Check the preamp for a trim pot,there may be one to balance output between active/passive.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
NBM: Harley Benton Enhanced MP-5EB
- Thread starter And I
- Start date
-
- Tags
- benton harley harley benton
Beautiful bass family! I've enjoyed this thread! I've had my eye on the natural version for a long time...
yeah i had that thought but there is no access from the back, it must be under the pickguard and I'm not quite ready to pull it apart yet.
Thanks! I think it's a good value. Are you going to be totally blown away? No. Are you going to be pleased? Probably.
This is just the twins, I'll have to get the whole family together for a photo...
There are D'Addario 45 - 130 strings on here now (maybe 135?). I usually play round-core DR Sunbeams 40 - 120 (sometimes 45-125). And with the pedals in it's a different ballgame. It interacts SO NICELY with the overdrive and envelope filter. This this is a funk MACHINE.
With the compressor pedal in, the volume difference between active and passive is less severe even with just a 4:1 ratio. The MXR comp is part of my sound, and by that I mean it makes up for my lack of proper technique... So with the compressor in the chain here (in an otherwise quiet room, through this particular rig), this bass sounds amazing! If the P/MM tone is something you like, well... here it is.
I also retract the bridge pup being thin. This could be more about my (lack of proper) technique. You'll notice the pups are more 70s than 60s placement--whereas the Brute in my avatar pic is more 60s. If you pluck over the closest-to-the-bridge coil, yeah it's kinda thin. If you pluck on the neck side of the pickup it's thick as you need it to be and has all that MM barky goodness. With a little smiley face EQ it's positively huge.
If this were my main player I would put in a higher-end 3-band preamp.
At this point, pros to cons ratio is highly favoring pro.
With the compressor pedal in, the volume difference between active and passive is less severe even with just a 4:1 ratio. The MXR comp is part of my sound, and by that I mean it makes up for my lack of proper technique... So with the compressor in the chain here (in an otherwise quiet room, through this particular rig), this bass sounds amazing! If the P/MM tone is something you like, well... here it is.
I also retract the bridge pup being thin. This could be more about my (lack of proper) technique. You'll notice the pups are more 70s than 60s placement--whereas the Brute in my avatar pic is more 60s. If you pluck over the closest-to-the-bridge coil, yeah it's kinda thin. If you pluck on the neck side of the pickup it's thick as you need it to be and has all that MM barky goodness. With a little smiley face EQ it's positively huge.
If this were my main player I would put in a higher-end 3-band preamp.
At this point, pros to cons ratio is highly favoring pro.
Last edited:
Definitely enjoying it! And still think at ~$350 shipped it is a great value. After having enjoyed it some more, seems that even with the compressor the output difference is still too great to switch seamlessly. Knobs must be tweaked. Passive sounds a little muffled. Active seems to cut more but I'm not in love with the pre.
I am asking this question with sincerity and I am not trolling. Why are you purchasing a quality bass with some trepidation and intention to replace parts? From my personal perspective, when I am about to spend money on an instrument, I choose to purchase one that meets my expectations without expending more money on mods. Of course, I could possibly be full of crap regarding Harley Benton instruments as I know nothing about them. If this is the case, I apologize for being a rube.
I like tinkering. Modding basses is fun. I had no trepidation, only anticipation. There were specific things I was looking for, I only have one 5 string with 19mm spacing and it's in the shop. I wanted something a little different. P/MM isn't super common, and 5 string P/MM with 19mm spacing under 10 lbs leaves very few choices. Zero options at guitar center... I bought the HB because I am fortunate enough to have some disposable income but am not a serious enough player to go for something in the $2,500 range. Even if I replace everything but the neck, bridge, body, and pickguard, the whole thing will be well under a grand and I'll have a pretty damned sweet bass to do my weekend warrioring with.
How does this compare to a MIM Fender? Obviously you can't do a direct comparison since Fender doesn't make a P/MM, but in all other aspects.
I haven't played an MIM Fender. From what I understand there is a huge degree of variability in the quality of Fender's basses... I have two Squiers, i'd choose the Harley over both. The neck profile is way more to my liking, the truss rod adjuster is super easy, string thru body and a what appears to be a higher quality bridge, the tuners are very smooth (though a bit heavy causing some neck dive), and the neck is actually bound and blocked, unlike the squier VM jazz which has painted on binding and blocks. aside from those things and my personal preference (a 19mm 5 string which fender / squier doesn't do at all to the best of my knowledge) it seems to be on par with squier as far as build quality / electronics. maybe a little better.
i've not played a bassmods... but i think it's more like that from what i've seen. the neck is wide from string to string, but thin from front to back. it's not "chunky" like a fender/squier neck. my main player is a Brubaker Brute, it's similar to that. i'll grab some photos in a bit.
Oh I was hoping it’ll be thicker front to back. The sides to sides is no problem especially since it’s 19mm
i don't have a set of calipers so i can't measure it accurately. i will post some pix though.
