Glarry 5-String Bass - Unboxing, Setup, Review

[vid1900]

Headstock shots please!

Do I seem like the kind of guy who'd skip the Headstock photos, lol?

Tuners have about 1mm of backlash (fancy talk for the **slack** where you turn from CW to CCW before the gears re-engage), probably better than you'd expect on an $87 bass....

There are white protective stickers in the center of each tuner.

 

[vid1900]

Front of headstock:

 

[vid1900]

Black plastic nut:

 

[vid1900]

No Sharp frets, and they look pretty well dressed on the crowns.

I'll put them on the fretting bench and see how level they are, in the near future.

 

[Solarmist]

Nice bass, but it sure looks like Glarry copied the body shape of an Ibby SR, and the headstock isn't all that different either.

 

[Stinsok]

That does not look that bad.

 

[City]

Hi @vid1900,

OOOOoooooo! A pick! It's the little extras that make the deal.

Actually I was thinking of picking up a Glarry but I couldn't find a 5 string. I need a bass that I'm not afraid to lose or get broken. Yours looks really good. Only 6.1 lbs? Amazing.

From the Glarry site: Glarry GJazz Electric 5 String Bass Guitar Full Size Burlywood Transparent Yellow Sunset - Glarrymusic

However the above states 7.82 lbs. Still not bad.

View attachment 3687737

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

@BassCliff I got a four string fretless to determine whether fretless without lines was for me, at a bargin price . I had to adjust the nut, also a 0.5% shim from Stewmac. Put on flats...I pray every time i turn the tuners, but they are holding. raised the pickups...they are weak . but it plays well . truss rod worked . check out the Glarry bass thread . i think i got lucky . some have had neck issues . But they will send you a new one if unsatisfied

 

[selowitch]

It's an intriguing low-cost option. I like the weight (although I wonder if neck dive would be an issue).

 

[Bass Man Dan]

I got the same bass a few weeks back to rehearse with. It's a keeper.
It is a nice looking bass and as promised, it is super light. I'm guessing right around 7 pounds.
The set up out of the box is not bad at all. B string needed to come up a bit, for some reason one side of the saddle was much lower than the other.
The only sharp fret end I could find was at the 24th, so not a big deal based on location and it wasn't terrible anyway.
The knobs have a heavy, dare I say, expensive feel to the way they turn...except for one that the pot was not fastened down which was an easy fix.
The finish is good, there is one small dark blemish in the wood on the front.
There is a small gap in the neck pocket on the top side. Not super bad, but you could easily slide a business card in there.
If you are familiar with the other Glarry basses, the neck finish is the same and I love the smooth but natural feel of it. And I agree with the video review on YouTube, the thickness of the neck is more in line with a standard 5 string neck, while the 4 string p bass necks are thick and chunky.
The nut is black plastic and seems to be cut ok, it could stand to be filed a bit on the bass side as it sticks out a tiny bit above the fretboard.
The fretboard does not seem excessively dry and is a very uniform color. There is one tiny crack, probably a third of an inch in length running off of the 4th fret towards the 5th between the d and the g strings.

 

[Bass Man Dan]

It's an intriguing low-cost option. I like the weight (although I wonder if neck dive would be an issue).

I rehearsed with it and did not notice much if any. The small headstock helps in that regard, I reckon!
I did not change the strings yet, and it sounded pretty good in rehearsal.

 

[Bass Man Dan]

One additional random observation between mine and the OPs bass, the pickup poles are not aligned with the strings, if that type of thing bothers you...

 

[selowitch]

One additional random observation between mine and the OPs bass, the pickup poles are not aligned with the strings, if that type of thing bothers you...

Naaah. It's an excuse to buy some bar-magnet pickups.

 

[Charlzm]

No Sharp frets, and they look pretty well dressed on the crowns.

I'll put them on the fretting bench and see how level they are, in the near future.

View attachment 3687823

That fretboard looks really dried-out. Planning on giving it some oil love anytime soon?

 

[vid1900]

That fretboard looks really dried-out. Planning on giving it some oil love anytime soon?

I did not want to did not want to oil it until I made sure that none of the Frets had to be reseated.

These are literally straight from the box pictures.

 

[GretschWretch]

Nice bass, but it sure looks like Glarry copied the body shape of an Ibby SR, and the headstock isn't all that different either.

These are sometimes called "Glabinez" for a reason.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

says Glarry:

A good electric bass guitar, will be your constant companion in your lifetime. Buy a GLARRY electric guitar and pursue your own musical dreams. The GLARRY guitar brand is aim to do one thing, which is let all beginners have good guitars from the start. Buy a guitar and we will send a rich gift package.


I wanna know what's up with the "rich gift package"

 

[Stringly]

How do they make $ at those prices? Do they stamp them out completed or 3d print them?

 

[flannel cat]

love the price for what your getting,, nice looking boomstick…..cheers.

 

[Mark_L]

CNC is available to everybody now. That, and dirt-cheap finishers and assemblers is how they do it so cheaply.

 

[GretschWretch]

View attachment 3687866 View attachment 3687868 I got the same bass a few weeks back to rehearse with. It's a keeper.
It is a nice looking bass and as promised, it is super light. I'm guessing right around 7 pounds.
The set up out of the box is not bad at all. B string needed to come up a bit, for some reason one side of the saddle was much lower than the other.
The only sharp fret end I could find was at the 24th, so not a big deal based on location and it wasn't terrible anyway.
The knobs have a heavy, dare I say, expensive feel to the way they turn...except for one that the pot was not fastened down which was an easy fix.
The finish is good, there is one small dark blemish in the wood on the front.
There is a small gap in the neck pocket on the top side. Not super bad, but you could easily slide a business card in there.
If you are familiar with the other Glarry basses, the neck finish is the same and I love the smooth but natural feel of it. And I agree with the video review on YouTube, the thickness of the neck is more in line with a standard 5 string neck, while the 4 string p bass necks are thick and chunky.
The nut is black plastic and seems to be cut ok, it could stand to be filed a bit on the bass side as it sticks out a tiny bit above the fretboard.
The fretboard does not seem excessively dry and is a very uniform color. There is one tiny crack, probably a third of an inch in length running off of the 4th fret towards the 5th between the d and the g strings.

How did you get them to put that terrific Tiffany-inspired spider web on the back?