Hello my Bass brethren. Do you all have any thoughts on Harley Benton Basses?
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Harley Benton
- Thread starter weekend warrior
- Start date
There's a Harley Benton club. You'll find lots of good info there.
Personally, I love them.
Personally, I love them.
Flimsy electronics with jacks that easily stop working, but also easily fixed. For budget basses they are really nice.
Definitely check out the club on here. I've had one, can't remember the exact model, it was a 50s Precision copy...great neck and overall very playable and moddable.
Pro's - Generally very high quality bodies and necks, fretwork above average for most budgets and even some medium priced guitars (£500 plus range)
Con's - Cheap hardware:- tuners, bridges. Electronics not that impressive but do the job although pickups surprisingly good for price point (excluding RB-414 where treble pickup very weak).
A very good modders projects, fit your own hardware upgrade your electronics at the price of just a few '£'s' and you have a serious contender in you bass collection.
*Edit*
That said, even out the box they're good but you add the extra spice if necessary.
Con's - Cheap hardware:- tuners, bridges. Electronics not that impressive but do the job although pickups surprisingly good for price point (excluding RB-414 where treble pickup very weak).
A very good modders projects, fit your own hardware upgrade your electronics at the price of just a few '£'s' and you have a serious contender in you bass collection.
*Edit*
That said, even out the box they're good but you add the extra spice if necessary.
Last edited:
I have two and I like them very much.
Both have been modded with Lindy Fralin pickups and I've playing with live on many gigs.
Worth every euro I spent on them.
Both have been modded with Lindy Fralin pickups and I've playing with live on many gigs.
Worth every euro I spent on them.
for the price point - great woodwork and finish. tuners are not their strong suit in my experience. pickups are deeply personal question. i like ones that came w/ my bentons, you might not.
bz 7000
great instrument for 250€ second hand, mint.
also have a junior guitar
100€ used, also mint. 50€ schaller tuners and 20€ new wilkinson wraparound tailpiece.
full mahogany, very light, decent fretwork, great pickup... it is a live hardcore punk workhorse.
if you are prepared to do few upgrades, bentons are much better choice that squier, imho.
[had an affinity JB some time ago. useless instruments. if i cared to strip the finish and paint, could be used only as firewood.
]
bz 7000
great instrument for 250€ second hand, mint.
also have a junior guitar
100€ used, also mint. 50€ schaller tuners and 20€ new wilkinson wraparound tailpiece.
full mahogany, very light, decent fretwork, great pickup... it is a live hardcore punk workhorse.
if you are prepared to do few upgrades, bentons are much better choice that squier, imho.
[had an affinity JB some time ago. useless instruments. if i cared to strip the finish and paint, could be used only as firewood.
]
Bought a PB-50, single coil P-bass, 12th April 2014, been pretty much my main player ever since; found the neck , and bass in general, to be more comfortable than my paisley Fender.
Put a set of TI flats on it, called the job done. 1000's of hours play, still has the stock electrics, jack socket, tuners and bridge.
26th April 2014, I bought a 2nd PB-50, strung it with tapes and called the job done. Also seen 1000's of hours play. Also still has the stock electrics, jack socket and tuners; swapped the bridge for a 2 saddle piece, more in keeping with the original Fender 51 look.
A third was bought to try different pickups in, don't fcuk with working basses over something as trivial as a pickup swap
I did buy others, but that was just indulging curiosity. None had any issues.
Those PB-50s though are something, a good bass; none of that "for the price" BS, it's a good bass period.
Was eyeballing one of the HB fretless models last spring. Ultimately didn't do it because the pickups were a unique candybar shape that would make modding a pain. With the recent problems importing things into the US, I'm even less inclined to. They seem to be good for the price though, I couldn't find any reviews that said otherwise.
They are really great instruments for the money you pay for them.The MV line in particular are mega great. The tuners are serviceable and I've noticed, they make revisions of some of the lines as time passes.
