This month on Bought & Sold, it is the turn of a bona-fide rock legend to share her story in gear, as Lita Ford checks in to talk all things guitars, from her first serious instrument to her go-to rig.
If you find yourself nervous in the company of B.C. Rich’s weaponized metal guitars. Maybe sit this one out. Here Ford explains why the company’s Neal Moser is the best in the business, why she has no fretboard inlays, and why she doesn’t go shopping for guitars anymore. And there’s the story of that stolen Mockingbird…
What was the first serious guitar you bought with your own money?
“When I was 14, I lied about my age and got a job working at a medical facility in Long Beach, California. I went in and told them, ‘I need a job and I’m 16,’ and they hired me. So I worked for them for a few months and was able to save up $350. I then went to the local music store and bought myself a chocolate Gibson SG, which I played in The Runaways.”
What was the last guitar you bought and why?
“Right now, I’m in the process of getting this guitar made by Neal Moser. He’s been with B.C. Rich for the long haul, and he’s made all the biggest and the baddest guitars, in my opinion. Recently, he joined forces with another company and they created this guitar called the Raven.
“I saw it and thought, ‘I have to have that. It looks futuristic, dangerous, and sexy at the same time.’ But I said, ‘It needs to have a Kahler tremolo and DiMarzio Super Distortions, and it’s got to be black on black, no inlays.’ Because I like to mess people up when they look at me play. They don’t see the inlays, so they don’t know where I’m at. When you see it, you’ll just think, ‘Wow, that guitar is sick.’”
What’s the most incredible find, bargain, or steal you’ve ever had when buying guitars?
“Only people stealing from me! I remember, one of my guitars went missing. It was a gorgeous guitar, like, a turquoise-green Mockingbird, ebony fretboard, no fret inlays. And there was a time when I was auditioning guitar players. They were coming over to my studio and one guy comes in with that turquoise guitar.
“I looked at it and I thought, ‘That’s my guitar.’ And he looks at me and says, ‘Oh yeah, isn’t this a great guitar? I bought it off some guy on the street for 350 bucks. Can you believe that? It’s my favorite guitar ever.’ I just couldn’t take it away from him. I let him have it. Of course, he didn’t get the audition, but he got to keep the guitar and he didn’t know it was mine.”
What’s the strongest case of buyer’s remorse you’ve ever had after buying gear?
“It’s not really happened. Y’know, I usually work pretty closely with a lot of these music stores and I get the inside scoop on everything. I think the only amp I ever returned, that I didn’t like, was the Kerry King Marshall. But the only reason I returned it was because it has a gate on it. I mean, I like everything to be wide open. Hissing, feeding back, making as much noise as possible. Gates – no.”
Have you ever sold a guitar that you now intensely regret letting go?
“Oh, tons of them. My Gibson SG that I had when I was a kid. I don’t know why I sold that. You just do stupid things sometimes. You just get bored with stuff and you think, ‘I’ll sell it.’ It was just the wrong move. But I know who has it. I don’t think he’ll sell it back to me, but maybe it’ll come back to me one day.”
What’s your best buying tip for anyone looking for their ultimate guitar?
“I’ve never really gone shopping for guitars. Usually, I just have them made. But I would say: be sure you know what you’re looking for as far as sound goes. What do you want to sound like? What do you want to do with that guitar?
I’ve never really gone shopping for guitars. Usually, I just have them made
“It’s like when my mom and dad bought me a plastic department store guitar for Christmas when I was 11. I couldn’t play Black Sabbath on that, it just didn’t sound right. So don’t do that. Make sure you know what you want to sound like. Because a guitar can look pretty, but it may not sound like you want it to sound.”
When was the last time you stopped and looked in a guitar shop window, or browsed online, and what were you looking at?
“I don’t do it so much any more, but I used to really love finding the little pawn shops in the areas where we were performing. I’m like, ‘This is the middle of nowhere, let’s see what’s in this pawn shop.’ And I’ve picked up some interesting little bits and pieces that way. I got an old Danelectro bass that was interesting. Pedals. Old guitars. If people are in trouble and they need the money, they pawn all kinds of stuff.”
If forced to make a choice, would you rather buy a really good electric guitar and a cheap amp, or a cheap electric guitar and a top-notch amp?
“I mean, you’d be surprised what you can plug a guitar into. If it makes a noise, you could probably use it as an amplifier. So I would say I’d like to have a somewhat decent guitar, and if I had a heap-of-shit amplifier, then I would probably find something to modify it with. In these electronic digital days, there’s a lot of that stuff, so…”
You’d be surprised what you can plug a guitar into. If it makes a noise, you could probably use it as an amplifier
If you could only use humbuckers or single coils for the rest of your career, which would it be and why?
“Well, the only thing that has single coils on it is my Tele. And y’know, that’s just my cooking guitar. I’ll put that on and clunk around while I’m cooking. But, of course, it’s humbuckers. I’m a humbucker girl. I’ve always used DiMarzio Super Distortions.
“They are a little on the muddy side, but they are the ballsiest pickups. And I don’t mind the noise; I like a little bit of noise. I like a little bit of woof on my playing. So they’re the perfect pickups for me. I’ve tried others. But y’know, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Lita's go-to rig
“I love the JCM800s, although they’re not always easy to find on the road. So I will use a Kemper, because they’re small and lightweight and they’re easy to travel with, although my first choice is the real deal. And, of course, the Vintage 30 cabinets – I like to use two and split them.
“I don’t always like them to be perfectly next to each other on the stage. I prefer to prop them in places that sound right. I use a Jerry Cantrell wah, they have the deepest swoop, and if you can find an older one, those are probably the best.
“My white B.C. Rich doubleneck has a preamp in the six-string neck, and then you switch over and there’s a flanger-phaser in the 12-string neck. So I don’t have to be at any certain place to step on a pedal on stage, I have it built right into the guitar. Boss makes pretty good delays, of course, and then I’ve got a BlueChorus, which is made by AFX, and it adds a really nice shimmer to the 12-string sound on Close My Eyes Forever.”
- Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir is out now via Dey Street.
- This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.
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