Glarry Bass Posts

[SoonerBill]

There's at least a couple other threads that have very recently had posts praising Glarry bases. And my first base was an Amazon bought Glarry. So as many of is think they are an amazing bargain I wonder what they could actually sell for? They obviously are underpriced.

 

[mikeoso]

They really arent underpriced at all...and the musical instrument is a "bass" not a "base".

 

[SoonerBill]

They really arent underpriced at all...and the musical instrument is a "bass" not a "base".

Based on the many very satisfied buyers. Some that have said they have much more expensive basses and still like their Glarrys I disagree. And I fixed the spelling.

 

[ghostdog93]

Brands like Glarry, Ktaxon, Fojill, etc. appeal to people because the instruments are inexpensive, expectations are low, and Amazon makes purchasing and returning them easy.

Are they OK basses for the price? Mostly yes.

Are they great basses for the price? Usually no.

Turn that $100 Glarry into a $200 Glarry and I think you'll find the enthusiasm wanes.

 

[tris66]

I'll be the bad-guy, nay-sayer. Trash. Don't waste your money. The routing looks like it was done by hand. Notice how the strings don't line up correctly with the pickups. Even the most basic routing jigs can get stuff lined up. The fasteners: garbage tier. I'm surprised the neck screws don't snap off. At the price range you shouldn't expect much of a finish, but look at the wood fills in the picture. Why they didn't spray this one a solid color is beyond me. This thing went back immediately. With my one, very brief experience I think they are not worth the price. People can pile the hate on me if they want. I say garbage.

 

[Pep]

I'll be the bad-guy, nay-sayer. Trash. Don't waste your money. The routing looks like it was done by hand. Notice how the strings don't line up correctly with the pickups. Even the most basic routing jigs can get stuff lined up. The fasteners: garbage tier. I'm surprised the neck screws don't snap off. At the price range you shouldn't expect much of a finish, but look at the wood fills in the picture. Why they didn't spray this one a solid color is beyond me. This thing went back immediately. With my one, very brief experience I think they are not worth the price. People can pile the hate on me if they want. I say garbage.
View attachment 7500276

Mine was perfect. You bought the Glarry Factory B-Stock where they pay you to take it, didn’t you?

 

[5StringBlues]

Kindling in less than 20 years.

 

[Guitalia]

Kindling in less than 20 years.

The people at Glarry will be popping champagne corks when they get wind of posts like this. Fender haters, Gibson haters, and now Glarry haters: they've made it to the big time.

 

[5StringBlues]

The people at Glarry will be popping champagne corks when they get wind of posts like this. Fender haters, Gibson haters, and now Glarry haters: they've made it to the big time.

Hate's a strong word. Indifference perhaps.

 

[BismarckHerring]

They obviously are underpriced.

That’s not the impression I have (never used one myself). Yes, some people really like them and argue that they are worth more than what they paid. Maybe they got a lucky and got a good one (quality seems to vary considerably, which is expected at this price point) and/or just connect to the instrument in a way that is often hard to predict. But a much more common opinion seems to be that they’re surprisingly usable for the price, but still a significant step below more established budget brands like Squier or Harley Benton.

If Glarry charged 50% more, they would still be comparatively cheap, but the difference between them and other budget brands would be smaller, and people would be more likely to pay the extra cash for a brand with a better reputation. That’s probably a very significant factor in why they’re priced the way they are.

Also consider that the posts of the people who really like them probably don’t represent the experience of the average buyer. If someone buys a really good bass for $100, they’re much more likely to tell everyone about it than if they bought a bass for the same price and it was just what they expected, or even if it was trash, because that’s a calculated risk if you buy an extremely cheap instrument. So you’re likely reading about the experiences of a heavily biased sample of owners of these basses.

 

[Guitalia]

Hate's a strong word. Indifference perhaps.

Of course. And yet Fender- and Gibson-bashing threads are similarly full of posts feigning lofty impartiality. The truly indifferent don't post.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

I learned from a Glarry J that I probably prefer ceramic pickups.
Also, I learned that I *can* hear the difference between soft and hard body wood, enough to matter to me. Prefer hard, but many might like the Glarry.
I thought it was mysteriously beautiful sounding, and hopefully I now understand why. This is a good memory.

