NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Sun Apr 01, 2018 4:46 pm

Alrighty! I found some time to work on the guitar today to try and figure out what's going on with the bridge pickup.

I took the pick guard off today and reflowed the solder joints on it. Didn't do anything.

Brought out the multimeter, tested the neck pickup and got a reading of about 6.5 or so. No reading on the bridge pickup. Damnit...

Took the cover off the bridge pickup and resoldered any and all solder joints I could find connected to said pickup. Plugged in a cable and did a tap test.

...

SUCCESS! Bridge pickup now works! Put it all back together and dang, sounds particularly good in the middle position, so I think I might just jam a piece of guitar pick into the switch cavity and keep it locked in the middle position. :-*

WOOO! So there you go. For $70, I have a fully functioning guitar. I also have been using an import strat vibrato arm and it actually works quite well. It's far from the body, but It actually works well because it stays out of the way of my picking hand. This will work for now.

:)

User avatar
Grey
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2023
Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 11:58 am

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by Grey » Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:07 pm

Man that's really clean, good find espically for the price.

User avatar
Ursa Minor
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5892
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:26 am
Location: Chicago

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by Ursa Minor » Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:34 pm

Hey hey! Good work and well worth the effort. Not bad for a 'budget' guitar! 8)
The artist formerly known as kosmonautmayhem.

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Mon Apr 02, 2018 7:37 am

Grey wrote:
Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:07 pm
Man that's really clean, good find espically for the price.
Definitely!
kosmonautmayhem wrote:
Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:34 pm
Hey hey! Good work and well worth the effort. Not bad for a 'budget' guitar! 8)
For sure! I've put more work into more guitars and got less in return. This thing is actually awesome! It'll see a fair bit of use. :)

User avatar
Ursa Minor
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5892
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:26 am
Location: Chicago

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by Ursa Minor » Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:05 am

It sounds really great too! That tuning really suits it. It's especially clear.
The artist formerly known as kosmonautmayhem.

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:29 am

I'll get a better, non-phone recording of it sometime. It really does sound quite wonderful. There's a few obviously cheap elements to the construction, like the pots, switches, tuners, nut, and maybe bridge, but other than that everything is well-crafted at best elements and serviceable at it's worst. I'm really in no rush to change anything on it.

And you're right! It really does work well in that tuning and it's really nice and clear sounding. It actually sounds similar to my Jazzmaster when tuned down, perhaps with a bit more mid-range though. I'm happy with it. :)

User avatar
Ursa Minor
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5892
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:26 am
Location: Chicago

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by Ursa Minor » Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:50 am

Those things are easily updated and fun to change out.

The short clip reminds me of how my Jaguar sounds . - especially since I keep it tuned down most of the time.
The artist formerly known as kosmonautmayhem.

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:44 am

kosmonautmayhem wrote:
Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:50 am
Those things are easily updated and fun to change out.

The short clip reminds me of how my Jaguar sounds . - especially since I keep it tuned down most of the time.
For sure! I think my next move is to figure out how best to keep it in tune. Not sure if that means new nut, new tuners, or maybe just as simple as stretching the strings a bit more. Right now, it's nowhere near as stable as my Jazzmaster.

There's honestly a lot of crossover with the Jazzmaster/Jag world with this guitar, so that doesn't surprise me. The pickups themselves are constructed like a mix between a P90 and a Strat pickup, in any case.

User avatar
Ursa Minor
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5892
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:26 am
Location: Chicago

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by Ursa Minor » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:06 am

A nicely cut nut and new tuners will do wonders for tuning stability. ;)

Man...now I'm gonna have to watch out for one of these. Nice alternative to the JM / Jag world.
The artist formerly known as kosmonautmayhem.

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:17 am

Definitely do! While I wouldn't spend the $600 + these go for nowadays, I'd definitely pay twice what I paid for mine. :whistle:

;)

User avatar
ThePearDream
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2072
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2017 6:18 am
Location: Detroit
Contact:

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by ThePearDream » Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:18 pm

Awesome find! Consider me jealous.
Doug
@dpcannafax

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:13 pm

I've been very lucky with a lot of gear finds. Helps to know what to look for and to weigh pros and cons of taking chances.

Another great find was getting a Harmony Rocket for $100 a couple of years back... A mint Boss CE-2 for $30... Who knows what else... :whistle:

User avatar
hansbrinker
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2014 5:18 pm
Location: South Nasty

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by hansbrinker » Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:15 am

$70 Canadian is less than $55 U.S.!

Crikey, what a deal! :?

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by StevenO » Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:37 am

hansbrinker wrote:
Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:15 am
$70 Canadian is less than $55 U.S.!

Crikey, what a deal! :?
I know! I kind of stole this thing, didn't I? :unsure: I justify these good deals because while I'm not a flipper (though I could flip it if I wanted to), I feel more satisfaction in knowing that I have rescued and rehabilitated the guitar. It probably hasn't been in this working condition for decades!

User avatar
MKR
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1702
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:06 am

Re: NGD: Pan/Univox Hi-Flier

Post by MKR » Wed Apr 04, 2018 12:31 pm

wow what a score!

I have to ask which shop did you get this in? (im a toronto guy as well).

Post Reply