Glarry GP bass review

[ped]

Full disclosure: This bass was sent to me by Glarry Music. We were in discussion about advertising and I wanted to try the product beforehand. They sent me a bass to try in return for a review on Basschat.

The Glarry GP bass retails for an incredible £72.99 with free shipping. 

Yes that's right - this bass costs about the same as an effects pedal or a couple of packs of strings. It can't be any good, surely? Maybe OK for a beginner? I had to try one for myself to see just how bad a bass in this price range would be.

 

Glarry GP in bright yellow

 

I have had a few Precision style basses over the years, and my first bass was a Squier Affinity Precision Bass (now apparently only available as a PJ) in blue. P basses are often associated with beginners; they're cheap, simple and fit in with all sorts of music. That's why many seasoned players end up going full circle and purchasing a more expensive 'boutique' Precision years later.

Someone new to playing bass may not have much money to spend, not knowing whether they'll play for long, and with so many other demands on finances - so one might assume a cheap bass is the way to go. I'm going to argue this can be the case, but with some exceptions.

 

The paintwork is flawless

 

The bass arrived in a triangular cardboard box with a styrofoam insert holding the bass. Included are wrenches for the bridge saddles and truss rod, plus a 1/4" jack lead. Although the lead is cheap and rather thin looking, it's a nice addition. Indeed, Glarry sell a pack including an amplifier for £104.99. This looks like the ideal starter kit, doesn't it?

Immediately upon picking up the bass, I could see how well finished it appeared to be. The bright yellow paint was even and flawless to my eye - and the fit and finish of the accoutrements seemed every bit as good as I expected. The body is incredibly light, making the neck feel heavy, however as a whole the bass only weighs 3.05kg with the balance point being around the 15th fret. 

After tuning up I decided to have a quick play to see how it felt 'out of the box', which is how many beginner players would use the bass. I don't remember ever thinking about action or truss rods when I started playing; it wasn't until much later that I started to tinker and get any bass playing better. As some have pointed out, those hard won early battles against high action and poor setup allow us to later appreciate a finer instrument and may even help develop our playing early on, but with budget basses being so well made these days, it's hard to argue now that someone should put up with something poorly setup. The trouble is how the player would know that their instrument can do better.

 

The attractive headstock

 

As such, out of the box, I found it difficult to play. The action was quite high and there was some back bow to the neck, choking out the first two frets. The strings supplied were steel rounds which felt about 0.045 standard gauge - they felt a little rough and there was some 'chorusing' on the E string which I've had with dud strings before - however, the bass was playable; it had a decent output and I'm sure a younger me could have lived with it like that, no problem. Often at Bass Bashes I play someone else's bass and find the action way too high for my tastes, so I think my own preferences should be ignored from this perspective - I should think someone more used to a higher action would have found it perfectly comfortable. I did wonder if it would be helpful for the bass to come with a brief setup guide, but that could appear daunting and I suppose most people would be able to find out some basic tips online if they were so inclined. My own worry would be that some people might not realise and it could put them off playing.

 

The tuners are where the cost cutting is most evident

 

Let's start with the top of the bass and work our way down. The headstock, bearing the quite stylish looking Glarry logo is unfinished maple, as is the back of the neck. It's generally smooth to the touch but has a very slight roughness, though the back of the neck feels great. The tuners are fairly poor quality - after a little grease they started to work more positively but they are quite rough and stiff to turn, especially when stringing up from scratch. Once you're in the right ballpark they seem to hold the tuning well and adjustments are easy and accurate, but their stiffness really gave me a workout as I strung the bass up and down whilst I adjusted and dismantled the instrument. I should have bought a motorised winder!

The fretboard is a dark rosewood. It's quite a thick slab and it looked very dry, with small pieces of fluff stuck in the grain from where it has been presumably wiped down during construction. I gave it a liberal application of Planet Waves Hydrate which really helped the look and feel of the board.

The neck itself is quite rounded and fairly deep which took a little getting used to but familiar to many with a  42mm nut. Worth mentioning is the fretwork - it's extremely tidy!! No high frets I can detect, not yet at least - and although the fret ends are cut a little roughly they can be easily addressed.

 

Before - a bit dry!

After - looks much nicer!

