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Take the plunge on this $89 ebay cheap risk?

mattattack187

mattattack187

Bass Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Feb 2, 2012
2,470
2,435
Ellsworth, ME
www.twitter.com
#1
Anyone have any experience with this? Doesn't seem to have a brand to it. Worth taking a risk on for something to just bring to jams and such? Not expecting it to hold up like my Fenders but it might make for a fun little project.

Specifications:
Style: Bass Guitar
Color: Golden Sunburst
Orientation: Right Handed
Number of Strings: 4
Number of Frets: 20
Nut width: 1.656 in. (42 mm)
Scale length: 34"
Pickups: Split Single-Coil Pickup
Controls: 1 x Volume;1 x Tone
Bridge System: Fixed
Body Material: Solid Basswood
Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple
Dimensions: (45.66 x 12.99 x 2.75)" (L x W x H)
Weight: 6.72lb / 3.05kg

Untitled.jpg
 
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#2
mattattack187 said:
Anyone have any experience with this?
Click to expand...
yes. in the glarry club, we call that an "unbranded." it's like a glarry GP, but without the branding.

www.glarrymusic.com

Glarry GP Electric Bass Guitar White Black Red Yellow Blue Sunset Burlywood Dark Blue Transparent Yellow - Glarrymusic

Shop high quality and cheap Glarry GP Electric Bass Guitar for Beginners Music Lovers, Students Gift etc, Find more Glarry Electric Guitars in Glarrymusic.com.
www.glarrymusic.com www.glarrymusic.com

they seem to be out of the "sunset" finish ATM (what they call their brown burst).

if those instruments are setup well = they play! depending on your preferences/mood, you can do as many others do and modify it to your liking. (parts upgrades/mods.) edit: in general: they're lightweight with chunky necks. the hardware is usable, the electronics are fine, but not for everyone, thus the modding.

lots of glarry-style cussing and discussing here (and other, more 'homespun' anecdotals):
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/official-exquisite-glarry-burning-fire-bass-club.1433929/
 
Last edited:
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#4
DWBass said:
It's probably an unbranded Glarry. Decent starter bass prime for upgrading.
Click to expand...
Yeah I just don't like taking my Fender's out that much anymore. Really all I'm looking at doing with it is giving it a good setup and depending on how the PUPs sound maybe swap them out with some MIM Fender's. Keep it cheap but playable.
 
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#5
mattattack187 said:
Yeah I just don't like taking my Fender's out that much anymore. Really all I'm looking at doing with it is giving it a good setup and depending on how the PUPs sound maybe swap them out with some MIM Fender's. Keep it cheap but playable.
Click to expand...
I bought a Glarry Telecaster style guitar. Needs absolutely nothing but I'll probably upgrade the tuners to locking style and add a roller type string guide.
 
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#6
That "basswood" probably is paulownia, a very light but resonant wood. The chunky necks are not *that" chunky; they are within my comfort zone, and I have small hands and short fingers. And, as @JRA and others have pointed out, you can mod the heck out of these without getting a lot of backlash, like you often will with a real Fender.
 
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#9
AHaze said:
I know there's a lot of happy Glarry owners and it's fun to be able to talk about your $89 bass but....
Click to expand...
i think that's an appeal for some, but for others: it's all about starting with a glarry and then modding it, a platform.

e.g., this one --- it's not an "$89 bass."
BLUE PJ.png
 
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#10
JRA said:
yes. in the glarry club, we call that an "unbranded." it's like a glarry GP, but without the branding.

www.glarrymusic.com

Glarry GP Electric Bass Guitar White Black Red Yellow Blue Sunset Burlywood Dark Blue Transparent Yellow - Glarrymusic

Shop high quality and cheap Glarry GP Electric Bass Guitar for Beginners Music Lovers, Students Gift etc, Find more Glarry Electric Guitars in Glarrymusic.com.
www.glarrymusic.com www.glarrymusic.com

they seem to be out of the "sunset" finish ATM (what they call their brown burst).

if those instruments are setup well = they play! depending on your preferences/mood, you can do as many others do and modify it to your liking. (parts upgrades/mods.) edit: in general: they're lightweight with chunky necks. the hardware is usable, the electronics are fine, but not for everyone, thus the modding.

lots of glarry-style cussing and discussing here (and other, more 'homespun' anecdotals):
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/official-exquisite-glarry-burning-fire-bass-club.1433929/
Click to expand...
Yep. I used to get all my basses at Rondomusic, when their selection was amazing, and I never paid over $150. Only one needed serious setup investment, but it is a beautiful metallic silver six string and I got it in their "scratch and dent" section for $130. And it is now my main worship team bass.
 
