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Underrated guitar companies???
- Thread starter Dan Newsom
- Start date
I'm intrigued by the Reverend. I see that Musician's Friend has a discount on one today (12-12-218). I don't know anything about this brand. Please advise. Thanks.
Schecter puts together instruments of a quality that few other larger companies could consider matching at twice the price. Fender doesn't roll edges on fingerboards or even do great fret work on any basses below the AmStd line. Schecter does it on most of their budget basses. The electronics and other materials are beyond what most companies will do for the price. They make a bunch of cool looking basses for a wide variety of styles.
I would also add that the Peavey Cirrus is a criminally underrated bass. Construction and tone blow away a bunch of boutique models.
For a negative on the underrated thing, people will be angry but I would say my uneducated opinion would be Dingwall. This is only because if you're making basses overseas with lower labor and goods cost you should be able to lower your prices. They charge a premium for what are probably great basses, but c'mon.
I'd also go so far to say EBMM. I want to love them but IMO they're way overrated. G&L on the other hand, great value.
I would also add that the Peavey Cirrus is a criminally underrated bass. Construction and tone blow away a bunch of boutique models.
For a negative on the underrated thing, people will be angry but I would say my uneducated opinion would be Dingwall. This is only because if you're making basses overseas with lower labor and goods cost you should be able to lower your prices. They charge a premium for what are probably great basses, but c'mon.
I'd also go so far to say EBMM. I want to love them but IMO they're way overrated. G&L on the other hand, great value.
3 gigs, a rehearsal, a jam, a holiday party and a band leader's funeral this week, but I always have time to Talk Bass...
Epiphone.The Jack Casady model for example.
You can get one new for $7 or 8 hundred and used for $ 4-5 hundred. Solid bass, excellent build sounds creamy with flats or crunchy with round wounds.
Ibanez makes excellent basses but I'm not sure they can be underrated since they sell more basses than anyone. That's kind of like those folks that say Ringo is an underrated drummer...I get what they mean but how can the most famous drummer in the 20th Century be underrated? But I digress...Eastwood for style points and if you want tradition try G&L...basically Fender Custom Shop for less money.
I'll second that one.
Japanese instrument maker who builds to exactly the high standards you'd expect coming from there. Bacchus basses feel and play great. They're fairly common in Japan (in fact, when I lived there I saw them in stores so often that I thought they must be some cheapo brand, until I actually tried one). Unfortunately, they seem to be relatively unknown outside Asia.
They seem to be sold in Canada more than in the states?
VSN, who also sells Tune seems to carry quite a lot of them.
Bacchus Handmade Guitars
Almost as nice as my USA-made G&L L2000. Very potent pickups and electronics. Neck radius might seem strange to some but I’m fine with it.
One of the few basses I’d consider buying another of, if they only came in more than two colors.
SPLIT BRICK NECK
Strong lows and highs, open mids. Like a vintage P bass pickup but with more beef, yet retains clarity. 43 gauge wire, ceramic magnet, 8.5K ohms.
THICK BRICK BRIDGE
Warm and thick with strong mids. Output and punch like an active, but more organic sounding. 42 gauge wire, ceramic magnet, 7K ohms.
PICKUP PAN CONTROL
This control allows you to blend the two pickups with one knob. Roll in the bridge pickup for more midrange punch, or bring up the neck pickup for more low thump and open highs. Dialing in the perfect tone has never been easier!
PURE TONE JACK
All Reverends use an upgraded jack by Pure Tone Technologies. The Pure Tone jack has dual contacts for improved grip, audio signal and reliability. The most dependable guitar jack available!
10% POTS
We use Alpha control pots with a +-10% rating, tighter and more consistent than a standard pot. Typically used in expensive boutique guitars, but standard issue in all Reverends.
10% POLY CAPS
We use caps with a +-10% rating. Our caps are made to tighter specifications, so they’re more consistent. Made of polyester, they’re also longer lasting, and less affected by temperature than cheaper ceramic caps. Typically used in expensive boutique guitars.
BODY Korina Solidbody
PICKUPS Thick Brick Bridge, Split Brick Neck
BRIDGE string-thru-body or top-load, 3/4" spacing.
