Bacchus Twentyfour 5-String

Model Twenty-Four Alder Custom 5 string
Year of Manufacture 2007 Made in Japan - Current model
Construction Alder body.
Neck Maple 3 piece neck.
Scale 5 string = 35 inch.
Fingerboard Rosewood 24 frets.
Pick ups HMC JB-ALV CUSTOM
Pre amps HMC EB-1
Tuner Gotoh GB7.
Bridge Bacchus DB.
Finish Thin lacquer non buffed finish.
Color Honey Burst
Features Deep neck cutaway. 6 point neck joint. Angled headstock.

This is the second Bass I have actually owned myself. First was a Japanese Fender Jazz that my son promptly took home with him when he moved back to the US. THis Bass got me thinking "Japanese Made" in all seriousness.

I've played Guitar since I was around 9 or 10 years old, but I started playing Bass after moving here to Japan about three years ago. When my son took the Fender, I started looking for a replacement. Technically, I also owned a Korean made Bass for about 3 days, but I took it back because the action and setup was really bad and frankly, the sound was a little too a little too electronic and "thin" for my ears. I took it back and traded it (up) to this one.

I have a axiom I tell beginners and students of musical instruments: Buy one that is as far above your own skill level as you can afford. You will remain more committed and when you play it, every time you do something "right", you will be sonically rewarded and want to "do that again".

This I think best explains my experience playing this Bass. I am continually rewarded for my decision every time I play it. When I have to borrow something else in it's price range or lower, I miss this Bass terribly.

I play usually through an AMPEG Single 15" Sorry, I don't know the exact model at the moment. It's the one with push - pull knobs only and nore graphic EQ if that helps at all. I play mostly live. Mostly Christian worship and some rock flavored stuff. I have had some opportunity to play with a Gospel / Jazz group here also. I have a friend who is semi-pro and he loves to use it in his studio. Begs me to borrow it over all the other bases he owns for recording purposes.

Tone wise I get a really nice Fenderish sound or I can make it really bright and punchy like a modern techno piece of gear. The tonal pallet is very wide. I tend to play with that darker tone and like to "feel it in my chest" kinds thing. This Bass does that for me very well.

The pickups are very quiet and produce a very clear tone if I'm playing it with the controls set really "dark" or super bright. In Passive mode, it gets REALLY Fenderish sounding to my ear. The controls are smooth, quiet and the taper of the adjustments are not overly exaggerated. I would say they are almost linear adjustment wise.

This Bass came with Elixir coated Bass strings so it was more bright sounding then I every could want when the strings were newer from the store. I have a set of DR Sunbeams to try next but after these originals mellowed out, I just haven't needed to change 'em out.

The 5th string is totally clear and distinct as the other strings. It makes me glad I decided to buy a 5 string right away.

Dislikes? I want to be critical and try to come up with something but it's really hard. I just plain love playing this Bass.

This Bass was set up perfectly from the factory. I haven't had to touch it for any adjustments since I bought it.

The finish is real lacquer and has not been rubbed out. It's thin and noticeably "orange pealed" looking from the omission of any rubbing out. Info on websites from the factory say this is by design and call it a feature. They say the thin coat and "leave it alone" helps contribute to the tone. Ok. I have no arguments with how this sounds. You would have to get VERY close to see this orange peal quality to the finish. Pretty cool they can still use Nitrocellulose lacquer here is Japan still.

One detail I find very cool and even fascinating, is that the pickup covers are made of wood. It makes the over all look of the Bass just that more "custom" feeling. I have never had to adjust the pickups at all.

The wood grain and coloring is very fine. This is a tone wood being Alder rather than a curly grained fancy looking material. Just simple and straight forward in design. Simple elegance common among Japanese builders. I know you can find cooler looking and exotic tone woods, but get ready to open up your bank account with a HUGE financial commitment.

Over all the assembly and fit work is very good. Someone really paid attention when they built and put this Bass together. In this case, the accounts of Japanese workmanship really hold true.

The tuners are nice and smooth. Fret wires all polished and filed correctly. Nothing "hanging out" or catching anywhere.

The action and playability is very easy and never noisy. I have small hands for a typical guitar player, and I find this very easy to play while still being a "full size" electric. The neck shape I would characterize as on the flat side yet not overly thin. Feels "just right" in my hand.

At the bridge end, the string spacing is right on. Height is just right over the body.

Really good workmanship. American guitar makers - Pay attention.

I have been playing this everywhere I play Bass in Japan for almost two years now. I would trust to take this without any backup. Everything has worked the way it was when I purchased it. I'm not a heavy "slapper" and I don't go nuts running around the stage so I expect to see this one hold up a very long time. It has a clear small, rather think by most standards, pickguard right in the area most slappers and thumb players play. As I become more accomplished in these techniques, I have confidence this Bass will hold up fine.

My one and only little "nigley" about this Bass is that I must always remember to switch off the power switch to the electronics. If you don't, you can drain the single 9 volt battery rather quickly. In all fairness to that I must say that the one battery I drained was the original battery that came with it from the store. This second one has lasted my the year adn still going strong by simply remembering to unplug the cable and / or turn off the electronics. I have no idea how long a regular battery will last if the switch is left on and the cable left plugged in. Japanese batteries are not really known for quality like a nice Duracell.

Warranty is 1 year I believe? Not sure. I purchased this Bass from Music Land Key in Shibuya. I am not fluent in Japanese so we just communicated the best we could. I was not exactly sure what the controls were until I looked online *smile*.

Customer support otherwise has never been necessary.

Other guitars? I have a acoustic I had made by a friend who works for Taylor. Wonderful one of a kind instrument. I own a Tom Anderson electric that is just a joy to play and own. I play the electric through a Mesa Tr-axis into the house or whatever power amp is handy as shipping heavy things over here to Japan will quickly drain your bank account.

If I lost or had this Bass stolen, I would want another one. No problem.

Hate about it? Only that I can't always take it with me everywhere I play due to travel restraints. I love the playability and the tone. I really miss it when I can't play it and have to borrow another.

I played just about every Bass in the store, some of them costing much more, and I am glad I purchased this one. The price was right without spending many thousands for a boutique instrument and to be honest, I really didn't realize how great an Bass this is until I've played it for a year and a half.

This is my first review on Harmony Central. The instructions say to be as critical as I could and it has just been hard with this particular guitar. If you want to get something that is not a cheap Korean but you don't have thousands to spend either, I recommend you aim a bit high in your budget and give one of these a try.

I found a pic of a 4 string version of this guitar at: http://www.japanvintageguitars.com/images/large/Bacchus%2024%20Alder%20HB.JPG

Happy playing!