 

[Guitalia]

That’s not the impression I have (never used one myself). Yes, some people really like them and argue that they are worth more than what they paid. Maybe they got a lucky and got a good one (quality seems to vary considerably, which is expected at this price point) and/or just connect to the instrument in a way that is often hard to predict. But a much more common opinion seems to be that they’re surprisingly usable for the price, but still a significant step below more established budget brands like Squier or Harley Benton.

If Glarry charged 50% more, they would still be comparatively cheap, but the difference between them and other budget brands would be smaller, and people would be more likely to pay the extra cash for a brand with a better reputation. That’s probably a very significant factor in why they’re priced the way they are.

Also consider that the posts of the people who really like them probably don’t represent the experience of the average buyer. If someone buys a really good bass for $100, they’re much more likely to tell everyone about it than if they bought a bass for the same price and it was just what they expected, or even if it was trash, because that’s a calculated risk if you buy an extremely cheap instrument. So you’re likely reading about the experiences of a heavily biased sample of owners of these basses.

". . . never used one myself. . . . "

China heavily subsidizes many industries to give manufacturers a competitive edge in other countries. Something as mechanically simple and as easy to produce as an electric guitar, especially given that government support, would be a perfect candidate for aggressive pursuit of a market segment.

That assumes that all there is to building a good electric guitar is using good materials, modern factory machinery, and good quality control. Subsidizing a factory would make all three requirements easy to satisfy.

It also assumes that there are no mystic arts involved in creating a decent instrument.

 

[tris66]

Mine was perfect. You bought the Glarry Factory B-Stock where they pay you to take it, didn’t you?

I'm glad you got something you like. I have no idea what you are even suggesting. Something so cheap has B stock? Nice diversion by blaming me and not the build, though. I already took the blame for making the bad decision of buying one. Yes, it is my fault. I fell for the cheap bass meme. Let my failure and digrace be a warning. Children, don't do the things I've done.

 

[elgranluis]

They obviously are underpriced.

Actually this gives you an idea of how little money it takes to build a bass. If they built them to US specs , we would probably be talking about 300 bucks (remember those squiers from the grand reward factory ?).

 

[Guitalia]

Actually this gives you an idea of how little money it takes to build a bass. If they built them to US specs , we would probably be talking about 300 bucks (remember those squiers from the grand reward factory ?).

There's no reason to believe that they aren't building them to at least Squier specs. Especially given the high proportion of purchasers reporting how surprised they were by the quality.

In fact, I was very surprised by the decent, workmanlike quality of a short-scale SX P bass I bought 10 years ago from Rondo Music (on closeout for $90, with bag, practice amp, guitar cord, and instructional DVD!). That was back before their market share was more or less obliterated by Glarry, Firefly, etc., after they started selling similar instruments through Amazon, at similar or lower prices.

The factories can only have improved in the last 10 years.

 

[BismarckHerring]

". . . never used one myself. . . . "

It is not about the opinion of one person. If it was obvious that they’re underpriced, that would be the consensus among reviewers, and I don’t get the impression that that is the case. Yes, many think they’re an amazing bargain and therefore underpriced. But many others think they’re just decent considering the price, but not more than that. And some think they’re not worth the money and recommend spending a bit more on a bass. See post #5 for example.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Garry's and their brethren aren't supposed to be custom instruments.
Their entry level instruments produced at a price point to allow beginners to get into the game on the cheap. Much like the department store guitars of my youth.
Their target audience doesn't care about wood blemishes and "sloppy " routing.
We long time players can thumb our noses at them all day long. But some kid in Fresno that wants to start a garage band dosent care. For a hundred bucks, all it has to do is play. They saw a market, and built basses to address it. Basses that wound up surprising some of  us.

 

[FRoss6788]

They're likely over priced.

I agree, firewood in short order.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Ive never owned one, but if it helps people get to where they are going in their musical journey, I’m all for them.