NECK 5-Piece Korina/Walnut
SCALE34"
NECK PROFILE Medium Oval
FINGERBOARD Blackwood Tek - 12" Radius
FRETS 21 Frets
TRUSS ROD Dual Action, Headstock Access
TUNERS Hipshot Ultralight, 1/2" Dia. Shaft
NUT 42mm width, Boneite
CONTROLS Volume, Tone, Pickup Pan
STRINGS 45-100
I'd say G&L but only in the context that most people are unfamiliar with them entirely unless they own one or have known someone who owned one. You just don't see them as often as the bigger competitors' instruments, for obvious reasons. My experiences are limited with them, but my bass player has an SB-1 and it's my favorite P bass that I've ever played. I like it so much that I've decided my next bass purchase absolutely will be a G&L. I'm thinking one of the ASAT hollowbody models. They have such amazing color choices too.
I have to give a mention to Jericho (Jericho Guitars | Electric Guitars) as well, a fairly unknown brand based in Texas if I remember correctly. I found out about them when I was looking at getting a guitar with an Evertune bridge on it, and I took a chance on them. I was initially looking at an ESP with the Evertune on it, but I prefer to support the little guys if I can. The fit and finish of my Jericho Fusion is on par with or better than every quality guitar I've ever owned. It's a walnut body and mahogany neck so it's not an instrument for those who prefer them light (no official weight but I'd guess it's about 10 lbs for a guitar). I've ALWAYS been one who had a pretty bad practice schedule, so it's nice to have an instrument that makes me just want to sit down and play it all the time. They make more guitars than bass guitars but they do have a bass model that they make, and if it's made half as well as my guitar, it's worth the price and then some.
Please do excuse my bright orange wall paint (I like it..) and fairly low quality image...
I have to give a mention to Jericho (Jericho Guitars | Electric Guitars) as well, a fairly unknown brand based in Texas if I remember correctly. I found out about them when I was looking at getting a guitar with an Evertune bridge on it, and I took a chance on them. I was initially looking at an ESP with the Evertune on it, but I prefer to support the little guys if I can. The fit and finish of my Jericho Fusion is on par with or better than every quality guitar I've ever owned. It's a walnut body and mahogany neck so it's not an instrument for those who prefer them light (no official weight but I'd guess it's about 10 lbs for a guitar). I've ALWAYS been one who had a pretty bad practice schedule, so it's nice to have an instrument that makes me just want to sit down and play it all the time. They make more guitars than bass guitars but they do have a bass model that they make, and if it's made half as well as my guitar, it's worth the price and then some.
Please do excuse my bright orange wall paint (I like it..) and fairly low quality image...
AV Basses from CZECH and
Jericho with its Alpha bass.
I am in love with my Blacker
Jericho with its Alpha bass.
I am in love with my Blacker
I'm trying to talk my bass player into one of these. Good to know that someone else out there is giving Jericho some love.
Education time.
They only make two models in China and they only differ by their preamp and colors. They do charge less for them than all their others that are in the $3,000-$10,000+ range, the China ones are around $2,000.
Also unlike the stereotype of made in China these are not quickly just cut out, slap some paint and frets on them then out the door. Dingwall pays for the Craftsman to build these, there is no gap at all where my neck meets the body, the pocket is tight.
The Frets are very smooth, not a sharp or out of place section anywhere. Fit and finish in my opinion is better that the US Fenders and many others that I tried, and did not buy. In fact Mr. Dingwall has shipped back full shipments of these basses because they did not fit to his standards. He apologized for the delay to customers that were waiting but he could not let them go out the door with his name on them.
Once they are built in China they ALL go to their little shop in Canada where they get their necks and frets worked as needed to get them even better than when they arrived, full set up then out for sale.
Instead of getting hundreds or even 20 basses a day from their China line inspected, do finishing work and be completed to go out to dealers and such, they complete only three or so basses a day because quality means that much.
This is why they are not $500-$1,000 basses, and you can feel it.
Watch this video, and notice that it is not an assembly line cranking out instruments.
Jericho is selling without distributors (as far as I know). I bought it directly trough the internet. So you save around 40-50% up price of the usual distribution network. In addition Jericho offers a lot of special sales. In my opinion the best bang for the buck you can get at the moment. And it is no high volume manufacturer like the other ones. If you’re into PJ’s, this is the real thing.
Hardware from HipShot, electronics from StewMac (also underrated) and a boutique like craftsmanship. Thumps up
- Rob Allen - love my MB-2
- Reverend - heard a Dub King a couple of weeks ago and it sounded great, the light green wasn't to my taste (I prefer the SunBurst), but it looked beautiful none-the-less.
- Ken Smith - love my 5-string
having grown up in the 80s, it really does suck to know how underappreciated they were back then by the musical community at large.....except for CS-800s; every PA had at least one
At the end of time, there will be four things remaining: roaches, Hostess Twinkies, Keith Richards, and CS-800s...
