Underrated guitar companies???

[B-Mac]

Yep. I've got two Deans and I play them both frequently. A Cadillac and a John Campbell signature.
Necks like buttah'.....

I'll definitely second the 'necks like buttah' statement above.
This goes for my Dean Edge Pro, Edge 4QB, Hillsboro PJ, Edge Select (Czech made) and Czech made Jeff Berlin signature. I recently ordered a used USA Jeff Berlin Signature and should have it by Friday of this week. I'm sure it also has a butta neck not to be confused with butta face...….

 

[Lesfunk]

Heritage

 

[DanAdams]

I'm not reading all these replies, so I'll assume someone before me mentioned WESTONE, the most underrated basses ever. You get a high five from me.

 

[txdahaley]

Dillion.

Thanks for reminding me. I had one of their stingray copies and SHAZZZZZAM it was a great bass. Did one gig with it. Progrock at a bowling alley. Didn't even give us free nachos. But man! WHY did I sell that thing?

 

[Skillet]

I'll second that BC Rich are criminally underrated among bass players. Seriously, people don't have a clue on what they're missing out on if they hadn't tried an older handmade: unmatched playability and tone. ....

THIS. There's a local player who has quite the collection. I picked up one of his vintage Eagles. My jaw dropped. How the action was so low with no buzz and the neck .... it was unlike anything I'd ever held. I didn't get to play it plugged in, but that neck... unforgettable.

 

[Bassheart365]

Nathan Navarro demoing a Peavey Cirrus. It's hard for me to even say "Peavey" without wincing. But this demo proved me wrong.

 

[franvarin]

+1 for Godin. I own 2 of them, high quality instruments that play great.

 

[magyk8ball]

us masters. So underrated, they went out of business. Some serious custom shop stuff at fair prices. Can find them used for a decent price.
Disagree with carvin as underrated. I have a couple, and like them. But feel theyre well known, and you get almost exactly what you pay for. Which is still absolutely amazing.

 

[southpaw723]

D’Angelico

 

[Williethump]

Rogue

 

[Passinwind]

Heritage

I've never seen any of their basses in the flesh as far as I can recall. What's your experience?

 

[Lesfunk]

Sorry, I was talking guitars in general....
The original thread title just said “ underrated guitar companies “

 

[higain617]

Guild made great stuff in Westerly, RI. I haven't been too impressed with Fender Guild.

 

[Passinwind]

Sorry, I was talking guitars in general....
The original thread title just said “ underrated guitar companies “

No worries. Their guitars from the earlier years at least are very highly regarded in my experience. Definitely dig the heck out of mine!

 

[zZippy]

I’d really like to try a PRS Grainger some day.

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[Kukulkan61]

Fender is still underrated..

 

[Crystalman85]

Fernandes...they made some of the best passive bass guitars I've ever played.

 

[b_carville]

Bacchus
Wolf
Swing
Vintage (UK based brand but available in the US if you look).

 

[TomB]

For what I do, Moollon, also Valenti.

 

[JW56789]

A white whale I've never yet harpooned but one day I'd like a pair of TUNE basses, the original Bass Maniac in a five (to my mind, the original inspiration for the Ibanez Soundgears, the very first ones look a lot like these, and still one of the smallest long-scale basses out there):

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (click on the NTB-4 tab for the BM)

. . . . . and the TUNE WoodBass, their take on a fretless (or fretted piezo-bridge only semi-acoustic) with electronics done on a contract basis by Alembic:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (click on the WB tab for the WB)

I've never quite heard the specifics, but evidently the original TUNE company sells only in Japan, and the designs under license are made in Korea by Samick for the rest of the world. In any event these are a different take on bass with some ingenious design work: The original TUNE's in the 80's had the pickups, electronics, and all hardware save the keys built in-house. One of these days . . . . . . like a lot of Japanese guitars on this side of the Pacific, their distribution is pretty iffy, but to me they are amazing and under-rated axes.