Action post shim showing fret ends

 

The neck joins the body in a conventional bolt on fashion. Here, there's a plastic spacer between the neck plate and the basswood body and a four bolt arrangement. I found the neck pocket to be too deep, so I ended up adding a shim to lift the fretboard up, allowing a lower action. Even by normal standards, with the bridge saddled flat on the floor, the action was quite high and I noticed how close the fretboard was to the surface of the body, almost more like a neck thru design. I'm not sure if this is normal or whether mine was cut a little deep, but I added a shim of about 2mm to bring the action into line. I should note that I also had to file the saddle of the G string down another 2mm in order to get a super low action - again, not something everyone would need to do.

 

Neck with shim added

 

I restrung the bass with Ernie Ball Cobalt Flatwound strings, 0.040 size, which instantly made it feel better and reigned in some of the uneven response from the round wounds. Worth mentioning though that the rounds that came with the bass are for sale at only £6.99. The Cobalt flats alone cost more than half the price of the rest of the bass. Worth mentioning and also noticed at this point was the nut - it was quite rough and had a few sharp edges which I removed with a knife and some sandpaper. Otherwise it seems to be cut just right and functional enough.

 

The nut before tidying up

New strings

 

The precision bass pickup is a thing of great mystery - there are so many types, overwound, underwound, alnico or ceramic magnets, vintage or modern, poles or blades, you name it. The pickup use here is actually perfectly acceptable - it has a good even response which is particularly snappy in the treble range and though I think it lacks some low end, the output is decent and it has a truly authoritative sound. The pole pieces sit quite proud of the cover which I don't like the feel of because I keep touching them, but I've seen others which are flush with the cover so I'm not sure which is most common. The height of the pickup was a little bit low, and the lack of foam underneath or springs on the retaining screws means that can't be adjusted easily, and I'm not taking the strings off again to add some springs until I have that motorised winder!

Electronically all seemed in order - it’s a simple wiring harness, the soldering looked quite neat and the pots are freely rotating and with a nice amount of resistance. However, after reassembling the bass (I removed the pick guard and removed the debris in the cavity and sandpapered off a few rough edges on the plate itself) I found the tone control no longer worked. After some poking about with a screwdriver I found the cap on the tone pot had one leg touching the wire to the volume knob - the post are quite small and the legs are quite close together. I probably bent it a little bit whilst removing the plate, so I bent it back into position and all was fine again. I'm not sure that would have been a problem otherwise.

 

The Glarry P bass pickup

The guts and wiring - would benefit from a little extra shielding

 

And finally, the bridge. A classic 'bent tin' affair, with five bolts at the back but also an extra two at the front corners. The saddles are free to move side to side of course, but once strings are under tension it's stable enough. Adjusting the intonation was fine, but as mentioned I did have to file down the string slot on the G string as those barrel saddles are quite tall - but I've had to do that on all sorts of basses, not just cheap ones. Otherwise it's business as usual at this end.

 

The bridge after adjustment

 

My overall impression? I now have a super playable and excellent sounding bass which is great to look at, comfortable, light and CHEAP! I definitely recommend that you buy one if you're confident with doing setups or just want to have a play around - even for the painted body alone you can't say fairer than the price. Others have pointed out how these basses could be the ideal testbed for modifying, but personally I think it's just great fun playing such a cheap and cheerful instrument.

Would I recommend one to a beginner? I think so, with a caveat - honestly I think once set up properly these make superb basses for beginners or otherwise, but they really do need some fettling to make them more playable, which ultimately might mean a beginner sticks with it. The trouble, as mentioned, is getting a beginner to realise that they should put some cash aside for a setup when they buy one - however with a test sample of one bass, I'm not able to judge how well setup there are generally. As mine had a little backbow on the neck I think a beginner would be reluctant to try and adjust that themselves.

The sound? well, I know some magazines and reviews give a star rating but I don't think it's possible to judge the sound with stars - all I'll say is that this bass sounds great now, with good strings it has all the snap and clank I like from a Precision. You could say it's a little 'poky' sounding, but it has a really nice character and I really do like the treble response of that pickup.

Soon I'll add some sound clips to the post but in the meantime, please ask away if you have any questions!

Cheers

ped

 

[mybass]

This has all the hallmarks of a cheap bass that a complete novice would buy and be put off bass playing for the rest of their life!

