Univox Hi-Flier

Bough this Bad Boy in say 1977/78
Black
It had Humbuckers
Stop Tail Piece
Basic Guitar

Ok, I sold this after completely wearing it out in 1983ish. I was in college and needed money. I ran this through an all tub Earth halfstack 100 watts. I played Purple, Kansas, Zep, Tull at the time. The guitar was awesome. When I cranked the amp up and played the sustain and feedback and distortion was awesome. I did not use any effects...I used the gain on the amp and pure tube driven high volume. I litteraly could be heard for mile :) My neighbors would call begging me to STOP!!

I remember the Fenders and Gibsons were all priced out of my range. This was a good second tier starter with some great tones, great action, and playability. It looked great too.

I see a lot of the glowing reviews...and I remeber my guitar fondly...but I think its a bit overrated by some.

No issues. I played this guitar every day and hard for many years...the Fret board was about worn when I sold it.

Oh yes, this guitar was tough. It never failed me and never had a problem.

After college I completely stopped playing for about 12 years. In 1997 I started up again by buying a Fender Mex Strat ( a decent guitar), an Epi les Paul Custon ( a beauty but lacking in sound - which I got rid of), a Blackmore Signature Fender Strat (I'm a Purple person - great sounding guitar but spotty quality), a Gibson les Paul DC Standard (awesome), a Carvin DC127 Custom (awesome), and finally a EVH Wolfgang (awesome for heavier stuff). Where does the hi flier rate? Hard for me to say since it was so long ago. Clearly not comparable to my Gibson, Carvin, or Wolfie. Even the Blackmore Strat is not a fair comparison. I like it better than the epi for sure and would rate it above the standard strat...close call though. If I could find one I would buy it...same for my earth amp for nostalia more than anything else. I know Nirvana and Curt loved these things and so did I. It was a great starter with some great tone and playability.

1974-5 (not exactly sure), phase 3 Univox Hi Flyer, Made in Japan (in the Matsumoku factory, same as 70s Epiphone, Aria, etc. Ibanez too? Pretty sure on that, but don't quote me. GREAT STUFF all around), Mosrite Copy, etc etc... This thing's got 2 humbucking pickups, toggle switch, one volume and one tone knob. Pickups? i dunno who made em... has got a tremelo unit (jazzmaster style) installed, good tuners (original), very fast neck, smallish frets, low action, etc... i give it a 9 cos its got what I need and i'll talk about the rest later.

OK, I may be biased as this is my absolute favorite guitar... i have two of em (the other is a Phase 4 with a stoptail/wraparound bridge. i switched that out for a Badass). Totally suits my musical style... I play a lot of Garage (Troggs, Seeds, etc), Psychadelia (Spacemen 3, Hawkwind, Blue Cheer), Stoner/70's (Grand Funk, Sabbath), Punk (Black Flag, Stooges), etc.... Sounds excellent through my Traynor MkIII 2x12 (damn, forgot the year. 1970 i think). The Pickups are rich and full, but not muddy like some other humbuckers i've heard. for humbuckers they're kinda bright and crisp sounding, but just enough, you know? I usually prefer p90's but these pickups have got a great reputation and it's clear to see why.

well, this phase 3 was practically dead stock when i got it. muta been in a closet for 30 years. a FEW nicks in the body. but all the hardware is clean and minty and the pickguard and pickup rings are totally fresh looking. i lucked out on this one.
needed a BIT of setup, but overall, it plays VERY well and didn't need too much.
the guitar has a natural finish.
everything is made very well. i've heard people complain about the tuners, but this stays in tune just fine. the hardwars is all good, good nut, etc etc...

I'm a little overprotective of this one and tend to use my other Hi Flyer for gigging. But, will it withstand countless gigs, the road and abuse? Sure. I wouldn't push it too far, but it's totally solid. gotta watch out for the neck/body joint as the body is very thin. Cracking in this area is common with these, but not a problem. most i've seen (like my other one) appear to have only cracked a bit in the finish, so no problem...
the finish will last as will the hardware, no question.
i would play this without a backup (usually don't bring one anyway), without a doubt.

i wish! but www.univox.org can be very helpful and informative.

been monkeying around for 13 years or so. like i said, i have two Hi Flyers, another Hi Flyer bass, and a Hagstrom Bass.
If this were stolen or lost i would run out and get another one or maybe two more. Perfect guitar for me. Very lightweight, fast neck, great sound, great look... The original Mosrite Ventures guitars are great too, but they sound WAY different (more twang... they're SURF guitars!). the Hi Flyer suits me much better. fairly versatile and all that. other Mosrite copies are cool, for sure, but the Hi Flyer has a sound and character all it's own. Grab one while you can as they prices are getting astronomical. 500 to 600 bucks for one is just way too much... it kills me when i see them listed as "RARE"... Univox PUMPED these babies out and there must be thousands and thousands of em out there.

