what is this Bacchus? any suggestion?

Tokai Forum

Help Support Tokai Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mohairhalo

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Location
Australia
Hi Guys I'm soon going to be in China and i have been in contact with a guy there who is selling a Bacchus guitar. I will be there in China in 7 weeks to see it myself but wanted to ask you experts what you think it is?

He himself in unsure what it is but said a friend took it back from Japan. He insists its a Japanese model but he himself is unsure if its a bls 120, bls 59v or something else. Judging from from what i've seen on the internet, this doesn't appear to be Chinese ( headstock shape, etc).

What do ya reckon?

55.jpg


pickupcavity.jpg

frontheadstock.jpg

backheadstock.jpg

00914881.jpg

4.jpg

pickups.jpg
 
ah to add. Apparently there is no serial number on this thing. He says the finish is an oil one. Nice lemon drop colour it seems. What do you guys think these things sell for?
 
and to add further hee hee. If you know this guitar, do the pickups look stock? Nothing written on them or in the cavity.
 
I'm no Bacchus connaisseur but think the Live Road models are MIJ.
You should contact VintageJIM at Mylespaulforum, he will know. Or PM me and I will ask him.
 
It's could be either the BLS120 or or BLS59. If it's a one piece back the it should be a 120. Not sure of all of the years but the Live Road series was around in 1998 and MIJ.

Original spec's of the BLS120 are

Pickups - VH-59
One Piece Mahogany back
Gotoh machine heads
Bone Nut
Colours - CS, HCS, LD, TS, BR-Oil, GO (this one looks like an LD)
Cap's - Noble

I've had, and still got a few bacchi, but as Jacco say's Rich (MIJvintage) probably has the most experience.

Bacchus customer service is better than most and often will identify models from pictures if the pics/info is good enough.

JohnA here on this forum has also had quite a lot though his hands.


Dave
 
Your info is probably enough to identify it now, Dave.

MIJvintage Rich is banned here and is now vintageJIM over at MLP. I PMd earlier today.
 
Over the past couple of years I have seen two gold top Bacchus LP types locally, neither had serial numbers...I`ve been buying Bacchus guitars since the mid 1990`s and every LP type I saw from then had a serial number on the back of the headstock...I own 13 of them from the original series...all have serials...strats, teles, a junior, a precision bass...and one reason I didn`t buy the gold tops was lack of serial...I have been told at this site that Bacchus did make some without serials, fair enough, I don`t pretend to know everything about MIJ guitars and never intend to come across that way, there are enough of those guys on line. Both gold tops I saw did not have the Noble pots all my other Bacchus guitars have either...plus...in my opinion they were over priced so I passed... could be the one in question here is one of those that I`ve been told about.
One other thing...I saw vintagejim bought a Fender Japan telecaster that he says is from 1985/86...I`m not a member there so I can`t tell him...but the seller of that tele had it wrong...they must have used the A number off the bridge plate...I have the September 1993 Japanese PLAYER magazine that has that tele...the TL56-90 advertised as an Ishibashi shop order...so the guitar is from 1993. I thought about contacting the seller to tell him he had it wrong but then, I wasn`t interested in paying his asking price so let it slide. I remembered the guitar because I didn`t even know they made a `56 tele...but it was a shop order.
 
sneakyjapan said:
Over the past couple of years I have seen two gold top Bacchus LP types locally, neither had serial numbers...I`ve been buying Bacchus guitars since the mid 1990`s and every LP type I saw from then had a serial number on the back of the headstock...I own 13 of them from the original series...all have serials...strats, teles, a junior, a precision bass...and one reason I didn`t buy the gold tops was lack of serial...I have been told at this site that Bacchus did make some without serials, fair enough, I don`t pretend to know everything about MIJ guitars and never intend to come across that way, there are enough of those guys on line. Both gold tops I saw did not have the Noble pots all my other Bacchus guitars have either...plus...in my opinion they were over priced so I passed... could be the one in question here is one of those that I`ve been told about.
One other thing...I saw vintagejim bought a Fender Japan telecaster that he says is from 1985/86...I`m not a member there so I can`t tell him...but the seller of that tele had it wrong...they must have used the A number off the bridge plate...I have the September 1993 Japanese PLAYER magazine that has that tele...the TL56-90 advertised as an Ishibashi shop order...so the guitar is from 1993. I thought about contacting the seller to tell him he had it wrong but then, I wasn`t interested in paying his asking price so let it slide. I remembered the guitar because I didn`t even know they made a `56 tele...but it was a shop order.

So are you gonna say anything about this guitar? :D
 
marcusnieman said:
Looks like it's had a headstock repair from the backside view

Yes, could be some sort of refin. Looks almost like an oil finish but I think the back of the neck has been rubbed down as preferred by some. Can't see evidence of a break myself.

Sneaky - AFAIK all the MIJ had noble pots and the Live Road series was MIJ.

Dave
 
DaveWW said:
marcusnieman said:
Looks like it's had a headstock repair from the backside view

Yes, could be some sort of refin. Looks almost like an oil finish but I think the back of the neck has been rubbed down as preferred by some. Can't see evidence of a break myself.

Dave

Look below the bottom two tuners on the headstock, not the neck.... there's a pretty noticeable, irregular horizontal indentation in the wood that runs across the breadth of the headstock.... finish looks funky there too.
 
I see it, definitely funky finish in that area but I'm not sure it's a repaired crack. .... but I'm not sure it isn't either .....

backheadstock.jpg
 
thank you so much guys for all your observing and commenting. Just joined here and really appreciating your efforts. I've sent that guy you mention an email and see what he has to say!

Yes, its a little tricky to tell if its a 1 or 2 piece back....

Thanks for the observation re: possible repair job on headstock.

I guess when i check it out at the end of August, some of the mystery will be resolved! Keep on coming with those comments please and perhaps advise me what else i might check for when i finally see it in the flesh!
 
DaveWW" Sneaky - AFAIK all the MIJ had noble pots and the Live Road series was MIJ. Dave[/quote said:
I have seen a lot of Bacchus guitars, and own the ones I liked...everyone I have ever seen had Noble pots... or US made pots on some limited runs, like my Muddy Waters tele. Can`t speak for all Bacchus guitars, haven`t seen them all...and mine are all from the original series.
 
Jacco - I know you're a pot man. :lol: This one's from my bacchus LP gold top. I've also checked my strat, tele and SG and they all use noble pot's. My old deviser momose strat didn't use noble pot's.

Sneaky - thanks - it does seem probable that all of the MIJ bacchi that aren't special orders use noble pot's ......

IMG_0717.jpg



Dave
 
DaveWW said:
Jacco - I know you're a pot man. :lol: This one's from my bacchus LP gold top. I've also checked my strat, tele and SG and they all use noble pot's. My old deviser momose strat didn't use noble pot's.

Sneaky - thanks - it does seem probable that all of the MIJ bacchi that aren't special orders use noble pot's ......

IMG_0717.jpg



Dave

Yes I am :wink:

So is it save to say that the same early 80s Noble pots are still in production?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top