[yorks5stringer]

 

Thanks at last for an objective  and nuanced review of the Glarry Bass (in stark contrast to the  posting from July 5th below which smells of paid-for reviews), or maybe you were just unlucky.....?

Well, it's been a week today that I received my Glarry Burlywood Precision Bass and I have to say that I am a believer.  I am simply amazed.  Not a sharp fret on this baby. No flaws on the finish and the back of the neck is satin finish like I prefer them to be.  The neck is straight as an arrow with no buzzing...quite playable out of the box.  Width at nut is 1.67", 0.86" front to back C shape and 1.03" at 12th fret transition to D shape.

 

The pups were very quiet and I raised them up a bit and they did get louder, but they seem to be low output.  No noise.  The knobs were great with no static and firm to turn.

 

For an entry level bass this thing is simply amazing.  It is also about 6.5 lbs. on my analog 'health-o-meter' bath scale.  Very light, so this is also worth looking into for gigging musicians with some back issues who know how to do some minor mods.

 

It shipped from a New Jersey warehouse to my front door in two days via Fed-Ex.  Really quick!

 

 

[hooky_lowdown]

2 hours ago, mybass said:

This has all the hallmarks of a cheap bass that a complete novice would buy and be put off bass playing for the rest of their life!

This is very true. Having owned the same one (in bright yellow) it was horrible. 😫

[Pea Turgh]

Having to shim a neck to that extent out of the box is something Glarry may wish to address with their CNC machine!

[Bassassin]

2 hours ago, Pea Turgh said:

Having to shim a neck to that extent out of the box is something Glarry may wish to address with their CNC machine!

In fairness exactly the same result could have been achieved with a much smaller - and lower - shim in the back end of the pocket, simply changing the angle of the neck rather than raising the entire thing. Would look somewhat less, err, conspicuous too.

The majority of bolt-neck instruments I've worked on either already have, or benefit from a shim at the back of the pocket.

[ped]

6 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

In fairness exactly the same result could have been achieved with a much smaller - and lower - shim in the back end of the pocket, simply changing the angle of the neck rather than raising the entire thing. Would look somewhat less, err, conspicuous too.

The majority of bolt-neck instruments I've worked on either already have, or benefit from a shim at the back of the pocket.

I tried that first but I couldn't get it to feel right. This wedge does actually get slightly thicker towards the back giving a little tilt but I think a single partial shim would have left quite an unsightly gap as it would have necessitated quite an angle!

[Vinny]

Nice post, Ped.

I'm afraid I'd have gone with 'the best thing about it is the colour - burn it.'

I've a Harley Benton here (acquired off this very forum) that retails not far north of a hundred quid. I've changed the strings and can't put it down, it's not just 'good for a cheapy', it's a properly useful instrument.

Strange how the beginner's market has improved by whole orders of magnitude, yet still manages to remain something of a minefield.

[Al Krow]

Knock £12.99 off for shipping. That leaves £60 for the bass.

Does that imply around £10 to £15 for the pups?

I didn't know anything vaguely decent existed at that price point? Although if the "snug fit" of the pups is anything to go by, we're likely to be getting what we pay for!

In my experience it's defo possible to pay too little for stuff. I'd be very concerned for anyone starting out on bass that this could be one of those occasions. 

Loved the quality of the review btw ped. But, genuinely, would you recommend it to someone starting out?

[hooky_lowdown]

A quirk with these basses is that if you spray a little bit of WD40 onto the logo on the headstock, leave it for a few minutes to seap in, and wipe (medium pressure) with some kitchen roll or a cloth the logo will actually wipe off completely, leaving an 'unbranded' headstock and no marks at all.

[ped]

30 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Knock £12.99 off for shipping. That leaves £60 for the bass.

Does that imply around £10 to £15 for the pups?

I didn't know anything vaguely decent existed at that price point? Although if the "snug fit" of the pups is anything to go by, we're likely to be getting what we pay for!

In my experience it's defo possible to pay too little for stuff. I'd be very concerned for anyone starting out on bass that this could be one of those occasions. 

Loved the quality of the review btw ped. But, genuinely, would you recommend it to someone starting out?

Thanks - well, this one would now be fine for a beginner or even just someone wanting to dip their toes into P territory - but buying one unseen and expecting it to play right out of the box perhaps not. I’d have to see a few to say how well setup they generally arrive (and other reviews seem fairly positive and not as picky as me with action/relief) so hard to say really.