Mid to late '70's phase 4 Hi Flyer. (What a crappy name.)22 fret maple on maple fretboard, black dot markers, and it's a bolt on. Standard crapenese button tuners, plastic nut. Clear gloss finish on a poplar double cut-a-way body. Gibson styled trapeze tailpice, master volume and tone controls and a 3 way switch. 2 "Magnatone" humbuckers, and a top mounted output jack. The neck is a 24 3/4" scale, that is round, and yet comfortable.

You have to remember that this was not a high end guitar. Keeping that in mind, it's surprisingly nice soundind. The pickups, which were the standard for Matsumuko, are really quite toneful! No, they aren't high output, but will fill the bill quite nicely for blues and jazz. There a richness here that doesn't seem possible considering the thinness of the guitar's body. (A little more than an inch thick.)

Since it's used, there's no way to comment on it. But...

Remember how I said about the thin body? Well therein lies the problem. I've seen quite a few of these, and they all suffer from the same problem of the bolt on neck cracking and splitting the block where it's bolted to. It's a simple fix, but a pain to do. It has to be refinished after the repair. (This one, since it's such a girly looking guitar, will be redone in a Barbie pink._

With the first solid crack on the headstock, these guitars tend to crack. Other than that, which is kinda the same with most guitars, and the need for real tuners, it would withstand th rigours of the road. And I wouldn't play without a backup anytime.

Yea, right.

I like this guitar. It's lightweight, toneful, and has the unique look that I like. The pickups are great, and the neck is really comfortable. I've never cared for maple fretboards, and the output jack tends to get in the way. Otherwise, it's great.

I bought my Phase 3 off of eBay from a lady in Edmonton for $430 Canadian with shipping. I was playing a Westone Spectrum S before(it was my first guitar) and I am amazed at how well this Univox plays. I have tried out a lot of different guitars and I still love this guitar the most out of everything I have played. The tuners never go outta tune even when it's in the gigbag. It's got a tune-o-matic bridge on it, and the only really problem is that the volume knob scratches a bit, but I just haven't got around to cleaning it yet.

It has a really thin neck on it and plays amazing. The pickups are really loud and have a really nice distorted sound. It has really nice sustain and sounds really good. It's tone is so deep and rich, it was the first thing I noticed about it. The pick ups are very high output and are capable of holding a long note. I am using an Electro-Harmonix Small Clone and a Boss Ds-2 Distortion pedal and wow, I can get so many amazing sounds with this guitar.

It's got a sunburst finish. The action on this is really nice and low, but there is a little fret buzz here and there, but I love the tiny frets it has.

This guitar could easily withstand a live show, or as many as I could give it. The finish isn't going anywhere, and the strap buttons are solid. It's a very reliable guitar. I am not doing any "major" mods on this guitar, it's amazing the way it is.

I haven't had to deal with anyone cause I haven't had to do anything to it yet, but I would just go to a local store to have anything done.

I love this guitar. I am definatly buying another one of these guitars, only with P-90's instead of my humbuckers. I am also going to buy a Fender Jaguar. I really love the sustain this thing has, it's a hell of a lot better than any Strat I have played. I wouldn't trade this guitar for any Strat, it plays, sounds, feels, and looks amazing, and has a really light body. I love this guitar.

Probably late 1960's Jap made-volume, tone and 3 way selector switch and rather poor tremelo system (best not to use anyway). 2 P-90 style single coil p/u, thin neck sunburst finish on real thin body. Original case. You probably know by now..........

Gosh be darn........I really love these things. I would hold them up against a Jaguar any day. Action is great and the sustain is amaising. I've never had the humbuckers, so I can't say, but the P-90 single coils rock esp. with my Boss DS-1. The three way toggle sets neck, bridge and both. The bridge id extreemly bright and the neck is...well...mellow>go figure. Did I say I love this thing.

The action is to die for. Every note is effortless for me with this guitar and I'm rather a crude player. The p/u's can be height adjusted for var. sounds.

I hear alot of people say they can't keep these things in tune but I most emphatically disagree. I bend the notes all over the place with 10.5's and stay true as can be. The finish on this thing is P E R F E C T. Like someone stored it for years. Not a scratch front or back-a few dings on edges, but hardly noticable. Kurt played these things live and he was known for pretty abusive playing. Dont do a neck slam-for obvious reasons.

