Kikuchi Guitars Hermes Series MV5 Passive (Natural)

The Hermes Series is crafted to fully showcase Kikuchi's masterful skills, making it accessible to a wider audience.
This passive model, featuring newly developed original pickups, is a highly anticipated instrument for bassists.

Kikuchi Guitars was born to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Yoshiyuki Kikuchi, one of Japan's leading luthiers, visiting the world-renowned contemporary master craftsman Roger Sadowsky. You can fully experience the deepened understanding of instrument making that Kikuchi has cultivated while faithfully inheriting Sadowsky's spirit.

This "Hermes" series is the brand's standard line. While the basic specifications and manufacturing quality are almost the same as the custom models, the regular model lineup with fixed specifications achieves high cost performance.

Although it's part of the Standard series, the ability to set it to a low action, just like a Custom model, is only possible thanks to the high-precision machined neck, straight fingerboard, and accurate fretting. The well-balanced body and various other elements are beautifully brought together into the shape of the instrument, resulting in not only high playability but also a light weight of around 4 kg, a tight and powerful bass string sound, and a sharp, crisp slap sound—a model that can be said to be the culmination of Mr. Kikuchi's work, packed with unique charms that cannot be found anywhere else.

This instrument is a highly anticipated passive model for bassists, featuring a newly developed pickup that converts the instrument's inherent resonance—created through the meticulous construction of the body and neck—into tone without spoiling it.

With its simple 2-volume/1-tone controls and original pickups that produce a wide sound range unique to passive guitars, it brings out the player's individuality to the fullest, from groovy playing to percussive techniques like slap bass, without compromising the nuances of picking.

Experience the world-class sound and playability of "Kikuchi Guitars," a brand that can be considered the culmination of Mr. Kikuchi's knowledge and experience gained at Sadowsky and Three Dots Guitars!


[Kikuchi Yoshiyuki]
In 1993, he traveled to the United States alone and studied techniques at the Sadowsky Guitars NYC workshop. After returning to Japan, he started Sadowsky Tokyo.
Maintaining a close relationship with Roger Sadowsky, he released the JT series, Metroline series, and Sadowsky TYO, among others.
Three Dots Guitars was founded in 2019.
In 2023, I launched Kikuchi Guitars as the culmination of my work, and I continue to do so to this day.


Semi-hard case, etc.


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- Neck -
The neck has been strengthened and the headstock thickened to create the optimal resonance and weight balance for playing. The nut width is narrower than that of a typical J-style guitar, and the neck grip has been made easy to hold while retaining a moderate thickness for durability and playability, allowing for smooth playing from the low to high positions, and even muting the wide 5th string.

Furthermore, by using nickel frets with a higher hardness, the noise generated when pressing down on the frets is reduced, producing a punchy sound despite being made of nickel. The number of frets is 22F to accommodate a wide range of musical genres. By avoiding excessive fret overhang and designing the neck joint position deeper towards the bridge, it can be played with a feel similar to a 21-fret bass.

To accommodate various playing techniques and musical genres, the string height is set uniformly at every fret position, resulting in a powerful tone for forceful picking and a warm, enveloping tone for gentle fingering.

- Body -
The Dinky shape, redesigned to allow for comfortable playing even for those with a Japanese physique, is adopted. The body, without a routed back panel, amplifies the natural resonance produced by the wood.

The MV model features ash wood. In addition to the bright and crisp tone of the maple fingerboard, it is characterized by a dry, punchy tone.

- Hardware -
The lightweight and highly maneuverable Hipshot parts, also used in the Custom Series, are strategically placed throughout the instrument to directly transmit the characteristics of the wood, resulting in a more natural sound.

- Pickups -
The newly developed pickups, exclusive to the Passive model, are based on a vintage feel with clear separation of each string's tone and natural warmth. The volume and tone balance have been adjusted so that each string connects seamlessly, even on the 5-string model.

? Swings ?
It features a classic passive design with 2 Volume and 1 Tone controls. The pickup captures every nuance of your picking, and by adjusting the volume balance of each control, you can create a wide range of tonal variations.



■Body: Ash 2-Piece (Solid)
■Neck: Maple, Thin Matte Nitro
■Fingerboard: Maple
■Fingerboard Radius: 12″(305R)
■Nut Material: Tusq
■Nut Width: 46mm
■Fret: DHP24H, 22F
■Scale: 864mm (34″)
■Bridge: Hipshot 19mm Spacing
■Tuner: Hipshot License Ultra-Light
■Pickups: Original Custom J in 60s Locations
■Circuit: Passive
■Controls: Master Volume, Tone
■Weight: ≈4.0kg


■Body: Ash 2-Piece (Solid)
■Neck: Maple, Thin Matte Nitro
■Fingerboard: Maple
■Fingerboard Radius: 12″(305R)
■Nut Material: Tusq
■Nut Width: 46mm
■Fret: DHP24H, 22F
■Scale: 864mm (34″)
■Bridge: Hipshot 19mm Spacing
■Tuner: Hipshot License Ultra-Light
■Pickups: Original Custom J in 60s Locations
■Circuit: Passive
■Controls: 2 Volume, 1 Tone
■Weight: ≈4.0kg