Nero! - B.C. Rich Mick Thomson Signature Special Warlock – Black

B.C. Rich Mick Thomson Signature Special Warlock

Meet Nero, a B.C. Rich Mick Thomson Signature Special Warlock, designed in collaboration with Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson and featuring the unmistakable Warlock body, Widow headstock, HATE fingerboard inlay and passive EMG-HZ humbuckers.

Nero arrived at The Stray Chord carrying evidence of a particularly eventful previous life. Both points of his Widow headstock had been broken away, his original serial number had been deliberately removed from the neck plate, and the name “Colin” had been engraved in its place.

Rather than attempt to manufacture missing history, Nero was sympathetically restored around the original instrument that remained.

Following headstock reshaping, extensive fretwork, servicing and a complete professional setup, Nero was successfully rehomed for £285.

About Nero

The Mick Thomson Signature Special Warlock is an unapologetically metal-focused variation of one of B.C. Rich's most recognisable designs.

Created in collaboration with Mick Thomson of Slipknot, the model combines the aggressively angular Warlock body with B.C. Rich's equally distinctive Widow headstock.

Cream binding, black hardware and the large HATE fingerboard inlay make the signature model immediately recognisable.

Underneath the theatrical appearance is a relatively straightforward performance guitar. A bolt-on maple neck is paired with a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, while a fixed B.C. Rich Quad-style bridge provides a solid platform for heavy rhythm work and lower tunings.

A pair of passive EMG-HZ humbuckers provides the appropriately focused voice. Unlike active EMGs, these require no battery.

Controls are deliberately minimal, with a master volume and three-way pickup selector keeping everything out of the player's way.

Nero's headstock restoration

At some point before reaching The Stray Chord, both points of Nero's Widow headstock had been broken away.

Rather than attempting to graft replacement points onto the existing headstock or disguise the damage as original, the remaining timber was carefully reshaped.

Both sides were refined into a clean, symmetrical pair, restoring visual balance while working entirely with the material that remained.

The exposed areas were then sympathetically refinished to complement the original black-faced and natural-backed headstock.

The repair intentionally remains part of Nero's history. He was restored to be structurally sound, visually balanced and ready to play rather than altered to masquerade as an untouched collector's instrument.

Restoration & setup

Nero received extensive cosmetic and mechanical rehabilitation during his time at The Stray Chord, including:

• Broken Widow headstock points carefully reshaped
• Remaining headstock timber refined into an even, symmetrical profile
• Exposed areas sympathetically refinished
• Body, neck and hardware thoroughly cleaned
• Rosewood fingerboard deep-cleaned
• Fingerboard thoroughly conditioned
• Complete fret level
• Frets recrowned and polished
• Fret ends dressed and refined
• Fingerboard edges carefully rolled
• EMG-HZ pickups checked
• Electronics and controls cleaned and inspected
• Pickup heights balanced
• Neck relief correctly adjusted
• Bridge action optimised
• Full intonation
• Final professional setup and playability inspection

Age-related scratches and marks remain visible on close inspection, preserving the character of an older instrument rather than pretending Nero had never been played.

The result is a dramatically more refined Warlock with smooth fretwork, comfortable action and the stable fixed-bridge setup expected from a guitar designed for aggressive playing.

Specifications

Identification & provenance

Nero retained his original B.C. Rich neck plate, but unfortunately his serial number had been deliberately removed by a previous owner.

In its place, the name “Colin” had been shallowly engraved into the plate.

We may never fully understand Colin's artistic vision.

Because the original serial number is no longer legible, The Stray Chord cannot independently verify Nero's exact production year or country of manufacture.

He was therefore identified and advertised according to his clearly recognisable B.C. Rich Mick Thomson Signature Special appointments rather than attributing a year, factory or production origin that could not be substantiated.

The altered neck plate, reshaped headstock and remaining age-related marks were fully disclosed and photographed when the guitar was rehomed.

This page preserves that same provenance for future reference.

Nero's adoption

🖤 REHOMED 🖤

Nero got Left Behind after somebody quite literally clipped his horns, but after rehabilitation, All Hope Is Gone no longer applied.

He has now found his next home and is no longer available for adoption.

His page remains permanently in The Stray Chord Rehomed Archive, documenting his unusual restoration and providing a reference example of the B.C. Rich Mick Thomson Signature Special Warlock.

He was once Left Behind.

Now he's somebody else's Nero Forte.

Rescue • Restore • Rehome