA

ORDER A GUITAR LIKE THIS TODAY! CALL 760-956-3410 (note- this telephone number is for this specific run only, all other inquiries should be directed to the custom shop number.)
If you want to purchase this guitar and it is being shipped OUTSIDE OF THE THE U.S. mainland please email info@ricojrguitars.com with your shipping location and contact information so we can give you a final price including shipping.

FAQ-
Leadtime? 10-12 weeks
Does the guitar have binding? No
Do the pickups have rings, or are they direct mount? They are direct mount with no rings
Body thickness? 1.5” in the center, tapering down to ¾” on the edges.
Can I add any custom options? No, any changes would require a custom order. This is a production run. The only options are- Pickups, string gauge, tuning, and shirt size.

760-956-3410 or ricojrguitars@rocketmail.com to reserve your sick new Hesparian.

PS- Pics of the headstock examples coming soon.

PSS- If you have any issues getting in touch with Bernie through email or phone, you can email me @ keith.merrow@gmail.com and I will make sure to get him in touch with you asap

Studio Upgrades

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:50:00 GMT

I just got in my new Fractal Audio Axe-Fx processor. I absolutely love it and it should greatly improve my recorded guitar tones for the next album. It sounds pretty massive! Big thanks to Nolly of Red Seas Fire for giving me some cool presets to play with and tweak as I learn how to use it. I also upgraded my desk to something with a better layout than the corner desk that I've been using for years. The comfort is inspiring~!