Which Custom Japense Bass Company?

[Benko]

There is a bit more :
- ESP
- COMBAT GUITARS : オーダーメイドギター・ベースとギター修理のCOMBAT GUITARS OFFICIAL SITE (combat-guitars.com)


Now the question is if you want get something from them they are very local and only Japanese usually

 

[Bassguy87]

It depends on what you are looking for and how much you’re willing to spend

If you have specific questions about any of the brands mentioned above, ask away.

Deviser makes great instruments from production to hand made (Bacchus, Momose, STR). I have owned all 3, still own a Momose and STR.

Atelier Z basses sound wonderful but are incredibly heavy.

FGN makes high performance yet affordable production instruments. They also tend to be a bit heavy.

Sugi makes what I feel are some of the finest instruments you will find. Exceptional by all measures. I own a 33” Sugi 5 string and I love it. I had also owned a used 35” 5 string that had a huge sound. I will probably pick up another one someday.

Harry’s Engineering (Dragonfly) are great and have gotten way better over the years. I had a 4-string Dragonfly single cut bass that was a ton of fun to play. Excellent balance, fantastic fretwork.

For the past couple of years Xotic has been very popular here. I own an Xotic 5 and had owned an Xotic 6. Outstanding basses with an incredibly friendly team here that has a boutique shop in Tokyo that is worth visiting.

Other brands that I have seen but not had as much experience with: Provision, Saito Guitars, Crews

Thank you for the info.

Would you say Bacchus Handmade build quality is up there with Atelier, Momose and Dragonfly? I think these are the brands I'd be going with but Bacchus seems to be more cost effective.

 

[taconeko]

Regardless of which brand you choose, the build quality will be excellent.

It all depends on what you are looking for, as I feel that Bacchus, Momose, Atelier Z, and Dragonfly target different players.

Bacchus is a modern approach to traditional designs. They make all sorts of instruments from passive to active, standard, to headless. They also release limited edition instruments a few times a year to local dealers that often feature fantastic woods.

Momose is for the player that wants a high-end, hand-crafted take on a traditional style P or J style instrument. They sometimes do limited runs with vendors, but for the most part, you are getting a hand-made, passive P or J.

Atelier Z is a mixture of classic and custom, with everything from short-scale to custom six string basses with EMGs.

Dragonfly is far more of a boutique and do not produce as many instruments as Deviser or Atelier Z.

If I were you and I had to purchase one without having the opportunity to try them all, my preference would be this:

If I want a vintage style instrument, Momose.

If I want a boutique style instrument, Dragonfly.

If I want a specific feature, Bacchus or Atelier Z.

 

[Old Blastard]

Not sure what the OP is looking for. I am a Jazz Bass fanboy. I like my MIJ FGN Neo Classic as much as any of my other Jazz Basses. REALLY great bass. It is a more classic setup. For modern tone I have other configurations of Jazz Bass.

I know it's not a custom but my FGN expert jazz has been nothing but awesome. Been playing it for 7 years and it nails the classic jazz and takes it a bit higher in finish and quality

 

[Bassguy87]

Regardless of which brand you choose, the build quality will be excellent.

It all depends on what you are looking for, as I feel that Bacchus, Momose, Atelier Z, and Dragonfly target different players.

Bacchus is a modern approach to traditional designs. They make all sorts of instruments from passive to active, standard, to headless. They also release limited edition instruments a few times a year to local dealers that often feature fantastic woods.

Momose is for the player that wants a high-end, hand-crafted take on a traditional style P or J style instrument. They sometimes do limited runs with vendors, but for the most part, you are getting a hand-made, passive P or J.

Atelier Z is a mixture of classic and custom, with everything from short-scale to custom six string basses with EMGs.

Dragonfly is far more of a boutique and do not produce as many instruments as Deviser or Atelier Z.

If I were you and I had to purchase one without having the opportunity to try them all, my preference would be this:

If I want a vintage style instrument, Momose.

If I want a boutique style instrument, Dragonfly.

If I want a specific feature, Bacchus or Atelier Z.

Thanks, looking for 24 frets modern so looks like dragonfly.

 

[baxter_x]

I have tried Bacchus basses a several times in stores and felt these basses were simply a scam.
The tone was lifeless, the feeling reminded me of some entry level instruments, heavy, the neck dive reminded me my Jim Harley when I started.
The only fine thing was the finish.
However Keisel might be a great choice.

 

[songwriter21]

There is a bit more :
- ESP
- COMBAT GUITARS : オーダーメイドギター・ベースとギター修理のCOMBAT GUITARS OFFICIAL SITE (combat-guitars.com)

Now the question is if you want get something from them they are very local and only Japanese usually

Combat looks ridiculously nice, wow!

 

[songwriter21]

Looking into Japanese custom builds.

It seems Bacchus are best bang for buck and wondered if other brands like Atelier, Dragonfly, Momose are superior as prices are quite a jump.

Thanks

Like another has said, ESP is up there with the best. Take a look at their one-off/show pieces on Reverb and such...absolutely toe-to-toe with companies like Alembic, Ritter, and Fodera.