N/A

I've played off and on since I was fourteen (many years ago) and lo and behold, a Hi-Flier was the first guitar my parents gave me. It was pretty cheap back then and hardly respected (like it is now-ha). Just because some grunge hipsters took hold, these things have taken on a bigger than life status. Before Nirvana, you could have probably picked them up at the pawn shop for $100.00 (if your lucky, still can). Don't expect to on ebay though. But even for $400.00 these things are the real deal. I've played Fenders, Gibsons and the REAL bad Harmony guitars-and I will put this thing up to them all in a heartbeat. A very solid 9.5 on the richter scale.

I used own one of these baby.
I remember buying it for $110. Back in 1975.
Olyimpic white. rosewoods frett board. two black soapbar pickups
a tremolo I never use( tuning stablitie wasn't great) Funky looking
head stock. Univox was decal. Big knobs. was stringing it up with
Mapes 9,s. does anybody remember mapes strings back then.

All I remember is that it scream and sustain like an old les paul Jr.
all this from oringnal univox soapbar pickups.
did alot of Jr high and high school gigs with it.
I had alot of people thought I had humbuckers on it.
it was light. so maybe a basswood.
It sounded rich and full. my amp back then was a gibson tube amp
with 2 x12 either altec or langsing speakers.
the amp was point to point wired. so cranking it up and getting
great distortion and sustain was easy. cool combo between the guitar
and amp.

I was 15 or 16 at time . everything about the guitar look great to me
All I know was it was a jamming guitar and my very first guitar that
I bought from being a dishwasher back then.

Through out this review I will not rate the guitar as too it was back
in 1975 and I was 16.

As far as I know it was a work horse.

who dealt with that back then ?

Like I said. It was a Jamming guitar. untill I got upset with my
girlfreind back in 1975 and smash it out in the street then threw it
in the fire place. I was a idiot of course. My gibson amp back then
was given to a drug dealer to save ,what I thought was my freind
to cover his ass miss handling of grass. But I live and learn. I wish
I still had it. But that ok I now own a collecting of fenders gibson
rare proto types. and Oranges and VHT amps. Hoorah !!!

A very early phase one Hi Flyer in black. Made in Japan.
How many frets? 21
Solid-Top? Laminated top? I would bet this sucker is basswood
Which controls are given (volume, tone, 5-way selector, 3-way, tap, etc...)? volume/ tone pickup selecter.
Pickup configuration? (S/S/H, H/H, S/H, Piezo, etc...) 2 P90 like pickups
Make and model of pickups? Univox, baby
Active or Passive electronics? passive analog grunge
Finish black nitro like finish
Body style Just like a Mosrite Ventures...
Bridge style Wacky, deficient Jaguar style bridge
Tuners : the cheapest possible 3 on a tree, but damnit they work and if it ain't broke...
Neck/Scale: very fast maple neck with rosewood board

This guitar sounds like nothing else on the planet. It SHOULD NOT sustain like it does, but somehow it does...Man these things are weird...
It seems to sound best with my Fender silverface Pro Reverb
Is it noisy? On what settings? It's as noisy as the endo of a Sonic Youth concert, but thats rock and roll!
Rich/Full sound? Bright sound? Very rich tone, go figure
What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety? Nice Gibson'y tone with the neck pickup, but less muddy. Great out of phase twang with both pickups, harsh grunge with the treble pickup (must use fuzz box)
Likes and dislikes? The headstock design is insane...Requires ALL strings to be tied down by a string tree, or they will slip out of the nut.

A copy of the legendary Mosrite Ventures model, which were/ are huge in Japan, hence the first wave of the copy era. I actually like the way these play better than Mosrites. Of course the Mosrite is built better, but these wacky little dudes are cool cool cool, other than the string slippage and buzz issues. It sounds surprisingly good and its sexy as Brigitte Bardot. Take it to a good guitar tech and have it set up well (must replace cheesy bridge saddles with Mustang saddles, available through All Parts). Vibrato is puny.

It stays in tune relatively well. I like it as a backup guitar and it looks cool as hell in my living room. I may play a few songs on it but never a whole set. I'm not one of those dudes into funky guitars just cuz they're different. These beasts truly rawk out in a big way.

fuhgeddaboutit

How long have you been playing? 23 years
What other gear do you own? Fender Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Strat, Tele. Gretsch Nashville, Ricky 330/12. etc


Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?

may I use your washroom?

