Harley Benton B-550 question

[Gozerian]

I am considering getting a Harley Benton B-550 5-string. My other bass is a HB too, and I have been very happy with that purchase, but I have some worries about this 5-string that I haven't been able to google the answers for. Hopefully, someone here knows

1) From googling the bass, it seems it has battery issues - the battery draining too fast. Is this simply the design, or have people just have bad luck?

2) I know this is a newbie question - but if you do run out of batteries, will the bass still work in passive mode?

 

[kodiakblair]

@Gozerian

Never owned a B-550 but I've been handing out the member numbers in the "I own a Harley Benton" club for a few years.

Question 2 is easy. The Volume pot is push/pull for active/passive

Question 1. I don't think it's the design or bad luck,I'd say it was mostly people Say it was a design fault,Thomann give 3 years warranty so when folks started sending back their B-550s you can bet the preamp would be changed pronto Now I believe we make our own luck so that leaves "people"

 

[dabbler]

AAAND the tone controls work in passive mode too!!!!

 

[liquidsunshine]

@Gozerian

Thomann give 3 years warranty so when folks started sending back their B-550s you can bet the preamp would be changed pronto

it's late to answer this but still I'm waiting for delivery of a HB B650 , reading a lot of things about that serial of HB basses, I can tell that many, many people have issues with that battery , EVEN after Thomann made a replacement with quarantee. Thomann gives a very (very !) nice service but we are talking about a 150$ bass that's designed with an overall care of economy... and that's a fact, the electro is the victim.

I will see by myslef once I have it in hands but... I'd bet that you can swap the whole electronic and then it's a cool bass.