 

[pepj]

Why the focus on Japanese Custom builds and how Custom is Custom?

 

[Crash 56]

Wow, things have sure progressed since my old Kent in 1970.... The finish options from all these makers are incredible!

 

[Quadzilla]

Selling mine only because I have a plethora of passive jazz basses...
For Sale - Anniversary, Limited Edition Bacchus DX-4 Japan Custom Shop

 

[BobDeRosa]

Bacchus makes excellent basses. My Woodline is far nicer than any Fender Jazz I've ever played.
I really regret not buying this one, though.
View attachment 4448983
Momose basses are made by same company, Diviser, and this one just might be the nicest looking Jazz I've ever seen.View attachment 4448984
Atelier Z is another fine bass, but...

But what, @jd56hawk? I can't hold my breath much longer!

 

[Fingerz]

I've played a few bacchus, nothing really stood out from the crowd with them, felt very similar to something by sandberg and the like, I would favour a Lakland for a solid bass for my buck. Nothing I didn't like either, they seem like great value basses.

Xotic - a brand I really want to like, the handful of J basses I've played felt and played great, I just couldn't find that growl that I expected from the silhouette and name of their J basses. I'd always check one out if I was in the market for something though, that's just IME so far.

Owned Atelier, they are nice basses, not all of them are heavy, it just depends on the timber used. If it's the big 70's style they are most well known for, then many believe and accept that a dense piece of Ash is a big part of that sound, so the weight is part of that inherent tonal rep they have built. For me the fingerboards (5 string) are just way too flat, I get that for many that's the best of both worlds. All so subjective as always.

Japanese Fenders are generally great but appreciate that's a twist on the OP's question.

For me the two front runners of the Japan basses when I think about them, would be Moollon and Moon basses. I've only ever played moon but both seem like stellar builders.

 

[pepj]

I like the look of Xotic but again they appear to finish off in California but the build is elsewhere.
That is a popular build model these days.

That is why I asked how 'custom' is Custom.

For me, Custom is the customer has quite an input into the bass.
You work from a core build in looks and general hardware, but determine woods and finish. And hand built.

 

[jd56hawk]

But what, @jd56hawk? I can't hold my breath much longer!

But..
I've only played one and I definitely prefer my Bacchus.
I think Bacchus does better custom work.
Atelier Z's regular prices are high and I'd hate to see their customer prices.
As for the Bacchus detractors, I'm wondering if they're confusing the $2,000 basses with the $200 ones.
Bacchus, Show 'em if you've got 'em!

 

[gerrywarwick]

Just found this thread. I was wondering if there were any fans of the Japanese basses.
For those doing research:
I have an Atelier z M265 and a Dragonfly CJ5. For me, they are both great basses but very different. My Atelier is ash/maple, 21 frets. It weighs in at 10lbs even and has decent balance. Probably the best feeling 19mm neck I've ever played. I prefer a flatter neck radius for my hand size. From the minute I unboxed it, it felt like pure quality. The pickups are huge and really deliver a perfectly clear and aggressive jazz bass tone. Mine has the Bartolini xtct, which took a while to figure out because the bass and treble affect each other and the midrange. It works very much like a Sansamp bddi pedal. Max out bass and treble and you get a totally scooped but thunderous slap tone. I like that the usual, ash/maple, 500hz midrange hump is delt with by adjusting the mid cut on the inside of the control cavity.
I do wish it had a passive tone knob and wasn't boost only. Also, they could've made access to the last frets easier to access. That lower horn is tight on the left hand.
The Dragonfly is a CJ model and it's unique because it's the only one I've seen with a low B extender behind the bridge. The bass weighs 8.5lbs and balances perfectly. It's ash/Pau ferro on a maple neck. Neither bass has support rods. Just extremely well seasoned wood. This bass is very well built and finished. It's eggplant black and in certain light, looks like a very deep purple. 24 frets that are easy to access and perfect fret work.
The passive mode is my favorite of all my basses. Even small turns make a difference. It's not just all or nothing, like some. The active eq is just perfect. It keeps you within the usable range of tones and I really like the frequency points they chose. The mid contro, mid switch and tone knob make the eq more versatile than the Atelier but both basses respond well to aggressive playing. I would describe the Dragonfly eq as warm and clear, while the Atelier is bright and clear. I got the Dragonfly for less than a Fender Ultra and the Atelier for the same as the Ultra. I'm very happy with both basses.

 

[TomB]

Moon are incredible instruments. A bit hard to find, but worth it. Not really custom tho.

 

[scallster]

I bought a Dragonfly CJ5 recently at a very good price, its my first 5 string. Bought it to see how I find the 5 string world and then upgrade to a Lakland, Warwick or Musicman 5 string. Owned lots of high end basses, from Warwick Infinity's to Lakland 44.04's, Elricks and Musicmans the quality is right up there with them. The neck is a great profile, electronics are brilliant and playability outstanding, I am very happy with it, to the point of now not replacing it.