[CamdenRob]

Do other P Basses look like that under the pickguard 😕

Glarry are not alone here though... I tried an older Fodera Emperor the other day. Went to the shop with the full intention of taking it home if I liked it and the routing for the bridge pickup (whilst not like the Glarry) was shocking... could easily have slid a £1 coin in and out 😕 and that bass was 100 times the price of this one 😕

Edited September 16, 2019 by CamdenRob

[ped]

28 minutes ago, CamdenRob said:

Do other P Basses look like that under the pickguard 😕

 

Might explain why it’s so light!

[CamdenRob]

1 hour ago, ped said:

Might explain why it’s so light!

I’ve heard Strat players refer to this as “swimming pool routing” ... a google image search of the same throws up some horrific results 😕

Edited September 16, 2019 by CamdenRob

[CamdenRob]

All other points to one side though it’s got a great paint job 🍌 

[lemmywinks]

8 minutes ago, CamdenRob said:

I’ve heard Strat players refer to this as “swimming pool routing” ... a google image search of the same throws up some horrific results 😕

 

Probably best not look under any USA/MIM Fender Jazz pickguards if you have one, some of them have an Olympic sized swimming pool rout!

Edited September 16, 2019 by lemmywinks

[ped]

Guess that’s why they have scratch plates! 

[Guest]

I do wonder why anyone would make a bass for sale at this price - there comes a point where you’re just building down to a price. There are many great instruments out there but even something as basic as a P bass only tends to be decent upwards of £150 or so - and in the used market a squirt classic vibe or similar isn’t too far away in price and would probably needs next to none of the fettling required.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

I do wonder why anyone would make a bass for sale at this price - there comes a point where you’re just building down to a price. There are many great instruments out there but even something as basic as a P bass only tends to be decent upwards of £150 or so - and in the used market a squirt classic vibe or similar isn’t too far away in price and would probably needs next to none of the fettling required.

I'd imagine these prices are mainly aimed at home studio warriors or guitar players who want to dabble in bass a little bit without too much effort or cost. Beginner bass players or more experienced players wanting a cheapo/backup bass would most likely be more inclined to go used, but for £72.99 delivered in two days you can't say no I guess, if you're that lazy.

[dave_bass5]

Sue Ryder comes to mind here. Anyone remember those?

[mcnach]

10 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Sue Ryder comes to mind here. Anyone remember those?

 

That's exactly what I thought, even the pickup looks similar with the polepieces sticking out the same way.

I still have one. They were £60 at the time. Mine got defretted (frets removed by myself in 20 minutes and then had a luthier friend of mine plane the fingerboard properly, filling the fret slots with sycamore veneers) and I put a DiMarzio Model P in it (decent and inexpensive pickup, comes often in the market place used). It actually turned out better than my fretless MIJ Fender Precision, beautiful maple unline board... and the Fender is long gone.

Instruments in this price range are best seen as something to spend some time working on, or simply as a platform for modification. If you enjoy doing that kind of thing, you'll have fun and can end up with something decent. If you just want to play the bass, it'd probably wiser to save and spend a bit more. To be fair, you can't possibly expect great quality at that price... 

 

 

[gjones]

To be sold at that price at a profit, I assume it is produced in a sweatshop, on the other side of the planet,  by 10 year olds, who are paid 50 cents a day.

Out of interest, where was this bass manufactured? 

 

[ped]

34 minutes ago, gjones said:

To be sold at that price at a profit, I assume it is produced in a sweatshop, on the other side of the planet,  by 10 year olds, who are paid 50 cents a day.

Out of interest, where was this bass manufactured? 

 

This is on a list of questions I’m going to ask as a follow up. I’d like to know more about how they’re made. 

[dave_bass5]

3 hours ago, gjones said:

To be sold at that price at a profit, I assume it is produced in a sweatshop, on the other side of the planet,  by 10 year olds, who are paid 50 cents a day.

Out of interest, where was this bass manufactured? 

 

Strange that we all admire 10 year old's that can play bass well, but not those that can make them........😎

[ped]

13 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Strange that we all admire 10 year old's that can play bass well, but not those that can make them........😎

If they made them properly maybe!