NBD Harley Benton JP-55OP Sunburst

[dabbler]

Arrived today, and I've just finished checking it out. This was a b-stock, which I have had good experiences with Thomann on with my previous 4 HB b-stocks.

I did not NEED another bass. So why did I buy this? First off, I have become an HB fan, and have been impressed with all of my other 7 HBs, especially my 2 Enhanced basses (MJ & MP). Secondly, I wanted to try out a roasted neck AND passive VBT control layout.

I WILL say that I'm not happy about the $80 shipping charge, BUT it arrived in 3 days and was double boxed and wrapped in 2 padded sleeves that honestly is the BEST protection I have EVER seen on a shipped bass! I'm impressed.

OK on to the bass, first off, I have no idea why this was a b-stock, as it looks new (edit: I can believe that the stripe in the grain/finish on the back where the 2 pieces of the body meet would turn someone off... but I couldn't care less). It is, IMO, of the same level of QC as my Enhanced basses and I LOVE the look! At the risk of gushing, OK I AM gushing, I LOVE this bass! The ONLY nit of a complaint I have so far is that the tone control is far from linear in its effect, but this is common and a taper change may correct this. Understand that I have only played it through a small guitar amp that I keep in my family room for noodling, but I have heard and felt enough to know that I am going to love working with this bass! Oh yeah, I haven't weighed it but this is hands down the lightest 5 string ash-bodied I have ever owned!

I probably haven't really added any knowledge to you of my new acquisition, since others have already described this bass, but I'm tellin' ya this bass is a fantastic value!

(Sorry for not getting all of the headstock in this pic, I was in a hurry, but it's all there, trust me)

 

[musicman556]

Congrats! Looks like a great bass!

I am also a real fan of roasted maple necks. That one seems ESPECIALLY dark. Can you tell if that's ALL just the color of the roasted maple, or is there some additional tint/stain on there?

 

[dabbler]

Congrats! Looks like a great bass!

I am also a real fan of roasted maple necks. That one seems ESPECIALLY dark. Can you tell if that's ALL just the color of the roasted maple, or is there some additional tint/stain on there?

Hmmm, the only way I figure I could check would be to pull off one of the tuners. I'll try to remember to do that when I, eventually, change the strings, but my guess would be that the satin finish they put on the neck has some tint.

 

[dabbler]

Congrats! Looks like a great bass!

I am also a real fan of roasted maple necks. That one seems ESPECIALLY dark. Can you tell if that's ALL just the color of the roasted maple, or is there some additional tint/stain on there?

OK, I changed the strings, but I can't really tell how dark the wood itself is. I pulled a tuner and the hole for it was also dark so I tried scraping the finish off and well, it's hard getting a good pic with my phone, but this is what I see:

But, let me add the following:
The volume before I changed the strings was pretty low, so I raised the pups a little. Then I said, let me just change the strings. I'm not really picky about strings and for rounds I use Webstrings nickel mediums. Oh, boy did the strings wake this bass up! I'm happy!

 

[JRA]

i'm really impressed with HB stuff (i don't have any myself) from all of the great reports/NBDs/posts i read, so i'm not surprised that you're impressed with yours. it looks great! i'm glad it sounds/feels good to you --- congratulations on your new instrument!

 

[musicman556]

OK, I changed the strings, but I can't really tell how dark the wood itself is. I pulled a tuner and the hole for it was also dark so I tried scraping the finish off and well, it's hard getting a good pic with my phone, but this is what I see:

View attachment 5004412

But, let me add the following:
The volume before I changed the strings was pretty low, so I raised the pups a little. Then I said, let me just change the strings. I'm not really picky about strings and for rounds I use Webstrings nickel mediums. Oh, boy did the strings wake this bass up! I'm happy!

Awesome! Thanks so much for indulging my curiosity! Yea, that looks nice and cooked all the way through! I am a huge fan of roasted maple necks, and am about to build what will be my 3rd bass with a carmelized neck.

I am always interested in how each builder/manufacturer approaches the cook. Some give it a light bake, others go much darker. I would love to know more about the time, temperature, age of wood pre-cook, etc that goes into the process for each brand. My Sterling and Fender roasted necks seem to be right in the middle of the range. This Harley and a lot of the Sires I see are a beautiful and darker "well done" roast like this.

I don't have any opinion one way or the other about the different levels of roasting, really... just fascinated by the whole process and the cool variations they produce.

Congrats on the new strings! I had a similar, but maybe not quite as extreme, situation with my Sterling Ray35. As shipped new, the bass was fine. But a fresh set of Rotosounds wake thag thing up BIGTIME!

Rock that puppy!

 

[Ejtibbetts]

I’ve been intrigued by this specific model.

what are your thoughts on it a year later?

 

[dabbler]

I’ve been intrigued by this specific model.

what are your thoughts on it a year later?

Ooooops! I did not see this question last year when it went up. Sorry.

So, anyways, 2 years later I still really like this bass. My only mods (other than the string change) have been: shielding, Luminlay knobs, a swtichpot on the volume to put the 2 pups in series and a switchpot on the tone control which adds another cap to the tone control.

The tone of this bass is brighter than my other passive basses, and I'm of an opinion that this has something to do with the roasting of the neck. The added cap allows me to get a response closer to what I'm used to. Oh, yeah, come to think of it, I also wired it with 250k pots to make it sound more like my other passive PJs.

I'm sad that HB has discontinued this model, but I am GLAD that I got mine!

 

[Ejtibbetts]

Ooooops! I did not see this question last year when it went up. Sorry.

So, anyways, 2 years later I still really like this bass. My only mods (other than the string change) have been: shielding, Luminlay knobs, a swtichpot on the volume to put the 2 pups in series and a switchpot on the tone control which adds another cap to the tone control.

The tone of this bass is brighter than my other passive basses, and I'm of an opinion that this has something to do with the roasting of the neck. The added cap allows me to get a response closer to what I'm used to. Oh, yeah, come to think of it, I also wired it with 250k pots to make it sound more like my other passive PJs.

I'm sad that HB has discontinued this model, but I am GLAD that I got mine!

Good to know - even if it is a discontinued model.

I am a fan of the series switch you added and I've never thought about a switch for an additional capacitor for more tonal flexibility.

I sometimes want a PBass, but I'm not sure if I'd play it enough to justify spending big money on one right now, so I may look at some HB options for that and mod it lightly if needed.