These Hollowbody no-name guitars... anyone ever tried one?

[Avalon]

I keep seeing this model coming up at the eBay link below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Electric-Bass-Gu...item27b6b91859
The seller is out of "Hoston"?? Has anyone been brave enough to give them a try? I'm thinking that this one is gorgeous, but looks aren't everything as we all well know.

Isn't there a store brand by the name of "Galveston" or something like it in that area?

[recreate.me]

Hey, i posted a thread just like this a couple weeks back. Basically the answer i got was, probably made in China, everyone doubts they are very good, basically you get what you pay for.

They have another hollowbody too in sunburst that i like even better at the same price.

I want someone to buy one and let me know how it is before i do! lol

[Pilgrim]

At the price, I'd figure that if the body work is as good as most of the Asian-made instruments I've seen, it might work out OK with a fret leveling, setup and possibly pickups.

[s_mcsleazy]

WOW im actually in love with that

how much to ship one to the uk do you think

[Stinsok]

Basses like that were sold with the Jay Turser name on them.

[Orangeclawhamme]

The pickups, bridge and tailpiece sook identical to the ones on my Epiphone Viola, which looks exactly like the ones on this http://www.rondomusic.com/wvebvs.html I like how my bass plays and sounds, but I got it used from a great store owned by a great tech. You pay your money and take your chances.

[pmcd]

Originally Posted by Stinsok

Basses like that were sold with the Jay Turser name on them.

Exactly.

I have basically this exact bass, but with Jay Turser on the headstock instead of Maestro.

An ebay dealer was blowing them out and i ended up getting a brand new one for $125 shipped. I didn't expect much, but was actually blown away that it was a usable instrument. I put some flats on it, and it really came to life. The only thing that was glaringly cheap about it when I got it was the tuners. They started to fall apart not too long after owning it. I ended up replacing them with Gotoh's, and everything has been good to go since.

[Avalon]

Yea, my Dean Stylist has what appears to be the same tailpeice as the one I posted and my Hofner President has the same tailpiece as the one PMCD posted.

It seams like everyone in Asia is pulling their parts out of the same parts bin. The only saving grace seems to be the quality control and inspection programs that the larger brand names bring to the table. So when I see names like Maestro, Davison or no name at all, that's when I really feel like it's a crap shoot.

In any case, I already have two hollow bodies hanging on the wall. It's already a situation where Momma can't understand why I need two hollow bodies much less getting a third.

[C.Linton]

My first bass, some 40 years ago, was a Maestro hollowbody similar in style to that, it turned out, after prying the plastic Maestro nameplate off the headstock to actually be a Univox. I'm guessing it was a factory second (there was some minor paint issues on the side.) that Univox sold to Maestro for them to put their own brand on it. Perhaps that's what happened here with the Jay Turser?

[Stinsok]

Those tailpieces are used on a bunch of basses. Hofner copies, Deans, Tursers, even DiPinot Belvederes.

[RonChase]

that is a Jay Turser bass I saw one at the pawn shop in blue,the bridge the headsock are giveaways you can check it out on theyre webpage

[Nev375]

I have a Galveston 12 string bass. They are made in Korea and similar models are sold under various names.

It is the same factory that Dean and a few other major companies use for building their imports. My Dean 12 string bass is made there too and It's an astonishingly well-made instrument. (--also double the price of the Galveston.) However not all Dean models are of the same high quality. The 4 string Deans I have played are of very similar quality to the Galveston I own. (not great, but not bad either)

So in other words... Yes, it's probably well worth the $200 but there will probably be something about it that you will want to improve down the road.

[GlennW]

Originally Posted by Stinsok

Basses like that were sold with the Jay Turser name on them.

I had a JT-134 (looks like the one in the ebay ad) for a while and it was 34" scale instead of 31". Nice neck, but a neck diving mofo.

[Tony Mannara]

I also am looking at a bass from the same dealer in Houston made by Maestro. All the info that was listed in the ad was the wood type for body, neck, and fingerboard and that it was new. I asked a number of questions, namely what kind of pickup and tuners were on it, etc and got a very short response that basically only said it was a Maestro, made in Korea, and new. Short answers like this are a big red flag of course.

Can anyone tell me anything more about these mystery Maestros? AT under $200 for a hollow body to keep in my office and mess with it is almost worth the risk even if the thing falls apart, but I obviously want as much info as possible.

Thanks!

[Daede]

Don't know about these no-names, but +50 to Jay Turser guitars and basses. We bought my son a Jay Turser SG, and it stacks up to a $500 Gibson in every way. I've played a couple of different JT basses in Music-Go-Round and have been generally impressed with them.

Their guitars and basses range anywhere from $100 to $700 and are of excellent quality.

[OldDog52]

Am I imagining it or are the bridge and pickups not "square" with each other or with the body in the ebay pics? Maybe it's the lighting and shadows but I don't think so.

[dje31]

I hate to admit it, but I'm intrigued by the clear-bodied Steinberger knock-off.

[RonChase]

I hear that 200 dollar guitars have gotten better due to competition,if something feels to junky it dont make it in the marketplace