Harley Benton B-650 Black Progressive Series

This bass has a nice body and neck, but that's where the positives end. The pickups are terrible (and not a standard size so they can't simply be swapped,) the electronics are mediocre and it's improperly grounded/shielded. There was no shielding in the pickup cavities, thus an obnoxious buzz whenever I removed my fingers from the strings. The nut popped off when I changed the strings. Good thing I had a tube of wood glue.

Even at this price, flaws like this are unacceptable. Also, as of this writing and likely for a few more years, shipping prices and tariffs almost double the cost for anyone ordering from the U.S.

I extensively modded the instrument and fixed all these issues, but it wasn't worth it and I still ended up selling it. There's far better budget six string basses available. Buy those and don't waste your money on this one.

Initially too heavy, neck dive, (Neck is lovely) but guitar is not balanced.. Frustrating but Cheap. In fact cheap enough to totally remodel (bespoke) to fit me. It took a couple of weeks of very obsessive work, I sanded it down, did a bit of fretwork, removed some of the body and headstock by stylishly reshaping it. Now I can get to all the fret positions available, belly cut - fits as snug as a bug, very beautifully balanced, no neck dive what-so-ever. I kept the pickups but replaced the electronics with something "really nice" and now I love it and so does my back. (I would never let it go) Plays like a dream. It is my "Special Bass" and I feel like a plastic surgeon. Great project.