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In my introductory post yesterday, I mentioned that I'm the owner of a "new" (its new to me:) circa-1971 Univox Hi-Flier. The guitar appears to be all original except for the string trees, the knobs and one of the strap buttons. I had one just like it about 30 years ago and it scratched the Mosrite itch of a poor student.

This one is pure nostalgia and survived in pretty good shape for almost 40 years:





Look, Ma, no buckle rash:



The worst of the wear:



It got a fret level and dress and a great setup at my buddy's music store (he's a great tech) and it plays wonderfully--probably better now than it did when it was new.

Cassady

Very cool! I love white guitars. How would you compare that guitar to others you've played? I've never seen one in person.

Sarah93003 wrote:Very cool! I love white guitars. How would you compare that guitar to others you've played? I've never seen one in person.

It plays very "soft" and seems like a cross between a Les Paul (low action, low string tension) and one of the lower level Squiers (the neck is quite narrow at the nut, but the string spacing is standard). It will take some getting used to as I'm mostly an acoustic player and generally reach for a Fender or Gretsch when I'm playing electric. In other words, I'm used to a much stiffer action and this one definitely calls for a light touch.

The neck is also very thin in profile. I think you'd call this one a shallow D profile. I prefer something closer to a baseball bat for a neck, but I'm adapting surprisingly quickly.

The vibrato works well and the guitar stays in tune.

I think my tech deserves more credit for the way this plays than the Univox factory does--he said that it didn't appear that the frets had ever been leveled before he did it; he also re-cut the nut for proper action height and tuning when using the whammy bar.

As far as sound goes, on the bridge pickup it's darn near as bright and twangy as a Tele and isn't as middy as you'd expect from a P90 equipped Les Paul Junior or Special, even though it has P90s. The neck pickup is really nice, too--very rich and full, still thinner than Gibson P90s or humbuckers, but quite full. It will never be as wonderful as a Strat neck pickup is, but it's pretty darned good.

It's a VERY good playing guitar and a nice trip down memory lane. Not to mention the fact that it's never likely to depreciate too much:)

Cassady

Congrats on the guitar - Sounds like you're really enjoying it, and the nostalgia is a great part of the enjoyment, so it's worth the price you paid! I had one of those back in the early 70s, and like you stated, it "quelled" that desire for a Mosrite. Glad you're having fun!
Dennis

While not a Mosrite, when one holds a similar shape and nicely done, it has its own satisfaction but, unfortunately and depending on the person, one still hungers for the real thing. That hunger can be satisfied with an almost-copy closer to the original. I satisfied my need for a Mosrite bass (again!) with my new Dillion DMB7504. Now, I visit eBay's Mosrite listings just to appreciate the beauty of Mosrites but I no longer hunger for one as my Dillion is a like a 3- or 4-course meal! Waiter, check!

But take a look a Univox Hi-Flier that I owned for just a few days because when I took it to a techie to have a non-working pickup checked he found other problems and I was very fortunate that I dealt with an honest business owner, Randy of The Guitar Attic in Daytona Beach, FL. Not only did he send me a prepaid label to return the bass at his expense, but he also refunded the fee I paid the techie! After I returned the beautiful, natural Hi-Flier, I had bouts of remorse as I wished I had kept it and paid for the fixes as I got it originally for a darn good, low price of $199! But as with all things, if I had kept it and fixed it I would have been happy, kept on looking at eBay listings and I might have missed the Dillion I bought since every move one makes changes one's life.

Thank you Cassady. Excellent report!

yeah, i'm starting understand Sarah is wacko for white guitars, lol

oipunkguy wrote:yeah, i'm starting understand Sarah is wacko for white guitars, lol

Ya, it's a character flaw.

A fine looking guitar Cassady, enjoy it to the full