Members jimtalkbox Posted December 26, 2012 Members Share Posted December 26, 2012 I've been wanting an SG special (small guard) and the newer Gibson 60's tributes weren't doing anything for me. (pickup placement and the TOM weren't to my liking) I've got a few Japanese guitars (Edwards, Tokai) and started looking for something more like I wanted when I came across the brand "Bacchus" and found this beauty:Yup, an SG Special in GORGEOUS Pelham Blue with correct pickup placement and a lightning bar wrap-around tailpiece. Now THAT is more like it. They seem to average out around $1000 - $1100 + shipping as far as I can decipher.Does anyone have any experience with Bacchus guitars? Anybody have some leads on ordering something like this from Japan? Any and all help would be appreciated. Here's more from Bacchus' website:Deviser-Bacchus Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Not owned, but played several in Japan when I was there and yes the are fantastic guitars. I'm an MIJ fan but I also like to think I'm pretty rational about stuff. With that in mind I would take bacchus (MIJ lines like that one...they also make cheaper lines in china) any day of the week over any factory USA gibson when purchasing site unseen. Ordering out of Japan from any store (provided they speak English and can help you) should be virtually no risk at all. As for finding one you can search here regularlyhttp://www.digimart.net/ Or try contacting one of the stores that is selling them and see if they can order you the color you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimtalkbox Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Thanks for the digimart.net website. I've contacted a few vendors through there, so hopefully something will come of it. If anybody else has input as well, feel free to chime in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brendan Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 I've been hearing great things about Bacchus for years, but have never had the pleasure of trying one. I do believe they are considered a very high-end brand in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Brendan I've been hearing great things about Bacchus for years, but have never had the pleasure of trying one. I do believe they are considered a very high-end brand in Japan. Upper mid range. The MIJ ones that is. Obviously the MIC stuff competes at a lower price point. They do occasionally make some high end limited stuff, but usually the high end is reserved for their Momose brand/line. Basically Bacchus MIJ stuff competes at a level of fender and Gibson factory USA stuff. In my opinion it's nicer though. Better build quality overall and they offer better specs at lower prices. I think of it like you are getting standard fender and gibson custom shop build quality but with material specs that are about even to USA factory stuff.Basically I think they are probably the best dollar value to quality guitars I can think of. There is a 10 part Bacchus factory tour video series on youtube. This is the first one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimtalkbox Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Thanks for the info soundcreation. Pretty cool stuff. I've heard back from guitarjapan.com and it seems like he/they would probably be able to get one. I'm still holding out to hear back from some other vendors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 28, 2012 Members Share Posted December 28, 2012 yeah watch out for those re sellers. the do provide some convenience but a lot of times you're paying a fair bit of mark up for something you could do yourself with a little patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimtalkbox Posted December 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2012 I may not have much choice. Most retailers in Japan are telling me that the model/color isn't available right now. I'm hoping that the guitarjapan.com guy isn't pulling my leg on having one and it just becomes a "waiting list" sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimtalkbox Posted December 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2012 I've had a little bit better luck (not much better, mind you) tracking one of these down:Tokai USG 90 (SG Junior)Maybe I'll get one of these and eventually have it painted Pelham Blue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 29, 2012 Members Share Posted December 29, 2012 Are you really in that much of a rush to get one? Just be patient. If you are willing to buy a white tokai jnr then it won't take long before a bacchus P90 SG of any colour shows up in Japan. I saw this available in the UK if that's were you are.http://www.tokai-guitars.co.uk/index...mart&Itemid=31 You could custom order the colour you want. That series is apparently made in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted December 29, 2012 Members Share Posted December 29, 2012 http://www.japanvintageguitars.com/Bacchus. html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 29, 2012 Members Share Posted December 29, 2012 Here's one of the SG specials... And they've got a black one in stock...http://www.guitarplanet.co.jp/sp/sea...i?pid=10013999 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted December 29, 2012 Members Share Posted December 29, 2012 Yeah, I own or have owned over a dozen Bacchus guitars but all have been from the vintage series and purchased over the past 10/15 years.....don`t own any of the newer stuff though it`s only recently been offered locally, not tried any `cause I have been selling more than I have been buying recently, they do also make a line in the Philippines. I used to be able to get Bacchus guitars, new, for well over 50% off retail prices because people just did not seem to want any of them, but that has changed, as it has for so many MIJ brands over the past decade...too many people after them now which is not all bad since I have been happy to sell my guitars to folks who want to pay a lot more for mine than I did back when they were so cheap. Quality control must be pretty high in their Japanese factory `cause I`be never seen a bad one. They used to make clones only, then around the end of last century, they stopped cloning to concentrate on their own designs but I guess, that didn`t go as well as hoped because a couple of years later, the clones came back...along side some of the more popular original designs, and they also had MIKs back at that time...under different names like Bacchus Junior and Brian. The company has been around since at least the early/mid 1980s because I have some old Japanese guitar magazines from then that had advertisements for Brian models. Riverhead models based on clones of the F/USA are very high quality too...but I am not familiar with the new stuff though if they are even remotely close to the vintage series then, they will be top notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimtalkbox Posted December 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2012 Originally Posted by soundcreation Are you really in that much of a rush to get one? Just be patient. If you are willing to buy a white tokai jnr then it won't take long before a bacchus P90 SG of any colour shows up in Japan. I saw this available in the UK if that's were you are.http://www.tokai-guitars.co.uk/index...mart&Itemid=31You could custom order the colour you want. That series is apparently made in Japan. Thanks for the link. I had contacted them last week and they told me they'd only do White and Cherry. Thanks to everyone else for the vids and info as well.The reason that I may seem in a rush is that I'm kind of to the point where I want to stop obsessing about BUYING guitars so much and get on with PLAYING them. (I'm sure a lot of the forumites here on HC can sympathize)A Pelham Blue SG with P90(s) is sort of the FINAL PIECE that I want. I've had a lot of help from forumites here and on the Tokai Forum and am getting closer to settling on the right guitar. I'm leaning towards an SG Junior type (like the Tokai pictured above) at the moment, but that could easily change. The newer Gibby SG Junior looks nice and I don't even mind the Baked Maple, but the incorrect knob placement/incorrect pickguard/incorrect tuners threw me off. It's a pity, that would have saved me a lot of hassle with an international purchase!The search continues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve2352 Posted April 30, 2013 Members Share Posted April 30, 2013 I bought a Bacchus les paul with p90,s gold top and its a 1956 110% correct copy,,its closer to a real 56 gibson than the one gibson make today. ,,and bacchus is made better,,i bet gibson aren,t hand winding their pickups like bacchus do.The MIJ models are hand made and some are completely hand carved with no machinary use at all.they are $1800 to $2300 U,S only. and i see gibson is now resorting to using "baked maple" instead of rosewood,,its a joke people strill buy em and the premium models are far too expensive for average joe. Buy a bacchus from them on the internet and you wont look back.they sound insane also. I read 2 posts over the past 12 months where guys recon you can feel the guitar vibrate against your stomach as you play and you can feel the notes change as you play and the vibes are wild..thats incredible.good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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