Daisy Rock Rebel Rockit

Year: 2011
Finish: Atomic Pink
Origin: Indonesia
Acquired: 2014
Mods: Schaller straplocks
Still owned: No

We happened to be near a Guitar Center so I poked my head in and saw this high up on the wall of used gear — couldn’t see the brand, couldn’t see the price, but knew anything in pink metalflake required further investigation. I was not surprised to find it was a Daisy Rock— a brand designed specifically to be comfortable and appealing to young girls, and in turn inspire them to pick up and play.

Every time I’ve picked up a Daisy Rock in a store, I also happened to love the way they felt, and I’ve always figured at some point, I would wind up owning one. The hallmark of Daisy Rock guitars are lighter bodies and slimmer neck profiles, but quality components (Duncan Designed pickups, Grover tuners) that would still serve a young player as a quality instrument. The brand was once part of Schecter but has since gone independent with success — and the fact that Gibson took a similar female-friendly approach with its Vixen and Goddess series a few years after Daisy Rock appeared on the scene is probably no accident. Add in the facts that I have missed our old Jazz Bass and its groovy offset body, and I love flashy metalflake finishes, and it seems inevitable.

My small hands and Kat’s preference for lighter instruments both worked in our favor, but the used price of $250 — especially considering the new price is $300 — made it less of an impulse buy. The tag also noted it was being held until February of 2014 before it could be sold, so I knew it was a) nothing that anybody else desperately wanted and b) darn near new, and probably a Christmas gift that someone didn’t want and wound up trading in a month or so earlier. So I started poking around online for info and found this exact instrument listed on Guitar Center’s website — the only one available used in any Guitar Center nationwide, even — for $199. Kat said “If it’s $200, I’d do it.” So we went back, showed them, and they said “Oh, the tag IS wrong. This was lowered and we never updated it. Yes, it’s ringing up at $199.” So out the door we went, bass in hand.

The light body is not basswood as the saleman thought, but in fact sycamore — not a wood I’ve ever owned as a guitar body, but the whole bass is less than 7 pounds, so it’s doing its job. Kat and I have wildly different play styles — I really attack a bass, while her approach is much quieter and restrained — but we both like the feel and look of this. I popped some Schaller strap buttons on there, paired it with a silver metallic 2″ leather strap, and we were good to go.

Part of me wanted the hardshell case but as fate would have it, I decided to sell this one in 2018 when something new came along. It went to a good home!

DRG Rebel Rockit Bass