Product: Baker BJ
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted
11/28/2003
at
02:14am
by
todd hendricks
Email: toddhendricks<at>sbcglobal dot net
Features
:
10
2002 BJ mahogany, 25.5" scale. IMHO it's in a league of it's own.
after trying many LP historics, PRS's, it's come down to Baker.
one piece mahogany neck and body. rosewood bd. VV neck , air bridge.
three way selector and splitting push/pull tone knob. tone pros and grovers. Buzz Feiten tuning...anything else you want??? these pickups sound Kuel esp in comparison to the BB's in gibsons.
standard B1 style neck. has a formfitting case.
Sound
:
10
Compliments my Roccaforte Custom 80 and the Maz Sr. I got a blues tone i've been searching for a long time with a Menatone Blue Collar and the Maz. i really don't use the split function on the tone pot but it's nice to have it. tho the prs 22 i had was nice the LP's were nice this axe is the tone king. Guess a maple top is not really necessary. i tried another Dean Caddy all mahog. and it screamed too..too bad i missed out.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
The action and finish is killer. Urethane but nicely transparent finish. the action was perfect for me. the neck is not too thin and not too thick...guess this is what Robben Ford likes. i noticed his bakers' had the same neck carve.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
durability i don't know ....but unless i drop it i'm sure it'll be jamming after i'm gone.
Customer Support
:
8
Gene Baker is the man. too bad Baker didn't make it...i heard he was back ordered 3 months but didn't charge enough for his guitars..
guess we have to ask him what really happened. tho the company is dead i bet Gene would try to help if you had a problem .
Overall Rating
:
10
Best guitar i own. i'm on a tear to buy more bakers. do yourself a favor...add one to your collection. too bad i didn't keep the B1 i had before..
if you are used to a fat Gibson Custom neck this neck is smaller but it grows on yah. i'd compare it to the fine guitars that Chapin makes.
i'd notch em above PRS's. Maybe he'll be able to make some guitars sfor Ernie Ball. he produced Robben Fords for fender that were highly collectable. let's hope he can influence or produce guitars for Erni Ball..where he's working now.
Product: Baker BJ
Price Paid: US NA
Submitted
09/28/2001
at
08:19am
by
Anonymous
Features
:
7
Hand Made in the USA. 2001 Model. Solid Mahogany double cutaway body. Glued in Mahogany neck (chunky). 2 tone sunburst finish. 22 perfectly polished frets. Buzz Feiten Tuning System. 2 zebra DiMarzio HB pickups. 2 volume controls (one for each pickup) and master tone control with 3 way toggle switch. Schaller/Tone Pros tune-o-matic stop tailpice (LP style). Guitar came with nice hard case. I give this category a 7 because the guitar is relatively simple and straight ahead. Think Les Paul Junior with 2 HBs.
Sound
:
10
This guitar suits me to a T. It is perfect. It is a tone monster. It gives me an LP type tone with a bit more slice on top. It is not as deep and smooth as a Les Paul, which is perfect for me. The in-between setting of the toggle yields very useful, funky tones when both volume controls are adjusted to change sounds. The neck positions is very fat and the bridge position had great crunch and sustain. The guitar sounds great. The feiten tuning system does work to make the guitar sound more in tune than most others. The only drawback is you need a special tuner with the Feiten offsets programed in to take full advantage of the system. I bought the Korg DT7.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
This is where Baker shines. The fit and finish on this guitar is perfect. The fretwork is immaculate. The setup was perfect right from the case. The tone pros bridge is a nice feature. Small allen screws are drilled into the bridge and tailpiece to hold them snuggly to the posts. When strings are removed for changing, the bridge and tailpiece (and posts) do not move. This means your action or intonation doesn't change either! The only thing I had to do was adjust the truss rod a hair after I had the guitar home about 2 weeks.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I feel that this guitar will withstand live playing with no problems. It is very solid. The hardware is all top notch and gives me no worries. The finish seems very tough - it should last a long time. I did replace the standard strap buttons with strap locks, but I do that on all of my guitars. I feel that I can depend on this guitar. It has become my main guitar and I will gig with it without a backup.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Gene Baker is a great guy. I have spoken with him a few times via email and he has always taken the time to answer my questions and thank me for buying one of his guitars. He stands behind his guitars. Although my guitar is fairly simple and low key, Gene offers a wide range of options to satisfy anyone. Maple tops, custom inlays, numerous pickup configurations, different scale lengths, etc.
Overall Rating
:
10
I have been playing guitar about 22 years. I have owned them all: Fender, Gibson, Anderson, Grosh, Hamer, McInturff, PRS, Yamaha, etc. While these are all fine guitars, I prefer my Baker. It's feel and simplicity of design are what sold me on this guitar. It is perfect for me and my style. Anyone looking for a Gibson/PRS style instrument should check out Baker. A fantastic gutiar at a very reasonable price.
