Semi Acoustic Guitar Reviews

Review of the BC Rich SE Dagger Semi Acoustic Guitar

10 Sep 2008

"I had a thing for Morticia when I was younger... hell, I've still got a thing for Morticia. This is the kind of guitar that she would take to bed."

Features of the BC Rich SE Dagger

Tuners - Sealed unbranded mini-tuners that are smooth and accurate.

Headstock - Three-a-side with a Dutch gable. The headstock carries the same matt black finish as the rest of the instrument.

Nut - The black plastic nut abuts the fretboard and is tidily cut.

Neck - This is a chunky Les Paul Style neck with a wide feeling across the fretboard. A great combination for guitarists with big, hairy hands (which, I suspect, is just as well).

Fretboard - The rosewood board is a mid-chocolate in colour. The pearloid fretmarkers are modelled on dagger-tips and maintain the aggressive character of this axe.

Frets - Medium frets with a nice rounded profile for easy string-bending.

Action - The medium action from the box suited the chunky feel of the guitar. Personally I'd take it down a touch, there seems ample room for this adjustment.

Body - The semi-hollow body is slightly arched on the front and back and has rather classy white binding. But at this point we have to leave behind all our preconceptions about semi-acoustic guitars and go firmly off-road (Gripped!). The body shape declares the guitar's dark and evil intentions and cloaks them menacingly in a matt black finish that sucks in the light. The horns are more devilish than even an SG and the f-holes are cut in the shape of daggers.

Bridge - Tune-o-matic and stoptail. This type of bridge offers individual adjustment for intonation (string length). String height (action) is adjusted by means of screws at each end of the bridge assembly.

Pickups - Two BC Rich BDSM Humbuckers. Black, open coil and mounted in black surrounds.

Controls - There's an individual volume control for each pickup and a master tone control with a three-way pickup selector. When both pickups are selected, both volume controls act as masters. The volume control that nestles closest to the strings is for the neck pickup.

Strap-buttons - Medium buttons are set at the bottom of the body and at the back on the heel.

Output Jack - On the lower edge in an oval plate.

Finish - Very good overall for a Chinese-made instrument.

Sound of the BC Rich SE Dagger

The agenda set by the body is fulfilled by the guitar's voice. The humbuckers really rock and respond well to overdrive and valve saturation. The ride is made more thrilling by the interaction of the semi-acoustic body and the loudspeakers. The Dagger can be made to rear into harmonic feedback and add its own howling variety of sustain to your soloing. Awesome.

Overall Impressions of the BC Rich SE Dagger

The SE Dagger is aimed at a very certain image and you already know if you like the look of it or not. If you've got the guts and playing technique to take a semi-acoustic into heavy metal territory, there are few that will fit the bill with such aplomb as the SE Dagger.

Reviewed by The Man in the Jar