BC Rich Mockingbird Bass, black, made in Japan circa 1987. Sure, you could buy a sunburst Precision Bass if you wanted. But, you started a band to have a good time, right? The Mockingbird is one of those quintessentially 80s shapes, and the bass version is somewhere even nastier than the guitar. This has a whole lot of prowess in the build: high-tech multi-laminate neck for maxtreme stability, ebony fretboard for the lush, great hardware, and... switches stacked on switches. You get not one but two P bass pickups, with a three way switch, volume and tone controls, and that might've been enough. But, merely 'enough' was not the goal in 1987, so you also get a switchable boost, dual sound switches for each pickup, a phase reverse switch for the middle position, and a 6-way rotary vari-sound sound switch with a stack of different EQ-curves to frighten local sound technicians. You can dial so many different sounds, it's obscene. Somehow, they all come off sounding pretty pissed off, but hey that works. Let's wrap this up with a quote from the 1987 catalog, that I certainly cannot take credit for: "If you aren't playing a BC Rich, you may as well be playing with yourself."

Model: BC Rich NJ Series Mockingbird Bass
Made: Japan, 1987 approx (serial BC19399)
Finish: black, gloss poly
Body: mahogany
Weight: 4.185kg
Neck: 'Super 2100' neck, laminate maple/rosewood, ebony slab fingerboard, 40mm nut, C shape
Mods: bridge pickup replaced
Pickups: split single coil x2, active pre-amp
Controls: volume, three way pickup selector, boost volume, master tone, boost on/off mini toggle, phase reverse mini toggle, dual sound switch mini toggle x2
Case: none

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some minor dimples on the end and bottom edge and a couple of light scuffs on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and some rub wear on the back only. The back has some dents up from the electronics cavity as well as widespread light scuffs around the whole body, nothing nasty. The sides have minor dimples and small dents around the whole body, but no major marks. The front has a scratch on the bottom horn, scuffs around the knobs, bridge and elbow area and some play wear on the horns. Overall: good condition (7/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good. The frets have minor wear only, 8/10 for fret life. All electrics tested and working properly. Set up with fresh 45/105 Moonshiners Strings.