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

I've owned 2 of these suckers. The other one was an insanely rare factory half red/ half blue paintjob (with one red pickup and one blue one) and I'd do anything except sell my soul to George Burns to get it back.
What do you love about it? the looks, the sound, it's light weight


What do you hate? the puny vibrato bar, poor headstock design


What is your favorite feature? the neck, prolly
Anything you wish it had? class

iit's a 1975 i figured that based on the pickup config. and some history research, 21 frets, flat top except routed edge all the way around, volume, tone 3way toggle, two humbuckers stock they are so aged and sound awesome, basswood body rosewood fretboard, old jaguar like bridge and tail piece, old finish but vintage

it's a little noisey but i'm a big sonic youth fan so that isn't really a bad thing, i use a big muff dis. an mxr phase 90 a danelectro octave dis pedal a marshall trem and a digi tech delay through a crate head and a vintage peavey cab, the sound is old nice and warm yum

when i got it i woulda rated this a 1 easily but after about 12 hours woprk and new tuners it's easily a 9 but only because i spent the time

this is waiting to die it's a little better after repairs

yup well i could call krog

i wish i had got it new

1976 Hi-flyer in black. Two humbuckers, not original, 21 very low frets on a thin neck. Normal mosrite style body shape, very thin. Roller bridge, should have had a trem but none was included. Tuners were Gotoh (not original of course). Volume and tone knobs

I play a lot of punk and grungy type music. It sounded good for that. the new pickups were cheap so the sound wasn't too good through a clear channel. I played it through a few amps (15 watts-50 watts) and it sounded good for the music I was playing. Only problem was a weird hum I could never pinpoint. Maybe the cheap pickups.

I bought the guitar used, so it was dinged and scratched all over. Still, it looked pretty well for its age. The action was pretty high, which I kinda liked. neck was straight, tuners sucked. the nut was cracked on the b string which made it tough to keep in tune. Controls were tight and worked well. Neck pickup kept falling out which was a slightly irritating.

I dropped the thing on a cement floor while playing once and I picked it right back up and continued on! These things are pretty tough! I'd replace the tuners and the pickups, as well as the nut, to improve the tuning/sound. I never used a backup which wasn't a problem if you don't mind frequent tunings and smacking the neck pickup back into place every now and again.

company is not around anymore. But parts from other makes work fine.

I've been playing for about 6 years and I own an epi les paul, a Johnson acoustic, and a Fender P-Bass. As you can tell I don't need top of the line equipment! I really liked this guitar though and wish I hadn't sold it. I would like to have gotten one with more original parts, but I settled for this one. I really liked the sound it had and the durability of the guitar. It definitly had personality!

mine is a "phase 3" hi flier. originally came with two humbuckers. im only rating the original stuff on here. the bridge pickup has been replaced and well, it sucks. someone messed with the electronics and screwed them all up, but i just use the neck pickup and it still sounds great. there is no overkill on this guitar. simple. two pickups, selector switch, volume and tone. the only bad things are the cheap tuners and crappy bridge w/plastic saddles. it has a very thin body and neck. copy of the mosrite ventures model.

im only rating the original pickup, and it has amazingly good sound to it. i cant even describe it. i play more grungy type rock and it fits it perfectly. sounds great through a big muff so far ive only played it through smaller amps, my super bassman has an unfortunate blown speaker problem.....

when i bought it, it was in a state of disrepair...missing a string, dirty, scratchy pots, bridge pickup didnt work at all...tone control has been completely disconnected and turned into a second volume control...when i got it home (i had to wait a week before the store could legally sell it-TORTURE!!!!!)i took it completely apart, cleaned it, reattached all the bad connections, reassembled it put strings on it, and it was almost perfect right away. it only took me about an hour. the frets are rather worn out, but they still work. the finish has some scatches and dings, but nothing more than youd expect from 25-30 years of use/abuse. still looks great.

this is a very light weight but solid and sturdy instrument.i would have no problem trusting it without a backup.

univox is...for lack of a better word....dead.

ive been playing for about five years, and this is without a doubt my favorite of the 20 or so guitars that ive owned/do own. its better than the epiphone sg, washburn a-20, mexican fat strat, fake strat, silvertone strat, cortez les paul.........and the list goes on. the lightweight and thin body and neck make this one of the easiest playing guitars ive ever owned. it looks great, feels great, and it sounds great. as i spent two years trying to find one in the first place, if it were stolen i would fall over, pass out, wake up, find whoever took it and painfully extract my revenge over the course of a thousand years. if i found another one, id buy it in a heartbeat. the only things i plan to do with this guitar are find and install an original bridge pickup and replace the tuners. all things considered, this is an extremely well made guitar. value wise it is the best guitar ive ever seen. sure you can spend thousands on some vintage or custom fender or gibson.....but it still wont be as cool as the univox. this is something that sounds great, looks great, and you dont have to worry too much about it getting damaged because it has a relatively low price tag. if you find one BUY IT.