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Harley Benton BZ-4000 NT For a beginner?
- Thread starter Cannon1
- Start date
@Cannon1
Good choice for a bass. When Thomann announced those May 2014, I placed an order in right away. They shipped to me in Scotland a few days before sales went live
Is it right for a first bass ? I'll be honest and say NO. Yes it's a great bass but I think beginners are better served by something more traditional. Reason I say more traditional is other people are dumb.
Friend of mine had just joined a new band and asked to borrow my BZ-4000. Spent the first month fielding questions about who made the bass. If you've spent hours learning a bass part you want folk listening,not pondering your choice in bass. I'm afraid the "Why didn't you buy a Fender" cliche exists.
Have you looked at the Marcus Miller/Sire basses ? They are in the same price range. Traditional looks with the added bonuses of being well regarded and well known.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/search.ht...gk=gieb&oa=pra&price-first=285&price-last=429
Good choice for a bass. When Thomann announced those May 2014, I placed an order in right away. They shipped to me in Scotland a few days before sales went live
Is it right for a first bass ? I'll be honest and say NO. Yes it's a great bass but I think beginners are better served by something more traditional. Reason I say more traditional is other people are dumb.
Friend of mine had just joined a new band and asked to borrow my BZ-4000. Spent the first month fielding questions about who made the bass. If you've spent hours learning a bass part you want folk listening,not pondering your choice in bass. I'm afraid the "Why didn't you buy a Fender" cliche exists.
Have you looked at the Marcus Miller/Sire basses ? They are in the same price range. Traditional looks with the added bonuses of being well regarded and well known.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/search.ht...gk=gieb&oa=pra&price-first=285&price-last=429
Thanks for the advise. To be honest I don’t really care about people judging my bass. You say that beginners are better served with something more traditional, but why? The way I see it, a modern bass like this is more versatile and so I can experiment with different styles and not lock myself into a certain clichéd 'punk rocker with a p bass' idea.@Cannon1
Good choice for a bass. When Thomann announced those May 2014, I placed an order in right away. They shipped to me in Scotland a few days before sales went live
Is it right for a first bass ? I'll be honest and say NO. Yes it's a great bass but I think beginners are better served by something more traditional. Reason I say more traditional is other people are dumb.
Friend of mine had just joined a new band and asked to borrow my BZ-4000. Spent the first month fielding questions about who made the bass. If you've spent hours learning a bass part you want folk listening,not pondering your choice in bass. I'm afraid the "Why didn't you buy a Fender" cliche exists.
Have you looked at the Marcus Miller/Sire basses ? They are in the same price range. Traditional looks with the added bonuses of being well regarded and well known.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/search.ht...gk=gieb&oa=pra&price-first=285&price-last=429
Would you say that the sires are better basses than this Harley Benton or just more conservative?
Thanks for the help!
nice bass, but while it may be more versatile does it give you a multitude of just ok modern sounds vs a few solid classic tones? if it really does it for you then why not chance it? if vintage tones are your preference then I'd go with the cheaper HB50 P or their cool SS hollow body HB60. Sire seem to be far more consistent with QC than HB so there's that... but HB are nearby and have a great return policy. no matter what you get there will be winners and losers when buying gear, it's part of the learning process, even if you nail it with your first bass you may not fully appreciate it til you run thru a few others and have a fuller hands on perspective. don't sweat it, enjoy the ride, just don't go nuts with spending $$ for 5yrs cos more money doesn't mean much when you can get killer gear for peanuts if you know what's up. I feel tone is paramount cos who wants to learn on something that doesn't make you fall in lust with the sound/s? good tone makes boring practices FUN!
It's not so much folk judging the bass more it gets tiring dealing with idiots
That friend of mine who borrowed the BZ was being questioned by a guitar player who never changed his strings because he played a Gibson Les Paul that cost £2.5K 
When I say beginners benefit better from a traditional bass it's because it gives a point of reference with regard to tone.Say you wanted to play heavy metal, a nylon strung classical guitar would not be a good choice to learn on.OK you could learn the chords and scales but how would you know what works when the tone was drastically different from the norm. With a P-bass or a jazz bass the tone already fits most genres so you are free to learn without wondering if you sound right. When @Bass V says you could be lucky and find your 1st time he's right,he's also right when he says it's unlikely.
