With all the talk about these, and the price being what it is, Thanksgiving evening I was sitting at my computer alone and it got the best of me...I ordered on of these in the Creme finish. The bass arrived today. While I haven't taken photos of it, it looks just like the others. Here are some quick observations upon unpacking it:
1. Looks good
2. Neck feels good
3. A bit on the heavy side, but not nearly as heavy as some basses I have picked up
4. Needs a truss rod tweak
5. Needs the fret ends cleaned up
6. Needs a set up to play the I play, which is with low action.
First thing I did was tweak the truss rod a bit and was able to get the neck very straight. At this point I plugged it in and thought it sounds pretty good for a $350 bass, but the pickups were level, which did not match the curve of the neck, so I fixed that, and the bass sounds much more even. Got out my neck tools, loosened the B and G strings, and filed down any overhang and then rounded the edges. Now it feels right. The action was still higher then I like, so I lowered each of the saddles, making sure to match the curve of the fingerboard, and then tuned it up. Wow, this things sounds and plays pretty good, but the intonation needs to be fixed. Set the intonation for each string, and checked pickup height. Set the outside edges of the pickups at about the same distance (visually) from the strings, and put a slight upwards peak in the middle of each half of the P pickup. All of this was about an hours worth of my time. I have the tools and know how to do these things, but a pro would probably have it done in less time.
Now I started playing. This bass plays and sounds pretty good. How good does it play...I was able to set the action quite low, almost as low as my Elrick Expat NJS 5, with no fret buzz. With the fret ends cleaned up, it plays really nice, and the neck feels really good (at least to me.)
Sound... I have read a lot of people not liking how this bass sounds stock, but I like it. To me, the P pickup sounds like a P pickup, though it little bit bassier, which I think comes from being reversed. I have played many basses with MM pickups that sound nothing like a MM, but this one does. (Maybe they fixed some issues that others may have had, but mine as a MM vibe to the sound.) Just to be sure my ears were not playing games with me, I grabbed another bass that has the same pickup configuration, an Exlusive (Samick built Italian designed P style bass from about 10 years ago) which sounds nothing like a Sting Ray. The Harley Benton and the Exlusive sound nothing like each other. The MM pickup in the Exlusive is big, full and bassy, even when coil tapped. The MM pickup in the Harley Benton both rings and sings. Do the pickups in the HB sound like a set of Barts? No. But to me, no other pickup brand sounds like Barts. Do they sound like cheap pickups? Honestly, to me, they don't.
Right now I am thinking, "I really like this bass, and I can't wait to gig with it."
My two cents worth...
1. Looks good
2. Neck feels good
3. A bit on the heavy side, but not nearly as heavy as some basses I have picked up
4. Needs a truss rod tweak
5. Needs the fret ends cleaned up
6. Needs a set up to play the I play, which is with low action.
First thing I did was tweak the truss rod a bit and was able to get the neck very straight. At this point I plugged it in and thought it sounds pretty good for a $350 bass, but the pickups were level, which did not match the curve of the neck, so I fixed that, and the bass sounds much more even. Got out my neck tools, loosened the B and G strings, and filed down any overhang and then rounded the edges. Now it feels right. The action was still higher then I like, so I lowered each of the saddles, making sure to match the curve of the fingerboard, and then tuned it up. Wow, this things sounds and plays pretty good, but the intonation needs to be fixed. Set the intonation for each string, and checked pickup height. Set the outside edges of the pickups at about the same distance (visually) from the strings, and put a slight upwards peak in the middle of each half of the P pickup. All of this was about an hours worth of my time. I have the tools and know how to do these things, but a pro would probably have it done in less time.
Now I started playing. This bass plays and sounds pretty good. How good does it play...I was able to set the action quite low, almost as low as my Elrick Expat NJS 5, with no fret buzz. With the fret ends cleaned up, it plays really nice, and the neck feels really good (at least to me.)
Sound... I have read a lot of people not liking how this bass sounds stock, but I like it. To me, the P pickup sounds like a P pickup, though it little bit bassier, which I think comes from being reversed. I have played many basses with MM pickups that sound nothing like a MM, but this one does. (Maybe they fixed some issues that others may have had, but mine as a MM vibe to the sound.) Just to be sure my ears were not playing games with me, I grabbed another bass that has the same pickup configuration, an Exlusive (Samick built Italian designed P style bass from about 10 years ago) which sounds nothing like a Sting Ray. The Harley Benton and the Exlusive sound nothing like each other. The MM pickup in the Exlusive is big, full and bassy, even when coil tapped. The MM pickup in the Harley Benton both rings and sings. Do the pickups in the HB sound like a set of Barts? No. But to me, no other pickup brand sounds like Barts. Do they sound like cheap pickups? Honestly, to me, they don't.
Right now I am thinking, "I really like this bass, and I can't wait to gig with it."
My two cents worth...
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