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#13
mattattack187 said:
Yeah I just don't like taking my Fender's out that much anymore. Really all I'm looking at doing with it is giving it a good setup and depending on how the PUPs sound maybe swap them out with some MIM Fender's. Keep it cheap but playable.
Click to expand...
I was the same at a gig/open mic we host. About 4 yrs ago I bought a Sterling Ray4 as a beater & for this gig. Up until recently I played it at every gig. I have since sold my Fenders and bought a USA EBMM SUB. I think the ray4 will still go to the gig/open mic!
In other words, you may like your Glarry and play it at every gig!
 
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#15
mattattack187 said:
Anyone have any experience with this? Doesn't seem to have a brand to it. Worth taking a risk on for something to just bring to jams and such? Not expecting it to hold up like my Fenders but it might make for a fun little project.

Specifications:
Style: Bass Guitar
Color: Golden Sunburst
Orientation: Right Handed
Number of Strings: 4
Number of Frets: 20
Nut width: 1.656 in. (42 mm)
Scale length: 34"
Pickups: Split Single-Coil Pickup
Controls: 1 x Volume;1 x Tone
Bridge System: Fixed
Body Material: Solid Basswood
Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple
Dimensions: (45.66 x 12.99 x 2.75)" (L x W x H)
Weight: 6.72lb / 3.05kg

View attachment 7022480
Click to expand...
Pretty sure it’s a Glarry. I have a 5 string like it that was the same price and as far as I can tell it is just as good as my Squier. Except it has really bad neck dive. I just wanted to try to learn to play a 5 string, so it’s great for that.
 

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#17
Bought an $89 Glarry bass a few years back just to check it out. It worked just fine and sounded surprisingly good. Feather light weight. No idea what the body was made of or if was even really wood. The hardware was adequate to the task and the electronics were more than acceptable. Truss rod worked and it set up well although the fretboard as delivered was bone dry. But a little lemon oil and a buff soon fixed that. Action was quite acceptable although I was half tempted to shim it slightly to get it spot on where I usually like it. Fretwork was level although I did do a little bit of end and roundover filing on it along with some fret polishing. Nothing major and far better that expected in this price range. Strings were horrible. So I replaced them with a set of D’Addario rounds and it made a huge improvement.

Bottom line: pretty nice little bass at a super cheap price. Maybe I got lucky but I keep hearing good things about them so I’m guessing their quality control is adequate. YMMV.

Note: mine had a chip in the finish on the lower bout. I contacted them and asked to do a return. They offered me a $20 credit to keep it. I declined and they then offered a $50 credit which I took. Had the money in three days. So the final cost to me was $39 plus the price of a new set of strings. Pretty good deal all considered. Still have and occasionally play it. It’s now my official burner bass.
 
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#18
I have that exact bass with a Glarry logo on the headstock and it plays great. It's fairly light and sounds pretty good. I've had it for a couple of years and may eventually switch out the PUs and the electronics.
 
#19
DWBass said:
I bought a Glarry Telecaster style guitar. Needs absolutely nothing but I'll probably upgrade the tuners to locking style and add a roller type string guide.
Click to expand...
It's good?
I bought a Glarry jazz bass when I was far away from my basses just to practice with.
It had issues. Easy fixes, though. Put new pups in it.
Has Glarry stepped their game up like Harley Benton has?
 
#20
I get the appeal, but for not much more, you can get a used Squier affinity P that will have better parts interchangeability and should hold up better. I have an affinity that I’ve been gigging with for a few years. It’s a 2004, still has the og pickup, only upgrade I made was the ‘guard, I don’t like single ply. I’ve also had an affinity pj from 2021 that was excellent, I just didn’t like the color. I paid $109+tax and $119+tax respectively for them.
 

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