From what I've heard the Sire/Miller straddles the modern/traditional mould.
So basically you think that too much choice can be a double edged sword. I do play guitar, and have gotten quite used to dialling in specific tones so I don't feel intimidated by versatility. Also one point that can't be ignored is that the Harley Benton is just much sexier than the millers. I almost feel like I'd practice more because of it!It's not so much folk judging the bass more it gets tiring dealing with idiots
When I say beginners benefit better from a traditional bass it's because it gives a point of reference with regard to tone.Say you wanted to play heavy metal, a nylon strung classical guitar would not be a good choice to learn on.OK you could learn the chords and scales but how would you know what works when the tone was drastically different from the norm. With a P-bass or a jazz bass the tone already fits most genres so you are free to learn without wondering if you sound right. When @Bass V says you could be lucky and find your 1st time he's right,he's also right when he says it's unlikely.
From what I've heard the Sire/Miller straddles the modern/traditional mould.
Well put. As a guitar player you've no doubt learned that harsh lesson from multi-FX units
There's an awful lot to be said for the look of a bass,if it pleases you then it'll get picked up more
Have you ever owned a Les Paul ? The BZ weighs about the same as the old 50's Les Pauls. I'd say no big deal,so did 70's jazz basses
Before I get myself ready for Hogmanay I'll leave you these.
May 2020 be kind to you and yours.
Funnily enough I own both an epiphone Les Paul and a zoom g3xn multi FX unit. I have stopped noticing the guitar's weight and I love the multi FX unit in all of its overkill. I think you may be pushing me towards this rather than away from it! Thanks for all your help and Happy New Year!Well put. As a guitar player you've no doubt learned that harsh lesson from multi-FX units
There's an awful lot to be said for the look of a bass,if it pleases you then it'll get picked up more
Have you ever owned a Les Paul ? The BZ weighs about the same as the old 50's Les Pauls. I'd say no big deal,so did 70's jazz basses
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May 2020 be kind to you and yours.
If you've looked at all the other options Thomann's has in your price range and you like this, I'd say get it.
you should buy what feels and looks right for you. after all you are gonna be the one playing it
HB quality is great- i have their 7 string that i converted to a wide 6. the BZ 4000 looks like it shares the same quality and detail. the neck is sleek & fast, the electronics are perfectly usable.
a "beginner bass" is whatever point you jump into learning at, and having an instrument you don't have to struggle with and soon outgrow is a big plus, also removes a possible source of frustration as you progress.
also, don't let what other players you might interact with say about the look of your instrument dissuade you from getting what works for you. the whole "if it's not a 4-banger fender P, it ain't a real bass" thing is troglodyte. if they're that hung up on it, they may not be the best fit as you move forward in your learning.
good luck!
a "beginner bass" is whatever point you jump into learning at, and having an instrument you don't have to struggle with and soon outgrow is a big plus, also removes a possible source of frustration as you progress.
also, don't let what other players you might interact with say about the look of your instrument dissuade you from getting what works for you. the whole "if it's not a 4-banger fender P, it ain't a real bass" thing is troglodyte. if they're that hung up on it, they may not be the best fit as you move forward in your learning.
good luck!
I've just got one and I'm blown away by how good it feels to play and the sound is great - I haven't tried it through my main rig (Ashdown Original Head and Cab) but through the Roland MicroCube it really does have some punch. I know it's made in Indonesia but I really don't know how they manage to make it for the price.
Have both the 5 string and the 4 string , they need help, the tuners suck, and really need up gradded pick ups and pre amps, went with nordstrand zen blades and pre amp, hipshot tuners, bridge is good on the 4 string, the five string I went to hipshot with 18mm spacing vs the 16mm stock spacing, made a big difference in ease of playing.
