Bacchus DUKE

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In case I forgot to mention it I'm in love with the Duke. It's amazing. I played some great tracks with it on the new CD today. It's got that extremely lively and responsive touch thing like some extremely nice vintage instruments have. But it's new so it's better in a way. It already has soul like a Vintage piece. And the tone is a bit freakish. Massive. :>) I've decided to put Ever tune on it as well. I can't deal with having to tune it so much. I'm spoiled.
 
Bacchus headstocks under went several changes since I`ve been in Japan...when they were building clones of the US big two almost exclusively...some Riverheads were not all exact clones, some were... they had the US headstocks...once they decided to stop cloning around the turn of the millennium they came up with their own shapes and changed some of the bodies too...then they got back into cloning a couple of years later for what ever reason...and they kept some of the original headstocks they came up with, added more and also went back to the big two headstocks as well, but they had other brands too that were not all precise copies. I still have all the receipts from when I bought mine so I know about when they were made and I haven`t figured out if there is any link to the year and the serial ... I`ve had em with 4 digit serials, 5 digits and 6 digits and all bought within a few years of each other...I don`t think I`ve bought one in at least 8 years...maybe longer...I`d have to check. With the newer models one would just have to look at the catalogs to see when they were released and go from there. They used to have all the models from their original vintage series listed on the web site, been a while since I`ve been there but last time I looked they didn`t list them anymore but they used to be very helpful when I asked em questions...and I asked quite a few and kept their faxes in the pockets of the guitar cases for future reference. It`s been interesting to watch them go from guitars that literally... nobody wanted not very long ago to guitars that have become highly sought after overseas. Guess I was lucky to get in on the ground floor and pay as little as I did for em back when but the same goes for many of the older MIJs I own. I miss the good old days.
 
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That has turned out great!

Really looks good that colour scheme, to me anyway, because I have a baseless but significant aversion to guitars with painted necks!

I like to see that it's made of wood. :lol:

No probs with the Duke headstock from me either.
 
They really know what they are doing. I never told them to do a dark stain to blend with the black top. But they did and it was a good call.
 
I felt like it was a risk to do it but I think the nailed it. And quality. Ah YEAH!!! All 3 are very high quality this one being the highest though. but really the classic is not far off at all. In fact my Sunburst Standard has more low end than the Duke but the Duke has an articulate high end that the Classic doesn't. And the Custom is different than both of them. But they are all 3 staring big time on the new CD and they all three are great. I can't believe I bought 3 Bacchus LPs in about 3 months. Nuts.. But I'm so glad I did it made a big difference on the CD. I'll have to take a picture of all three of them together and post it.
 
Well Groupie? Not sure about that. FAN Absolutely. :>) The ONLY thing I don't love about the Duke is the toggle switch. I would have preferred the standard type. The Silver one is smaller than the usual and it seems a bit clunky. I'm going to suggest to them they ditch it. You can't tell what pickup you are on. It's too small. I don't like it at all. I want a normal one on it and might have one put on.
 
As to not insult them you mean? I have a very good relationship with them at this point. :>)
 
However good you believe it to be, you...and I...are still just gaijins...so careful how suggestions are worded...theres a very fine line between suggestion and insult. I have been here 18 years and learned my place, sometimes it`s just better to keep my mouth shut, especially when my wife is with me...I see her get uncomfortable sometimes...this is not North America where we are taught to speak out minds, quite the opposite...they are not supposed to question anything that comes from people above, so if it were me...I`d just change out the toggle and let sleeping dogs lie...you have a good relationship with them now, better not risk that...just my suggestion. If you use the word ditch, they`ll have to look it up in the dictionary and find out it`s that thing beside the road and possibly won`t be able to put 2 and 2 together, they may think thats where you think their guitars should be left, hard to say just what they`ll think, but I follow the KISS moto...Keep It Simple Stupid when I am communicating with them.
 
LOL Ok that explains a few things. I have SHOWERED them with praise though so they know I love them. And they are fans. So they respect me very much. But when I first got the Duke I had been playing the Custom for a month and had gotten used to the slightly smaller neck on it and so the Duke Neck felt big and I told them so. And they were mortified and so apologetic. But then I spent a few days on the duke and got more used to it and told them so and that I LOVED it and that it was the best electric guitar I had ever owned and they were SO HAPPY. LOL they are SO nice. I mean SO NICE and so respectful. I even got cross with them one time and he was bending over backwards back peddling to make it right and again apologizing for making me mad. So I'd say everything is good. I never suggested they ditch anything. LOL And I most likely won't. I do think they are a fantastic company. I want one of their small bodied Acoustics and a strat and a special. Then Maybe I'll stop. LOL I have Greco Super real Jr that is fantastic sounding but now that I have the bacchus's it doesn't measure up quality wise. It sounds about as good as any jr I have ever heard in fact it smokes my 59 Gibson but I bet a Bacchus Special would blow it away feel wise and quality wise. And their Headway Acoustics look nice. I'm a big time acoustic snob. I've owned almost every high end acoustic I could get my hands on. But theirs look like they are right up there with the best of them. I'm having fun with these guitars. I really appreciate the advice though. I'll tread lightly from now on.
 
Mitch Malloy said:
LOL Ok that explains a few things. I have SHOWERED them with praise though so they know I love them. And they are fans. So they respect me very much. But when I first got the Duke I had been playing the Custom for a month and had gotten used to the slightly smaller neck on it and so the Duke Neck felt big and I told them so. And they were mortified and so apologetic. But then I spent a few days on the duke and got more used to it and told them so and that I LOVED it and that it was the best electric guitar I had ever owned and they were SO HAPPY. LOL they are SO nice. I mean SO NICE and so respectful. I even got cross with them one time and he was bending over backwards back peddling to make it right and again apologizing for making me mad. So I'd say everything is good. I never suggested they ditch anything. LOL And I most likely won't. I do think they are a fantastic company. I want one of their small bodied Acoustics and a strat and a special. Then Maybe I'll stop. LOL I have Greco Super real Jr that is fantastic sounding but now that I have the bacchus's it doesn't measure up quality wise. It sounds about as good as any jr I have ever heard in fact it smokes my 59 Gibson but I bet a Bacchus Special would blow it away feel wise and quality wise. And their Headway Acoustics look nice. I'm a big time acoustic snob. I've owned almost every high end acoustic I could get my hands on. But theirs look like they are right up there with the best of them. I'm having fun with these guitars. I really appreciate the advice though. I'll tread lightly from now on.

Great post Mitch. Accross the world Americans are stereotyped as arrogant and unaware of anything that doesn't happen on their doorstep, it's good to see that you, and just about all of the other TF forum members from the US don't fit the stereotype at all.
 
Well thank you that is a huge compliment. There is much about this country that I really don't like and that attitude is one of the things. I feel much more at home in Europe. And the thing I love about the Japanese culture is that they take pride in what they do. America used to be like that. BUt I don't see it much anymore here. This place now is just about take take take whatever you can get and don't worry about who gets in your way. It's terrible.
 
Yes well we westerners have our stereotypes of the Japanese as well, I had em...and I believe to really get to know a culture you have to live in it...and I`ve done a 180 on most of what I thought I knew about the country. Seems to me the way they deal with problems here is pretend they don`t exist and hope they go away. They keep changing the Prime Minister but nothing changes...meet the new boss...same os the old boss...this country is in serious trouble but nobody seems to be aware of it.
 

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