“I never segued from that SG. It just doesn’t happen. It’s like an old pair of jeans”: Why Lita Ford is still partial to her Runaways-era Gibson SG – despite wielding B.C. Rich guitars for decades

(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Lita Ford and B.C. Rich guitars go hand in hand. However, in an exclusive interview with Guitar World last year, the trailblazing virtuoso admitted that she’s still partial to Gibson SGs – particularly her well-worn, chocolate-colored electric guitar, which has been forever immortalized in the innumerable photos and videos from her Runaways era.

“I got a job in a medical facility when I was 14. I lied about my age! I saved up enough money to buy a Gibson SG. It was the shit – I loved it so much, and it made all my dreams come true,” she waxed lyrical.

“My father used to have a Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder, and I used to take it in my room; it was huge – as big as somebody’s oven! I would take it apart and disconnect the speakers, and move the speakers off to one side and the other.

“I would plug my guitar in and slap on the echo, and it just sounded like God. I didn’t have an amplifier back then; I was too young to have all the bits and pieces and bells and whistles. That reel-to-reel just kicked ass. It was as good as a Marshall stack as far as I was concerned!”

(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)Ford went on to admit that she “never segued from that SG”, and it still holds a special place in her heart.

“It just doesn’t happen. It’s like an old pair of jeans, you know?” she said matter-of-factly. “You put them in your closet and come back to them every once in a while, and you love them.

“That SG will always be special. I used to take a patch cord and cross the channels, because there are four. It added a bit more crunch where I didn’t have a preamp on the SG, and that’s why I had it added to the B.C. Rich.”

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Speaking of B.C Rich guitars, earlier this year Lita Ford looked back on that time her prized Mockingbird was stolen, only to cross paths with it in the most bizarre circumstances.

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.