I recently got one of the pro line instruments and I absolutely love it. Its effectively a copy of a Sandberg but it plays and sounds great, same tuners that are found on Sires and other indo made instruments, great bridge, pickups are great, only thing id mark it down for is the preamp isn't the best, but i have a plan for that.
Here are my 2 MV's and the New Pro (I also have 2 JB-75's too
)
I recently got one of the pro line instruments and I absolutely love it. Its effectively a copy of a Sandberg but it plays and sounds great, same tuners that are found on Sires and other indo made instruments, great bridge, pickups are great, only thing id mark it down for is the preamp isn't the best, but i have a plan for that.
Here are my 2 MV's and the New Pro (I also have 2 JB-75's too
)
Frankly, it's baffling.
I held a HB Jazz copy that sold brand new for €159,-.
I did advise against this purchase, but it was done nonetheless. Looking to minimize the damage, I picked up my tool kit and a set of strings to head over to the person who had received it. First inspection showed: The setup was fine. Neck straight, action low, intonation set. A closer look showed that the strings on that thing were proper D'addarios, so no action needed.
Then I took a while to inspect the important bits. The neck is roasted maple and feels good. The fingerboard is glued on straight, the frets are all in position, none sticking out, and their ends are properly dressed - in that regard it felt better than my Mexican P bass.
I can't really comment on the quality of the tuners or electronics, but the thing played and sounded totally fine.
I'd say it's a great platform for mods, if you're so inclined. Get on some quality tuners and good pickups along with electronics and you might have a killer bass for the price of a Squier.
I held a HB Jazz copy that sold brand new for €159,-.
I did advise against this purchase, but it was done nonetheless. Looking to minimize the damage, I picked up my tool kit and a set of strings to head over to the person who had received it. First inspection showed: The setup was fine. Neck straight, action low, intonation set. A closer look showed that the strings on that thing were proper D'addarios, so no action needed.
Then I took a while to inspect the important bits. The neck is roasted maple and feels good. The fingerboard is glued on straight, the frets are all in position, none sticking out, and their ends are properly dressed - in that regard it felt better than my Mexican P bass.
I can't really comment on the quality of the tuners or electronics, but the thing played and sounded totally fine.
I'd say it's a great platform for mods, if you're so inclined. Get on some quality tuners and good pickups along with electronics and you might have a killer bass for the price of a Squier.
I picked up a 7 string electric guitar from HB a few weeks ago and have really had no issues so far. Tuners could probably use some upgrading for a bit better stability but otherwise it seems fine. Sounds pretty decent all things considered.
They are really great instruments for the money you pay for them.The MV line in particular are mega great. The tuners are serviceable and I've noticed, they make revisions of some of the lines as time passes.
I recently got one of the pro line instruments and I absolutely love it. Its effectively a copy of a Sandberg but it plays and sounds great, same tuners that are found on Sires and other indo made instruments, great bridge, pickups are great, only thing id mark it down for is the preamp isn't the best, but i have a plan for that.
Here are my 2 MV's and the New Pro (I also have 2 JB-75's too
View attachment 7378364View attachment 7378365View attachment 7378367
Ditto:
However I DID have one of their active passive basses with the jack retired incorrectly causing the battery to drain even when no plug was inserted... but once I figured that out it was a quick fix.
I've had their JB40FL Jazz style fretless for eight years and plenty of gigs. The pick ups and hardware remain stock and are absolutely fine. The neck is lovely, the finish beautiful - it's a cracking bit of kit. It does weigh over ten pounds though, should that be an issue!
I also have their Beatbass - a Hofner violin style short scale which - once I put flats on it - has precisely the low sustain, dark, tubby thump I was after. I wouldn't want it as my only bass though!
The mandolinist in my band has been using their mandolins for nearly ten year now, and she's very happy with hers too.
My experience - and my wallet's! - has been entirely positive.
I also have their Beatbass - a Hofner violin style short scale which - once I put flats on it - has precisely the low sustain, dark, tubby thump I was after. I wouldn't want it as my only bass though!
The mandolinist in my band has been using their mandolins for nearly ten year now, and she's very happy with hers too.
My experience - and my wallet's! - has been entirely positive.
