Gear Discussion Forums > Other Bass Brands

NBD Univox Hi-flyer phase III bass

(1/3) > >>

godofthunder:
I had a phase II Hi-flyer briefly in 1973-1974, my first solid body bass following my Klira and Hofner.  By 73 it became clear to me my hollow violin basses weren't cutting it and I needed a solid body bass, trouble was I had zero dollars.  I scrapped up 30 bucks and road my bike up to The House of Guitars and  bought a used Hi-Flyer, I returned home on my bike with it slung over my shoulder.  I
    I thought very highly of it then,  it sounded good and played fantastic. I didn't have it long but I always remembered it fondly. More importantly it was my first step that would lead me to Thunderbirds.  Interestingly I would briefly own a 60s Mosrite in '75 and the Univox compared very favorably.
   I've wanted a Hi-Flyer for my early years collection for a long time but other priorities seemed to always pop up. As a present for my recent Bday my dear wife let me get this '75 phase III in Sunburst.  I always thought these were the best version with the humbucking pickups and upgraded tuners.
   I gotta tell you I am really pleased with this bass build quality is very high and it plays and sounds great! I was a bit surprised that my memory of the bass was exceeded by having one in my hands today.  Video review coming soon.Image Url =
--- End quote ---

This Image was Uploaded by - http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=imgur_upload.upload_image_to_imgur Image Url =
--- End quote ---

--- End quote ---

morrow:
I found one a while back , it’s a Phase 2 with the P90 style pickups , and I’ve come to really love it. I think mine’s from around 73 or so. Now mine is strung with flats , and I tend to go for a rich old school thump. You have a very different preference for tone.
I started dragging it out to rehearsals and gigs. It sounds really good. It’s also extremely light. The neck is lovely. And I’ve become quite taken by it. I put Jazz style knobs on it but have safely kept the originals. I like the bridge cover.
Now you may find it’s too tiny , or too light.
I was not prepared to like it as much as I have.

Have fun with it , I’ll be interested in how you feel about it.

morrow:
Now the tuners on mine were not very good. I went looking for replacements but couldn’t find a true replacement. They were on a lot of Matsumoku instruments in the mid 70’s.
I came across a YouTube video that suggested that a good cleaning and lubing might be all they needed.

And they now work perfectly , no slipping. It’s a miracle. It also made me wonder how many tuners have been needlessly trashed.

ilan:
Congrats!

Last week I've lowballed this one and lost.

slinkp:
Those are indeed very nice to play and sound good. I had a single-coil sunburst one for a while in the 1990s. Wish I still had it.  I mangled mine into a sort of homemade baritone by converting it (badly and cheaply) into a six-string instrument. I don't know where that instrument ended up.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page