univox vs. mosrite
- Thread starter genny
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Oster
Friend of Leo's
What wasn't impressive about the Mosrite? The reason I ask is Lee Dorman (Iron Butterfly/Captain Beyond) is one of my favorite all-time bassists and he played a Mosrite bass. Phenomenal sound.
I know the Univox has a following in the grunge/alt/indie crowd. Price would be an issue for me as well but I really can't see the copy outperforming the original, the originals being very well made high quality instruments - competing at the time with original Fenders and Gibsons.
However, if I saw a cheap Univox Hi-flyer bass lying around I'd probably buy it too though. There's one at a studio I work in and it's a nice bass.
I know the Univox has a following in the grunge/alt/indie crowd. Price would be an issue for me as well but I really can't see the copy outperforming the original, the originals being very well made high quality instruments - competing at the time with original Fenders and Gibsons.
However, if I saw a cheap Univox Hi-flyer bass lying around I'd probably buy it too though. There's one at a studio I work in and it's a nice bass.
Ray G
Tele-Holic
I respectfully take the other extreme. I've never played a Mosrite bass but I've played many Mosrite guitars over the years and frankly thought they were all dogs. A friend has a Hi-Flyer bass and it is pretty nice... he got it new for Christmas in the mid-70's and it got used A LOT and it held up. After many years he finally had to change the tuners but that was it. You saved a lot of dough with the Univox and probably got a better instrument.
Congrats and enjoy the Hi-Flyer!
Congrats and enjoy the Hi-Flyer!
If I'm not mistaken, Univox instruments from the 70's were made in Japan at the same factory that produces Aria, Aria Pro II, Fernandes and Burny instruments. Most of the 70's Univox "lawsuit" instruments have developed a cult collector's cache, since they are, buy and large, excellent quality axes.
Oster
Friend of Leo's
I don't take any extreme, I just see a lot of "my cheap copy is way better than the original" on the internet. I'm not rich so I own and have owned a lot of inexpensive guitars and basses myself. It's enough that I like them and they work for me. They don't have to be better than the originals as well.
Mosrite though to me is a legendary brand on which some legendary players made some legendary music. No Mosrite owners go around saying "my Mosrite is way better than that Univox". Respectfully, my feeling is that they don't have to.
Same goes for Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers, etc.
Again, no extremes with me and once again, I'd buy a Univox as well if it were cheap and available.
Mosrite though to me is a legendary brand on which some legendary players made some legendary music. No Mosrite owners go around saying "my Mosrite is way better than that Univox". Respectfully, my feeling is that they don't have to.
Same goes for Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers, etc.
Again, no extremes with me and once again, I'd buy a Univox as well if it were cheap and available.
bought the hi-flyer ...... tracked with it last night. it has a huge "thunk-y" motown sound. And I'm very happy. Two pickups, and a lot of different tone options. Sunburst, good looking.
The pick ups we're just as big sounding as the single pick-up ventures bass I played two nights ago.
Mosrites, like all builders, have their bell curve. So I'm not disrespecting any builder. The one I played, happened to not be what I was looking for.
If i had plugged it in, and it had "it". I probably would have bought it.
The pick ups we're just as big sounding as the single pick-up ventures bass I played two nights ago.
Mosrites, like all builders, have their bell curve. So I'm not disrespecting any builder. The one I played, happened to not be what I was looking for.
If i had plugged it in, and it had "it". I probably would have bought it.
Ray G
Tele-Holic
Genny - Glad you like your Hi-Flyer! I always liked my friends and it's a fun instrument to play. And yes they were made at the same factory that produced Aria, Westbury, and I'm sure many others. For a couple of years Aria actually put there own tag on Hi-Flyers too but I can't recall what the model name was. I've really liked the Hi-Flyer guitars I've played as well. I was just never that impressed with the Mosrites I've played. YRMV
Enjoy your new bass!!!
Enjoy your new bass!!!
Oster
Friend of Leo's
Glad you like your Hi-Flyer too.
Just for the sake of this discussion though (if not to potentially save someone from spending $4000.00 on a fake), here's a quote from Jim Roberts' American Basses:
Copies of Mosrite instruments, including Ventures model basses, are still being produced in the Far East, many of them exact (though unauthorized) replicas of the original instruments.
He's not talking about Univox, he means guitars and basses branded as Mosrite which aren't. I wonder if these are the instruments that are giving one of the better names in classic American guitars such a bad rap on this thread!
By the way, a real Mosrite Ventures bass is a set-neck instrument. I've seen bolt on copies.
Just for the sake of this discussion though (if not to potentially save someone from spending $4000.00 on a fake), here's a quote from Jim Roberts' American Basses:
Copies of Mosrite instruments, including Ventures model basses, are still being produced in the Far East, many of them exact (though unauthorized) replicas of the original instruments.
He's not talking about Univox, he means guitars and basses branded as Mosrite which aren't. I wonder if these are the instruments that are giving one of the better names in classic American guitars such a bad rap on this thread!
By the way, a real Mosrite Ventures bass is a set-neck instrument. I've seen bolt on copies.
Just fwiw, I played a real-deal Mosrite bass in a store in Boulder, Colorado, about ten years ago, and it was really quite wonderful. Nothing cheap about its construction or tone, and it was quite lovely, too...
Cheers, Tim
Cheers, Tim
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