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NBD: Harley Benton 5 string jazz bass

lostrings

lostrings

Feb 15, 2004
664
260
chicago, Illinois
#1
Hello guy’s, been awhile since I’ve posted on here, but I felt I wanted to post this bass, because I don’t believe Harley Benton has ever made a 5 string jazz bass with the two single coil pickup’s. I was a little skeptical buying this bass because I like a wide string spacing on a 5 string, and I was afraid that the body might look terrible with 3 pieces that don’t match up well..but to my surprise, Harley Benton got this bass right..18mm string spacing, and on this bass at least, 2 pc body that looks fantastic ( at least to me). Very comfortable satin neck, just ok hardware ( brass saddles are a nice touch). Electronics again are just ok, but sound decent. Overall, I am blown away at what you get for this kind of money (shipping is expensive). Anyway, here are a couple of pictures,
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#5
DeleteriousJLW said:
It look great. I want one:D.

I know what you mean because 16.5mm was not working for me on my Harley Benton MB-5 SKB Deluxe.
Click to expand...


I don’t like a tight spacing on a 5 string bass, and there was no indication of the string spacing on the listing, so you take a chance hoping it’s a good spacing. This bass came out in December 2023, so I have never seen a Harley Benton jazz 5 string with the single coil pickups. I think they really hit the mark with this bass..The 4 string version is such a hit, it only makes sense to come out with a 5 string version. I got a chance tonight to really dig into the bass, and I have to say, it’s really fun to play. I set the bass up, and I was able to get the action really low, and with the fantastic feeling neck, it’s a joy to play.
 
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#7
TeeSee said:
I've got the 4 string version of that model, otherwise exactly the same apart from the neck ashtray cover - did you add that?
Weighs a ton but absolutely lovely to play. Those Roswells shine IMO. Some nice grain on yours BTW. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

yes, I added the chrome pickup cover, and yes, you are correct, the bass is heavy, but I think it ad’s to the overall tone. I say that because I own a 70’s Fender jazz, and it has an Ash body, very heavy, but great tone, so yes, I think it definitively plays a roll in its tone. Also, I definitely got lucky with the grain on this body. I was concerned about having a three pc body with lines you could see..you definitely roll the dice when buying these basses, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not.
 
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#8
lostrings said:
yes, I added the chrome pickup cover, and yes, you are correct, the bass is heavy, but I think it ad’s to the overall tone. I say that because I own a 70’s Fender jazz, and it has an Ash body, very heavy, but great tone, so yes, I think it definitively plays a roll in its tone. Also, I definitely got lucky with the grain on this body. I was concerned about having a three pc body with lines you could see..you definitely roll the dice when buying these basses, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not.
Click to expand...
I'm going to get one of those pickup covers, it looks absolutely mint on yours.
I've seen a couple reviewed on Youtube and the one was definitely a mish mash of the 3 pieces. Mine doesn't look too bad but once you've seen it you can't unsee it. I also swapped out the bridge as the intonation screws were quite weak and stripped on the stock one. But thinking about it I might just use the screws on the bridge I have on the moment and fit to the old brass saddle bridge. Only other thing I did to this was change the pickguard to BWB, shield the PU cavities and control cavity and upgrade the electrics to CTS and an Orange Drop.
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#9
lostrings said:
I don’t like a tight spacing on a 5 string bass, and there was no indication of the string spacing on the listing, so you take a chance hoping it’s a good spacing.
Click to expand...

For future prospective buyers, their customer service is pretty good at answering emails. :thumbsup:

Looks pretty sweet, though! I'm still wanting their Ric looking offering! If they made it in white, I'd already have it!
 
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#11
Spidey2112 said:
For future prospective buyers, their customer service is pretty good at answering emails. :thumbsup:

Looks pretty sweet, though! I'm still wanting their Ric looking offering! If they made it in white, I'd already have it!
Click to expand...

I emailed them a couple of times to ask about the string spacing on this particular bass, and both times I got different answers. First time they told me 19mm, second time 20mm, neither correct.
 
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#12
Great looking bass, mate! :woot: The ashtray is a nice touch - very classy. Harley Benton punch well above their weight. I have a Jazz fretless of theirs and one of my band colleagues has a couple of mandolins; top notch for twice the money! :D
They should open a warehouse stateside - that would save some shipping costs.
Enjoy!:thumbsup:
 
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#13
Spidey2112 said:
For future prospective buyers, their customer service is pretty good at answering emails. :thumbsup:

Looks pretty sweet, though! I'm still wanting their Ric looking offering! If they made it in white, I'd already have it!
Click to expand...
I for one am glad they don't. Especially if they offered it with black binding and black PG :nailbiting:. I've already spent an extra £800 on my fireglo version and months of blood, sweat and tears. Don't think I could go through that all again. :roflmao:
 
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#14
Wyrdlow said:
Great looking bass, mate! :woot: The ashtray is a nice touch - very classy. Harley Benton punch well above their weight. I have a Jazz fretless of theirs and one of my band colleagues has a couple of mandolins; top notch for twice the money! :D
They should open a warehouse stateside - that would save some shipping costs.
Enjoy!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

The shipping cost almost prevented me from buying the bass. It has gotten so expensive to ship items these days, crazy.
 
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#16
lostrings said:
The shipping cost almost prevented me from buying the bass. It has gotten so expensive to ship items these days, crazy.
Click to expand...
There used to be a hack for North American customers, wheras if they ordered 2 or 3 guitars from Thomann they only paid the shipping for one guitar, but I think they've stopped that now. They also have a Reverb storefront in Conneticut but I think the prices there reflect the shipping of each instrument.
 
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#17
lostrings said:
Hello guy’s, been awhile since I’ve posted on here, but I felt I wanted to post this bass, because I don’t believe Harley Benton has ever made a 5 string jazz bass with the two single coil pickup’s. I was a little skeptical buying this bass because I like a wide string spacing on a 5 string, and I was afraid that the body might look terrible with 3 pieces that don’t match up well..but to my surprise, Harley Benton got this bass right..18mm string spacing, and on this bass at least, 2 pc body that looks fantastic ( at least to me). Very comfortable satin neck, just ok hardware ( brass saddles are a nice touch). Electronics again are just ok, but sound decent. Overall, I am blown away at what you get for this kind of money (shipping is expensive). Anyway, here are a couple of pictures,
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Click to expand...
Love that grain
 
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